PROGRAM 1
Thursday, February 8 @ 7:30 pm
▪ The Mo.vement, NY
▪ ArtBao, PA
▪ Bridget Ryan, NJ
▪ CDCFest, FL
▪ Tara Iacobucci, RI
▪ Company E, Inc, DC
▪ Smutek Dance, MI
▪ Amos Pinhasi, NY
▪ Santiago Rivera, CA
▪ WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company, NY
The Mo.vement ©
Moriah Markowitz is a dance choreographer, dance teacher, and certified yoga instructor based in New York. She received her BFA in Dance from the University at Buffalo in 2019. After receiving her degree, she has showcased her work in multiple venues/festivals including but not limited to: Choreographers Carnival, An Evening of Contemporary Dance, Young Choreographer’s Festival, The American College Dance Association, Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, Dare2Dance, Dance Parade NYC, Peridance’s APEX Dance Festival, DUMBO Dance Festival, and Eryc Taylor Dance NCG. As she found her love for choreography, Moriah created a New York based contemporary dance company titled “The Mo.vement.” Within the company, Moriah hopes to continue to create an environment which guides dancers to an immeasurable amount of growth and inspiration as we come together to deepen our creative minds. "Introspection" is a piece about observing my own life process. How each choice I make will lead to a different future for myself. Dancers, Jade Falkenberg and Grace Hilarides, both represent myself, with the inner struggle of making the "right choice" and noticing where the different choices begin to align.
Muyu Yuan Ruba is a Chinese movement-based artist, with a B.F.A. in Dance from Shanghai Normal University and an M.F.A. from Temple University. In 2016, she founded Shero Dance Company and L&M Dance Studio. Joined Cardell Dance Theater in 2021. Muyu's commitment to her craft was recognized with the Rubys Artist Grant in 2021. As a versatile artist, she experiments with various media and embraces puppetry, installations, video, improvisation, and sound in her work.
"The Wonder World," challenges societal norms and explores the mysteries of gender and humanity. Through masks and distorted body movements, this performance encourages audiences to dive into their own identities, celebrating individuality and questioning the complexities of the human experience, all within a mesmerizing dance piece.
ArtBao ©
Danielle Lydia Sheather © Asher Swan
Danielle Lydia Sheather, Canadian born dancer, choreographer, artist, and educator; is currently serving as Assistant Professor of Dance at Southern Utah University. She earned her BFAfrom the University at Buffalo and her MFA as a University Fellow at the University of Arizona. Danielle's choreography has been showcased at The Capitol Theatre (Salt Lake City), Baryshnikov Arts Center (NYC), Triskelion Arts (NYC),WHITE WAVE DUMBO Dance Festival at the Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center (NYC), Stevie Eller Dance Theater (Tucson, AZ), McGinnis Theater (Greenville, NC), Le Regarddu Cygne (Paris, France) and at the 2022 Inaside Dance Chicago International Virtual Choreography Competition. She has been commissioned to create works for Flatlands Dance Theater, Zodiaque Dance Company, and Zodiaque Dance Ensemble. The work this evening, “I Knew a Man,” explores imprinted memories of knowing a man without ever being capable of doing so.
Bridget Ryan is an emerging choreographer. She attended Dance Dimensions, Academy of the Holy Angels and is a student at Drew University training in all forms of dance. Bridget continues to create more choreography to grow her passion. Silent Screams was previously shown at the 2022 Drew University dance show and New York State Dance Education Association 2023 Winter Conference: Dance & Pride. Silent Screams portrays that in life things we would never expect to happen to us, sometimes do. Sexual harassment can exists in our nightmares but at times comes to life. She wants to bring forth attention to a topic that many women have unfortunately been through.
Bridget Ryan by Drew University Theater and Dance Department ©
The CDCFest is a professional Contemporary Dance Choreography Festival bringing together emerging and established choreographers to present their work in Orlando, FL. This festival's mission is to provide dancemakers a space to present their work and continue to build a strong network among the dance community in Orlando. Our goal is to showcase the power that contemporary dance can have in a community with work from global dance makers who are commenting on current issues or concepts in the world.
The solo, "Not My Responsibility", is a feminist work choreographed by Artistic Director of CDCFest, McClaine Timmerman, commenting on the immeasurable weight caused to any person when allowing societal judgements to conscrew the way you feel or think about yourself. Removing oneself from the constant expectations of others is a difficult but necessary task if we want to own our thoughts, body, and truth.
CDCFest (Contemporary Dance Choreography Festival) © Christopher Duggan
Tara Lacobucci ©
Tara Iacobucci is a seasoned educator, choreographer, mentor and dancer. Accolades and credits range from Joffrey Ballet’s Jazz and Contemporary Training Program, to mentoring dancers to attend some of the top schools in our industry, to film and stage credits with many well known, reputable artists and companies. Highly sought after throughout the country, Tara has recently taken on another role of Adjunct Professor of Dance at the collegiate level. “Quintessential Colors’ is a piece of work that has been a standout throughout Tara’s career, much thanks to Liana Weisbord and her artistic interpretation and dedication to the vision. We all bring color to this world, it just depends what color will shine at what moment. Often times our personal experiences and opinions guide these colors and their illuminations. We love to witness each other shining, wholeheartedly. We love, even more, to see the aura that surrounds each of us.
Company E is a contemporary repertory and interdisciplinary company based in Washington, DC. The company is a regular partner with the U.S. Department of State, working both with the Washington headquarters and the U.S. Embassies around the world as a cultural ambassador.
The company commissions and creates works both while overseas and in partnership with the Diplomatic Missions based in DC to build its repertoire.
Tonight’s performance comes from a series of works the company has commissioned from Ukrainian artists since the 2022 Full Scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The choreographer, Anastasiia Kharchenko, chose to remain in Ukraine when her husband was drafted into military service. The duet, made for Company E for the first Anniversary of the Invasion, premiered at the Residence of the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom during an evening-length performance which brought together Company E with artists from Ukraine and the United Kingdom. In it, Ms. Kharchenko asks not about what has happened, but what comes next.
Company E © Paul Gordon Emerson
Smutek Dance is a Detroit based freelance dance company, directed by Christa Smutek, established in 2019. Most recently, Christa was one of eight fellows selected for the Ann & Weston Hicks Choreography Fellowship 2023 at Jacob’s Pillow, under the direction of Risa Steinberg and Dianne McIntyre. Smutek Dance has performed at various festivals throughout the country. Smutek Dance was the Detroit Dance City Festival, Best Choreography Winner 2021. Her film, Unchained, was awarded Festival Favorite, Newbie Filmmaker, in Opine Dance Film Festival 2020.
Smutek Dance © Steven Pisano
Christa is the Artistic Director of the pre-professional company, Artistic Edge Dance Centre in Hartland, WI and the Director of the in-studio dance intensive, The Collective Movement.
“First Steps” was inspired by my personal experience as a mother. In this excerpt, we witness the care, caution, and compassion required of a parent as a child explores the world around them and gradually gains independence.
Amos Pinhasi ©
Amos Pinhasi was born in Israel where he performed and choreographed for Tamar Jerusalem Dance Company. In new York he has presented his own work since 1985 and has been produced by DTW, DIA ,Joyce Soho, Dancenow, The 40Up Project and Danspace Project, White Wave, Cool New York, WestFest among others. He has toured his solo work in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Sweden and Israel. He teaches dance improvisation and Yoga internationally.
Santiago Rivera is a dance educator and choreographer in the Southern California area and completed his M.F.A in Dance at California State University, Long Beach in the Spring of 2023. He started dancing and training in the competitive world when he was in eighth grade. In 2016 he received his B.A. in Drama and minor in Educational Studies from the University of California, Irvine. In 2021 he received his Certification in Dance Instruction from Orange Coast College and completed the 2020/2021 Jose Limon Technique Certification Training Program. His works focus on the amplification of closetted queer LatinX and BIPOC voices in “safe” dance spaces. He is currently teaching and choreographing at Cypress College in Southern California.
Santiago Rivera ©
WHITE WAVE Dance © Joon Park
A pioneer of “Hallyu (한류): Korean Wave”, Young Soon Kim, an internationally acclaimed choreographer whose work has been hailed for its exhilarating, visually stunning, and emotionally rich. Formed in 1988, WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company strives to inspire audiences through multi-dimensional dance productions reflecting themes and philosophies both modern and timeless. For nearly four decades, Ms. Kim and WHITE WAVE have appeared globally on principal stages including Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Joyce Theater, Kennedy Center, Dance Theater Workshop, Jacob’s Pillow, American Dance Festival, National Theater of Seoul (Korea), National Theater of Taipei (Taiwan), Hong Kong Academy of the Performing Arts, as well as Theatre de la Ville in Paris, Maison de la Culture in Le Havre, France; Teatro Nazionale in Milan, Teatro Tendu Striscie in Rome, Italy; Schauspielhaus in Cologne, Germany; as well as the Festival d’Avignon in Avignon, France, among others. In 2003 Ms. Kim was featured in the documentary film Arirang: The Korean American Journey, which was premiered at the Smithsonian Institute and broadcasted nationwide by PBS. In 2013 and 2014, Ms. Kim was nominated twice for the Annual KBS Global Korean Award.
2019 has been invigorating for WHITE WAVE Dance, including a highly successful tour to Korea & China!
Our latest production “iyouuswe II, A Dance Film” is selected to Finalist at Vancouver Independent Film Festival and an OFFICIAL SELECTION at the London International Short Film Festival 2021, 2021 Espoo Digi-Dance International Film Festival (Finland) and Experimental, Dance, Music Film Festival (Canada).
WHITE WAVE Dance © Joon Park