Senior composition students present an evening of new dance works that bring imaginative depth and wonder to the Boston Conservatory mainstage. Nine individual pieces showcase each choreographer’s unique voice and artistry, cultivated over the last four years. Sabril Amin, Katie Corrao, Tricia Dietrick, Ava Grebe, Raxel Kempenaar, Solana McGonagle, Daede Ott, Dawvyn Winters, and Monica Zesch all invite you to watch with curiosity and enjoy the cumulative work that represents our beloved modes of expression.
“Dance… Will You” takes us on a journey, stopping in each dance maker’s world. Here, the choreographers experiment in the personal playgrounds of our imagination. We are excited to finally introduce dances brought to life at the start of the fall 2023 semester, featuring contemporary dance performing artists from the sophomore, junior, and senior classes. We will all move and be moved as creators and performers—and you, the audience—becoming immersed in the very nature of dance making. We thank you for supporting young creatives on the verge of embarking on their next journey.
This performance honors the 80-year anniversary of the Dance Division's founding and celebrates Boston Conservatory's legacy of dance excellence and innovation.
Program Information
Welcome Note
Welcome to “Dance…Will You,” a journey stopping in nine dancemakers’ worlds as the senior composition students present an evening of new dance works that bring imaginative depth and wonder to the Boston Conservatory mainstage. As the second of the Dance Division’s four mainstage performances this academic year, this production is designed to support senior choreographers, as well as sophomore, junior, and senior contemporary dance majors with the opportunity to create, rehearse, and perform together.Nine senior choreography emphasis students—Sabril Amin, Katie Corrao, Tricia Dietrick, Ava Grebe, Raxel Kempenaar, Solana McGonagle, Daede Ott, Dawvyn Winters, and Monica Zesch—present an evening of original, engaging, and diverse dance compositions. “Dance…Will You” is a culmination of four years of choreographic practice facilitated by composition faculty Diane Arvanites, Daniel McCusker, Brian McGinnis, Daniel Pelzig, and this year’s guest artist and mentor, Brian Brooks. These works are unique representations of each artist’s voice, vision, and identity. Key to this production, each choreographer works through a process of creating, producing, and designing their work from inception to completion. In addition to creating, the process includes auditioning, marketing, costuming, and working closely with a full professional production crew. The concert brings each choreographic artist closer to the experience of self-production. “Dance…Will You” is a compass of the times and view of the world as expressed by young artists. I am pleased to work with these amazing young makers in support of their work. Enjoy!—Diane Arvanites, associate professor of dance and artistic director of “Dance…Will You”A Note from the Dean of DanceThe students are always at the center of our mission in the Dance Division, and our goal is to help them realize their fullest potential, not only as performers, but also as creative and entrepreneurial artists. We guide and educate them, helping them grow as young adults finding their way in the world, giving them opportunities to experience different points of view and ways of seeing the life around them. They learn how to be engaged citizens of the world in order to make the world a better place through the arts. I think you will agree that these young, creative dance artists are inspiring, passionate, and deeply committed to what they love to do: dance.
—Tommy Neblett, dean of dance
We remain bound… our end is near. (*world premiere*)
Choreography: Katie Corrao
Rehearsal Assistance: Angelina Curtain
Music: Amon Tobin (“Bridge”); Jòhann Jòhannsson (“Kangaru”); Frank Sinatra (“My Way”)
Costume Design: Katie Corrao
Lighting Design: Paul Marr
Performers: Eliana Balzano, Pandora Bassett, Emily Crone, Lilly David, Angela Hamlin, Hannah Morris, Mia Nolte, Ana Peréz Yudin, Bella Schott, Bridget Suchar, Brianna Sullivan, Lucia Taylor
Program Note:
Let go of your earthly tether. Enter the void. Empty and become the wind.
—Michael Dante DiMartino
Artist Statement:
Can I investigate this imagination of mine without creating with solemnity?
Can I approach making like my imagination as a kid with building blocks and Barbie dolls?
Can I be so invested in what dance is at its core that the outcome is white noise?
—Katie Corrao, choreographer
Eye Candy (*world premiere*)
Choreography: Sabril Amin
Rehearsal Assistance: Shiori Hamanaka
Music: Benjamin Wallfisch, Hans Zimmer (“2049”); Hoenix, Leïla Taïga (“Elevation”); Zoë Keating (“Forest”, “Legions (War)”)
Costume Design: Sabril Amin
Lighting Design: Paul Marr
Performers: Suriya Allain, Chloe Bland, Ai Li Mok, Ashley Rush, Brianna Sullivan, Lucia Taylor, Chloé Wasser, Makayla Williams, Yadi Zhang, Brooke Zide
Artist Statement:
The objective is not to make art, but to be in the wonderful state that makes art inevitable.
—Rick Rubin
I don’t dance. I move. Our common language is movement. We move to breathe. We breathe to move.
—Sabril Amin, choreographer
Alive Without Medicine (*world premiere*)
Choreography: Dawvyn Winters
Music: Soft Hair (“Alive Without Medicine”); Jojo Mayer (“Darkness,” “Reentry”); Batry Powr (“Un1ty Flute”); mixed by Simon Deery
Costume Design: Dawvyn Winters
Lighting Design: Paul Marr
Performers: Kayenne Charles-Pierre, Nigel Clifford, Angela Hamlin, CiCi Kai, Hannah Laski, Daede Ott, Aiden Robbins, Aja Simms, Kate Warner, Makayla Williams, Emily Winkelbauer
Artist Statement:
Small nuances are beautiful.
Texture is my foundation.
Musicality is worth exploring.
I’m listening to my inner child choreograph in the bathroom.
She makes me laugh.
—Dawvyn Winters, choreographer
The Other Side (*world premiere*)
Choreography: Solana McGonagle
Music: Natalia Lafourcade, Los Cojolites (“Sembrando Flores”); Anticueca (“Keltehues”); Frida Lopez (“Asturias (Suite Española)”)
Costume Design: Solana McGonagle
Lighting Design: Paul Marr
Performers: Samantha Blanton, Ana Delgado Cruz, Jaqi Gendreau, Alyssa Lucas, Swathi Maddi, Demi Mutz, Punch Purichat, Kim Vasileva, Kylah Walker
Program Note:
What do we find when we reach the other side? Thank you to the beautiful dancers that helped me cultivate this world and bring it to life. This work was made in collaboration with them.
—Solana McGonagle, choreographer
Artist Statement:
Nothing is ever fully still. We are constantly in motion, yet in life we must surrender to finding stillness. Making dances is my way of exploring the dichotomy of stillness within motion. In my work, I aim to cultivate connection, as the dancers weave the threads of their stories. As my artistry unfolds, I continue to stay in motion.
—Solana McGonagle, choreographer
WHO’S FEELING NICE? (*world premiere*)
Choreography: Daede Ott
Music: JPEGMAFIA (“TRUST!”); Flying Lotus (“Do the Astral Plane”); Disclosure (“Love Can Be So Hard”); Against All Logic (“If You Can’t Do It Good, Do It Hard”)
Costume Design: Daede Ott
Lighting Design: Paul Marr
Performers: Drew Allen, Eliana Balzano, Tamia Blackwell, Cara Breeding, Ali Cederholm, Grace Chaney, Nigel Clifford, Tricia Dietrick, Molly Jane Dunne, Raxel Kempenaar, Eliana LeBreche, Emersyn Novach, Mia Nolte, Kim Vasileva, Ana Peréz Yudin, Monica Zesch
Program Note: LET’S GET LOST.
—Daede Ott, Choreographer
Artist Statement: I want to become the music. The music carries me into a new dimension that provides a structure and ideas I can decipher. My ultimate goal is creating an epic that overwhelms the senses. I want everyone to feel that uncontrollable urge to ______. Join my groove.
—Daede Ott, Choreographer
—INTERMISSION—
Gossamer (*world premiere*)
Choreography: Tricia Dietrick
Music: Andy Scott (“Forgotten”); James Blake (“Voyeur (Instrumental)”); DjRUM (“Arcana – Coda”); Haunt Me (“Ghost Writing Pt. 1”)
Costume Design: Tricia Dietrick
Lighting Design: Paul Marr
Performers: Drew Allen, Cara Breeding, Bianca Brown, Kayenne Charles-Pierre, Ana Delgado Cruz, Hailey Fleming, Raxel Kempenaar, Olivia Mozie, Daede Ott, Esmé Stone, Emily Winkelbauer
Artist Statement:
What good is love that no one shares?
Sharing this love exposes who I am, who I was, and who I want to be.
Sharing fragmented memories, building relationships, making music.
I come home to myself.
Making sense of the unknown.
Confronting what I’d like to ignore.
Taking care of the spectator.
Reaching their spirit with our shared humanity.
—Tricia Dietrick, choreographer
Happpy Chaos (*world premiere*)
Choreography: Raxel Kempenaar
Music: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (“The Dripping Tap”)|
Costume Design: Raxel Kempenaar
Lighting Design: Paul Marr
Performers: Suriya Allain, Amanda Bacallao, Kanella Benavides, Nigel Clifford, Molly Jane Dunne, Ekko Greenbaum, Hannah Laski, Bridget Suchar, Brooke Zide
Artist Statement:
I creEaTE works that may be AMbiGUoUs to the audience but mean eVErYTHinG to the artists involved. I provide stRUCTurE for dancers to bring THeMseLves into; it may be my choreography, but it is theirs to bRiNG to life. i ExsiST SimPLy tO shArE mY aRT AnD hoPEfuLLy BriNG a seNSE oF JOy aND bELonGinG tO ThosE wHo ExpERieNCE iT.
—Raxel Kempenaar, choreographer
The Lonely (*world premiere*)
Choreography: Ava Grebe
Music: Live Music by Mar Rivero with Castanets; Neil LeVang (“(Ghost) Riders in the Sky”)
Costume Design: Ava Grebe
Lighting Design: Paul Marr
Performers: Sabril Amin, CiCi Kai, Sophie Locke, Maria Pellegrino, Mar Rivero, Uma Roberts, Chloé Wasser, Madison Wagaman, Emma Jane Zaher
Program Note:
Thank you to all of the performing artists for your collaborative contributions and trust in each other.
—Ava Grebe, choreographer
Artist Statement:
While I have your attention, I can either put you in a daze or a meditation, confuse, anger, or excite you. This moment in time we share is an offering. I would like to offer you both how I see the world and what I wish to add, one step at a time. Dance is my medium but is never the destination. The goal is to help you leave thinking elsewhere. So, wherever you encounter my work, should you decide to go, enjoy the show. Should you take this offering with you, keep it safe.
—Ava Grebe, choreographer
The Detail of the Pattern Is Movement (*world premiere*)
Choreography: Monica Zesch
Music: Roomful of Teeth, Caroline Shaw, Sol LeWitt, (“Four Pieces: I. Allemande”); Gabriel Prokofiev, Peter Gregson (“Jerk Driver (Marcas Lancaster Remix)”); original mix by Monica Zesch
Costume Design: Monica Zesch
Lighting Design: Paul Marr
Performers: Cara Breeding, Ali Cederholm, Kayenne Charles-Pierre, Amber Lew, Olivia Mozie, Aja Simms, Isabella Soo-Hoo, Emily Wang
Artist Statement:
I choreograph for the purpose of joy. While style and conceptual versatility remain core values, joy is the driving factor of my work. Dance has the powerful capacity to be a rejuvenating light in a world that often collides with darkness. It is an always-evolving, never-stagnant medium that empowers us to see and celebrate the beauty of the human experience.
—Monica Zesch, Choreographer
Artist Bios
Diane Arvanites, producer and artistic director of “Dance…Will You,” teaches core curriculum modern partnering, composition, and somatic techniques. She has been an associate professor at the Conservatory since 1994. She is a somatic body activist, a movement educator, and a creative artist. Honored as a distinguished alum of Boston Conservatory in 2002, Arvanites has had an extensive history as an award-winning choreographer, educator, and co-artistic director of Prometheus Dance with Tommy Neblett. Arvanites received her B.F.A. from Boston Conservatory in 1980. Her work has toured extensively in the U.S., Europe, and South America.
Production Credits
PRODUCTION STAFF:Director of Performance Services – Hanna OravecAssistant Director of Performance Services – Rebecca DonaldStage Manager – Katie Arnold Assistant Stage Manager – Emily HansonTechnical Director – Taylor KaufmanAssistant Technical Director – Caleb Harris Costume Shop Manager – Alison Pugh Assistant Costume Shop Manager – Leah Foley Wardrobe Manager – Blue BarberWardrobe Assistant – Liv CurnenDrapers/Stitchers – Sam Martin, Caroline SeeleyStitchers – Maegan Pate, Lindsey Weaver, Carly WilcoxLighting Supervisor – Matthew MartinoAssistant Lighting Supervisor – Gabe GoldmanA1/Sound Supervisor – Steve DeptulaA2/Sound Assistant – Maddy Poston Properties Manager – Larry Dembski Stage Supervisor – Steve TorenSTUDENT PRODUCTION STAFF:Light Board Operator – Elvis PietrzakWardrobe Assistants – Jackson SmithCostume Assistants – Maya Boyce, Samantha Fleeter, Olivia Martinez
Boston Conservatory thanks audience members for viewing this program information online. This paperless program saved 600 sheets of paper, 63 gallons of water, and 51 pounds of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.
Streaming from the Boston Conservatory Theater
The event will appear here during its scheduled time.
