Winter Dance Gala 2023 Program

Choreography: Kaitlyn Pollock

Rehearsal Assistants: Haley Cirlincione and Michelle Oku

Music: "Playground Children 1" by Walla Ambiance, "Mall Crowd" by Walla Ambiance, "Mongolian Barbecue" by Lennon Hutton, "Fast Driver" by Andreas DahlbÄck, Music Design by Kaitlyn Pollock

Lighting Design: Evan Carlson

Costume Design: Kaitlyn Pollock, Haley Cirlincione, Michelle Oku

Costume Alterations: Julia Kosanovich

Dancers: Members of First-Year Performance

(Performing 2/10 at 8 PM & 2/11 at 8 PM)

Charlotte Anderson, Delaney Anderson, Ariana Bereolos, Annabel Bernicky,  Jake Gamit, Kersten Gray, Josie Hull, Alyse Kazimierczuk, Kyra Krupp,  Maeve Krzysiak, Erica Magaru, Adrian Martinez, Lauren Matz*, Avery Miller, McKenna Morris, Madelyn Nemeth, Cheyenne Niemann, Emily Poirier, Peyton Travis, Katelyn Yeskie

(Performing 2/11 at 2 PM & 2/12 at 2 PM)

Mary Ann Acciavatti, Hailie Adamczak, Krista Arman, Meaghan Baker,  Calla Beverly, Arian  Blasco, Lauren Brown, Maria Cervi, Alaina D'Orazio,  Alyssa Griffith, Monica Lange*, McKenna Larsen, Lexi Lund, Grace Malarney, Paris Meller, Natalie Parker, Hailey Polizzi, Shaniya Tate, Jessica Welch

_{*Unable to perform due to injury}

Choreography: Kiki Lucas

Rehearsal Director: Kelsey Paschich

Music: "Mur" by, Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto, "Thunders And Lightenings" by Ezio Bosso

Lighting Design: Evan Carlson

Costume Design: Julia Kosanovich

Dancers: Members of Western Dance Project

Duet:

(Performing 2/10 at 8 pm, 2/11 at 8 pm & 2/12 at 2 pm)

Caitlin Clark and Katie Hatfield

(Performing 2/11 at 2 pm)

Dani Johnson and Sawyer McNamara

Group:

Madison Christopher, Caitlin Clark, Megan Hansen, Katie Hatfield, Emily Hill, Chloe Gunkel, Dani Johnson, Sawyer McNamara, Paige Mulick, Juliana Stavola, Ji Hae Yepa-Pappan

Western Dance Project is the touring ensemble of WMU Dance led by Assistant Professor Kelsey Paschich as the Artistic Director. The company provides concert performance, lecture-demonstrations, and master classes to regional schools, community centers, and dance festivals. Each year, students learn repertoire from guest choreographers, faculty, WMU Dance alumni and current students. WDP cultivates artistry, builds resilience and prepares dancers for the professional field.

Original Premiere, 2022, Point Park University Summer Intensive

Choreography: Kelsey Paschich

Music: "Tres Avions" and "Amadre" (feat. Sacromonte) by Alberto Lucendo,  "Pentar" by Sgnl_fltr

Lighting Design: Evan Carlson

Costume Design: Julia Kosanovich

Dancers: 

Delaney Anderson, Morgan Bodie, Sabrina Darnall, Laneé Dickens, Olivia Gray,  Erica Magaru, Lauren Matz*, Libby McKenzie, Jordan Moyer, JoJo Supanich, Shaniya Tate, Jessica Welch, Emeili Bengry (Performing 2/10 at 8 pm & 2/11 at 2 pm), Carina Pollicella (Performing 2/11 at 8 pm & 2/12 at 2 pm)

_{*unable to perform due to injury}

Special thanks to the dancers for their contributions of the re-staging and development of this work at WMU

Joan Herrington: Interim Chair

Megan Slayter: Professor and Program Director

Amy Avery: Part-Time Instructor

Jeremy Blair : Assistant Professor

Brian Boyer: Master Electrician

EunKyung Chung: Part-Time Instructor

Emily Duguay: Director, Arts Administration

Annie Franklin: Part-Time Instructor

Dorothy Giovannini: Ballet Accompanist Coordinator

Monique Haley: Associate Professor

Seyong Kim: Assistant Professor

Whitney Moncrief: Associate Professor

Kelsey Paschich: Assistant Professor

Carolyn Pavlik: Professor

Kaitlyn Pollock: Part-Time Instructor

Carolyn Pampalone Rabbers: Part-Time Instructor

Stacey Tyler: Budget Analyst

Dave Van Haren: Modern Accompanist Coordinator

Jeremy Blair (Lady Macbeth): Jeremy Blair's creative research investigates queer representation, social-vernacular dance, and jazz dance pedagogy. His choreography has been presented at Jacob’s Pillow, City Center, Gibney, Harris Theatre, and other venues throughout the United States. Jeremy has performed with Thodos Dance Chicago, Lucky Plush Productions, Chicago Moving Company, Khecari Dance Theatre, Aerial Dance Chicago, and with Friches Theatre Urbaine in Paris. Jeremy received an MFA in choreography from the University of Iowa, a BA in theatre from Millikin University, and is a 500-hour registered Hatha yoga teacher.

Kimberly Cooper (Family of Jazz (excerpts)): Kimberley Cooper is the Artistic Director of Decidedly Jazz Danceworks (DJD) in Calgary, Canada. She has been a part of DJD for over 3 decades, as a dancer (1989-2013), Resident Choreographer/Artistic Associate (2002-2013), as Artistic Director (2013-). In 2002, Cooper was named Emerging Artist of the Year by Alberta Dance Alliance and has since created over 20 full-length works on DJD as well as numerous shorter pieces. She has created and performed in countless independent projects locally and internationally. She has served as an Artist in Residence during Calgary as Cultural Capital of Canada in 2012 and was awarded Dance Victoria’s Crystal Dance Prize in 2014. Cooper has contributed chapters to the books; City of Animals, (University of Calgary Humanities Dept. 2017); and Rooted Jazz Dance: Africanist Aesthetics and Equity in the Twenty First Century (University Press of Florida 2022). She was Artist in Residence with Fall for Dance North (Toronto 2020-2022)

Dani Johnson (Ascendancy): Dani Johnson is currently a senior at Western Michigan University with plans of graduating with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance, as well as a certificate in dance studio management in the spring of 2023. Dani is currently part of Western Dance Project under the direction of professor Kelsey Paschich, where she has the opportunity to perform and train through the 2022-2023 school year. Additionally, Dani enjoys creating works of her own. Her most recent choreographic endeavors have been a solo work titled “I Forget Where We Went," along with works in collaboration with Sawyer McNamara titled “Ascendancy” and “Threshold." Dani has most recently performed in works choreographed by Kaitlyn Pollock, Jeremy Blair, Monique Haley, Kiki Lucas, Kim Cooper, and Sara Kausch.

Seyong Kim (The Pianist in the Black Sea): Seyong Kim is a Certified Movement Analyst, a Somatic Dance Educator, an ABT® Certified Teacher, and an Assistant Professor at Western Michigan University. He holds an MA in Dance Education from NYU and an MA in Dance from Sung-Kyun-Kwan University in South Korea. He earned Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University. Seyong has taught for the University of Georgia, Rutgers University, Kent State University, Randolph College, Peridance, World Dance Alliance-America (WDAA), American College Dance Association (ACDA), Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, and Grand Rapids Ballet. Seyong has danced with the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center, Albania National Ballet Theatre, Traverse City Dance Project, TAKE Dance, and Oakland Ballet Company. His choreographic works have been presented at Landestheater Coburg in Germany, Florence Dance on Screen Festival in Italy, International Contemporary Dance Festival of Mexico City, Taiwan JueDai Taipei International Dance Festival, ProArteDanza in Canada, Seoul International Dance Festival in TANK, Battery Dance Festival, Palm Desert Choreography Festival, American Dance Guild Festival, Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, CrossCurrent Asian American Dance Festival, and Movement Research at the Judson Church.

Kiki Lucas (Ricochet): Kiki Lucas is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at Point Park University, teaching Jazz Technique, Contemporary Partnering & Entrepreneurship and the Arts. She is an alumna and has been a part of the Point Park International Summer Dance faculty since 2002. She was the Resident Choreographer and dancer for Met Dance Company in Houston, TX and Mosaic Dance Project in Miami, FL for numerous years. Her choreography has been presented twice at Jacob’s Pillow Inside Out Stage, The Kennedy Center, Met Dance Co, Towson University, University of Central Oklahoma, The Grier School, James Madison University, Wright State University, and most recently Western Michigan University where they performed her work Ricochet at the Detroit Dance City Festival and their 50th-anniversary program. She is currently pursuing her MFA from Montclair State University. Her International teaching credits include: Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Uruguay, and Mexico. Other teaching credits include: Universal Ballet Competition, Modas Dance, Broadway Dance Center, Debbie Reynold’s Dance Studio, Choreographer’s Ball Los Angeles CA, Miami Arts Charter School, and Dance Masters of America. Kiki was honored to be the choreographer alongside Broadway’s Stephen Sposito in Point Park’s rendition of Pippin in the Spring of 2020 and Carnegie Mellon’s brilliant Justin Lucero in the production of Curtains in October 2021. She was also on the creative team for Pitt University’s play Emilia this past Spring 2022, as well as the rehearsal director for Bob Fosse’s Rich Man’s Frug restaged by, Lainie Sakakura from the Fosse/Verdon Foundation.

Sawyer McNamara (Ascendancy): Sawyer McNamara is currently in her senior year at Western Michigan University working towards receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance, as well as a certificate in dance studio management. Throughout her time at Western, she has gotten the opportunity to perform works by Kaitlyn Pollock, Seyong Kim, Jeremy Blair, Monique Haley, Kiki Lucas, and Kimberly Cooper. In addition to this, she currently serves as a company member of Western Dance Project 2022-2023 under the direction of Kelsey Paschich. In addition to her time performing, she enjoys creating works of her own. In the past four years, her choreographic mentors have been Jeremy Blair, Kelsey Paschich, and Carolyn Pavlik. One of Sawyer’s most recent choreographic works is an exploration of solo performance titled, “As a Result.” In addition to this work, she has also created works in collaboration with Dani Johnson titled “Threshold” and “Ascendancy.”

Kelsey Paschich (Inertia): Kelsey Paschich is a multi-faceted dance artist originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Paschich holds an MFA in Dance from the University of New Mexico and a BFA in Dance from Point Park University. She is 1 of 12 Countertechnique® Certified Teachers in the USA and 1 of 44 globally. Her international performance career spans 20 years and multiple genres. Paschich has performed extensively with: The Moscow State Classical Ballet, DCDC2, Thodos Dance Chicago, River North Chicago Dance Company, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Interdansa Dance Festival, Keshet Dance Company, ARCOS Dance, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the Hannibal Project in Solden, Austria. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of project whitewall where she experiments and creates live + digital work that explores humanness, the moving body, and its relationship to technology. Paschich's multimedia work includes: screendance, dance for film, and choreographic installations. Most recently she has been experimenting and developing work with motion capture technology in collaboration with interactive media specialist, Kevin Abbott. Their digital work has been screened in Istanbul, Lisbon, Ulm, Denver, Michigan, and across the United States. Paschich is the recipient of Distant Digital Dance Maker commission for Tanz mit dem Tiger 2021 + 2022 (Ulm, Germany), Creative Living for Dancers Award 2021 (Brussels, Belgium), the Dancing Lab Residency at the National Center for Choreography at the University of Akron (NCCAkron) 2021. She was also the recipient of the National Dizzy Feet Foundation Gene Kelly Legacy Scholarship in 2016. Paschich’s choreographic and performative experience continues to inform her pedagogical methodology in providing a progressive and holistic education that cultivates the next generation of artists.

Carolyn Pavlik (Joplin3: Becoming Pearl): Carolyn Pavlik is a Professor of Dance at Western Michigan University. She earned her M.F.A in Dance from the University of Washington and her B.A. in Dance from the University of Texas. Carolyn is the co-editor (with colleague Melanie Kloetzel) of Site Dance: Choreographers and the Lure of Alternative Spaces. Her dance films have been presented worldwide, most notably at the American Dance Festival, LesGaiCineMad, Festival Internacional de Video-danza de Buenos Aires, Cineautopsia: Bogota Experimental Film Festival, and the 41st Seattle International Film Festival, and her concert dance works have been presented in New York, Washington, Michigan and Texas. Carolyn was awarded the 2008 Maggie Allesee New Choreography Award and the 2005 Austin Critics’ Table - Dances with Video Award. She performed professionally with the Sharir Dance Company, among others. Carolyn is certified in Polestar Pilates and is trained in Myofascial Release Technique, Deep Tissue Massage, Thai Massage and Shiatsu.

Kaitlyn Pollock (Viaggiatore): Kaitlyn Pollock is a WMU graduate with a BFA in Dance. Throughout her education she performed in works set by Ron DeJesus, Willy Shives, Harrison McEldowney, Lauren Edson, Shen Wei, and KT Nelson. In 2014 she moved to NYC and performed professionally with Shawn Bible Dance Company, BOM DIGGS and Smashworks Dance Collective. She also performed in various freelance dance projects. In 2018 she moved back to Michigan and was later hired to perform with Jodie Randolph Dance in which she performed locally and internationally. In spring of 2019 she became part-time faculty at WMU teaching modern technique, and worked with BA and BFA students on their graduating projects. In 2020 she gained the title of Artistic Director of Young Dancers Initiative, a youth pre-professional dance company focusing on guiding young artists into their futures.