Choreographer
Christa Oliver

Music Credits
Peter Askim (composer), Philip Brandon, and Simon Tassano

Lighting and Video Design
Joshua Reaves

Costuming
Christa Oliver

Performers
Hayden Allen, Kiara Antonacci, Alison Austin, Sarah Clayton, Ava Clymer, Hannah Cowell, Joshua Dodoo, Ella Harless, Margaret Marathe, Cailyn McAllister, AK Stipanov, McKenna Stout, and Olivia Thomas

This interdisciplinary piece features the poem “Oh My Brother,” written by NC Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green. It also features banners designed by Carol Fountain Nix, original music written and composed by Peter Askim, and audio contributions from jazz and R&B artist Phillip Brandon, as well as the expertise of recording engineer Simon Tassano.

Choreographer
Zach Law Ingram

Music Credits
No Brainer by Allen Mock

Lighting Design
Joshua Reaves

Costume Design
Zach Law Ingram

Performers
Hayden Allen, Kiara Antonacci, Alison Austin, Sarah Clayton, Ava Clymer, Hannah Cowell, Joshua Dodoo, Ella Harless, Margaret Marathe, Cailyn McAllister, AK Stipanov, McKenna Stout, and Olivia Thomas

Choreographer
Eboni Adams

Music Credits
Facebook Story by Frank Ocean
Forget-er by Kris Bowers

Lighting Design
Joshua Reaves

Costume Design
Eboni Adams

Performers
Hayden Allen, Alison Austin, Ava Clymer, Joshua Dodoo, Ella Harless, and Margaret Marathe

It is a known fact that technological advancements, particularly social media, have impacted in-person interactions. “In Front of You” delves into a romantic relationship where one doubts their partner’s seriousness because they haven’t accepted their friend request on social media. This piece is just the beginning of a deeper exploration into how social media has become the ultimate validator of reality. Simply being physically present is no longer sufficient to prove the truth.

Choreographer
Gabriel “B-boy Wicket” Jaochico

Music Credits
Gabriel “B-boy Wicket” Jaochico, Joe Budden, Missy Elliot, Beyoncé, Busta Rhymes, Chubb Rock, and Soul Makossa

Lighting Design
Joshua Reaves

Video and costume Design
Gabriel “B-boy Wicket” Jaochico

Performers
Kiara Antonacci, Sarah Clayton, Joshua Dodoo, Cailyn McAllister, and AK Stipanov

Choreographer
Willie Hinton

Music Credits
Bellino Evans, Aged and Mellow by Catherine Russell, Backwater Blues by Alvin Ailey

Lighting Design
Joshua Reaves

Costume Design
Willie Hinton

Performers
Hayden Allen, Amiyah Cromdey-Bell, Ava Clymer, Kindrick Davis, Joshua Dodoo, Bellino Evans, Trey Fletcher, Ella Harless, Kennedy Lightfoot, and Lyric Sanders

Choreographer
Patricia Muñiz

Music Credits
Guajiras sin baile Flamenco by Eva La Yerbabuena, Ya Huele a Feria by Rebujito

Lighting Design
Joshua Reaves

Costume Design
Patricia Muñiz and Christa Oliver

Performers
Hayden Allen, Kiara Antonacci, Alison Austin, Sarah Clayton, Ava Clymer, Hannah Cowell,
Ella Harless, Margaret Marathe, Cailyn McAllister, McKenna Stout, and Olivia Thomas

Choreographer
Ana Baer and Rocio Luna

Camera and Editing
Ana Baer

Music Credits
Cascada by Jesse Cook

Costume Design
Ana Baer and Rocio Luna

Performer
Rocio Luna

Mother moon, liquid Nahuatl, salty skin … Among the steam your presence vanishes and clings to the roots. You embody the navel of the world, where life sprouts and ends…

In an environment of surreal nature, an archetypal figure is revealed as a lyrical, visual painting in motion. Crafted by the superposition of opposites: water-land, dryness-blooming, grounded-volatile, IXCHEL invites the audience on a mysterious journey loaded with visual creativity and a sensual cinematic construction. IXCHEL being with Nature in kinship.

Choreographer
Matthew Shields

Music Credits
Jumpin’ Jack by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Lighting Design
Joshua Reaves

Costume Design
Matthew Shields

Performers
Kiara Antonacci, Alison Austin, Sarah Clayton, Ava Clymer, Hannah Cowell, Joshua Dodoo, Margaret Marathe, Audrey Mobed, Michelle Morris, McKenna Stout, and Olivia Thomas

Eboni considers herself an action figure. She keeps it moving. LA-based multidisciplinary artist, originally from Austin, Texas, has worked alongside Celine Dion, Cirque du Soleil and the Los Angeles Opera, among others. As a choreographer and assistant director, she has collaborated with esteemed opera companies like Cincinnati Opera, Dallas Opera, and Washington National Opera, where she made her choreographic debut at the illustrious Kennedy Center. Her short film, ‘Grace’, was selected as one of the ‘best of’ the Pan-African Film Festival’s 30th anniversary. As a testament to her versatility, she also lent her voice to the Oscar-winning animation ‘The Windshield Wiper’. Whether it’s through acting, dancing, choreographing, writing, or directing, Eboni is passionate about the performing arts and is committed to captivating and uplifting audiences through storytelling.

Christa Oliver is an Associate Teaching Professor in the department and the Director of the Panoramic Dance Project. Before joining NC State, she spent eleven years teaching in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Texas State University. Christa holds a Master of Arts in Dance Performance and a Professional Diploma in Dance Studies from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in England. She is also a Mellon Fellow in the School of Theater and Performance Research at Harvard University.

Throughout her career, Christa has collaborated with esteemed choreographers and dance pioneers such as Donald McKayle, Valerie Preston-Dunlop, Rafael Bonachela, Donald Byrd, Rennie Harris, Lula Washington, Victor Quijada, Christopher Huggins, Willi Dorner, Miguel Periera, Robin Lewis, and Dominique Kelly.

Demonstrating her leadership and expertise in the performing arts, Christa served as the dance captain on the national tour of the acclaimed musical The Color Purple. Her performance experience spans several countries, having graced stages in the Netherlands, England, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Kosovo, and Mexico.

In addition to her extensive stage accomplishments, Christa has published work in the open-access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal Dancer-Citizen, collaborated with Wilson College of Textiles on a design and dance research project presented at the International Textile and Apparel Association 2024 Annual Conference, and showcased her talents in Hollywood films, such as James Cameron’s “Avatar” and Tim Allen’s “Crazy on the Outside.

Jaki Shelton Green, ninth Poet Laureate of North Carolina is the first African American and third woman to be appointed as the North Carolina Poet Laureate. She is a 2019 Academy of American Poet Laureate Fellow, 2014 NC Literary Hall of Fame Inductee, 2009 NC Piedmont Laureate appointment, 2003 recipient of the North Carolina Award for Literature. Jaki Shelton Green teaches Documentary Poetry at Duke University Center for Documentary Studies and was appointed the 2021 Frank B. Hanes Writer in Residence at UNC Chapel Hill. Additionally, she received the George School Outstanding Alumni Award in 2021. Her publications include: Dead on Arrival, Masks, Dead on Arrival and New Poems, Conjure Blues, singing a tree into dance, breath of the song, published by Blair Publishers. Feeding the Light, i want to undie you published by Jacar Press, i want to undie you English /Italian bilingual edition published by Lebeg Publishers. On Juneteenth 2020, she released her first LP, poetry album, The River Speaks of Thirst, produced by Soul City Sounds and Clearly Records. Jaki Shelton Green is the owner of SistaWRITE providing writing retreats for women writers in Sedona Arizona, Martha’s Vineyard, Ocracoke North Carolina, Northern Morocco, and Tullamore Ireland.

Willie began dancing at the age of 16 at Enloe Gifted & Talented Magnet High School in Raleigh, NC. Upon graduating, Willie attended the University of the North Carolina School of the Arts (1990). He was also a scholarship student at the American Dance Festival Durham, NC (1989). Governor’s School for Humanities and Visual & Performing Arts at Christopher Newport University presented Willie the Presidential Citation. (2009). In 2013 the American Dance Festival awarded Willie the Chuck Davis Scholarship. He was also the recipient of the Trustee’s Scholarship at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. He was also a full scholarship recipient at the Alvin Ailey School.

Willie has toured nationally and internationally with The Rebecca Kelly Dance Company (NY), Jubilations Dance Company (NY), The Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco), and Dance Kaleidoscope (IN). He was also a guest dancer with Chuck Davis’s African American Dance Ensemble (NC).

In addition to his performance career, Willie’s love of teaching allowed him to teach across the US and abroad at several colleges and universities. He was the elementary choreographer for “Evening of Entertainment” Durham North Carolina’s annual scholarship fundraising event for high school seniors where he worked with over 600 elementary, middle and high school students. He also guest taught, and choreographed on the North Carolina State University’s Panoramic Dance Project He was also artist in Residence at NCSU and North Carolina Central University. The Justice Theatre Project commissioned Willie to choreographed and performed in The Color Purple where he worked with over 50 dancers and actors. He was also invited to set work on students from the Dance Institute of Washington, The National Dance Institute of New Mexico, The School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community (SPARC). Longleaf School of the Arts where he was on staff and Walltown Children’s Theatre.

Zach Law Ingram is from Miami, Florida, and graduated from the New World School of the Arts in New York City. During his formative years of dance training, Ingram attended the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Miami City Ballet, and The Ailey School in New York City to study several dance techniques: Classical Ballet, Horton, Graham-based Modern, Jazz, West African, Dunham, and Hip-Hop. Ingram started his professional career with Alvin Ailey’s Second Company (Ailey II) and later became a founding member of Space T.U. Embrace project. Ingram has received numerous choreographic and artistic awards, including a Gold Medalist Award for the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) and the U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

Throughout Ingram’s professional performative career, he has danced with the following companies: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Armitage Gone!, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Lion King Las Vegas, Lion King on Broadway, and Walt Disney World’s Festival of the Lion King. In addition, he has collaborated with and performed works by Alvin Ailey, Dwight Rhoden, Alonzo King, Martha Graham, Judith Jamison, Twyla Tharp, Karole Armitage, Earl Mosley, Troy Powell, and Peter London.

As a dancer, choreographer, and teacher, Ingram strives to innovate the boundaries of traditional dance techniques by merging the strengths and dimensions of Classical Ballet and Contemporary movement. Ingram has set works on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Lion King Las Vegas, Ballet Noir, Dance Black Dance Theatre ll, and numerous dance studios nationwide. As of 2014, he has toured and performed in Tokyo, Paris, London, Scotland, Freeport, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, St. Petersburg, Milan, and the United States. In addition, he has served on faculty with numerous prestigious programs such as Southern Methodist University’s collegiate B.F.A. Dance Program and Joffrey Ballet School.

Gabriel “B-boy Wicket” Jaochico began his journey into hip-hop culture by attending local DJ, street dance, and graffiti art showcases in San Francisco. After watching dance groups electrify the crowd, Wicket was intrigued by the “Breaking.” He practiced in his garage with friends and studied videos of other breakers religiously, eventually drawing the attention of original Renegade Rockers member, Aki. After securing an invitation to a Renegades practice at San Francisco State University, Wicket and his friends went on to become official Renegade Rockers members.

A pivotal moment in his career arose when he performed in the theatrical production “Madhattan” at the New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Sharing the stage with some of the most esteemed street dancers, including the legendary Rock Steady Crew and the vibrant Electric Boogaloos, Wicket honed his skills through nightly performances over the course of a year. This experience allowed him to refine his power moves, enhance his footwork, and develop new levels of finesse, ultimately crafting a distinct dance style that distinguished him in the competitive dance arena.

Following countless shows, competitions, and performances, Wicket transitioned into choreography, working with A-list artists such as Usher, Will Smith, Chris Brown, LL Cool J, Omarion, and Christina Aguilera. He also appeared in the influential dance film “You Got Served.” In 2005, the Rock Steady Crew honored Wicket with the “Spy Award,” which symbolizes the highest ideals of Breaking.

Recently, Wicket has shifted his focus from competing to imparting his extensive 30 years of experience by coaching U.S. breakers in preparation for the 2024 Olympics and teaching at Texas State University.

Patricia began studying Flamenco at the age of 14 under the mentorship of Maestro Antonio Santaella. She has worked in various stages and tablaos throughout Puerto Rico and New York. She is currently a dancer with the musical group Fusión Jonda, specializing in the fusion of Caribbean music and Flamenco. The musical group has worked with various artists, such as Falete, Nydia Caro, Giselle and Rosario Flores. In 2013, the renowned dancer La Truco awarded her the gold scholarship for the V Ciclo de Formación Completa del Baile Flamenco program in Madrid. Patricia has continued her studies in Spain, visiting regularly. Since 2014, she has been a Flamenco teacher for children and adults in various academies. In October 2019, she participated in the Flamenco Competition USA, the only competition of its kind in the United States. She managed to be first runner-up and received the special prize. In 2020, she was accepted into the Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana Consorcio Flamenco Program, which celebrates Flamenco artists and provides an educational program with various artists around the United States and Spain. Since 2022, she has been part of the “Teaching Artists” of the same company. Currently, Patricia is dedicated to educating about Flamenco in Puerto Rico and offering shows around the island and New York. Recently, she called on all the Spanish Dance and Flamenco schools in Puerto Rico to join together on various stages to unite a community of artists and students in order to celebrate Flamenco and dance on their island.

Rocio Luna is a creator and researcher in contemporary dance with twenty years of experience. She has been interested in developing an epistemology for dance that considers the voice of the creators, recovering the linguistic knowledge of the dance culture. Her creative work implies site specific in relation to digital media and the stimulus provided by the viewer.
Luna develops as evaluator of the Council for the Accreditation of Higher Education of the Arts and has been recognized as a creator with a career in the Michoacán Artistic Development Program, she has received support from the National Fund for Culture and Arts of Mexico. Luna holds a PhD in Art and Culture in the Conacyt quality program, a Master’s Degree in Arts Teaching and a Degree in Choreography. She has been professor and researcher in the Popular Faculty of Fine Arts of the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo since 1999, she is a founding member of the Academic College of Performing Arts and a facilitator of Transformational Breath^_Ⓡ.

Ana Baer Carrillo is a Mexican-American video-choreographer living in the US since 2000. The international scope of her presentations, the diversity of the forms in which she works, and her frequent practice of collaboration are evidence of her twenty-first century, transitional, interdisciplinary contributions to the Arts. Baer Carrillo works across several discrete fields and genres, maintaining a clear dance-centric conceptual line in her research agenda.

Her dance and video work has been produced around the globe by Festivals, Galleries, Museums and Institutions of Higher Education.

Baer Carrillo is a founding member of Merge Dance Company and has been Artistic co-director of Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema since 2004. In 2014 she co-founded WECreate Productions with Heike Salzer to further explore themes of identity, the body and site- specificity through artistic collaboration. She is currently on Faculty at Texas State University.

She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Choreography at Centro Nacional de las Artes, CDMX, Mexico and a Master’s in Dance with an emphasis in video at The University of Colorado at Boulder, US.

Canadian raised and Texas grown, Shields’ career includes a multitude of dance industry experiences to draw from and share with his students. A natural entertainer, Mr. Shields has over a decade of dance company experience spent working with Tapestry Dance Company. He spent over six years touring and performing with Postmodern Jukebox and has been featured in numerous theater productions and in jazz and supper clubs. Along with his performance career, Shields has directed, written, choreographed and collaborated for multiple productions and various dance companies. His tap classes are fun, upbeat, athletic and educational.

Carol directs the overall mission and vision of The Crafts Center. She received her MA from the NC State College of Design and eventually taught there as the Associate Professor of the Practice. Carol has an extensive background as an entrepreneur and retail product designer, having owned her own business for over 20 years. Carol is a practicing artist, calligrapher and mixed media painter who teaches classes in calligraphy and lettering arts at The Center and internationally.

Active as a composer, conductor and collaborative connector, Dr. Peter Askim is the Artistic Director of The Next Festival of Emerging Artists and the conductor of the Raleigh Civic Symphony and Chamber Orchestra, as well as Director of Orchestral Activities at North Carolina State University. He was previously Music Director and Composer-in-Residence of the Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra. He has also been a member of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra and served on the faculty of the University of Hawaii-Manoa, where he directed the Contemporary Music Ensemble and taught theory and composition.

As a conductor, he has led the American Composers Orchestra, Knoxville Symphony and Vermont Symphony, among others, and is known for innovative programming, championing the work of living composers and his advocacy of underrepresented voices in the concert hall. He has conducted premieres by composers such as Brett Dean, Aaron Jay Kernis, Allison Loggins-Hull, Jessica Meyer, Nico Muhly, Rufus Reid, Christopher Theofanidis, Jeff Scott and Aleksandra Vrebalov, and led the American premiere of Florence Price’s Ethiopia’s Shadow in America. His work was featured on HBO and National Public Radio conducting folk-rock legend Richard Thompson’s soundtrack for The Cold Blue. He has collaborated with such artists as Miranda Cuckson, Matt Haimovitz, Vijay Iyer, Jennifer Koh, Nadia Sirota, Sō Percussion and Jeffrey Zeigler, and the bluegrass band Balsam Range. As a composer, he has been called a “Modern Master” by The Strad and has had commissions and performances from such groups as the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Honolulu Symphony, the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Cantus Ansambl Zagreb and the American Viola Society.

With the creation of The Next Festival of Emerging Artists, Askim founded a festival dedicated to the next generation of performers, composers and choreographers. Founded in 2013, the Festival encourages young artists, ages 20-30, to focus on artistic development, entrepreneurial career strategies and the music of living composers. The Next Festival Composer and Composer/Choreographer workshops connect early-career performers, composers and choreographers in innovative and highly collaborative laboratory for the creation of new works. The Festival has been awarded grants by the Amphion, ASCAP and BMI foundations, and the Copland Fund for Music. Immediately recognizing the devastation of the COVID pandemic on young artists, he began providing free workshops, masterclasses and resources to support young artists through challenging times beginning in March of 2020. Through the Festival, he has presented over 50 Guest Artists, including Pulitzer, Grammy, and MacArthur award winners.

With the Raleigh Civic Orchestras, Askim has pioneered collaborative, multimedia concert events focused on social and environmental justice and has programmed a newly commissioned world premiere on each concert for the last seven seasons. Themes have included Martin Luther King, Jr.’s North Carolina “I Have A Dream” speech and a work for Virtual Reality and orchestra highlighting the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the Voting Rights Act. During the pandemic, Askim premiered nine new works by composers harnessing latency and technology in innovative approaches to distance collaboration. Under his direction, the orchestras have received multiple grants recognizing diversity in programming, including from New Music USA and the Women’s Philharmonic Association.

From folk and folk-rock to the improvisational jazz scene in London, to Welsh rock and reggae, to modern dance soundtracks, to alt pop and world music, London born Simon Tassano has been involved with the making, recording, mixing and production of music for many years. He has been working with Richard Thompson for 30 plus years, both live and in the studio. His expertise in mixing and preparing live recordings for commercial release was employed on Thompson’s grammy nominated Dream Attic. He has also had a long collaboration with didjeridu master Stephen Kent, working together through Lights In a Fat City (the original didjeridu based combo of the London Rave scene in the mid/late 80’s who released the seminal LP “Somewhere”), Trance Mission (San Francisco based “4th World” band), dance pieces, and many solo projects as producer and engineer. For several years he was one of the few non Welsh-speaking engineers and producers working at Sian Studio in North Wales, working with Geraint Jarman, Rhiannon Tomas, Endaf Emlyn, Myfyr Issac among others. After many years in Austin, TX he is now based in Charlottesville, VA. Working in the digital domain but employing tube outboard equipment for processing and summing, Simon produces quality recordings of the highest standard. Simon hears all projects as unique one-offs; rates and terms can be openly discussed to fit a particular client’s needs and budget.

Hailing from Inglewood, CA, and a proud Morehouse College graduate, Phillip Brandon is a true polymath in the world of music and entertainment. As a Singer-Songwriter and Storyteller, Phillip’s live performances are a heartfelt exploration of life’s highs and lows, brought to life through his melodious voice and personal anecdotes. His shows, perfect for Jazz Festivals, Performing Arts Centers, Dinner Theatres, and more, weave a rich tapestry of emotions that resonate deeply with audiences. 

Phillip’s album “The Story Begins” showcases his musical prowess, with the hit single “Come On” spending 12 weeks on the Billboard Top 20 Chart for Smooth Jazz. His remake of Anita Baker’s classic “Mystery,” featuring Gerald Albright, skyrocketed to #2 on the iTunes Jazz Charts. Beyond his solo work, Phillip is a longstanding member of the multi-platinum rock group Trans-Siberian Orchestra, thrilling, sold-out arenas with his performances. 

Phillip’s versatility extends to prestigious collaborations, such as being a bass soloist with the LA Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel and performing in the Broadway National Tour of Oprah Winfrey’s “The Color Purple.” His vocal talent is also featured on the title song for the Academy Award-winning film “Get Out.” Recent TV appearances include roles in “Grace & Frankie” (Netflix), “The Flight Attendant” (HBO), “S.W.A.T” (CBS), and “Station 19” (ABC).

Bellino Evans M.Ed. has transcended beyond performer becoming a true innovator in the world of music. Pushing the boundaries of possibility in the music industry, Bellino birthed JaZArtz, a groundbreaking theory that combines jazz and artistry.

At 4 years old, he delighted in playing crash cymbals with his father in a community symphonic orchestra, earning the nickname “Cymbal Boy.” Hungry to explore more, he also focused on trumpet, art, and science by the time he was 8. 

Currently performing with Motown’s Temptation Revue, showcasing his incredible talent as both a jazz artist and a trumpeter, and harkening back to attending his mesmerizing first major concert: The Temptations in Washington, DC at 10 years old, Bellino’s performances are a testament to his skill and dedication to his craft.

Throughout his career, Bellino has had the privilege of working with some of the most notable musicians and industry professionals. He has toured with legendary bassist Aaron Mills, who is a member of the Funk Hall of Fame and has played with icons like Miles Davis and OutKast. Bellino has also shared the stage with Grammy winner Russel George, as well as artists like Tom Maxwell and Jimbo Mathis of the Squirrel Nut Zippers. His collaborations with these incredible talents have only further solidified his reputation as a musician of the highest caliber.

Not only has Bellino performed with some of the best in the business, but he has also had the opportunity to meet and work with jazz and funk icons: Count Basie, Woody Herman, Allen Vizuttie, Bootsy Collins, and Bernie Worrel. These experiences have not only enriched his musical journey but have also allowed him to learn from the very best in the industry.

Bellino’s passion for music and education is the common thread in all he does. Having designed and developed alternative educational programs that utilize music, technology, and media to improve standardized test scores, reading abilities, graduation rates, and transitions from separate settings to mainstream classes, he is fulfilling his passion to grow the next generations of music innovators. Through his innovative theories like Bellino’s Quantum Music Theory and The JaZArtz Theory, he is revolutionizing the way music is taught and experienced, work that has been recognized with invitations to speak at prestigious institutions such as UNC Chapel Hill.

Josh began work with University Theatre in 2011 as the lighting and sound designer before being named associate director in 2014 and director in 2020. He obtained his MFA from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and his BFA from UNC-Greensboro. Before arriving at NC State, Mr. Reaves taught at Campbell University and the University of Cincinnati. He continues to actively freelance as a lighting designer for local theatre and dance companies freelance as a lighting designer for local theatre and dance companies and currently serves as the Director of the Performing Arts Center.