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Concert Programs

State Dance Company Concert

Thursday, April 6, 2023
Friday, April 7, 2023

7 p.m. │ Stewart Theatre

Dancers in various poses during a performance

The NC State Department of
Performing Arts and Technology

Presents

State Dance Company Concert

Tara Z. Mullins, Director


Program

Stripping Bark (2023)
Choreography: Ami Dowden-Fant
Rehearsal Assistant: Taylor Wade
Lighting Design: Jeremy Kumin
Sound: Matt Neilson, The Realist, Ender, additional text by the performers
Performers: Bridgette Corpus, Ariana Fajerman, Caroline Foy, Athena He-DeMontaron, Tiana Smith

Inner Beauty vs. Outer Beauty: Redemption (2022)
Choreography: Davian “D.J.” Robinson
Lighting Design: Jeremy Kumin
Sound: Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita, ODESZA, Martin Gauffin, Unspoken Words
Costume: Madison Kotyra
Performers: Savanah Buck, Bridgette Corpus, Ariana Fajerman, Caroline Foy, Athena He-DeMontaron, Kellsie Jennings, Madison Kotyra, Rachel Morris, Kara Pawlowski, Alexa Simeonsson, Tiana Smith, Kloe Tucker, Sydney Zimmerman

If Honey Aged Like Whiskey (2021)
Choreography: Ashanti Brantley (ADX)
Lighting Design: Jeremy Kumin
Sound: Moses Sumney, Yusuf Lateef
Costume: Ashanti Brantley (ADX)
Performers: Savanah Buck, Kellsie Jennings, Kara Pawlowski

***10 Minute Pause***

Don’t Let a Good Thing Die (2023)
Choreography: Tara Z. Mullins
Lighting Design: Jeremy Kumin
Sound: Mark James, Elvis Presley
Costume design and construction: Madison Kotyra (created as part of an Independent Study for her major)
Performers: Ariana Fajerman, Caroline Foy, Athena He-DeMontaron, Rachel Morris, Kara Pawlowski, Alexa Simeonsson, Sydney Zimmerman
Priscilla: Bridgette Corpus

After Invisible (2023)
Choreography: Tara Z. Mullins in consultation with author Monica West and dancer Tiana Smith
Lighting Design: Jeremy Kumin
Sound: Lilac Wine composed by James Shelton, performed by Nina Simone
Performer: Tiana Smith

After Invisible was inspired by the character Miriam, from the novel Revival Season, written by Monica West.

safar (2023)
Choreography: Tracey Durbin
Rehearsal Assistant: Layla El-Khoury
Lighting Design: Jeremy Kumin
Sound: Johannes Kuchta, Nitin Sawhney, Le Trio Joubran, Alexander Desplat
Costume: Tracey Durbin
Performers: Savanah Buck, Bridgette Corpus, Ariana Fajerman, Caroline Foy, Athena He-DeMontaron, Kellsie Jennings, Madison Kotyra, Rachel Morris, Kara Pawlowski, Alexa Simeonsson, Tiana Smith, Kloe Tucker, Sydney Zimmerman


Production

State Dance Company Director:
Tara Mullins

Lighting Designer:
Joshua Reaves

Technical Crew:
Stewart Theatre Staff

Bios

Tara Z. Mullins

Tara Z. Mullins is an Associate Teaching Professor in the department, where she directs the State Dance Company, choreographs for the academic companies, teaches courses, facilitates the Master Class Series, and creates interdisciplinary projects. She recently founded the Lunchbox Series, a virtual lunchtime conversation series that uses dance as a springboard to delve into pertinent topics such as Arts and Public Health and the intersection of STEM with dance.

Ashanti D’Mone Brantley (ADX) Proudly representing the DMV community, is a choreographer and interdisciplinary artist interested in language, travel, and archival. As a dance scholar and educator, ADX has taught Hip Hop and modern-contemporary dance for organizations such as CREWcial, BEASTcoast, VCU Dance Dogtown Dance Theatre. As a choreographer, she has engaged in making collaborative hip hop sets, received VCU’s Outstanding Choreography Award for 2021 and 2022, the latter being for If Honey Aged Like Whiskey, and will premiere two choreographic works this Spring. They will receive a BFA in Dance and Choreography from VCU Dance in May 2023.

Ami Dowden-Fant was born in Richmond, Virginia, and started her exploration of dance at the tender age of four. She received her BFA in Dance & Choreography at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she studied with Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Tania Isaac, Daniel Gwitzman, Robert Battle, and more. After college Dowden-Fant started her own company “hersouldances” while dancing for choreographers, such as Keith Thompson (AZ), Gesel Mason (CO) and Liz Lerman (AZ) to name a few. Dowden-Fant has been awarded numerous recognitions, such as the Outstanding Choreographer and Performer Award from Virginia Commonwealth University (VA), and her choreography has been presented in the National American College Dance Festival Gala and the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Currently, Ami Dowden-Fant is the owner of River City Dance & Performing Arts (VA) and Guest Artist at Dance Exchange where she has recently premiered “Of An Equal Place: Isotopes In Motion” at Michigan State University for East Lansing (MI) school district. Ami Dowden-Fant has been instilled with the gift to explore the infinite discoveries of dance with all those she encounters.

Tracey Durbin moved to Durham from Portland, Oregon where she was an integral part of the dance scene for over 25 years. Tracey trained under Eugene Louis Faccuito “Luigi” one of the most famous international jazz teachers of this generation. The Luigi technique and philosophy became the foundation of her teaching. A fluid robust musical warm up guides dancers to explore feeling, expression, community, movement flow, and individuality. Tracey was a featured artist in the book “Beauty is Experience: Dancing 50 and Beyond.” She currently teaches and makes dances for NC State, NCCU, ADF, Ninth St Dance and Raleigh Dance Theater.

Davian “D.J.” Robinson born in Hickory, NC, is a dancer, choreographer, Paralympic athlete, and motivational speaker. Currently living in Durham, NC, Davian graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2020 with bachelor degrees in both Science and Art. He attended Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, NC from 2004 – 2011. Davian has performed at Orsolina 28 and The Palace of Venaria in Italy, UNC Charlotte, MOVE Dance Alliance, Loose Leaves Showcase, and Reactions of Resistance. Notably, he was selected to perform in Adidas “Impossible is Nothing” spec commercial, produced by Sugar Pop Productions in 2018. Davian founded and leads Sensory Beyond Sight: dance workshops which invite participants to experience movement without the use of their sight. His workshops have been presented at the Alexander Technique National Conference. He currently works with Camryn Watson and Inspire Inclusion Dance as a dance teacher. Davian has been a guest Artist and collaborator with ShaLeigh Dance Works since 2019 and officially joined the company in 2021.

Monica West was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She received her MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 2017, where she was a Rona Jaffe Graduate Fellow. She currently resides in Oakland, California.

State Dance Company Dancers

Savanah Buck
Second year majoring in biochemistry
Minors in biotechnology and dance

Bridgette Corpus
Senior majoring in communication media

Layla El-Khoury
Ph.D. in biological engineering

Ariana Fajerman
Junior majoring in psychology
Minor in dance

Caroline Foy
Senior majoring in human biology
Minors in nutrition and public health

Athena He-DeMontaron
Second-year majoring in animal science on a pre-veterinary track
Minor in dance

Kellsie Jennings
Junior majoring in applied mathematics (financial mathematics)/statistics and economics

Madison Kotyra
Junior majoring in fashion and textile management, concentrating in fashion development and product management
Minor in German

Grace Lincroft
Senior majoring in biology

Rachel Morris
Junior majoring in biomedical engineering
Minor in dance

Kara Pawlowski
Second year majoring in biochemistry

Alexa Simeonsson
Senior majoring in computer science
Minor in dance

Tiana Smith
Junior majoring in chemical engineering and chemistry

Kloe Tucker
Junior majoring in fashion and textile management, concentrating in fashion development and product management

Sydney Zimmerman
Senior majoring in environmental science and biology

Taylor Wade
(rehearsal assistant)
Senior majoring in history
Minor in dance


Thank You!

Dr. Daniel Monek (Department Head, Department of Performing Arts and Technology), Dr. Doneka Scott (Vice Chancellor and Dean for the Division of Academic and Student Affairs), NC State dance faculty members, Arts NC State staff, David Jones and the Stewart Theatre tech crew.


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