Junior Company Spring 2024 Program
This program is in alphabetical order and may not be the order in which the dancers were performed.
I See You
Choreographed by Sophie Gustafson
Music: ICU by Phoebe Bridgers
Choreographed by Sophie Gustafson
Music: ICU by Phoebe Bridgers
I See You is a fusion piece comprised of modern dance with a touch of jazz. Using improv and lyrics, this piece was choreographed to create comfortable, fun movement that has room for the dancer's interpretations and personalities. The refrain of the song states, "But I feel something, when I see you now". Dancers were asked to think about what this lyric might mean, what it means to them, and how their answers can translate into movement.
Sing to Swing
Choreographed by Carissa Bellando
Music Sing, Sing, Sing written by Benny Goodman, performed by the BBC Big Band.
Choreographed by Carissa Bellando
Music Sing, Sing, Sing written by Benny Goodman, performed by the BBC Big Band.
This Light
Choreographed by Isadora Snapp
Music: Love performed by FACESOUL, written by Faisal Abdi Salah
Choreographed by Isadora Snapp
Music: Love performed by FACESOUL, written by Faisal Abdi Salah
Love is an element of the human experience that we are all constantly striving towards, reveling in, agonizing over, and coveting. When I began looking for music for a Contemporary Ballet piece, I wanted something that felt fresh and would lend itself both to classical ballet shapes as well as the contemporary movements I planned to use.
These are some of the lyrics in FACESOUL's Love and their message is what drew me to the song."All you need is love." "Step into the moment and let yourself free now. All you need is love to find your way." "If you just breathe for a moment and let go and release." "Carry it like a light I say, and this love will carry you." I don't actually believe that love is all you need, but I do believe that it is key part of having a happy and fulfilling life.
The Ancients Greeks said that there are six different kinds of love - Eros: passionate love, Philia: deep friendship love, Ludus: playful love, Agape: selfless love for everyone, Pragma: longstanding love, and Philautia: love for self. I imagine that this piece is exploring Philia with the support shown for others and Philautia with the solo dancer.
These are some of the lyrics in FACESOUL's Love and their message is what drew me to the song."All you need is love." "Step into the moment and let yourself free now. All you need is love to find your way." "If you just breathe for a moment and let go and release." "Carry it like a light I say, and this love will carry you." I don't actually believe that love is all you need, but I do believe that it is key part of having a happy and fulfilling life.
The Ancients Greeks said that there are six different kinds of love - Eros: passionate love, Philia: deep friendship love, Ludus: playful love, Agape: selfless love for everyone, Pragma: longstanding love, and Philautia: love for self. I imagine that this piece is exploring Philia with the support shown for others and Philautia with the solo dancer.
Unbreakable
Choreographed by Millie Heckler
Music: Unbreakable by Michael Jackson
Choreographed by Millie Heckler
Music: Unbreakable by Michael Jackson
From the choreographer: "Desire is the root of all suffering," said the Buddha. I used to think I should avoid desire in order to avoid suffering. But there are things I desire in life, and while I am here for a short while, I am determined to make my dreams reality. So now I am learning to accept the suffering, to flow with fear, and accept fear as my accomplice to growth. Am I willing to do the work it takes to be a co-creator of my own life? Yes. Also-- hasn't suffering been my greatest teacher? Yes. The forces within me and outside of me that try to keep me small--that attempt to tell me that my dreams can't come true--can't touch me. Why? -- 'Cause I'm untouchable.
For the audience: In your most fantastic dreams, where do you see yourself in ten years from now? What challenges have you had to overcome in order to make your dreams a reality? In what moments throughout your life have you fully known your power as a co-creator of your life? |
What Will You Fall For?
Choreographed by Isadora Snapp
Music: Stand By Me performed by Dominique Fils-Aimé, written by Ben E. King.
Choreographed by Isadora Snapp
Music: Stand By Me performed by Dominique Fils-Aimé, written by Ben E. King.
The first piece that Junior Company learned this year, What Will You Fall For? is a modern dance piece inspired by the Horton technique. It began as a piece about friendship and supporting each other - both emotionally and physically. However, the title of the dance stems from the saying - If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything. Both of these ideas are connected. Community, relationships, connections, and friendships can be the constant in your life that answers the questions of: What do you stand for? Who will you support? Who will you fight for? Who will you stand for? And in return - who will stand for you?
Guest Choreographer Biographies
Carissa Bellando (she/her) is originally from New York and holds a MFA in Contemporary Dance from Case Western Reserve University and a BA in Theatre and Speech with a concentration in Musical Theatre and a minor in Dance from Wagner College. Carissa performed professionally for thirteen years in Concert Dance and Musical Theatre throughout the US, Taiwan, and at sea with Norwegian Cruise Line and Aida Cruises before moving into teaching and choreographing full-time. Some of her favorite performance roles include Tumblebrutus in Cats, the Carpet in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and Die Hexe (The Witch) in Es War Einmal (Once Upon a Time). Carissa has taught and choreographed in the US and Germany for colleges, conservatories, theaters, dance companies, and numerous studios.
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Before moving to Vermont, she was an Adjunct Professor at her alma mater, Wagner College, for four and a half years. There Carissa choreographed five original full-length dance concerts and multiple musicals while teaching multiple levels of Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, Ballet, Pointe, Tumbling, and Choreography/Composition. Since moving to Vermont, Carissa is proud to be teaching and choreographing for numerous dance studios, high schools, and theaters in Chittenden and Washington counties.
Sophie Gustafson (she/her) is a freshman at the University of Vermont studying Music Education. Sophie performed in Teen Jazz for 3 years and danced at CD & FS for 10 years. She spent much of her highschool career singing for the Youth Opera company and Montpelier highschool’s Honor Choir. She also sang and danced in many musicals throughout her life. Most recently, she played Ariel in her highschool’s production of The Little Mermaid. Currently, Sophie sings in an acapella group called Zest and UVM’s Jazz Vocal Ensemble. She also is a part of UVM’s Dance Force club which has weekly classes and open studio time for dancers. Sophie is so excited to be back at CD&FS this year choreographing for the Junior Company!
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Millie Heckler (she/her) has worked as a Lecturer in Dance at University of Vermont and University of Texas, as well as many other schools and studios nationally and abroad. She has worked for Rennie Harris, assisting in the creation of Lazarus and Exodus for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and has danced with Charles O. Anderson/dance theater x. She is co-founder of the Vermont-based interdisciplinary female collective, lunch, exploring multiple shades of intimacy. Her interests lie in unlocking voices of the body, unleashing latent energy, and focusing embodied power.
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