PERFORMING DANCE COMPANY October, 2020
Particles, Echoes, and Light Choreography: Natalie Desch in collaboration with the dancers Music: Michael Wall Lighting Design: Cole Adams Costume Design: Olivia Mason
DANCERS Laura Baumeister, Alexis Guerrero, Henrik Gustafson, Lily Hammons, Anna Kazwell, Alyssa King, Madeline Nelson, Kelly Scott, Olivia Townsend, Grace Ward
NOTE “And that which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered the stars into space.” Khalil Gibran, The Prophet
Special thanks to the dancers for their movement contributions in this creative process.
…from Down Here Choreography: Melanie George Music: Jimi Hendrix, Roberta Flack, Cassandra Wilson Lighting Design: Cole Adams Costume Design: Christopher Larson Rehearsal Director: Jessica Boone
DANCERS Rebecca Aguilar, Ashlyn McBride, Susan Burnap, Tori Meyer, Angelina Miller, Charlotte Stehmeyer, Elle Taylor, Ellen Weiler
NOTE Choreographed in George’s signature Neo-Jazz Style, the piece is a blues-based jazz work emphasizing themes of labor for the individual and the group through gesture and rhythm. The performers and choreographer were challenged by setting this work through Zoom and finding a way to make the work dynamic and mobile while social distancing.
Shift & Flux Choreography: Christine McMillan with contributions from the dancers Music: Amon Tobin, Orbital, Valgeir Sigur∂sson, Eleuteria Lighting Design: Cole Adams Costume Design: Christopher Larsen
DANCERS Chloe Barry, Céline David, Leslie Jara, Olivia Richardson, Ellie Russell, Allison Schuh
NOTE Change is the only thing we can be sure of in life; however, the current pandemic has made that even more clear. Life currently feels like an unending stream of shifting, modifying, and adapting, but even within our individual experiences, we are always in relationship to each other. Thank you to Jay Ryan, Sarah Pickett, and the dancers for helping to anchor me.
Bell Hill Movement Direction and Dramaturgy: Satu Hummasti & Daniel Clifton Movement Creation: the Dancers Music: Daniel Clifton Lighting Design: Cole Adams Costume Design: Rachel Hayes
DANCERS Sam Simonich, Joshua Greene, Jamie Chen, Shelby Strickler, Kaitlin Kerr-Osman, Sophia Fan Lin, Melody Green, Sophia Anderson, Hayden Pingree
NOTE “Bell Hill” is a dance, a ritual, a gathering, an offering, a way to come to come together as a community during a global pandemic. The piece roves from place to place in Salt Lake City-- a hill filled with trees, some of which were felled during an inland hurricane (which were mourned during a first performance in September); a wild field at the Red Butte Gardens where tarantulas emerge to mate in October (true); a fragrance garden; the Salt Lake Capitol Building as a protest dance; and ultimately in an empty theater. We see this as an offering and as a way to keep working together under some guise of normalcy in a tumultuous time.
Melanie George Melanie George is a dance educator, choreographer, scholar, and dramaturg. She is the founder and director of Jazz Is… Dance Project and an Associate Curator and Scholar- In-Residence at Jacob’s Pillow. As a dramaturg, she has
contributed to projects by David Neumann & Marcella Murray (on the Obie Award winning Distances Smaller Than This Are
Not Confirmed), Raja Feather Kelly, Ephrat Asherie, Susan Marshall & Company, Machine Dazzle, and Urban Bush Women among others. A highly sought after teacher and choreographer of the neo-jazz aesthetic, Melanie is a featured in the documentary UpRooted: The Journey of Jazz, Dance. Melanie has presented her research on jazz improvisation and pedagogy throughout the U.S., in Canada and Scotland, and founded the global advocacy website jazzdancedirect.com. She is the former Dance Program Director at American University, and has guest lectured at Harvard University and The Juilliard School, among others.
Clifton/Hummasti Dance Clifton/Hummasti Dance have shown work throughout the United States, Europe, South and Central America, China, South
Korea, and Russia, and have most recently created evening length dance theater
productions in Salt Lake City; they will be beginning a new performance/photography project in Finland/Åland Islands (2021) about memory and the fate of the oceans. They both teach at the University of Utah School of Dance.
Natalie Desch Natalie Desch, a BFA graduate of the Juilliard School and an MFA graduate of the University of Washington, performed
for five seasons with the Limón Dance Company and eleven seasons with Doug Varone and Dancers in NYC. From 2005-
2012 she taught at Hunter College (City University of New York) and has also been a visiting faculty member at Weber State University (UT), University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Beijing Dance Academy. She additionally has taught for the following summer residencies or festivals: Doug Varone and Dancers, the Limón Dance Company, UNCSA, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, the Bates Dance Festival, Ririe-Woodbury, and the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theater, among others. Natalie has restaged the works of Doug Varone, José Limón, Daniel Charon, and Jirí Kylián on performing groups around the world, and her choreography has been presented at venues throughout the US. In 2014 Natalie relocated to Salt Lake City, UT, and began teaching at Ballet West Academy, Westminster College, Utah Valley University, and Salt Lake Community College. Natalie joined the University of Utah’s School of Dance as an Assistant Professor in the fall of 2019.
Christine McMillan Christine McMillan danced professionally for 27 years including 6 years with Richmond Ballet and 19 years
with The Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Favorite soloist roles with Richmond Ballet include Jose Limon’s The
Moor’s Pavane, John Butler’s Carmina Burana, Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo, and originating roles in works by William Soleau, Val Caniparoli,
and Colin Connor. Performing in over 45 productions at the Metropolitan Opera, she has worked with renowned choreographers and directors including Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Mark Morris, Benjamin Millipied, Doug Varone, Graciella Daniele, Mark Dendy, and Julie Taymor. With the Met Christine has appeared on PBS and in live international HD broadcasts. In New York, Christine has also performed with Ben Munisteri Dance Projects, Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance, Trebien Pollard, Poppo & the GoGo Boys, Rebecca Kelly Ballet, White Wave Dance, and as a guest artist in many Nutcracker productions.
Recognized for her versatility in both ballet and modern dance, Christine was awarded a Bessie (New York Dance and Performance Award) in 2004. Christine’s choreography has been presented at the University of Utah, CPR in Brooklyn, artÉmotion, Dancemakers, ACDA, and the International Conference on Teaching Somatics-Based Dance. She is currently an Assistant Professor, Lecturer at the University of Utah.
PDC Choreographers
INVESTORS $15,000+ Dick and Timmy Burton Foundation Paul C. and Cheryl Huntsman
CONTRIBUTORS $2,500 - $14,999 The Brass Ring Foundation Martha M. and John M. Veranth Emma Eccles Jones Foundation Michael L. and Micki N. Sobieski Gordon and Connie Hanks
BENEFACTORS $1,000 - $2,499 Abby L. and Jerome C. Fiat Anne W. Riffey Jean Ann Sabatine
PATRONS $500 - $999 Arkansas Community Foundation Sheila L. Ainlay And Michael D. Steiner Daynes Music Company Sidney Hamrick Armstrong & Thomas R. Armstrong Luc Vanier Duncan Maio And Kristen Westmoreland
FRIENDS $200 - $499 Brent L. Schneider And Kim Blackett Sean James Carter Kimberly And Todd Ortloff Yujiro Shimogori Leigh R. And Robert T. King Jamie L. And Stephanie S. Schuette Chipotle Mexican Grill Ellen R. Bromberg Glenda Staples
FANS up to $199 Mary Thompson And Kotaro Shimogori Dianne S. Howe Maida R. And L. Arlen Withers Orvil John Elia Peter Flowers And Hazel Legaspi Brian E. And Mary W. Haan Robert A. Haise Kathleen Mattingly Maureen Mcgill Lorita S. Mcleod Lisette H. Miles Serena Dawn Quaglia K. A. Sargent And Earl J. Catterton Jonathan Scoville And Tandy Beal
Christopher Smith Alice B. And Andrew V. Sullivan Wendy J. Thompson Karen Tucker David G. And Steffenie E. Yates Susan Zook James B. Merlette Kristine J. Halverson And Edward J. Haggerty Anne Norman Van Gelder Jill H. And Christopher F. Randall Laja,Nathalie Field Anthony And Tina C. Fonzo Margaret R. Jurado Marsha Knight And Leigh Selting Maria And Robert Apgar Colleen,Marie Barnes Nancy W. Cox, Jane And Timothy Howes Gabrielle Lynch And John Diehl Greg And Sue Novak Carrie And Mark Rackow Patrizio And Nadia Spitalieri Judith Tangen Eric M. And Pamela G.Handman Cafe Zupas Joan C. Brown Carole M. Patricia Rubley Margaret W. And Dennis N. Tesch Brian E. Hartmann Michael Timothy Wall Sara E. Clauss Julie A. And Douglas T. Kirchner Theresa Klein Christine Anne Blanck Karen S. Blatnik Sarah E. And Scott Brown Tracy Fernholz Norma W. And Joseph Gabriel Kristina Lynne Karg Julie Favreau Schwartz And Ari D. Schwartz Texas Roadhouse Natalie Jean Desch Satu Hummasti Kenneth Eric Mccullough Christine And Jerry Mcmillan Robert M. And Joanne P. Wood Cheryl Baumann Michelle Colleen Bickel Peter And Daysha Moes Megan Kleinman Stephen J. Koester
The School of Dance acknowledges and thanks the following donors for their generous support during fiscal year July 1, 2019- June 30, 2020.FACULTY
Luc Vanier – Professor, Director of the School of Dance Pamela Geber Handman – Professor, Associate Director for Faculty Brent Schneider – Professor, Recruitment Director Eric Handman - Associate Professor, Associate Director for Graduate Studies Satu Hummasti - Associate Professor, Associate Director for Undergraduate Studies Jay Kim - Associate Professor, Assistant Director for Student Support Melonie B. Murray – Associate Professor, Associate Dean for Faculty & Academic Affairs Christopher Alloways-Ramsey - Assistant Professor, Recruitment Director Melissa Bobick - Assistant Professor, Ballet Program Head Natalie Desch - Assistant Professor Molly Heller - Assistant Professor Kate Mattingly - Assistant Professor Pablo Piantino - Assistant Professor Cole Adams - Professor (Lecturer) - Production Director, Lighting Designer Maggie Tesch - Professor (Lecturer), UBSI Director Mary Ann Lee - Associate Professor (Lecturer), Artistic Director Tanner Dance Michael Wall - Associate Professor (Lecturer), Modern Program Head Mary Ann Walton – Associate Professor (Lecturer) Daniel Clifton - Assistant Professor (Lecturer), Minor Advisor Christine McMillan - Assistant Professor, (Lecturer) Sara Pickett - Assistant Professor (Lecturer), Assistant Recruitment Director Ben Sandberg - Assistant Professor (Clinical), A/V Specialist Isaac Taylor - Assistant Professor (Clinical), Technical Lighting Director Rick McCullough - Visiting Professor Philip Hamilton - Visiting Assistant Professor, Musical Director Victoria Morgan – Adjunct Professor Jacque Bell - Adjunct Associate Professor Christine Moore – Adjunct Associate Professor Jasmine Stack – Adjunct Assistant Professor Linda C. Smith - Adjunct Associate Professor Thomas Welsh - Adjunct Research Associate Professor Rosie Banchero - Adjunct Assistant Professor Penny Saunders - Adjunct Assistant Professor Katrina McPherson - Adjunct Assistant Professor Justine Sheedy-Kramer - Adjunct Assistant Professor Jennie Creer-King - Associate Instructor Lynne Larson - Associate Instructor Solange Gomes – Adjunct Instructor Distinguished Alumni
Bené Arnold - Distinguished Professor Emerita, Distinguished Alumna Ellen Bromberg – Distinguished Professor Emerita Jacqueline Clifford - Professor Emerita Abby Fiat - Professor Emerita Phyllis Haskell - Professor Emerita, Distinguished Alumna Stephen Koester - Professor Emeritus Loabelle Mangelson - Clawson, Professor Emerita Shirley Ririe - Professor Emerita Donna White - Professor Emerita Joan Woodbury - Professor Emerita Barbara Hamblin - Associate Professor Emerita, Distinguished Alumna Sharee Lane - Associate Professor Emerita Conrad Ludlow - Associate Professor Emeritus Jon Scoville - Associate Professor Emeritus
ADMINISTRATION Will Maguire- Administrative Officer Sean Carter - Administrative Assistant Akilah Woodford-Sims – Clerk
COSTUME SHOP Christopher Larson - Costume Shop Director Elizabeth Diansongi - Stitcher Rachel Hayes - Draper Olivia Mason – First Hand
ACCOMPANISTS Wayne Coons - Associate Instructor, Head Musician Modern Program Vilena Barekyan - Associate Instructor, Accompanist Svetlana Vasilenko – Associate Instructor, Accompanist Max Hall – Accompanist David Herrman – Accompanist Tristan Moore – Accompanist Tatsiana Rasmussesn – Accompanist Sarah Richards – Accompanist Kaz Speirs – Accompanist Wachira Waigwa-Stone – Accompanist Kimball Whitaker – Accompanist
PT/ATC Trina Bellendir - Physical Therapist Christopher Michaels - Athletic Trainer
STAGE CREW Rebecca Johnson - Stage Manager Stage Crew - Arin Lynn, Becca Webb, Grace Ward, Jonas Warner, Joshua Mora, Nick Bellendir, Olivia Huseonica, Skye Stouber, Zephan Holt