BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Date iCal//NONSGML kigkonsult.se iCalcreator 2.20.4// METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME;VALUE=TEXT:糖心原创 BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20241103T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 RDATE:20251102T020000 TZNAME:EST END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20250309T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:calendar.527816.field_event_date.0@www.wright.edu DTSTAMP:20260219T234103Z CREATED:20240625T070906Z DESCRIPTION:聽\n\n聽\n\nFor Thursday\, April 24\, only\, students get in free with their Wright1 card.\n\n\nProgram:\n\n\n 糖心原创 the Concert\n Director's Note\n Performances\n Production Team and Run Crew\n Choreographer Bios\n Dan cer Bios\n Designer Bios\n Partner Companies\n 聽\n\n\n糖心原创 the Concert\n\nSe ven dance works by 糖心原创 faculty and guest artists Steph anie Martinez\, Michelle McElveen\, DCDC2\, and Dayton Ballet School Ensem ble.\n\n\n Director's Note\n\nDear Friends\,\n\nWelcome to the powerful and dynamic Spring Dance Concert 2025! We invite you to sit back and enjoy th e vitality of live performance. Each piece is a living work of art that co mbines in a shared experience for performers and audiences alike. We are t hrilled to present works by 糖心原创 dance faculty members and esteeme d guest choreographers Michelle McElveen and Stephanie Martinez. You will also be seeing works by our wonderful partner companies\, The Dayton Balle t School Ensemble and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company II\, as well as ou r chosen senior piece choreographed by Ariana Alvarado.\n\nOur first guest choreographer is the nationally acclaimed Stephanie Martinez. Martinez鈥檚 bold\, contemporary voice pushes the boundaries of ballet\, crafting over 70 works for professional and collegiate programs nationwide. Recognized f or her contributions as a female artist of color\, she has received numero us grants and acclaim\, with the Chicago Tribune hailing her as a 鈥渃hamele on鈥 of choreography. Martinez is the founder and artistic director of PARA .MAR Dance Theatre\, established in July 2020. Her piece\, World of Anothe r\, unveils the hidden narratives and inner thoughts of those around us\, exploring the concept of 鈥渙thering鈥濃攖he act of treating someone as an outs ider. Through personal stories and raw dialogue\, this work examines the i nvisible divides we create between 鈥渦s鈥 and 鈥渢hem\,鈥 revealing the impact of these divisions on our collective humanity. By exposing the unseen stor ies that shape our interactions\, World of Another urges us to recognize t he shared humanity in those we might otherwise dismiss.\n\nOur second gues t is regional choreographer\, Michelle McElveen\, who earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance from 糖心原创 after graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy. She has performed professionally with Walt Disney Productions\, the Dayton Opera\, the Sorg and Whitewater Opera Com panies\, and La Comedia Dinner Theatre. She has taught at 糖心原创 sin ce 1994 and is currently a senior lecturer. She has taught master classes in Cincinnati\, Dayton\, and Michigan and is a huge favorite among her col leagues and students.\n\nThe common thread within this year鈥檚 concert is e xpression through movement. Each piece showcases the individuality and aes thetic voice of the seven choreographers. Our dancers embody the choreogra pher鈥檚 message through movement and infuse it with their own meaning to cr eate a genuine work of art. This concert explores many facets of the human experience\, and we welcome you as the audience to interpret each piece a nd hope you are moved by the stories you see.\n\nThe Spring Dance Concert offers a unique opportunity to enjoy three wonderful dance companies鈥擶righ t State Dance\, The Dayton Ballet School Ensemble\, and Dayton Contemporar y Dance Company II. Our region is lucky to have such a vibrant and diverse dance community\, and we thank you for coming to support us.\n\nGina Gard ner-Walther\n\nBack to top\n\n\n Performances\n\nDivenire\n\nChoreographer: Michelle McElveen\n Music: Ludovico Einaudi\n Costume Design: Zoe Still\n Li ghting Design: Dylan Serrano\n Dancers: Maria Becker (Thu/Sat)\, Emma Cole\ , Gretchen Greener (Fri/Sun)\, Gracie Harper\, Anderson Hayes\, Audrey Lee \, Hannah McGuffey (Thu/Sat)\, Jenna Mumford (Thu/Fri)\, Lexi Parker (Fri/ Sun)\, Rae Richard\, Lucy Theado (Thu/Sat)\, Annabelle White (Fri/Sun)\n Un derstudy: Kaitlyn Berry\n 聽\n\nThese Lights Won't Kill Me Now\n\nChoreograp her: Ariana Alvarado\n Music: She Wants Revenge\, My Chemical Romance\, Pri nce and the New Power Generation\n Lighting Design: Levi T. Fravel\n Dancers : Zoe Bees\, Ally Jo Buck\, Kailey Colyer\, Alia Dalton\, Lylla Kovacs\, E mma McCoy\, Raya Taylor\n Note: 'I have loved the stars too fondly to be fe arful of the night'鈥擲arah Williams\n allpoetry.com/Sarah-Williams\n 聽\n\nA S ilent Plea\n\nChoreographer: Shonna Hickman-Matlock\n Music: Armand Amar\n L ighting Design: Jennifer E. Dillard\n Dancers: Brittni Van Dine\, Sawyer He rtel\, Macy Perry\, Keilani Reynolds\, Ansley Seiffert\n Note: Forbidden to speak and unable to express what鈥檚 truly felt\, A Silent Plea reflects th e struggle of unspoken pain and hidden suffering. It captures the tension between the desperate desire to cry out and the inability to do so.\n 聽\n\n World of Another\n\nChoreographer: Stephanie Martinez\n Assistant to the Ch oreographer: Jayme Braverman\n Rehearsal Coach: Gina Gardner-Walther\n Music : Antonio Lucio Vivaldi\, Real Quiet\, Steve Mazzaro\n Costumes: Original d esign: Janet Bolick\n Reimagined by: Zoe Still\n Lighting Design: Matthew Be njamin\n Dancers: Ariana Alvarado\, Zoe Bees\, Ally Jo Buck\, Brianna Chan\ , Jonathan Oliver\, Gracie Harper\, Lexi Wilson\, Kailey Colyer\, Alia Dal ton\, Jessie Etling\, Carly Hanson\, Audrey Lee\, Emma McCaslin\, Hannah M cGuffey\n Understudies: Maria Becker\, Emma Cole\, Lexi Parker\, Raeanne Ri chard\n 聽\n\nIntermission\n 聽\n\nOpen Out\n\nChoreographer: Gina Gardner-Wal ther\n Music: Ezio Bosso\n Costume Design: Naomi Indira Reisner\n Rehearsal A ssistant: Gracie Harper\n Lighting Designer: Emily Hope and Zach Wuest\n Dan cers: Ariana Alvarado聽(Thursday/Saturday)\, Kaitlyn Berry聽(Thursday/Saturd ay)\, Ally Jo Buck聽(Friday/Sunday)\, Brianna Chan聽(Friday/Sunday)\, Kailey Colyer\, Alia Dalton\, Jessie Etling\, Carly Hanson聽(Friday/Sunday)\,聽Aud rey Lee\, Cheyenne Maher聽(Friday/Sunday)\,聽Emma McCaslin\, Hannah McGuffey \, Sam Minneman\, Jonathan Oliver\, Lexi Wison聽(Thursday/Saturday)\n Unders tudies: Maria Becker\, Emma McCoy\n\nBlue Skies\n\nChoreographers: Megan F orney & Gabrielle Sharp\n Music: Glen Miller\n Lighting Design: Robbie Criss man\n Dancers: Jessie Etling\, Mollie Juniewicz\, Jenna Mumford\, Jonathan Oliver\, Raeanne Richards\, Annabelle White\n 聽\n\nVive\n\nChoreographer: A shley Pabst\n Composers: James Blake\, SO:HO & Kuranes\n Costume Design: Zoe Still\n Lighting Design: Zach Wuest\n Dancers: Ariana Alvarado\, Zoe Bees\, Maria Becker\, Alanna Carey\, Laurel Cameron\, Emma Cole\, Kailey Colyer\ , Alia Dalton\, Gracie Harper\, Emma McCaslin\, Jessie Etling\, Carly Hans on\, Anderson Hayes\, Sawyer Hertel\, Lylla Kovacs\, Emma McCoy\, Jonathan Oliver\, Lexi Parker\, Raya Taylor\, Lucy Theado\, Abby Zaleski\n\nBack t o top\n 聽\n\nProduction Team and Run Crew\n\nStage Manager: Dylan Serrano\n \nTechnical Productions Manager: Kevin Nedberg\n\nSound Engineer/Audio Coo rdinator: James Dunlap\n\nCostume Shop Manager: Carly Anne-Kimmins\n\nLigh t Board Operator: Maggie Slauenwhite\n\nHead Stage/Fly Crew: Eli Baader\n \nStage/Fly Crew: Logan Gregory\, Kayla Theiss\n\nSound Board Operator: En och Graham\n\nWardrobe Crew: Kaitlin Teller\n\nRehearsal Assistant: Gracie Harper\n\nBack to top\n\n\n Choreographer Bios\n\nAriana Alvarado (they\, them) is a senior dance major at 糖心原创\, graduating with their B.F. A. in dance. They are grateful for the opportunities 糖心原创 has prov ided them\, such as dancing with DCDC2\, auditioning for and performing at Kings Island\, and performing in 糖心原创's 2023 production of Cabare t. They feel privileged to receive their training from 糖心原创 and ar e honored to showcase their senior choreographic work once more and perfor m alongside their fellow dancers.\n\nMegan Forney is originally from St Lo uis\, where she began her dance training. She trained as a student at Kana s City Ballet\, Ballet Chicago\, and Ballet Internationale. Forney graduat ed from 糖心原创 with a B.F.A. in dance in 2008. She has performed in many Dayton Ballet mainstage shows\, including Nutcracker\, Swan Lake\, Am erican Cinderella\, Sleepy Hollow\, and Three Musketeers. She has been the recipient of the Josephine and Hereme Schwarz Award\, the Walter J McCasl in Award\, and the Dayton Ballet School Peer Award. Megan has been a dance educator and choreographer for 15 years. She is currently the education m anager of the Dayton Ballet School and the co-director of the Dayton Balle t II companies.\n\nStephanie Martinez\, a Chicago-based choreographer\, ta kes audiences on dynamic journeys driven by the kinetic energy of her awar d-winning works spanning 15+ years. Her creations have been commissioned b y top companies including Joffrey Ballet\, Miami City Ballet\, Ballet Hisp 谩nico\, BalletX\, Bruce Wood Dance\, Kansas City Ballet\, South Chicago Da nce Theatre\, and Milwaukee Ballet\, with theater credits at Chicago Shake speare Theater\, the Lyric Opera of Chicago\, and American Repertory Theat re. Martinez鈥檚 bold\, contemporary voice pushes the boundaries of ballet\, crafting over 70 works for professional and collegiate programs nationwid e. Recognized for her contributions as a female artist of color\, she has received numerous grants and acclaim\, with the Chicago Tribune hailing he r as a 鈥渃hameleon鈥 of choreography. Martinez is the founder and artistic d irector of PARA.MAR Dance Theatre\, established in July 2020.\n\nShonna Hi ckman-Matlock director of DCDC2 and Arts Enrichment Programs\, was a princ ipal dancer\, touring nationally and internationally in South Korea\, Russ ia\, France\, Germany\, and Bermuda. She performed across the U.S.\, inclu ding at the American Dance Festival\, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival\, Linc oln Center\, and The Kennedy Center before retiring in 1995. She performed in many DCDC repertories\, including Ulysses Dove鈥檚 Vespers and Urban Fol kdance\, Donald Byrd鈥檚 Dark Joy and Bamm\, and Eleo Pomare鈥檚 Las Desenamor adas. She has created works for DCDC and other institutions. Serving as DC DC2 director since 2000 and DCDC resident choreographer\, she became direc tor of education and outreach in 2014\, designing arts enrichment programs for schools and communities. Under her leadership\, many dancers have tra nsitioned into DCDC鈥檚 main company and other professional companies\, nati onal tours\, and Broadway productions.\n\nMichelle McElveen has had a teac hing/performing/choreographing career for more than 35 years. She worked e xtensively as a resident choreographer for the Sorg and Whitewater Opera C ompanies\, choreographing many operas\, including La Traviata\, Carmen\, T he Merry Widow\, and My Fair Lady. She has choreographed for 糖心原创\ , South Dayton Dance Theatre\, Miami University\, and Gem City Ballet. She earned a B.F.A. in dance from 糖心原创 after graduating from the Inte rlochen Arts Academy. She performed professionally with Walt Disney Produc tions\, the Dayton Opera\, La Comedia\, Sorg\, and Whitewater Opera compan ies. She is a senior lecturer at 糖心原创 as well as a faculty member of the South Dayton School of Dance\, and guest artist in residency at the Stiver鈥檚 School for the Performing Arts. 鈥淢iss Shelly鈥 is a sought-after instructor for summer intensives\, dance conventions\, and festivals throu ghout the region.\n\nAshley Pabst is an enthusiastic Instructor and award- winning choreographer. Her professional teaching credits include the Inter national Ballet Competition (Jackson\, Mississippi)\, Point Park Universit y\, Sam Houston State University\, National Choreography Intensive\, Regio nal Dance America Festivals\, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company\, and Eise nhower Dance Detroit. Before retiring from the stage\, Ashley performed wi th companies such as Atlanta Ballet and Dayton Ballet\; concluding on The Kennedy Center stage where she was awarded the Northeast Performer of the Year. She is a nine-time National Choreographic Recognition Award recipien t as well as the Monticello Award\, Barbara Weisberger Emerging Choreograp her\, Project Tier\, Jonathan Phelps Award\; works selected for the Intern ational Association of Blacks in Dance\, The Ballet Alliance\, Youth Ameri can Grand Prix Finals and Jazz Dance World Congress. Ashley would like to thank her husband and parents for their endless love and support.\n\nGabri elle Sharp is co-director of the Dayton Ballet School Ensemble. Gabrielle danced with Dayton Ballet. You saw her perform in Dracula\, The Nutcracker \, Tales from the Shadow\, There Was a Time\, and America鈥檚 Robin Hood\, a nd recently as the fairy godmother in Cinderella and the nurse in Romeo an d Juliet. While a member of DBII Sr. she received the Dancer Peer Award\, Walter J. McCaslin Memorial Award\, and Josephine and Hermene Schwarz Awar d. Gabrielle was the previous director of the SSK Dance Ensemble.\n\nGina Gardner-Walther is a dedicated teacher/mentor and award-winning choreograp her who has choreographed nationally\, regionally\, and on university stag es. Her professional teaching experience includes Indiana University\, Poi nt Park University (PA)\, New Arts Festival (FL)\, RDA Craft of Choreograp hy Conference\, and RDA Pacific Festival (WA). While performing with The D ayton Contemporary Dance Company\, she toured Germany\, Russia\, France\, and throughout the United States. She had the honor of performing at Linco ln Center\, The Kennedy Center\, and The Joyce Theatre. She performed work s by many of modern dances鈥 most influential choreographers\, including Dw ight Rhoden\, Ulysses Dove\, Donald McKayle\, Merce Cunningham\, Talley Be atty\, Anna Sokolow\, Donald Byrd\, and many more. In her final season wit h DCDC\, she won the Josie Award as best female dancer. Gina鈥檚 choreograph y has won several choreographic awards including the prestigious National Choreographic Award. The New York Times called her work Still Present set on DCDC 鈥渁 stirring dance鈥 that 鈥渟erved as a sparkling introduction to the troupe.鈥 Gina earned her B.F.A. in dance performance from Southern Method ist University.\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nDancer Bios\n\nMaria Becker (she\, he r) is a freshman dance major from Cincinnati. She danced at SDA Studios fo r 16 years\, where she found her love for dance. She is grateful for the o pportunity to continue her dance training at 糖心原创 and looks forwar d to performing in her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nZoe Bees (she\, her) is a senior dance major\, from Waynesville. She has grown up giving her p assion and love for dance every day while continuing to improve her artist ry. Zoe is grateful for the opportunities and experiences she has had whil e being at 糖心原创. She is so excited to start her journey in the rea l world and would like to thank her loving teachers\, friends\, and family .\n\nKaitlyn Berry (she\, her) is a freshman dance major from Dayton. She began her training at South Dayton School of Dance\, where her teachers in stilled in her a love for ballet and modern dance. She is so thankful for the opportunity to perform in her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nAlly Jo B uck (she\, her) Is a sophomore dance major from Loveland. She studied danc e of all genres at Broadway Bound Dance Academy\, where she now teaches. S he has a love of performing and is thankful for the opportunity to perform in her second Spring Dance Concert alongside such talented and passionate dancers.\n\nLaurel Cameron is a freshman B.F.A. dance major originally fr om Stroudsburg\, Pennsylvania. In addition to dance\, she is immensely pas sionate about musical theatre and loves blending her talents in both art f orms to express herself creatively. She would like to thank all of her tea chers\, friends\, and family for their unconditional support and guidance throughout her artistic journey.\n\nAlanna Carey (she\, her) is a freshman double major in dance and communication studies from Dayton. She has been dancing for 16 years\, including training at Pontecorvo Ballet Studios an d South Dayton Dance Theater. She is very grateful and excited to perform in her first Spring Dance Concert!\n\nBrianna Chan (she\, her) is a senior dance major pursuing a second degree in biomedical engineering. Originall y from Columbus\, Brianna has been part of the dance program for 5 years. She is deeply grateful for the opportunities she has received\, as well as the support from her professors\, friends\, and family. It has been a pri vilege for her to dance alongside such talented artists and dancers.\n\nEm ma Cole (she\, her) is a sophomore dance major from Toledo. Before joining 糖心原创\, she trained at her local studio\, Toledo Met. Emma is exci ted to be performing in the Spring Dance Concert and is grateful for the o pportunity to learn from such wonderful teachers and choreographers.\n\nKa iley Colyer (she\, her) is a junior dance major from Cincinnati. She began dancing at the age of 2\, where she trained at Just Off-Broadway dance st udio. She continued her dance education at the School for Creative and Per forming Arts from grades 4鈥12. Kailey is very excited to perform in her th ird Spring Dance Concert and feels very fortunate to have worked with such talented teachers and choreographers.\n\nAlia Dalton (she\, her) is a jun ior dance major from Cincinnati. She has been dancing for 16 years\, where she trained at her local dance studio Just Off Broadway\, and graduated f rom the School for Creative and Performing Arts. Alia is excited to perfor m alongside her peers and is grateful to have worked with such amazing/ins piring choreographers during this year's Spring Dance Concert She would li ke to thank her family for their continuous support in her journey through dance.\n\nJessie Etling (she\, her) is from Salisbury\, Maryland\, and a junior dance major. She has been dancing for 16 years and feels incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the 糖心原创 dance progr am. Jessie is also a part of Dayton Ballet School Ensemble and performed r oles in Dracula\, Coppelia\, The Nutcracker\, and Swan Lake alongside the first company.\n\nGretchen Greener is a freshman dance major from Carmel\, Indiana. She spent her formative years under the direction of Suzann DeLa y at Central Indiana Academy of Dance and John and Heather Timm at Richens /Timm Academy of Irish Dance. Gretchen is so excited and thankful to perfo rm in her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nCarly Hanson (she\, her) began da ncing age 3 and received her training from Dancekids Studio under the dire ction of Denise Devery. She is currently a junior dance major at Wright St ate pursuing a B.F.A. in dance and an arts management certificate. In addi tion to school\, she was a member of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company's S econd Company (DCDC2) for its 2023-2024 season. Carly is so thankful for t he opportunity to perform alongside her very talented peers in this year鈥檚 Spring Dance Concert!\n\nGracie Harper (she\, her) is a senior dance majo r at 糖心原创 and is originally from Cincinnati. During her time at th e university\, she was a second company dancer with Dayton Contemporary Da nce Company\, performed in the university鈥檚 production of Cabaret\, and ha s been featured in the annual dance concerts put on by the program. Gracie would like to thank her fellow dancers\, faculty\, and the technical crew for their incredible work on this performance!\n\nAnderson Hayes (she\, h er) is a freshman dance major from Lawrenceville\, Georgia. She started da nce at age 3 with Southern Performing Arts Academy and performed with thei r company\, Southern Ballet Theatre. She also trained at School of the Art s at Central Gwinnett from grades 10鈥12. Anderson is grateful for her fami ly and friends\, and very excited for her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nL ylla Kovacs is a sophomore dance major at 糖心原创\, and this is her s econd time participating in the Spring Dance Concert. She is grateful to b e in a couple of the pieces and would like to thank everyone who contribut ed to the creative process. She hopes everyone enjoys the show!\n\nAudrey Lee is a junior dance major from Springfield. She began dancing at a very early age and received her training from the Gary Geis School of Dance. Au drey is thrilled to be further continuing her education at 糖心原创\, where she is incredibly fortunate to be a part of this exceptional program .\n\nCheyenne Maher is a freshman dance major from Piqua. Before attending 糖心原创\, she previously trained at the Sidney Dance Company. She is so grateful for the opportunity to perform in her first Spring Dance Conc ert.\n\nEmma McCaslin (she\, her) is a junior dance major at 糖心原创. She is from Avon\, Indiana\, where she grew up dancing at Curtain Call Da nce Center. At 糖心原创\, she has had the opportunity to swing the uni versity鈥檚 production of Cabaret. She has also been incredibly grateful to work with various choreographers for the dance concerts put on by the prog ram. Emma thanks her family\, fellow dancers\, faculty\, and tech crew for this experience!\n\nHannah McGuffey (she\, her) is a junior dance major a t 糖心原创 from Dayton. Hannah received her dance training through Gem City Ballet\, Dayton Ballet\, and Stivers School for the Arts. Hannah is excited to share her love of dance with you\, and looks forward to growing as a dancer in the upcoming years at 糖心原创.聽\n\nSam Minneman is a third-year double major in dance and psychology from Dayton. She is a memb er of Psi Chi\, the International Honor Society of Psychology\, and she re cently debuted her first full-length choreographic work at 糖心原创鈥檚 Emerging Choreographers Concert. This summer she is attending RDAs Nationa l Choreographic Intensive as a project tier choreographer to set a new wor k over the 2-week intensive. Performing and creating dance and art is a li fe-long passion Sam continues to cultivate at 糖心原创.\n\nJenna Mumfo rd is a junior dance major at 糖心原创 and has been dancing for 15 yea rs. She is a part of the Dayton Ballet School Ensemble and has performed w ith the main company in shows such as The Nutcracker\, The Great Gatsby\, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow\, Dracula: Bloodlines\, and Copp茅lia. Jenna is also a photographer and videographer and has photographed the Fall Dance Concert and Emerging Choreographers Concert.\n\nJonathan Oliver is a senio r dance major who has performed one season with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company鈥檚 Second Company under the direction of (Momma) Shonna Hickman-Mat lock. He is grateful for his time at 糖心原创\, where he has grown as an artist and had the opportunity to travel to New York to take classes wi th Jamar Roberts\, Peter Chu\, Brandon Coleman\, and Norbert de La Cruz. T his summer\, he is excited to dance with Dayton Dance Initiative before he ading to Asheville\, North Carolina. Jonathan also makes a mean banana pan cake\, loves teaching\, and enjoys peanut butter by the spoonful.\n\nAlexi a Parker (she\, her) is a freshman dance major from Bunker Hill\, West Vir ginia. She began dancing at age 3\, training at Inwood Performing Arts for the majority of her years. She is very thankful to perform in her first S pring Dance Concert as a part of 糖心原创.\n\nRaya Taylor (she\, her) is a freshman dance major from Cambridge. She began dancing at age 6\, and she trained at Movement on Main Center for Dance. Raya is excited to perf orm in her first Spring Dance Concert alongside her peers.\n\nLucy Theado (she\, her) is a freshman double major in dance and communications from Co lumbus. She trained previously at the Moriarity Lukyanova Dance Academy. S he is very excited to be a part of her very first Spring Dance Concert and wants to thank everyone who came out to support her.\n\nAnnabelle White i s a freshman dance and English major at 糖心原创. She has been dancing for 15 years and danced at All 糖心原创 Dance and Miami Valley Dance Center growing up\, and is currently a part of the Dayton Ballet School Ensemble. This is Annabelle's first Spring Dance Concert\, and she is excited to be able to perform with such wonderful people.\n\nAlexis Wilson (she\, her) is a senior from Nashville. Lexi has been dancing since she was 2 and is e xcited to be dancing in her last Spring Dance Concert. Thanks to the amazi ng faculty here at 糖心原创\, Lexi received many choreography job oppo rtunities right here in Dayton. She is excited to announce that she will b e continuing her dreams at Disney starting in August. She hopes you enjoy this beautiful show.\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nDesigner Bios\n\nMatthew P. Benj amin is in his 27th year at 糖心原创 as a professor of theatrical desi gn\, head of the theatre design and technology program\, and the resident lighting designer with theatre and dance programs in the school of fine an d performing arts. Prior to joining the 糖心原创 faculty\, Matthew ser ved as the coordinator of the performing arts program at Stockton College of New Jersey and the Associate Resident lighting designer for the Univers ity of Cincinnati\, College-Conservatory of Music. Professional credits in clude seven seasons as the resident lighting designer for the Opera Theatr e and Music Festival of Lucca\, Italy\, where he also served as the compan y鈥檚 production manager. Other professional designs includes projects with the Interlochen Center for the Arts\, Cincinnati Opera\, Aspen Music Festi val\, Dayton Opera\, Dayton Ballet\, Children鈥檚 Theatre of Cincinnati\, Tr i-Cities Opera\, Dayton Performing Arts Alliance\, Opera at Florham\, Luna Negra Dance Theatre\, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company\, the Human Race Theatre Company\, Little Theatre of the Rockies\, ballettech Ohio\, New Ho rizon Theatre Company\, the Taj Mahal casino\, the National Academy of Tel evision Arts and Sciences\, and many others. An active theatre consultant\ , he has worked on regional projects such as the Springboro Performing Art s Center\, the Theatre at Third in the downtown Dayton Public Library\, Di xie High School\, and the Alter High School Performing Arts Center\, among many others. He is a proud member of the United Scenic Artists Local #829 (Lighting Design) and the International Alliance of Lighting Designers.\n \nRobbie Crissman is a freshman lighting design major originally from Haml in\, New York. His previous credits at 糖心原创 include A2 for Our Tow n\, sound board operator for Much Ado 糖心原创 Nothing\, production electrici an for Everybody\, and a lighting designer for the most recent Emerging Ch oreographers Concert.\n\nJennifer E. Dillard is a sophomore theatre design and technology major concentrating in lighting. She is very excited to be designing for this year鈥檚 Spring Dance Concert! Jennifer has previously d esigned for 糖心原创鈥檚 Emerging Choreographers Concert\, the Fall Danc e Concert\, and The Apple Tree.\n\nLevi T. Fravel (they\, them) is a sopho more focusing on lighting design. They are excited to be designing in thei r second Spring Dance Concert. They would like to thank all their friends and family for their endless support!\n\nDylan Serrano (stage manager) is a third-year design/technology major focusing in stage management and ligh ting design. They are extremely excited to be stage managing their first d ance concert and designing another piece at 糖心原创. They have previo usly designed for the past two Emerging Choreographers鈥 Concerts\, Fall Da nce Concerts\, and last year鈥檚 Spring Dance Concert. They are also a resid ent designer for Stivers School for the Arts dance program. They assistant stage managed with The Dayton Ballet鈥檚 previous two runnings of The Nutcr acker. At 糖心原创\, they most recently stage-managed Carrie: The Musi cal. This June\, they will be the stage manager for Dayton Dance Initiativ e鈥檚 summer concert\, CoLAB II.\n\nZach Wuest is a senior lighting design m ajor at 糖心原创 and is absolutely thrilled to be designing for the Sp ring Dance Concert. His previous credits include\, as the lighting designe r at 糖心原创\, Kelly the Destroyer vs. the Springfield Cobras\, A Dol l's House Parts 1 & 2\, Our Town\, and Alice by Heart. He was also the lig hting designer for Dayton Playhouse's Is There Life After High School? and the assistant lighting designer for DPAA's The Nutcracker. He hopes you e njoy the show!\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nPartner Companies\n\nDCDC2 l Pre-Profe ssional Ensemble\n Founded in 1975 by Jeraldyne Blunden\n Chief Executive & Artistic Director: Debbie Blunden-Diggs\n Director of DCDC2 & Arts Enrichme nt Programs: Shonna Hickman-Matlock\n\nComprised of recent graduate and un dergraduate dance students\, DCDC2 is the next generation of dance artists under the umbrella of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. DCDC2 presen ts performances in traditional theatre and alternative venues. The ensembl e plays an integral role in DCDC school and community engagement throughou t the Miami Valley region. DCDC2 participates in DCDC鈥檚 established univer sity partnerships providing opportunities to engage in collaborative progr ams with the University of Dayton\, 糖心原创\, and Central State University campus-wide activities and dance programs. The ensemble h as performed throughout the Miami Valley and all regions of Ohio. In 2019\ , the ensemble was chosen to present at the OhioDance Festival in Columbus and the Denison University Ohio Five Colleges of Ohio 5 Dance Festival\, as well as showcased at the 31st International Blacks in Dance 鈥淓stablishe d Dance Companies鈥 performance hosted in Dayton. DCDC2 continues to be a r esource for new dancers for DCDC鈥檚 main company and maintains an impressiv e record of successfully transitioning dancers into other professional com panies\, Broadway\, film\, television\, media\, and graduate schools.\n\nD ayton Ballet School Ensemble (DBSE)\, divided into apprentice and junior e nsembles\, is a pre-professional training program available to dancers thr ough audition only. This division is for dancers committed to a high level of dance training\, strengthening\, and artistic development\, along with elective classes to supplement their dance education. This division inclu des additional performance opportunities.\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nBox Office and Current SeasonEvent Webpage: https://liberal-arts.wright.edu/fine-and- performing-arts/dance-productions/spring-dance-concert-99481 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250424T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250424T190000 LAST-MODIFIED:20250419T070931Z SUMMARY:Spring Dance Concert URL;TYPE=URI:/events/spring-dance-concert-1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:calendar.527816.field_event_date.0@www.wright.edu DTSTAMP:20260219T234103Z CREATED:20240625T070906Z DESCRIPTION:聽\n\n聽\n\nFor Thursday\, April 24\, only\, students get in free with their Wright1 card.\n\n\nProgram:\n\n\n 糖心原创 the Concert\n Director's Note\n Performances\n Production Team and Run Crew\n Choreographer Bios\n Dan cer Bios\n Designer Bios\n Partner Companies\n 聽\n\n\n糖心原创 the Concert\n\nSe ven dance works by 糖心原创 faculty and guest artists Steph anie Martinez\, Michelle McElveen\, DCDC2\, and Dayton Ballet School Ensem ble.\n\n\n Director's Note\n\nDear Friends\,\n\nWelcome to the powerful and dynamic Spring Dance Concert 2025! We invite you to sit back and enjoy th e vitality of live performance. Each piece is a living work of art that co mbines in a shared experience for performers and audiences alike. We are t hrilled to present works by 糖心原创 dance faculty members and esteeme d guest choreographers Michelle McElveen and Stephanie Martinez. You will also be seeing works by our wonderful partner companies\, The Dayton Balle t School Ensemble and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company II\, as well as ou r chosen senior piece choreographed by Ariana Alvarado.\n\nOur first guest choreographer is the nationally acclaimed Stephanie Martinez. Martinez鈥檚 bold\, contemporary voice pushes the boundaries of ballet\, crafting over 70 works for professional and collegiate programs nationwide. Recognized f or her contributions as a female artist of color\, she has received numero us grants and acclaim\, with the Chicago Tribune hailing her as a 鈥渃hamele on鈥 of choreography. Martinez is the founder and artistic director of PARA .MAR Dance Theatre\, established in July 2020. Her piece\, World of Anothe r\, unveils the hidden narratives and inner thoughts of those around us\, exploring the concept of 鈥渙thering鈥濃攖he act of treating someone as an outs ider. Through personal stories and raw dialogue\, this work examines the i nvisible divides we create between 鈥渦s鈥 and 鈥渢hem\,鈥 revealing the impact of these divisions on our collective humanity. By exposing the unseen stor ies that shape our interactions\, World of Another urges us to recognize t he shared humanity in those we might otherwise dismiss.\n\nOur second gues t is regional choreographer\, Michelle McElveen\, who earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance from 糖心原创 after graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy. She has performed professionally with Walt Disney Productions\, the Dayton Opera\, the Sorg and Whitewater Opera Com panies\, and La Comedia Dinner Theatre. She has taught at 糖心原创 sin ce 1994 and is currently a senior lecturer. She has taught master classes in Cincinnati\, Dayton\, and Michigan and is a huge favorite among her col leagues and students.\n\nThe common thread within this year鈥檚 concert is e xpression through movement. Each piece showcases the individuality and aes thetic voice of the seven choreographers. Our dancers embody the choreogra pher鈥檚 message through movement and infuse it with their own meaning to cr eate a genuine work of art. This concert explores many facets of the human experience\, and we welcome you as the audience to interpret each piece a nd hope you are moved by the stories you see.\n\nThe Spring Dance Concert offers a unique opportunity to enjoy three wonderful dance companies鈥擶righ t State Dance\, The Dayton Ballet School Ensemble\, and Dayton Contemporar y Dance Company II. Our region is lucky to have such a vibrant and diverse dance community\, and we thank you for coming to support us.\n\nGina Gard ner-Walther\n\nBack to top\n\n\n Performances\n\nDivenire\n\nChoreographer: Michelle McElveen\n Music: Ludovico Einaudi\n Costume Design: Zoe Still\n Li ghting Design: Dylan Serrano\n Dancers: Maria Becker (Thu/Sat)\, Emma Cole\ , Gretchen Greener (Fri/Sun)\, Gracie Harper\, Anderson Hayes\, Audrey Lee \, Hannah McGuffey (Thu/Sat)\, Jenna Mumford (Thu/Fri)\, Lexi Parker (Fri/ Sun)\, Rae Richard\, Lucy Theado (Thu/Sat)\, Annabelle White (Fri/Sun)\n Un derstudy: Kaitlyn Berry\n 聽\n\nThese Lights Won't Kill Me Now\n\nChoreograp her: Ariana Alvarado\n Music: She Wants Revenge\, My Chemical Romance\, Pri nce and the New Power Generation\n Lighting Design: Levi T. Fravel\n Dancers : Zoe Bees\, Ally Jo Buck\, Kailey Colyer\, Alia Dalton\, Lylla Kovacs\, E mma McCoy\, Raya Taylor\n Note: 'I have loved the stars too fondly to be fe arful of the night'鈥擲arah Williams\n allpoetry.com/Sarah-Williams\n 聽\n\nA S ilent Plea\n\nChoreographer: Shonna Hickman-Matlock\n Music: Armand Amar\n L ighting Design: Jennifer E. Dillard\n Dancers: Brittni Van Dine\, Sawyer He rtel\, Macy Perry\, Keilani Reynolds\, Ansley Seiffert\n Note: Forbidden to speak and unable to express what鈥檚 truly felt\, A Silent Plea reflects th e struggle of unspoken pain and hidden suffering. It captures the tension between the desperate desire to cry out and the inability to do so.\n 聽\n\n World of Another\n\nChoreographer: Stephanie Martinez\n Assistant to the Ch oreographer: Jayme Braverman\n Rehearsal Coach: Gina Gardner-Walther\n Music : Antonio Lucio Vivaldi\, Real Quiet\, Steve Mazzaro\n Costumes: Original d esign: Janet Bolick\n Reimagined by: Zoe Still\n Lighting Design: Matthew Be njamin\n Dancers: Ariana Alvarado\, Zoe Bees\, Ally Jo Buck\, Brianna Chan\ , Jonathan Oliver\, Gracie Harper\, Lexi Wilson\, Kailey Colyer\, Alia Dal ton\, Jessie Etling\, Carly Hanson\, Audrey Lee\, Emma McCaslin\, Hannah M cGuffey\n Understudies: Maria Becker\, Emma Cole\, Lexi Parker\, Raeanne Ri chard\n 聽\n\nIntermission\n 聽\n\nOpen Out\n\nChoreographer: Gina Gardner-Wal ther\n Music: Ezio Bosso\n Costume Design: Naomi Indira Reisner\n Rehearsal A ssistant: Gracie Harper\n Lighting Designer: Emily Hope and Zach Wuest\n Dan cers: Ariana Alvarado聽(Thursday/Saturday)\, Kaitlyn Berry聽(Thursday/Saturd ay)\, Ally Jo Buck聽(Friday/Sunday)\, Brianna Chan聽(Friday/Sunday)\, Kailey Colyer\, Alia Dalton\, Jessie Etling\, Carly Hanson聽(Friday/Sunday)\,聽Aud rey Lee\, Cheyenne Maher聽(Friday/Sunday)\,聽Emma McCaslin\, Hannah McGuffey \, Sam Minneman\, Jonathan Oliver\, Lexi Wison聽(Thursday/Saturday)\n Unders tudies: Maria Becker\, Emma McCoy\n\nBlue Skies\n\nChoreographers: Megan F orney & Gabrielle Sharp\n Music: Glen Miller\n Lighting Design: Robbie Criss man\n Dancers: Jessie Etling\, Mollie Juniewicz\, Jenna Mumford\, Jonathan Oliver\, Raeanne Richards\, Annabelle White\n 聽\n\nVive\n\nChoreographer: A shley Pabst\n Composers: James Blake\, SO:HO & Kuranes\n Costume Design: Zoe Still\n Lighting Design: Zach Wuest\n Dancers: Ariana Alvarado\, Zoe Bees\, Maria Becker\, Alanna Carey\, Laurel Cameron\, Emma Cole\, Kailey Colyer\ , Alia Dalton\, Gracie Harper\, Emma McCaslin\, Jessie Etling\, Carly Hans on\, Anderson Hayes\, Sawyer Hertel\, Lylla Kovacs\, Emma McCoy\, Jonathan Oliver\, Lexi Parker\, Raya Taylor\, Lucy Theado\, Abby Zaleski\n\nBack t o top\n 聽\n\nProduction Team and Run Crew\n\nStage Manager: Dylan Serrano\n \nTechnical Productions Manager: Kevin Nedberg\n\nSound Engineer/Audio Coo rdinator: James Dunlap\n\nCostume Shop Manager: Carly Anne-Kimmins\n\nLigh t Board Operator: Maggie Slauenwhite\n\nHead Stage/Fly Crew: Eli Baader\n \nStage/Fly Crew: Logan Gregory\, Kayla Theiss\n\nSound Board Operator: En och Graham\n\nWardrobe Crew: Kaitlin Teller\n\nRehearsal Assistant: Gracie Harper\n\nBack to top\n\n\n Choreographer Bios\n\nAriana Alvarado (they\, them) is a senior dance major at 糖心原创\, graduating with their B.F. A. in dance. They are grateful for the opportunities 糖心原创 has prov ided them\, such as dancing with DCDC2\, auditioning for and performing at Kings Island\, and performing in 糖心原创's 2023 production of Cabare t. They feel privileged to receive their training from 糖心原创 and ar e honored to showcase their senior choreographic work once more and perfor m alongside their fellow dancers.\n\nMegan Forney is originally from St Lo uis\, where she began her dance training. She trained as a student at Kana s City Ballet\, Ballet Chicago\, and Ballet Internationale. Forney graduat ed from 糖心原创 with a B.F.A. in dance in 2008. She has performed in many Dayton Ballet mainstage shows\, including Nutcracker\, Swan Lake\, Am erican Cinderella\, Sleepy Hollow\, and Three Musketeers. She has been the recipient of the Josephine and Hereme Schwarz Award\, the Walter J McCasl in Award\, and the Dayton Ballet School Peer Award. Megan has been a dance educator and choreographer for 15 years. She is currently the education m anager of the Dayton Ballet School and the co-director of the Dayton Balle t II companies.\n\nStephanie Martinez\, a Chicago-based choreographer\, ta kes audiences on dynamic journeys driven by the kinetic energy of her awar d-winning works spanning 15+ years. Her creations have been commissioned b y top companies including Joffrey Ballet\, Miami City Ballet\, Ballet Hisp 谩nico\, BalletX\, Bruce Wood Dance\, Kansas City Ballet\, South Chicago Da nce Theatre\, and Milwaukee Ballet\, with theater credits at Chicago Shake speare Theater\, the Lyric Opera of Chicago\, and American Repertory Theat re. Martinez鈥檚 bold\, contemporary voice pushes the boundaries of ballet\, crafting over 70 works for professional and collegiate programs nationwid e. Recognized for her contributions as a female artist of color\, she has received numerous grants and acclaim\, with the Chicago Tribune hailing he r as a 鈥渃hameleon鈥 of choreography. Martinez is the founder and artistic d irector of PARA.MAR Dance Theatre\, established in July 2020.\n\nShonna Hi ckman-Matlock director of DCDC2 and Arts Enrichment Programs\, was a princ ipal dancer\, touring nationally and internationally in South Korea\, Russ ia\, France\, Germany\, and Bermuda. She performed across the U.S.\, inclu ding at the American Dance Festival\, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival\, Linc oln Center\, and The Kennedy Center before retiring in 1995. She performed in many DCDC repertories\, including Ulysses Dove鈥檚 Vespers and Urban Fol kdance\, Donald Byrd鈥檚 Dark Joy and Bamm\, and Eleo Pomare鈥檚 Las Desenamor adas. She has created works for DCDC and other institutions. Serving as DC DC2 director since 2000 and DCDC resident choreographer\, she became direc tor of education and outreach in 2014\, designing arts enrichment programs for schools and communities. Under her leadership\, many dancers have tra nsitioned into DCDC鈥檚 main company and other professional companies\, nati onal tours\, and Broadway productions.\n\nMichelle McElveen has had a teac hing/performing/choreographing career for more than 35 years. She worked e xtensively as a resident choreographer for the Sorg and Whitewater Opera C ompanies\, choreographing many operas\, including La Traviata\, Carmen\, T he Merry Widow\, and My Fair Lady. She has choreographed for 糖心原创\ , South Dayton Dance Theatre\, Miami University\, and Gem City Ballet. She earned a B.F.A. in dance from 糖心原创 after graduating from the Inte rlochen Arts Academy. She performed professionally with Walt Disney Produc tions\, the Dayton Opera\, La Comedia\, Sorg\, and Whitewater Opera compan ies. She is a senior lecturer at 糖心原创 as well as a faculty member of the South Dayton School of Dance\, and guest artist in residency at the Stiver鈥檚 School for the Performing Arts. 鈥淢iss Shelly鈥 is a sought-after instructor for summer intensives\, dance conventions\, and festivals throu ghout the region.\n\nAshley Pabst is an enthusiastic Instructor and award- winning choreographer. Her professional teaching credits include the Inter national Ballet Competition (Jackson\, Mississippi)\, Point Park Universit y\, Sam Houston State University\, National Choreography Intensive\, Regio nal Dance America Festivals\, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company\, and Eise nhower Dance Detroit. Before retiring from the stage\, Ashley performed wi th companies such as Atlanta Ballet and Dayton Ballet\; concluding on The Kennedy Center stage where she was awarded the Northeast Performer of the Year. She is a nine-time National Choreographic Recognition Award recipien t as well as the Monticello Award\, Barbara Weisberger Emerging Choreograp her\, Project Tier\, Jonathan Phelps Award\; works selected for the Intern ational Association of Blacks in Dance\, The Ballet Alliance\, Youth Ameri can Grand Prix Finals and Jazz Dance World Congress. Ashley would like to thank her husband and parents for their endless love and support.\n\nGabri elle Sharp is co-director of the Dayton Ballet School Ensemble. Gabrielle danced with Dayton Ballet. You saw her perform in Dracula\, The Nutcracker \, Tales from the Shadow\, There Was a Time\, and America鈥檚 Robin Hood\, a nd recently as the fairy godmother in Cinderella and the nurse in Romeo an d Juliet. While a member of DBII Sr. she received the Dancer Peer Award\, Walter J. McCaslin Memorial Award\, and Josephine and Hermene Schwarz Awar d. Gabrielle was the previous director of the SSK Dance Ensemble.\n\nGina Gardner-Walther is a dedicated teacher/mentor and award-winning choreograp her who has choreographed nationally\, regionally\, and on university stag es. Her professional teaching experience includes Indiana University\, Poi nt Park University (PA)\, New Arts Festival (FL)\, RDA Craft of Choreograp hy Conference\, and RDA Pacific Festival (WA). While performing with The D ayton Contemporary Dance Company\, she toured Germany\, Russia\, France\, and throughout the United States. She had the honor of performing at Linco ln Center\, The Kennedy Center\, and The Joyce Theatre. She performed work s by many of modern dances鈥 most influential choreographers\, including Dw ight Rhoden\, Ulysses Dove\, Donald McKayle\, Merce Cunningham\, Talley Be atty\, Anna Sokolow\, Donald Byrd\, and many more. In her final season wit h DCDC\, she won the Josie Award as best female dancer. Gina鈥檚 choreograph y has won several choreographic awards including the prestigious National Choreographic Award. The New York Times called her work Still Present set on DCDC 鈥渁 stirring dance鈥 that 鈥渟erved as a sparkling introduction to the troupe.鈥 Gina earned her B.F.A. in dance performance from Southern Method ist University.\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nDancer Bios\n\nMaria Becker (she\, he r) is a freshman dance major from Cincinnati. She danced at SDA Studios fo r 16 years\, where she found her love for dance. She is grateful for the o pportunity to continue her dance training at 糖心原创 and looks forwar d to performing in her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nZoe Bees (she\, her) is a senior dance major\, from Waynesville. She has grown up giving her p assion and love for dance every day while continuing to improve her artist ry. Zoe is grateful for the opportunities and experiences she has had whil e being at 糖心原创. She is so excited to start her journey in the rea l world and would like to thank her loving teachers\, friends\, and family .\n\nKaitlyn Berry (she\, her) is a freshman dance major from Dayton. She began her training at South Dayton School of Dance\, where her teachers in stilled in her a love for ballet and modern dance. She is so thankful for the opportunity to perform in her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nAlly Jo B uck (she\, her) Is a sophomore dance major from Loveland. She studied danc e of all genres at Broadway Bound Dance Academy\, where she now teaches. S he has a love of performing and is thankful for the opportunity to perform in her second Spring Dance Concert alongside such talented and passionate dancers.\n\nLaurel Cameron is a freshman B.F.A. dance major originally fr om Stroudsburg\, Pennsylvania. In addition to dance\, she is immensely pas sionate about musical theatre and loves blending her talents in both art f orms to express herself creatively. She would like to thank all of her tea chers\, friends\, and family for their unconditional support and guidance throughout her artistic journey.\n\nAlanna Carey (she\, her) is a freshman double major in dance and communication studies from Dayton. She has been dancing for 16 years\, including training at Pontecorvo Ballet Studios an d South Dayton Dance Theater. She is very grateful and excited to perform in her first Spring Dance Concert!\n\nBrianna Chan (she\, her) is a senior dance major pursuing a second degree in biomedical engineering. Originall y from Columbus\, Brianna has been part of the dance program for 5 years. She is deeply grateful for the opportunities she has received\, as well as the support from her professors\, friends\, and family. It has been a pri vilege for her to dance alongside such talented artists and dancers.\n\nEm ma Cole (she\, her) is a sophomore dance major from Toledo. Before joining 糖心原创\, she trained at her local studio\, Toledo Met. Emma is exci ted to be performing in the Spring Dance Concert and is grateful for the o pportunity to learn from such wonderful teachers and choreographers.\n\nKa iley Colyer (she\, her) is a junior dance major from Cincinnati. She began dancing at the age of 2\, where she trained at Just Off-Broadway dance st udio. She continued her dance education at the School for Creative and Per forming Arts from grades 4鈥12. Kailey is very excited to perform in her th ird Spring Dance Concert and feels very fortunate to have worked with such talented teachers and choreographers.\n\nAlia Dalton (she\, her) is a jun ior dance major from Cincinnati. She has been dancing for 16 years\, where she trained at her local dance studio Just Off Broadway\, and graduated f rom the School for Creative and Performing Arts. Alia is excited to perfor m alongside her peers and is grateful to have worked with such amazing/ins piring choreographers during this year's Spring Dance Concert She would li ke to thank her family for their continuous support in her journey through dance.\n\nJessie Etling (she\, her) is from Salisbury\, Maryland\, and a junior dance major. She has been dancing for 16 years and feels incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the 糖心原创 dance progr am. Jessie is also a part of Dayton Ballet School Ensemble and performed r oles in Dracula\, Coppelia\, The Nutcracker\, and Swan Lake alongside the first company.\n\nGretchen Greener is a freshman dance major from Carmel\, Indiana. She spent her formative years under the direction of Suzann DeLa y at Central Indiana Academy of Dance and John and Heather Timm at Richens /Timm Academy of Irish Dance. Gretchen is so excited and thankful to perfo rm in her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nCarly Hanson (she\, her) began da ncing age 3 and received her training from Dancekids Studio under the dire ction of Denise Devery. She is currently a junior dance major at Wright St ate pursuing a B.F.A. in dance and an arts management certificate. In addi tion to school\, she was a member of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company's S econd Company (DCDC2) for its 2023-2024 season. Carly is so thankful for t he opportunity to perform alongside her very talented peers in this year鈥檚 Spring Dance Concert!\n\nGracie Harper (she\, her) is a senior dance majo r at 糖心原创 and is originally from Cincinnati. During her time at th e university\, she was a second company dancer with Dayton Contemporary Da nce Company\, performed in the university鈥檚 production of Cabaret\, and ha s been featured in the annual dance concerts put on by the program. Gracie would like to thank her fellow dancers\, faculty\, and the technical crew for their incredible work on this performance!\n\nAnderson Hayes (she\, h er) is a freshman dance major from Lawrenceville\, Georgia. She started da nce at age 3 with Southern Performing Arts Academy and performed with thei r company\, Southern Ballet Theatre. She also trained at School of the Art s at Central Gwinnett from grades 10鈥12. Anderson is grateful for her fami ly and friends\, and very excited for her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nL ylla Kovacs is a sophomore dance major at 糖心原创\, and this is her s econd time participating in the Spring Dance Concert. She is grateful to b e in a couple of the pieces and would like to thank everyone who contribut ed to the creative process. She hopes everyone enjoys the show!\n\nAudrey Lee is a junior dance major from Springfield. She began dancing at a very early age and received her training from the Gary Geis School of Dance. Au drey is thrilled to be further continuing her education at 糖心原创\, where she is incredibly fortunate to be a part of this exceptional program .\n\nCheyenne Maher is a freshman dance major from Piqua. Before attending 糖心原创\, she previously trained at the Sidney Dance Company. She is so grateful for the opportunity to perform in her first Spring Dance Conc ert.\n\nEmma McCaslin (she\, her) is a junior dance major at 糖心原创. She is from Avon\, Indiana\, where she grew up dancing at Curtain Call Da nce Center. At 糖心原创\, she has had the opportunity to swing the uni versity鈥檚 production of Cabaret. She has also been incredibly grateful to work with various choreographers for the dance concerts put on by the prog ram. Emma thanks her family\, fellow dancers\, faculty\, and tech crew for this experience!\n\nHannah McGuffey (she\, her) is a junior dance major a t 糖心原创 from Dayton. Hannah received her dance training through Gem City Ballet\, Dayton Ballet\, and Stivers School for the Arts. Hannah is excited to share her love of dance with you\, and looks forward to growing as a dancer in the upcoming years at 糖心原创.聽\n\nSam Minneman is a third-year double major in dance and psychology from Dayton. She is a memb er of Psi Chi\, the International Honor Society of Psychology\, and she re cently debuted her first full-length choreographic work at 糖心原创鈥檚 Emerging Choreographers Concert. This summer she is attending RDAs Nationa l Choreographic Intensive as a project tier choreographer to set a new wor k over the 2-week intensive. Performing and creating dance and art is a li fe-long passion Sam continues to cultivate at 糖心原创.\n\nJenna Mumfo rd is a junior dance major at 糖心原创 and has been dancing for 15 yea rs. She is a part of the Dayton Ballet School Ensemble and has performed w ith the main company in shows such as The Nutcracker\, The Great Gatsby\, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow\, Dracula: Bloodlines\, and Copp茅lia. Jenna is also a photographer and videographer and has photographed the Fall Dance Concert and Emerging Choreographers Concert.\n\nJonathan Oliver is a senio r dance major who has performed one season with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company鈥檚 Second Company under the direction of (Momma) Shonna Hickman-Mat lock. He is grateful for his time at 糖心原创\, where he has grown as an artist and had the opportunity to travel to New York to take classes wi th Jamar Roberts\, Peter Chu\, Brandon Coleman\, and Norbert de La Cruz. T his summer\, he is excited to dance with Dayton Dance Initiative before he ading to Asheville\, North Carolina. Jonathan also makes a mean banana pan cake\, loves teaching\, and enjoys peanut butter by the spoonful.\n\nAlexi a Parker (she\, her) is a freshman dance major from Bunker Hill\, West Vir ginia. She began dancing at age 3\, training at Inwood Performing Arts for the majority of her years. She is very thankful to perform in her first S pring Dance Concert as a part of 糖心原创.\n\nRaya Taylor (she\, her) is a freshman dance major from Cambridge. She began dancing at age 6\, and she trained at Movement on Main Center for Dance. Raya is excited to perf orm in her first Spring Dance Concert alongside her peers.\n\nLucy Theado (she\, her) is a freshman double major in dance and communications from Co lumbus. She trained previously at the Moriarity Lukyanova Dance Academy. S he is very excited to be a part of her very first Spring Dance Concert and wants to thank everyone who came out to support her.\n\nAnnabelle White i s a freshman dance and English major at 糖心原创. She has been dancing for 15 years and danced at All 糖心原创 Dance and Miami Valley Dance Center growing up\, and is currently a part of the Dayton Ballet School Ensemble. This is Annabelle's first Spring Dance Concert\, and she is excited to be able to perform with such wonderful people.\n\nAlexis Wilson (she\, her) is a senior from Nashville. Lexi has been dancing since she was 2 and is e xcited to be dancing in her last Spring Dance Concert. Thanks to the amazi ng faculty here at 糖心原创\, Lexi received many choreography job oppo rtunities right here in Dayton. She is excited to announce that she will b e continuing her dreams at Disney starting in August. She hopes you enjoy this beautiful show.\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nDesigner Bios\n\nMatthew P. Benj amin is in his 27th year at 糖心原创 as a professor of theatrical desi gn\, head of the theatre design and technology program\, and the resident lighting designer with theatre and dance programs in the school of fine an d performing arts. Prior to joining the 糖心原创 faculty\, Matthew ser ved as the coordinator of the performing arts program at Stockton College of New Jersey and the Associate Resident lighting designer for the Univers ity of Cincinnati\, College-Conservatory of Music. Professional credits in clude seven seasons as the resident lighting designer for the Opera Theatr e and Music Festival of Lucca\, Italy\, where he also served as the compan y鈥檚 production manager. Other professional designs includes projects with the Interlochen Center for the Arts\, Cincinnati Opera\, Aspen Music Festi val\, Dayton Opera\, Dayton Ballet\, Children鈥檚 Theatre of Cincinnati\, Tr i-Cities Opera\, Dayton Performing Arts Alliance\, Opera at Florham\, Luna Negra Dance Theatre\, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company\, the Human Race Theatre Company\, Little Theatre of the Rockies\, ballettech Ohio\, New Ho rizon Theatre Company\, the Taj Mahal casino\, the National Academy of Tel evision Arts and Sciences\, and many others. An active theatre consultant\ , he has worked on regional projects such as the Springboro Performing Art s Center\, the Theatre at Third in the downtown Dayton Public Library\, Di xie High School\, and the Alter High School Performing Arts Center\, among many others. He is a proud member of the United Scenic Artists Local #829 (Lighting Design) and the International Alliance of Lighting Designers.\n \nRobbie Crissman is a freshman lighting design major originally from Haml in\, New York. His previous credits at 糖心原创 include A2 for Our Tow n\, sound board operator for Much Ado 糖心原创 Nothing\, production electrici an for Everybody\, and a lighting designer for the most recent Emerging Ch oreographers Concert.\n\nJennifer E. Dillard is a sophomore theatre design and technology major concentrating in lighting. She is very excited to be designing for this year鈥檚 Spring Dance Concert! Jennifer has previously d esigned for 糖心原创鈥檚 Emerging Choreographers Concert\, the Fall Danc e Concert\, and The Apple Tree.\n\nLevi T. Fravel (they\, them) is a sopho more focusing on lighting design. They are excited to be designing in thei r second Spring Dance Concert. They would like to thank all their friends and family for their endless support!\n\nDylan Serrano (stage manager) is a third-year design/technology major focusing in stage management and ligh ting design. They are extremely excited to be stage managing their first d ance concert and designing another piece at 糖心原创. They have previo usly designed for the past two Emerging Choreographers鈥 Concerts\, Fall Da nce Concerts\, and last year鈥檚 Spring Dance Concert. They are also a resid ent designer for Stivers School for the Arts dance program. They assistant stage managed with The Dayton Ballet鈥檚 previous two runnings of The Nutcr acker. At 糖心原创\, they most recently stage-managed Carrie: The Musi cal. This June\, they will be the stage manager for Dayton Dance Initiativ e鈥檚 summer concert\, CoLAB II.\n\nZach Wuest is a senior lighting design m ajor at 糖心原创 and is absolutely thrilled to be designing for the Sp ring Dance Concert. His previous credits include\, as the lighting designe r at 糖心原创\, Kelly the Destroyer vs. the Springfield Cobras\, A Dol l's House Parts 1 & 2\, Our Town\, and Alice by Heart. He was also the lig hting designer for Dayton Playhouse's Is There Life After High School? and the assistant lighting designer for DPAA's The Nutcracker. He hopes you e njoy the show!\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nPartner Companies\n\nDCDC2 l Pre-Profe ssional Ensemble\n Founded in 1975 by Jeraldyne Blunden\n Chief Executive & Artistic Director: Debbie Blunden-Diggs\n Director of DCDC2 & Arts Enrichme nt Programs: Shonna Hickman-Matlock\n\nComprised of recent graduate and un dergraduate dance students\, DCDC2 is the next generation of dance artists under the umbrella of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. DCDC2 presen ts performances in traditional theatre and alternative venues. The ensembl e plays an integral role in DCDC school and community engagement throughou t the Miami Valley region. DCDC2 participates in DCDC鈥檚 established univer sity partnerships providing opportunities to engage in collaborative progr ams with the University of Dayton\, 糖心原创\, and Central State University campus-wide activities and dance programs. The ensemble h as performed throughout the Miami Valley and all regions of Ohio. In 2019\ , the ensemble was chosen to present at the OhioDance Festival in Columbus and the Denison University Ohio Five Colleges of Ohio 5 Dance Festival\, as well as showcased at the 31st International Blacks in Dance 鈥淓stablishe d Dance Companies鈥 performance hosted in Dayton. DCDC2 continues to be a r esource for new dancers for DCDC鈥檚 main company and maintains an impressiv e record of successfully transitioning dancers into other professional com panies\, Broadway\, film\, television\, media\, and graduate schools.\n\nD ayton Ballet School Ensemble (DBSE)\, divided into apprentice and junior e nsembles\, is a pre-professional training program available to dancers thr ough audition only. This division is for dancers committed to a high level of dance training\, strengthening\, and artistic development\, along with elective classes to supplement their dance education. This division inclu des additional performance opportunities.\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nBox Office and Current SeasonEvent Webpage: https://liberal-arts.wright.edu/fine-and- performing-arts/dance-productions/spring-dance-concert-99481 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250424T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250424T190000 LAST-MODIFIED:20250419T070931Z SUMMARY:Spring Dance Concert URL;TYPE=URI:/events/spring-dance-concert-1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:calendar.527816.field_event_date.0@www.wright.edu DTSTAMP:20260219T234103Z CREATED:20240625T070906Z DESCRIPTION:聽\n\n聽\n\nFor Thursday\, April 24\, only\, students get in free with their Wright1 card.\n\n\nProgram:\n\n\n 糖心原创 the Concert\n Director's Note\n Performances\n Production Team and Run Crew\n Choreographer Bios\n Dan cer Bios\n Designer Bios\n Partner Companies\n 聽\n\n\n糖心原创 the Concert\n\nSe ven dance works by 糖心原创 faculty and guest artists Steph anie Martinez\, Michelle McElveen\, DCDC2\, and Dayton Ballet School Ensem ble.\n\n\n Director's Note\n\nDear Friends\,\n\nWelcome to the powerful and dynamic Spring Dance Concert 2025! We invite you to sit back and enjoy th e vitality of live performance. Each piece is a living work of art that co mbines in a shared experience for performers and audiences alike. We are t hrilled to present works by 糖心原创 dance faculty members and esteeme d guest choreographers Michelle McElveen and Stephanie Martinez. You will also be seeing works by our wonderful partner companies\, The Dayton Balle t School Ensemble and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company II\, as well as ou r chosen senior piece choreographed by Ariana Alvarado.\n\nOur first guest choreographer is the nationally acclaimed Stephanie Martinez. Martinez鈥檚 bold\, contemporary voice pushes the boundaries of ballet\, crafting over 70 works for professional and collegiate programs nationwide. Recognized f or her contributions as a female artist of color\, she has received numero us grants and acclaim\, with the Chicago Tribune hailing her as a 鈥渃hamele on鈥 of choreography. Martinez is the founder and artistic director of PARA .MAR Dance Theatre\, established in July 2020. Her piece\, World of Anothe r\, unveils the hidden narratives and inner thoughts of those around us\, exploring the concept of 鈥渙thering鈥濃攖he act of treating someone as an outs ider. Through personal stories and raw dialogue\, this work examines the i nvisible divides we create between 鈥渦s鈥 and 鈥渢hem\,鈥 revealing the impact of these divisions on our collective humanity. By exposing the unseen stor ies that shape our interactions\, World of Another urges us to recognize t he shared humanity in those we might otherwise dismiss.\n\nOur second gues t is regional choreographer\, Michelle McElveen\, who earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance from 糖心原创 after graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy. She has performed professionally with Walt Disney Productions\, the Dayton Opera\, the Sorg and Whitewater Opera Com panies\, and La Comedia Dinner Theatre. She has taught at 糖心原创 sin ce 1994 and is currently a senior lecturer. She has taught master classes in Cincinnati\, Dayton\, and Michigan and is a huge favorite among her col leagues and students.\n\nThe common thread within this year鈥檚 concert is e xpression through movement. Each piece showcases the individuality and aes thetic voice of the seven choreographers. Our dancers embody the choreogra pher鈥檚 message through movement and infuse it with their own meaning to cr eate a genuine work of art. This concert explores many facets of the human experience\, and we welcome you as the audience to interpret each piece a nd hope you are moved by the stories you see.\n\nThe Spring Dance Concert offers a unique opportunity to enjoy three wonderful dance companies鈥擶righ t State Dance\, The Dayton Ballet School Ensemble\, and Dayton Contemporar y Dance Company II. Our region is lucky to have such a vibrant and diverse dance community\, and we thank you for coming to support us.\n\nGina Gard ner-Walther\n\nBack to top\n\n\n Performances\n\nDivenire\n\nChoreographer: Michelle McElveen\n Music: Ludovico Einaudi\n Costume Design: Zoe Still\n Li ghting Design: Dylan Serrano\n Dancers: Maria Becker (Thu/Sat)\, Emma Cole\ , Gretchen Greener (Fri/Sun)\, Gracie Harper\, Anderson Hayes\, Audrey Lee \, Hannah McGuffey (Thu/Sat)\, Jenna Mumford (Thu/Fri)\, Lexi Parker (Fri/ Sun)\, Rae Richard\, Lucy Theado (Thu/Sat)\, Annabelle White (Fri/Sun)\n Un derstudy: Kaitlyn Berry\n 聽\n\nThese Lights Won't Kill Me Now\n\nChoreograp her: Ariana Alvarado\n Music: She Wants Revenge\, My Chemical Romance\, Pri nce and the New Power Generation\n Lighting Design: Levi T. Fravel\n Dancers : Zoe Bees\, Ally Jo Buck\, Kailey Colyer\, Alia Dalton\, Lylla Kovacs\, E mma McCoy\, Raya Taylor\n Note: 'I have loved the stars too fondly to be fe arful of the night'鈥擲arah Williams\n allpoetry.com/Sarah-Williams\n 聽\n\nA S ilent Plea\n\nChoreographer: Shonna Hickman-Matlock\n Music: Armand Amar\n L ighting Design: Jennifer E. Dillard\n Dancers: Brittni Van Dine\, Sawyer He rtel\, Macy Perry\, Keilani Reynolds\, Ansley Seiffert\n Note: Forbidden to speak and unable to express what鈥檚 truly felt\, A Silent Plea reflects th e struggle of unspoken pain and hidden suffering. It captures the tension between the desperate desire to cry out and the inability to do so.\n 聽\n\n World of Another\n\nChoreographer: Stephanie Martinez\n Assistant to the Ch oreographer: Jayme Braverman\n Rehearsal Coach: Gina Gardner-Walther\n Music : Antonio Lucio Vivaldi\, Real Quiet\, Steve Mazzaro\n Costumes: Original d esign: Janet Bolick\n Reimagined by: Zoe Still\n Lighting Design: Matthew Be njamin\n Dancers: Ariana Alvarado\, Zoe Bees\, Ally Jo Buck\, Brianna Chan\ , Jonathan Oliver\, Gracie Harper\, Lexi Wilson\, Kailey Colyer\, Alia Dal ton\, Jessie Etling\, Carly Hanson\, Audrey Lee\, Emma McCaslin\, Hannah M cGuffey\n Understudies: Maria Becker\, Emma Cole\, Lexi Parker\, Raeanne Ri chard\n 聽\n\nIntermission\n 聽\n\nOpen Out\n\nChoreographer: Gina Gardner-Wal ther\n Music: Ezio Bosso\n Costume Design: Naomi Indira Reisner\n Rehearsal A ssistant: Gracie Harper\n Lighting Designer: Emily Hope and Zach Wuest\n Dan cers: Ariana Alvarado聽(Thursday/Saturday)\, Kaitlyn Berry聽(Thursday/Saturd ay)\, Ally Jo Buck聽(Friday/Sunday)\, Brianna Chan聽(Friday/Sunday)\, Kailey Colyer\, Alia Dalton\, Jessie Etling\, Carly Hanson聽(Friday/Sunday)\,聽Aud rey Lee\, Cheyenne Maher聽(Friday/Sunday)\,聽Emma McCaslin\, Hannah McGuffey \, Sam Minneman\, Jonathan Oliver\, Lexi Wison聽(Thursday/Saturday)\n Unders tudies: Maria Becker\, Emma McCoy\n\nBlue Skies\n\nChoreographers: Megan F orney & Gabrielle Sharp\n Music: Glen Miller\n Lighting Design: Robbie Criss man\n Dancers: Jessie Etling\, Mollie Juniewicz\, Jenna Mumford\, Jonathan Oliver\, Raeanne Richards\, Annabelle White\n 聽\n\nVive\n\nChoreographer: A shley Pabst\n Composers: James Blake\, SO:HO & Kuranes\n Costume Design: Zoe Still\n Lighting Design: Zach Wuest\n Dancers: Ariana Alvarado\, Zoe Bees\, Maria Becker\, Alanna Carey\, Laurel Cameron\, Emma Cole\, Kailey Colyer\ , Alia Dalton\, Gracie Harper\, Emma McCaslin\, Jessie Etling\, Carly Hans on\, Anderson Hayes\, Sawyer Hertel\, Lylla Kovacs\, Emma McCoy\, Jonathan Oliver\, Lexi Parker\, Raya Taylor\, Lucy Theado\, Abby Zaleski\n\nBack t o top\n 聽\n\nProduction Team and Run Crew\n\nStage Manager: Dylan Serrano\n \nTechnical Productions Manager: Kevin Nedberg\n\nSound Engineer/Audio Coo rdinator: James Dunlap\n\nCostume Shop Manager: Carly Anne-Kimmins\n\nLigh t Board Operator: Maggie Slauenwhite\n\nHead Stage/Fly Crew: Eli Baader\n \nStage/Fly Crew: Logan Gregory\, Kayla Theiss\n\nSound Board Operator: En och Graham\n\nWardrobe Crew: Kaitlin Teller\n\nRehearsal Assistant: Gracie Harper\n\nBack to top\n\n\n Choreographer Bios\n\nAriana Alvarado (they\, them) is a senior dance major at 糖心原创\, graduating with their B.F. A. in dance. They are grateful for the opportunities 糖心原创 has prov ided them\, such as dancing with DCDC2\, auditioning for and performing at Kings Island\, and performing in 糖心原创's 2023 production of Cabare t. They feel privileged to receive their training from 糖心原创 and ar e honored to showcase their senior choreographic work once more and perfor m alongside their fellow dancers.\n\nMegan Forney is originally from St Lo uis\, where she began her dance training. She trained as a student at Kana s City Ballet\, Ballet Chicago\, and Ballet Internationale. Forney graduat ed from 糖心原创 with a B.F.A. in dance in 2008. She has performed in many Dayton Ballet mainstage shows\, including Nutcracker\, Swan Lake\, Am erican Cinderella\, Sleepy Hollow\, and Three Musketeers. She has been the recipient of the Josephine and Hereme Schwarz Award\, the Walter J McCasl in Award\, and the Dayton Ballet School Peer Award. Megan has been a dance educator and choreographer for 15 years. She is currently the education m anager of the Dayton Ballet School and the co-director of the Dayton Balle t II companies.\n\nStephanie Martinez\, a Chicago-based choreographer\, ta kes audiences on dynamic journeys driven by the kinetic energy of her awar d-winning works spanning 15+ years. Her creations have been commissioned b y top companies including Joffrey Ballet\, Miami City Ballet\, Ballet Hisp 谩nico\, BalletX\, Bruce Wood Dance\, Kansas City Ballet\, South Chicago Da nce Theatre\, and Milwaukee Ballet\, with theater credits at Chicago Shake speare Theater\, the Lyric Opera of Chicago\, and American Repertory Theat re. Martinez鈥檚 bold\, contemporary voice pushes the boundaries of ballet\, crafting over 70 works for professional and collegiate programs nationwid e. Recognized for her contributions as a female artist of color\, she has received numerous grants and acclaim\, with the Chicago Tribune hailing he r as a 鈥渃hameleon鈥 of choreography. Martinez is the founder and artistic d irector of PARA.MAR Dance Theatre\, established in July 2020.\n\nShonna Hi ckman-Matlock director of DCDC2 and Arts Enrichment Programs\, was a princ ipal dancer\, touring nationally and internationally in South Korea\, Russ ia\, France\, Germany\, and Bermuda. She performed across the U.S.\, inclu ding at the American Dance Festival\, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival\, Linc oln Center\, and The Kennedy Center before retiring in 1995. She performed in many DCDC repertories\, including Ulysses Dove鈥檚 Vespers and Urban Fol kdance\, Donald Byrd鈥檚 Dark Joy and Bamm\, and Eleo Pomare鈥檚 Las Desenamor adas. She has created works for DCDC and other institutions. Serving as DC DC2 director since 2000 and DCDC resident choreographer\, she became direc tor of education and outreach in 2014\, designing arts enrichment programs for schools and communities. Under her leadership\, many dancers have tra nsitioned into DCDC鈥檚 main company and other professional companies\, nati onal tours\, and Broadway productions.\n\nMichelle McElveen has had a teac hing/performing/choreographing career for more than 35 years. She worked e xtensively as a resident choreographer for the Sorg and Whitewater Opera C ompanies\, choreographing many operas\, including La Traviata\, Carmen\, T he Merry Widow\, and My Fair Lady. She has choreographed for 糖心原创\ , South Dayton Dance Theatre\, Miami University\, and Gem City Ballet. She earned a B.F.A. in dance from 糖心原创 after graduating from the Inte rlochen Arts Academy. She performed professionally with Walt Disney Produc tions\, the Dayton Opera\, La Comedia\, Sorg\, and Whitewater Opera compan ies. She is a senior lecturer at 糖心原创 as well as a faculty member of the South Dayton School of Dance\, and guest artist in residency at the Stiver鈥檚 School for the Performing Arts. 鈥淢iss Shelly鈥 is a sought-after instructor for summer intensives\, dance conventions\, and festivals throu ghout the region.\n\nAshley Pabst is an enthusiastic Instructor and award- winning choreographer. Her professional teaching credits include the Inter national Ballet Competition (Jackson\, Mississippi)\, Point Park Universit y\, Sam Houston State University\, National Choreography Intensive\, Regio nal Dance America Festivals\, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company\, and Eise nhower Dance Detroit. Before retiring from the stage\, Ashley performed wi th companies such as Atlanta Ballet and Dayton Ballet\; concluding on The Kennedy Center stage where she was awarded the Northeast Performer of the Year. She is a nine-time National Choreographic Recognition Award recipien t as well as the Monticello Award\, Barbara Weisberger Emerging Choreograp her\, Project Tier\, Jonathan Phelps Award\; works selected for the Intern ational Association of Blacks in Dance\, The Ballet Alliance\, Youth Ameri can Grand Prix Finals and Jazz Dance World Congress. Ashley would like to thank her husband and parents for their endless love and support.\n\nGabri elle Sharp is co-director of the Dayton Ballet School Ensemble. Gabrielle danced with Dayton Ballet. You saw her perform in Dracula\, The Nutcracker \, Tales from the Shadow\, There Was a Time\, and America鈥檚 Robin Hood\, a nd recently as the fairy godmother in Cinderella and the nurse in Romeo an d Juliet. While a member of DBII Sr. she received the Dancer Peer Award\, Walter J. McCaslin Memorial Award\, and Josephine and Hermene Schwarz Awar d. Gabrielle was the previous director of the SSK Dance Ensemble.\n\nGina Gardner-Walther is a dedicated teacher/mentor and award-winning choreograp her who has choreographed nationally\, regionally\, and on university stag es. Her professional teaching experience includes Indiana University\, Poi nt Park University (PA)\, New Arts Festival (FL)\, RDA Craft of Choreograp hy Conference\, and RDA Pacific Festival (WA). While performing with The D ayton Contemporary Dance Company\, she toured Germany\, Russia\, France\, and throughout the United States. She had the honor of performing at Linco ln Center\, The Kennedy Center\, and The Joyce Theatre. She performed work s by many of modern dances鈥 most influential choreographers\, including Dw ight Rhoden\, Ulysses Dove\, Donald McKayle\, Merce Cunningham\, Talley Be atty\, Anna Sokolow\, Donald Byrd\, and many more. In her final season wit h DCDC\, she won the Josie Award as best female dancer. Gina鈥檚 choreograph y has won several choreographic awards including the prestigious National Choreographic Award. The New York Times called her work Still Present set on DCDC 鈥渁 stirring dance鈥 that 鈥渟erved as a sparkling introduction to the troupe.鈥 Gina earned her B.F.A. in dance performance from Southern Method ist University.\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nDancer Bios\n\nMaria Becker (she\, he r) is a freshman dance major from Cincinnati. She danced at SDA Studios fo r 16 years\, where she found her love for dance. She is grateful for the o pportunity to continue her dance training at 糖心原创 and looks forwar d to performing in her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nZoe Bees (she\, her) is a senior dance major\, from Waynesville. She has grown up giving her p assion and love for dance every day while continuing to improve her artist ry. Zoe is grateful for the opportunities and experiences she has had whil e being at 糖心原创. She is so excited to start her journey in the rea l world and would like to thank her loving teachers\, friends\, and family .\n\nKaitlyn Berry (she\, her) is a freshman dance major from Dayton. She began her training at South Dayton School of Dance\, where her teachers in stilled in her a love for ballet and modern dance. She is so thankful for the opportunity to perform in her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nAlly Jo B uck (she\, her) Is a sophomore dance major from Loveland. She studied danc e of all genres at Broadway Bound Dance Academy\, where she now teaches. S he has a love of performing and is thankful for the opportunity to perform in her second Spring Dance Concert alongside such talented and passionate dancers.\n\nLaurel Cameron is a freshman B.F.A. dance major originally fr om Stroudsburg\, Pennsylvania. In addition to dance\, she is immensely pas sionate about musical theatre and loves blending her talents in both art f orms to express herself creatively. She would like to thank all of her tea chers\, friends\, and family for their unconditional support and guidance throughout her artistic journey.\n\nAlanna Carey (she\, her) is a freshman double major in dance and communication studies from Dayton. She has been dancing for 16 years\, including training at Pontecorvo Ballet Studios an d South Dayton Dance Theater. She is very grateful and excited to perform in her first Spring Dance Concert!\n\nBrianna Chan (she\, her) is a senior dance major pursuing a second degree in biomedical engineering. Originall y from Columbus\, Brianna has been part of the dance program for 5 years. She is deeply grateful for the opportunities she has received\, as well as the support from her professors\, friends\, and family. It has been a pri vilege for her to dance alongside such talented artists and dancers.\n\nEm ma Cole (she\, her) is a sophomore dance major from Toledo. Before joining 糖心原创\, she trained at her local studio\, Toledo Met. Emma is exci ted to be performing in the Spring Dance Concert and is grateful for the o pportunity to learn from such wonderful teachers and choreographers.\n\nKa iley Colyer (she\, her) is a junior dance major from Cincinnati. She began dancing at the age of 2\, where she trained at Just Off-Broadway dance st udio. She continued her dance education at the School for Creative and Per forming Arts from grades 4鈥12. Kailey is very excited to perform in her th ird Spring Dance Concert and feels very fortunate to have worked with such talented teachers and choreographers.\n\nAlia Dalton (she\, her) is a jun ior dance major from Cincinnati. She has been dancing for 16 years\, where she trained at her local dance studio Just Off Broadway\, and graduated f rom the School for Creative and Performing Arts. Alia is excited to perfor m alongside her peers and is grateful to have worked with such amazing/ins piring choreographers during this year's Spring Dance Concert She would li ke to thank her family for their continuous support in her journey through dance.\n\nJessie Etling (she\, her) is from Salisbury\, Maryland\, and a junior dance major. She has been dancing for 16 years and feels incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the 糖心原创 dance progr am. Jessie is also a part of Dayton Ballet School Ensemble and performed r oles in Dracula\, Coppelia\, The Nutcracker\, and Swan Lake alongside the first company.\n\nGretchen Greener is a freshman dance major from Carmel\, Indiana. She spent her formative years under the direction of Suzann DeLa y at Central Indiana Academy of Dance and John and Heather Timm at Richens /Timm Academy of Irish Dance. Gretchen is so excited and thankful to perfo rm in her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nCarly Hanson (she\, her) began da ncing age 3 and received her training from Dancekids Studio under the dire ction of Denise Devery. She is currently a junior dance major at Wright St ate pursuing a B.F.A. in dance and an arts management certificate. In addi tion to school\, she was a member of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company's S econd Company (DCDC2) for its 2023-2024 season. Carly is so thankful for t he opportunity to perform alongside her very talented peers in this year鈥檚 Spring Dance Concert!\n\nGracie Harper (she\, her) is a senior dance majo r at 糖心原创 and is originally from Cincinnati. During her time at th e university\, she was a second company dancer with Dayton Contemporary Da nce Company\, performed in the university鈥檚 production of Cabaret\, and ha s been featured in the annual dance concerts put on by the program. Gracie would like to thank her fellow dancers\, faculty\, and the technical crew for their incredible work on this performance!\n\nAnderson Hayes (she\, h er) is a freshman dance major from Lawrenceville\, Georgia. She started da nce at age 3 with Southern Performing Arts Academy and performed with thei r company\, Southern Ballet Theatre. She also trained at School of the Art s at Central Gwinnett from grades 10鈥12. Anderson is grateful for her fami ly and friends\, and very excited for her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nL ylla Kovacs is a sophomore dance major at 糖心原创\, and this is her s econd time participating in the Spring Dance Concert. She is grateful to b e in a couple of the pieces and would like to thank everyone who contribut ed to the creative process. She hopes everyone enjoys the show!\n\nAudrey Lee is a junior dance major from Springfield. She began dancing at a very early age and received her training from the Gary Geis School of Dance. Au drey is thrilled to be further continuing her education at 糖心原创\, where she is incredibly fortunate to be a part of this exceptional program .\n\nCheyenne Maher is a freshman dance major from Piqua. Before attending 糖心原创\, she previously trained at the Sidney Dance Company. She is so grateful for the opportunity to perform in her first Spring Dance Conc ert.\n\nEmma McCaslin (she\, her) is a junior dance major at 糖心原创. She is from Avon\, Indiana\, where she grew up dancing at Curtain Call Da nce Center. At 糖心原创\, she has had the opportunity to swing the uni versity鈥檚 production of Cabaret. She has also been incredibly grateful to work with various choreographers for the dance concerts put on by the prog ram. Emma thanks her family\, fellow dancers\, faculty\, and tech crew for this experience!\n\nHannah McGuffey (she\, her) is a junior dance major a t 糖心原创 from Dayton. Hannah received her dance training through Gem City Ballet\, Dayton Ballet\, and Stivers School for the Arts. Hannah is excited to share her love of dance with you\, and looks forward to growing as a dancer in the upcoming years at 糖心原创.聽\n\nSam Minneman is a third-year double major in dance and psychology from Dayton. She is a memb er of Psi Chi\, the International Honor Society of Psychology\, and she re cently debuted her first full-length choreographic work at 糖心原创鈥檚 Emerging Choreographers Concert. This summer she is attending RDAs Nationa l Choreographic Intensive as a project tier choreographer to set a new wor k over the 2-week intensive. Performing and creating dance and art is a li fe-long passion Sam continues to cultivate at 糖心原创.\n\nJenna Mumfo rd is a junior dance major at 糖心原创 and has been dancing for 15 yea rs. She is a part of the Dayton Ballet School Ensemble and has performed w ith the main company in shows such as The Nutcracker\, The Great Gatsby\, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow\, Dracula: Bloodlines\, and Copp茅lia. Jenna is also a photographer and videographer and has photographed the Fall Dance Concert and Emerging Choreographers Concert.\n\nJonathan Oliver is a senio r dance major who has performed one season with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company鈥檚 Second Company under the direction of (Momma) Shonna Hickman-Mat lock. He is grateful for his time at 糖心原创\, where he has grown as an artist and had the opportunity to travel to New York to take classes wi th Jamar Roberts\, Peter Chu\, Brandon Coleman\, and Norbert de La Cruz. T his summer\, he is excited to dance with Dayton Dance Initiative before he ading to Asheville\, North Carolina. Jonathan also makes a mean banana pan cake\, loves teaching\, and enjoys peanut butter by the spoonful.\n\nAlexi a Parker (she\, her) is a freshman dance major from Bunker Hill\, West Vir ginia. She began dancing at age 3\, training at Inwood Performing Arts for the majority of her years. She is very thankful to perform in her first S pring Dance Concert as a part of 糖心原创.\n\nRaya Taylor (she\, her) is a freshman dance major from Cambridge. She began dancing at age 6\, and she trained at Movement on Main Center for Dance. Raya is excited to perf orm in her first Spring Dance Concert alongside her peers.\n\nLucy Theado (she\, her) is a freshman double major in dance and communications from Co lumbus. She trained previously at the Moriarity Lukyanova Dance Academy. S he is very excited to be a part of her very first Spring Dance Concert and wants to thank everyone who came out to support her.\n\nAnnabelle White i s a freshman dance and English major at 糖心原创. She has been dancing for 15 years and danced at All 糖心原创 Dance and Miami Valley Dance Center growing up\, and is currently a part of the Dayton Ballet School Ensemble. This is Annabelle's first Spring Dance Concert\, and she is excited to be able to perform with such wonderful people.\n\nAlexis Wilson (she\, her) is a senior from Nashville. Lexi has been dancing since she was 2 and is e xcited to be dancing in her last Spring Dance Concert. Thanks to the amazi ng faculty here at 糖心原创\, Lexi received many choreography job oppo rtunities right here in Dayton. She is excited to announce that she will b e continuing her dreams at Disney starting in August. She hopes you enjoy this beautiful show.\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nDesigner Bios\n\nMatthew P. Benj amin is in his 27th year at 糖心原创 as a professor of theatrical desi gn\, head of the theatre design and technology program\, and the resident lighting designer with theatre and dance programs in the school of fine an d performing arts. Prior to joining the 糖心原创 faculty\, Matthew ser ved as the coordinator of the performing arts program at Stockton College of New Jersey and the Associate Resident lighting designer for the Univers ity of Cincinnati\, College-Conservatory of Music. Professional credits in clude seven seasons as the resident lighting designer for the Opera Theatr e and Music Festival of Lucca\, Italy\, where he also served as the compan y鈥檚 production manager. Other professional designs includes projects with the Interlochen Center for the Arts\, Cincinnati Opera\, Aspen Music Festi val\, Dayton Opera\, Dayton Ballet\, Children鈥檚 Theatre of Cincinnati\, Tr i-Cities Opera\, Dayton Performing Arts Alliance\, Opera at Florham\, Luna Negra Dance Theatre\, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company\, the Human Race Theatre Company\, Little Theatre of the Rockies\, ballettech Ohio\, New Ho rizon Theatre Company\, the Taj Mahal casino\, the National Academy of Tel evision Arts and Sciences\, and many others. An active theatre consultant\ , he has worked on regional projects such as the Springboro Performing Art s Center\, the Theatre at Third in the downtown Dayton Public Library\, Di xie High School\, and the Alter High School Performing Arts Center\, among many others. He is a proud member of the United Scenic Artists Local #829 (Lighting Design) and the International Alliance of Lighting Designers.\n \nRobbie Crissman is a freshman lighting design major originally from Haml in\, New York. His previous credits at 糖心原创 include A2 for Our Tow n\, sound board operator for Much Ado 糖心原创 Nothing\, production electrici an for Everybody\, and a lighting designer for the most recent Emerging Ch oreographers Concert.\n\nJennifer E. Dillard is a sophomore theatre design and technology major concentrating in lighting. She is very excited to be designing for this year鈥檚 Spring Dance Concert! Jennifer has previously d esigned for 糖心原创鈥檚 Emerging Choreographers Concert\, the Fall Danc e Concert\, and The Apple Tree.\n\nLevi T. Fravel (they\, them) is a sopho more focusing on lighting design. They are excited to be designing in thei r second Spring Dance Concert. They would like to thank all their friends and family for their endless support!\n\nDylan Serrano (stage manager) is a third-year design/technology major focusing in stage management and ligh ting design. They are extremely excited to be stage managing their first d ance concert and designing another piece at 糖心原创. They have previo usly designed for the past two Emerging Choreographers鈥 Concerts\, Fall Da nce Concerts\, and last year鈥檚 Spring Dance Concert. They are also a resid ent designer for Stivers School for the Arts dance program. They assistant stage managed with The Dayton Ballet鈥檚 previous two runnings of The Nutcr acker. At 糖心原创\, they most recently stage-managed Carrie: The Musi cal. This June\, they will be the stage manager for Dayton Dance Initiativ e鈥檚 summer concert\, CoLAB II.\n\nZach Wuest is a senior lighting design m ajor at 糖心原创 and is absolutely thrilled to be designing for the Sp ring Dance Concert. His previous credits include\, as the lighting designe r at 糖心原创\, Kelly the Destroyer vs. the Springfield Cobras\, A Dol l's House Parts 1 & 2\, Our Town\, and Alice by Heart. He was also the lig hting designer for Dayton Playhouse's Is There Life After High School? and the assistant lighting designer for DPAA's The Nutcracker. He hopes you e njoy the show!\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nPartner Companies\n\nDCDC2 l Pre-Profe ssional Ensemble\n Founded in 1975 by Jeraldyne Blunden\n Chief Executive & Artistic Director: Debbie Blunden-Diggs\n Director of DCDC2 & Arts Enrichme nt Programs: Shonna Hickman-Matlock\n\nComprised of recent graduate and un dergraduate dance students\, DCDC2 is the next generation of dance artists under the umbrella of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. DCDC2 presen ts performances in traditional theatre and alternative venues. The ensembl e plays an integral role in DCDC school and community engagement throughou t the Miami Valley region. DCDC2 participates in DCDC鈥檚 established univer sity partnerships providing opportunities to engage in collaborative progr ams with the University of Dayton\, 糖心原创\, and Central State University campus-wide activities and dance programs. The ensemble h as performed throughout the Miami Valley and all regions of Ohio. In 2019\ , the ensemble was chosen to present at the OhioDance Festival in Columbus and the Denison University Ohio Five Colleges of Ohio 5 Dance Festival\, as well as showcased at the 31st International Blacks in Dance 鈥淓stablishe d Dance Companies鈥 performance hosted in Dayton. DCDC2 continues to be a r esource for new dancers for DCDC鈥檚 main company and maintains an impressiv e record of successfully transitioning dancers into other professional com panies\, Broadway\, film\, television\, media\, and graduate schools.\n\nD ayton Ballet School Ensemble (DBSE)\, divided into apprentice and junior e nsembles\, is a pre-professional training program available to dancers thr ough audition only. This division is for dancers committed to a high level of dance training\, strengthening\, and artistic development\, along with elective classes to supplement their dance education. This division inclu des additional performance opportunities.\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nBox Office and Current SeasonEvent Webpage: https://liberal-arts.wright.edu/fine-and- performing-arts/dance-productions/spring-dance-concert-99481 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250424T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250424T190000 LAST-MODIFIED:20250419T070931Z SUMMARY:Spring Dance Concert URL;TYPE=URI:/events/spring-dance-concert-1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:calendar.527816.field_event_date.0@www.wright.edu DTSTAMP:20260219T234103Z CREATED:20240625T070906Z DESCRIPTION:聽\n\n聽\n\nFor Thursday\, April 24\, only\, students get in free with their Wright1 card.\n\n\nProgram:\n\n\n 糖心原创 the Concert\n Director's Note\n Performances\n Production Team and Run Crew\n Choreographer Bios\n Dan cer Bios\n Designer Bios\n Partner Companies\n 聽\n\n\n糖心原创 the Concert\n\nSe ven dance works by 糖心原创 faculty and guest artists Steph anie Martinez\, Michelle McElveen\, DCDC2\, and Dayton Ballet School Ensem ble.\n\n\n Director's Note\n\nDear Friends\,\n\nWelcome to the powerful and dynamic Spring Dance Concert 2025! We invite you to sit back and enjoy th e vitality of live performance. Each piece is a living work of art that co mbines in a shared experience for performers and audiences alike. We are t hrilled to present works by 糖心原创 dance faculty members and esteeme d guest choreographers Michelle McElveen and Stephanie Martinez. You will also be seeing works by our wonderful partner companies\, The Dayton Balle t School Ensemble and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company II\, as well as ou r chosen senior piece choreographed by Ariana Alvarado.\n\nOur first guest choreographer is the nationally acclaimed Stephanie Martinez. Martinez鈥檚 bold\, contemporary voice pushes the boundaries of ballet\, crafting over 70 works for professional and collegiate programs nationwide. Recognized f or her contributions as a female artist of color\, she has received numero us grants and acclaim\, with the Chicago Tribune hailing her as a 鈥渃hamele on鈥 of choreography. Martinez is the founder and artistic director of PARA .MAR Dance Theatre\, established in July 2020. Her piece\, World of Anothe r\, unveils the hidden narratives and inner thoughts of those around us\, exploring the concept of 鈥渙thering鈥濃攖he act of treating someone as an outs ider. Through personal stories and raw dialogue\, this work examines the i nvisible divides we create between 鈥渦s鈥 and 鈥渢hem\,鈥 revealing the impact of these divisions on our collective humanity. By exposing the unseen stor ies that shape our interactions\, World of Another urges us to recognize t he shared humanity in those we might otherwise dismiss.\n\nOur second gues t is regional choreographer\, Michelle McElveen\, who earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance from 糖心原创 after graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy. She has performed professionally with Walt Disney Productions\, the Dayton Opera\, the Sorg and Whitewater Opera Com panies\, and La Comedia Dinner Theatre. She has taught at 糖心原创 sin ce 1994 and is currently a senior lecturer. She has taught master classes in Cincinnati\, Dayton\, and Michigan and is a huge favorite among her col leagues and students.\n\nThe common thread within this year鈥檚 concert is e xpression through movement. Each piece showcases the individuality and aes thetic voice of the seven choreographers. Our dancers embody the choreogra pher鈥檚 message through movement and infuse it with their own meaning to cr eate a genuine work of art. This concert explores many facets of the human experience\, and we welcome you as the audience to interpret each piece a nd hope you are moved by the stories you see.\n\nThe Spring Dance Concert offers a unique opportunity to enjoy three wonderful dance companies鈥擶righ t State Dance\, The Dayton Ballet School Ensemble\, and Dayton Contemporar y Dance Company II. Our region is lucky to have such a vibrant and diverse dance community\, and we thank you for coming to support us.\n\nGina Gard ner-Walther\n\nBack to top\n\n\n Performances\n\nDivenire\n\nChoreographer: Michelle McElveen\n Music: Ludovico Einaudi\n Costume Design: Zoe Still\n Li ghting Design: Dylan Serrano\n Dancers: Maria Becker (Thu/Sat)\, Emma Cole\ , Gretchen Greener (Fri/Sun)\, Gracie Harper\, Anderson Hayes\, Audrey Lee \, Hannah McGuffey (Thu/Sat)\, Jenna Mumford (Thu/Fri)\, Lexi Parker (Fri/ Sun)\, Rae Richard\, Lucy Theado (Thu/Sat)\, Annabelle White (Fri/Sun)\n Un derstudy: Kaitlyn Berry\n 聽\n\nThese Lights Won't Kill Me Now\n\nChoreograp her: Ariana Alvarado\n Music: She Wants Revenge\, My Chemical Romance\, Pri nce and the New Power Generation\n Lighting Design: Levi T. Fravel\n Dancers : Zoe Bees\, Ally Jo Buck\, Kailey Colyer\, Alia Dalton\, Lylla Kovacs\, E mma McCoy\, Raya Taylor\n Note: 'I have loved the stars too fondly to be fe arful of the night'鈥擲arah Williams\n allpoetry.com/Sarah-Williams\n 聽\n\nA S ilent Plea\n\nChoreographer: Shonna Hickman-Matlock\n Music: Armand Amar\n L ighting Design: Jennifer E. Dillard\n Dancers: Brittni Van Dine\, Sawyer He rtel\, Macy Perry\, Keilani Reynolds\, Ansley Seiffert\n Note: Forbidden to speak and unable to express what鈥檚 truly felt\, A Silent Plea reflects th e struggle of unspoken pain and hidden suffering. It captures the tension between the desperate desire to cry out and the inability to do so.\n 聽\n\n World of Another\n\nChoreographer: Stephanie Martinez\n Assistant to the Ch oreographer: Jayme Braverman\n Rehearsal Coach: Gina Gardner-Walther\n Music : Antonio Lucio Vivaldi\, Real Quiet\, Steve Mazzaro\n Costumes: Original d esign: Janet Bolick\n Reimagined by: Zoe Still\n Lighting Design: Matthew Be njamin\n Dancers: Ariana Alvarado\, Zoe Bees\, Ally Jo Buck\, Brianna Chan\ , Jonathan Oliver\, Gracie Harper\, Lexi Wilson\, Kailey Colyer\, Alia Dal ton\, Jessie Etling\, Carly Hanson\, Audrey Lee\, Emma McCaslin\, Hannah M cGuffey\n Understudies: Maria Becker\, Emma Cole\, Lexi Parker\, Raeanne Ri chard\n 聽\n\nIntermission\n 聽\n\nOpen Out\n\nChoreographer: Gina Gardner-Wal ther\n Music: Ezio Bosso\n Costume Design: Naomi Indira Reisner\n Rehearsal A ssistant: Gracie Harper\n Lighting Designer: Emily Hope and Zach Wuest\n Dan cers: Ariana Alvarado聽(Thursday/Saturday)\, Kaitlyn Berry聽(Thursday/Saturd ay)\, Ally Jo Buck聽(Friday/Sunday)\, Brianna Chan聽(Friday/Sunday)\, Kailey Colyer\, Alia Dalton\, Jessie Etling\, Carly Hanson聽(Friday/Sunday)\,聽Aud rey Lee\, Cheyenne Maher聽(Friday/Sunday)\,聽Emma McCaslin\, Hannah McGuffey \, Sam Minneman\, Jonathan Oliver\, Lexi Wison聽(Thursday/Saturday)\n Unders tudies: Maria Becker\, Emma McCoy\n\nBlue Skies\n\nChoreographers: Megan F orney & Gabrielle Sharp\n Music: Glen Miller\n Lighting Design: Robbie Criss man\n Dancers: Jessie Etling\, Mollie Juniewicz\, Jenna Mumford\, Jonathan Oliver\, Raeanne Richards\, Annabelle White\n 聽\n\nVive\n\nChoreographer: A shley Pabst\n Composers: James Blake\, SO:HO & Kuranes\n Costume Design: Zoe Still\n Lighting Design: Zach Wuest\n Dancers: Ariana Alvarado\, Zoe Bees\, Maria Becker\, Alanna Carey\, Laurel Cameron\, Emma Cole\, Kailey Colyer\ , Alia Dalton\, Gracie Harper\, Emma McCaslin\, Jessie Etling\, Carly Hans on\, Anderson Hayes\, Sawyer Hertel\, Lylla Kovacs\, Emma McCoy\, Jonathan Oliver\, Lexi Parker\, Raya Taylor\, Lucy Theado\, Abby Zaleski\n\nBack t o top\n 聽\n\nProduction Team and Run Crew\n\nStage Manager: Dylan Serrano\n \nTechnical Productions Manager: Kevin Nedberg\n\nSound Engineer/Audio Coo rdinator: James Dunlap\n\nCostume Shop Manager: Carly Anne-Kimmins\n\nLigh t Board Operator: Maggie Slauenwhite\n\nHead Stage/Fly Crew: Eli Baader\n \nStage/Fly Crew: Logan Gregory\, Kayla Theiss\n\nSound Board Operator: En och Graham\n\nWardrobe Crew: Kaitlin Teller\n\nRehearsal Assistant: Gracie Harper\n\nBack to top\n\n\n Choreographer Bios\n\nAriana Alvarado (they\, them) is a senior dance major at 糖心原创\, graduating with their B.F. A. in dance. They are grateful for the opportunities 糖心原创 has prov ided them\, such as dancing with DCDC2\, auditioning for and performing at Kings Island\, and performing in 糖心原创's 2023 production of Cabare t. They feel privileged to receive their training from 糖心原创 and ar e honored to showcase their senior choreographic work once more and perfor m alongside their fellow dancers.\n\nMegan Forney is originally from St Lo uis\, where she began her dance training. She trained as a student at Kana s City Ballet\, Ballet Chicago\, and Ballet Internationale. Forney graduat ed from 糖心原创 with a B.F.A. in dance in 2008. She has performed in many Dayton Ballet mainstage shows\, including Nutcracker\, Swan Lake\, Am erican Cinderella\, Sleepy Hollow\, and Three Musketeers. She has been the recipient of the Josephine and Hereme Schwarz Award\, the Walter J McCasl in Award\, and the Dayton Ballet School Peer Award. Megan has been a dance educator and choreographer for 15 years. She is currently the education m anager of the Dayton Ballet School and the co-director of the Dayton Balle t II companies.\n\nStephanie Martinez\, a Chicago-based choreographer\, ta kes audiences on dynamic journeys driven by the kinetic energy of her awar d-winning works spanning 15+ years. Her creations have been commissioned b y top companies including Joffrey Ballet\, Miami City Ballet\, Ballet Hisp 谩nico\, BalletX\, Bruce Wood Dance\, Kansas City Ballet\, South Chicago Da nce Theatre\, and Milwaukee Ballet\, with theater credits at Chicago Shake speare Theater\, the Lyric Opera of Chicago\, and American Repertory Theat re. Martinez鈥檚 bold\, contemporary voice pushes the boundaries of ballet\, crafting over 70 works for professional and collegiate programs nationwid e. Recognized for her contributions as a female artist of color\, she has received numerous grants and acclaim\, with the Chicago Tribune hailing he r as a 鈥渃hameleon鈥 of choreography. Martinez is the founder and artistic d irector of PARA.MAR Dance Theatre\, established in July 2020.\n\nShonna Hi ckman-Matlock director of DCDC2 and Arts Enrichment Programs\, was a princ ipal dancer\, touring nationally and internationally in South Korea\, Russ ia\, France\, Germany\, and Bermuda. She performed across the U.S.\, inclu ding at the American Dance Festival\, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival\, Linc oln Center\, and The Kennedy Center before retiring in 1995. She performed in many DCDC repertories\, including Ulysses Dove鈥檚 Vespers and Urban Fol kdance\, Donald Byrd鈥檚 Dark Joy and Bamm\, and Eleo Pomare鈥檚 Las Desenamor adas. She has created works for DCDC and other institutions. Serving as DC DC2 director since 2000 and DCDC resident choreographer\, she became direc tor of education and outreach in 2014\, designing arts enrichment programs for schools and communities. Under her leadership\, many dancers have tra nsitioned into DCDC鈥檚 main company and other professional companies\, nati onal tours\, and Broadway productions.\n\nMichelle McElveen has had a teac hing/performing/choreographing career for more than 35 years. She worked e xtensively as a resident choreographer for the Sorg and Whitewater Opera C ompanies\, choreographing many operas\, including La Traviata\, Carmen\, T he Merry Widow\, and My Fair Lady. She has choreographed for 糖心原创\ , South Dayton Dance Theatre\, Miami University\, and Gem City Ballet. She earned a B.F.A. in dance from 糖心原创 after graduating from the Inte rlochen Arts Academy. She performed professionally with Walt Disney Produc tions\, the Dayton Opera\, La Comedia\, Sorg\, and Whitewater Opera compan ies. She is a senior lecturer at 糖心原创 as well as a faculty member of the South Dayton School of Dance\, and guest artist in residency at the Stiver鈥檚 School for the Performing Arts. 鈥淢iss Shelly鈥 is a sought-after instructor for summer intensives\, dance conventions\, and festivals throu ghout the region.\n\nAshley Pabst is an enthusiastic Instructor and award- winning choreographer. Her professional teaching credits include the Inter national Ballet Competition (Jackson\, Mississippi)\, Point Park Universit y\, Sam Houston State University\, National Choreography Intensive\, Regio nal Dance America Festivals\, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company\, and Eise nhower Dance Detroit. Before retiring from the stage\, Ashley performed wi th companies such as Atlanta Ballet and Dayton Ballet\; concluding on The Kennedy Center stage where she was awarded the Northeast Performer of the Year. She is a nine-time National Choreographic Recognition Award recipien t as well as the Monticello Award\, Barbara Weisberger Emerging Choreograp her\, Project Tier\, Jonathan Phelps Award\; works selected for the Intern ational Association of Blacks in Dance\, The Ballet Alliance\, Youth Ameri can Grand Prix Finals and Jazz Dance World Congress. Ashley would like to thank her husband and parents for their endless love and support.\n\nGabri elle Sharp is co-director of the Dayton Ballet School Ensemble. Gabrielle danced with Dayton Ballet. You saw her perform in Dracula\, The Nutcracker \, Tales from the Shadow\, There Was a Time\, and America鈥檚 Robin Hood\, a nd recently as the fairy godmother in Cinderella and the nurse in Romeo an d Juliet. While a member of DBII Sr. she received the Dancer Peer Award\, Walter J. McCaslin Memorial Award\, and Josephine and Hermene Schwarz Awar d. Gabrielle was the previous director of the SSK Dance Ensemble.\n\nGina Gardner-Walther is a dedicated teacher/mentor and award-winning choreograp her who has choreographed nationally\, regionally\, and on university stag es. Her professional teaching experience includes Indiana University\, Poi nt Park University (PA)\, New Arts Festival (FL)\, RDA Craft of Choreograp hy Conference\, and RDA Pacific Festival (WA). While performing with The D ayton Contemporary Dance Company\, she toured Germany\, Russia\, France\, and throughout the United States. She had the honor of performing at Linco ln Center\, The Kennedy Center\, and The Joyce Theatre. She performed work s by many of modern dances鈥 most influential choreographers\, including Dw ight Rhoden\, Ulysses Dove\, Donald McKayle\, Merce Cunningham\, Talley Be atty\, Anna Sokolow\, Donald Byrd\, and many more. In her final season wit h DCDC\, she won the Josie Award as best female dancer. Gina鈥檚 choreograph y has won several choreographic awards including the prestigious National Choreographic Award. The New York Times called her work Still Present set on DCDC 鈥渁 stirring dance鈥 that 鈥渟erved as a sparkling introduction to the troupe.鈥 Gina earned her B.F.A. in dance performance from Southern Method ist University.\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nDancer Bios\n\nMaria Becker (she\, he r) is a freshman dance major from Cincinnati. She danced at SDA Studios fo r 16 years\, where she found her love for dance. She is grateful for the o pportunity to continue her dance training at 糖心原创 and looks forwar d to performing in her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nZoe Bees (she\, her) is a senior dance major\, from Waynesville. She has grown up giving her p assion and love for dance every day while continuing to improve her artist ry. Zoe is grateful for the opportunities and experiences she has had whil e being at 糖心原创. She is so excited to start her journey in the rea l world and would like to thank her loving teachers\, friends\, and family .\n\nKaitlyn Berry (she\, her) is a freshman dance major from Dayton. She began her training at South Dayton School of Dance\, where her teachers in stilled in her a love for ballet and modern dance. She is so thankful for the opportunity to perform in her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nAlly Jo B uck (she\, her) Is a sophomore dance major from Loveland. She studied danc e of all genres at Broadway Bound Dance Academy\, where she now teaches. S he has a love of performing and is thankful for the opportunity to perform in her second Spring Dance Concert alongside such talented and passionate dancers.\n\nLaurel Cameron is a freshman B.F.A. dance major originally fr om Stroudsburg\, Pennsylvania. In addition to dance\, she is immensely pas sionate about musical theatre and loves blending her talents in both art f orms to express herself creatively. She would like to thank all of her tea chers\, friends\, and family for their unconditional support and guidance throughout her artistic journey.\n\nAlanna Carey (she\, her) is a freshman double major in dance and communication studies from Dayton. She has been dancing for 16 years\, including training at Pontecorvo Ballet Studios an d South Dayton Dance Theater. She is very grateful and excited to perform in her first Spring Dance Concert!\n\nBrianna Chan (she\, her) is a senior dance major pursuing a second degree in biomedical engineering. Originall y from Columbus\, Brianna has been part of the dance program for 5 years. She is deeply grateful for the opportunities she has received\, as well as the support from her professors\, friends\, and family. It has been a pri vilege for her to dance alongside such talented artists and dancers.\n\nEm ma Cole (she\, her) is a sophomore dance major from Toledo. Before joining 糖心原创\, she trained at her local studio\, Toledo Met. Emma is exci ted to be performing in the Spring Dance Concert and is grateful for the o pportunity to learn from such wonderful teachers and choreographers.\n\nKa iley Colyer (she\, her) is a junior dance major from Cincinnati. She began dancing at the age of 2\, where she trained at Just Off-Broadway dance st udio. She continued her dance education at the School for Creative and Per forming Arts from grades 4鈥12. Kailey is very excited to perform in her th ird Spring Dance Concert and feels very fortunate to have worked with such talented teachers and choreographers.\n\nAlia Dalton (she\, her) is a jun ior dance major from Cincinnati. She has been dancing for 16 years\, where she trained at her local dance studio Just Off Broadway\, and graduated f rom the School for Creative and Performing Arts. Alia is excited to perfor m alongside her peers and is grateful to have worked with such amazing/ins piring choreographers during this year's Spring Dance Concert She would li ke to thank her family for their continuous support in her journey through dance.\n\nJessie Etling (she\, her) is from Salisbury\, Maryland\, and a junior dance major. She has been dancing for 16 years and feels incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the 糖心原创 dance progr am. Jessie is also a part of Dayton Ballet School Ensemble and performed r oles in Dracula\, Coppelia\, The Nutcracker\, and Swan Lake alongside the first company.\n\nGretchen Greener is a freshman dance major from Carmel\, Indiana. She spent her formative years under the direction of Suzann DeLa y at Central Indiana Academy of Dance and John and Heather Timm at Richens /Timm Academy of Irish Dance. Gretchen is so excited and thankful to perfo rm in her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nCarly Hanson (she\, her) began da ncing age 3 and received her training from Dancekids Studio under the dire ction of Denise Devery. She is currently a junior dance major at Wright St ate pursuing a B.F.A. in dance and an arts management certificate. In addi tion to school\, she was a member of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company's S econd Company (DCDC2) for its 2023-2024 season. Carly is so thankful for t he opportunity to perform alongside her very talented peers in this year鈥檚 Spring Dance Concert!\n\nGracie Harper (she\, her) is a senior dance majo r at 糖心原创 and is originally from Cincinnati. During her time at th e university\, she was a second company dancer with Dayton Contemporary Da nce Company\, performed in the university鈥檚 production of Cabaret\, and ha s been featured in the annual dance concerts put on by the program. Gracie would like to thank her fellow dancers\, faculty\, and the technical crew for their incredible work on this performance!\n\nAnderson Hayes (she\, h er) is a freshman dance major from Lawrenceville\, Georgia. She started da nce at age 3 with Southern Performing Arts Academy and performed with thei r company\, Southern Ballet Theatre. She also trained at School of the Art s at Central Gwinnett from grades 10鈥12. Anderson is grateful for her fami ly and friends\, and very excited for her first Spring Dance Concert.\n\nL ylla Kovacs is a sophomore dance major at 糖心原创\, and this is her s econd time participating in the Spring Dance Concert. She is grateful to b e in a couple of the pieces and would like to thank everyone who contribut ed to the creative process. She hopes everyone enjoys the show!\n\nAudrey Lee is a junior dance major from Springfield. She began dancing at a very early age and received her training from the Gary Geis School of Dance. Au drey is thrilled to be further continuing her education at 糖心原创\, where she is incredibly fortunate to be a part of this exceptional program .\n\nCheyenne Maher is a freshman dance major from Piqua. Before attending 糖心原创\, she previously trained at the Sidney Dance Company. She is so grateful for the opportunity to perform in her first Spring Dance Conc ert.\n\nEmma McCaslin (she\, her) is a junior dance major at 糖心原创. She is from Avon\, Indiana\, where she grew up dancing at Curtain Call Da nce Center. At 糖心原创\, she has had the opportunity to swing the uni versity鈥檚 production of Cabaret. She has also been incredibly grateful to work with various choreographers for the dance concerts put on by the prog ram. Emma thanks her family\, fellow dancers\, faculty\, and tech crew for this experience!\n\nHannah McGuffey (she\, her) is a junior dance major a t 糖心原创 from Dayton. Hannah received her dance training through Gem City Ballet\, Dayton Ballet\, and Stivers School for the Arts. Hannah is excited to share her love of dance with you\, and looks forward to growing as a dancer in the upcoming years at 糖心原创.聽\n\nSam Minneman is a third-year double major in dance and psychology from Dayton. She is a memb er of Psi Chi\, the International Honor Society of Psychology\, and she re cently debuted her first full-length choreographic work at 糖心原创鈥檚 Emerging Choreographers Concert. This summer she is attending RDAs Nationa l Choreographic Intensive as a project tier choreographer to set a new wor k over the 2-week intensive. Performing and creating dance and art is a li fe-long passion Sam continues to cultivate at 糖心原创.\n\nJenna Mumfo rd is a junior dance major at 糖心原创 and has been dancing for 15 yea rs. She is a part of the Dayton Ballet School Ensemble and has performed w ith the main company in shows such as The Nutcracker\, The Great Gatsby\, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow\, Dracula: Bloodlines\, and Copp茅lia. Jenna is also a photographer and videographer and has photographed the Fall Dance Concert and Emerging Choreographers Concert.\n\nJonathan Oliver is a senio r dance major who has performed one season with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company鈥檚 Second Company under the direction of (Momma) Shonna Hickman-Mat lock. He is grateful for his time at 糖心原创\, where he has grown as an artist and had the opportunity to travel to New York to take classes wi th Jamar Roberts\, Peter Chu\, Brandon Coleman\, and Norbert de La Cruz. T his summer\, he is excited to dance with Dayton Dance Initiative before he ading to Asheville\, North Carolina. Jonathan also makes a mean banana pan cake\, loves teaching\, and enjoys peanut butter by the spoonful.\n\nAlexi a Parker (she\, her) is a freshman dance major from Bunker Hill\, West Vir ginia. She began dancing at age 3\, training at Inwood Performing Arts for the majority of her years. She is very thankful to perform in her first S pring Dance Concert as a part of 糖心原创.\n\nRaya Taylor (she\, her) is a freshman dance major from Cambridge. She began dancing at age 6\, and she trained at Movement on Main Center for Dance. Raya is excited to perf orm in her first Spring Dance Concert alongside her peers.\n\nLucy Theado (she\, her) is a freshman double major in dance and communications from Co lumbus. She trained previously at the Moriarity Lukyanova Dance Academy. S he is very excited to be a part of her very first Spring Dance Concert and wants to thank everyone who came out to support her.\n\nAnnabelle White i s a freshman dance and English major at 糖心原创. She has been dancing for 15 years and danced at All 糖心原创 Dance and Miami Valley Dance Center growing up\, and is currently a part of the Dayton Ballet School Ensemble. This is Annabelle's first Spring Dance Concert\, and she is excited to be able to perform with such wonderful people.\n\nAlexis Wilson (she\, her) is a senior from Nashville. Lexi has been dancing since she was 2 and is e xcited to be dancing in her last Spring Dance Concert. Thanks to the amazi ng faculty here at 糖心原创\, Lexi received many choreography job oppo rtunities right here in Dayton. She is excited to announce that she will b e continuing her dreams at Disney starting in August. She hopes you enjoy this beautiful show.\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nDesigner Bios\n\nMatthew P. Benj amin is in his 27th year at 糖心原创 as a professor of theatrical desi gn\, head of the theatre design and technology program\, and the resident lighting designer with theatre and dance programs in the school of fine an d performing arts. Prior to joining the 糖心原创 faculty\, Matthew ser ved as the coordinator of the performing arts program at Stockton College of New Jersey and the Associate Resident lighting designer for the Univers ity of Cincinnati\, College-Conservatory of Music. Professional credits in clude seven seasons as the resident lighting designer for the Opera Theatr e and Music Festival of Lucca\, Italy\, where he also served as the compan y鈥檚 production manager. Other professional designs includes projects with the Interlochen Center for the Arts\, Cincinnati Opera\, Aspen Music Festi val\, Dayton Opera\, Dayton Ballet\, Children鈥檚 Theatre of Cincinnati\, Tr i-Cities Opera\, Dayton Performing Arts Alliance\, Opera at Florham\, Luna Negra Dance Theatre\, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company\, the Human Race Theatre Company\, Little Theatre of the Rockies\, ballettech Ohio\, New Ho rizon Theatre Company\, the Taj Mahal casino\, the National Academy of Tel evision Arts and Sciences\, and many others. An active theatre consultant\ , he has worked on regional projects such as the Springboro Performing Art s Center\, the Theatre at Third in the downtown Dayton Public Library\, Di xie High School\, and the Alter High School Performing Arts Center\, among many others. He is a proud member of the United Scenic Artists Local #829 (Lighting Design) and the International Alliance of Lighting Designers.\n \nRobbie Crissman is a freshman lighting design major originally from Haml in\, New York. His previous credits at 糖心原创 include A2 for Our Tow n\, sound board operator for Much Ado 糖心原创 Nothing\, production electrici an for Everybody\, and a lighting designer for the most recent Emerging Ch oreographers Concert.\n\nJennifer E. Dillard is a sophomore theatre design and technology major concentrating in lighting. She is very excited to be designing for this year鈥檚 Spring Dance Concert! Jennifer has previously d esigned for 糖心原创鈥檚 Emerging Choreographers Concert\, the Fall Danc e Concert\, and The Apple Tree.\n\nLevi T. Fravel (they\, them) is a sopho more focusing on lighting design. They are excited to be designing in thei r second Spring Dance Concert. They would like to thank all their friends and family for their endless support!\n\nDylan Serrano (stage manager) is a third-year design/technology major focusing in stage management and ligh ting design. They are extremely excited to be stage managing their first d ance concert and designing another piece at 糖心原创. They have previo usly designed for the past two Emerging Choreographers鈥 Concerts\, Fall Da nce Concerts\, and last year鈥檚 Spring Dance Concert. They are also a resid ent designer for Stivers School for the Arts dance program. They assistant stage managed with The Dayton Ballet鈥檚 previous two runnings of The Nutcr acker. At 糖心原创\, they most recently stage-managed Carrie: The Musi cal. This June\, they will be the stage manager for Dayton Dance Initiativ e鈥檚 summer concert\, CoLAB II.\n\nZach Wuest is a senior lighting design m ajor at 糖心原创 and is absolutely thrilled to be designing for the Sp ring Dance Concert. His previous credits include\, as the lighting designe r at 糖心原创\, Kelly the Destroyer vs. the Springfield Cobras\, A Dol l's House Parts 1 & 2\, Our Town\, and Alice by Heart. He was also the lig hting designer for Dayton Playhouse's Is There Life After High School? and the assistant lighting designer for DPAA's The Nutcracker. He hopes you e njoy the show!\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nPartner Companies\n\nDCDC2 l Pre-Profe ssional Ensemble\n Founded in 1975 by Jeraldyne Blunden\n Chief Executive & Artistic Director: Debbie Blunden-Diggs\n Director of DCDC2 & Arts Enrichme nt Programs: Shonna Hickman-Matlock\n\nComprised of recent graduate and un dergraduate dance students\, DCDC2 is the next generation of dance artists under the umbrella of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. DCDC2 presen ts performances in traditional theatre and alternative venues. The ensembl e plays an integral role in DCDC school and community engagement throughou t the Miami Valley region. DCDC2 participates in DCDC鈥檚 established univer sity partnerships providing opportunities to engage in collaborative progr ams with the University of Dayton\, 糖心原创\, and Central State University campus-wide activities and dance programs. The ensemble h as performed throughout the Miami Valley and all regions of Ohio. In 2019\ , the ensemble was chosen to present at the OhioDance Festival in Columbus and the Denison University Ohio Five Colleges of Ohio 5 Dance Festival\, as well as showcased at the 31st International Blacks in Dance 鈥淓stablishe d Dance Companies鈥 performance hosted in Dayton. DCDC2 continues to be a r esource for new dancers for DCDC鈥檚 main company and maintains an impressiv e record of successfully transitioning dancers into other professional com panies\, Broadway\, film\, television\, media\, and graduate schools.\n\nD ayton Ballet School Ensemble (DBSE)\, divided into apprentice and junior e nsembles\, is a pre-professional training program available to dancers thr ough audition only. This division is for dancers committed to a high level of dance training\, strengthening\, and artistic development\, along with elective classes to supplement their dance education. This division inclu des additional performance opportunities.\n\nBack to top\n 聽\n\nBox Office and Current SeasonEvent Webpage: https://liberal-arts.wright.edu/fine-and- performing-arts/dance-productions/spring-dance-concert-99481 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250424T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250424T190000 LAST-MODIFIED:20250419T070931Z SUMMARY:Spring Dance Concert URL;TYPE=URI:/events/spring-dance-concert-1 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR