DAN FROOT & COMPANY’s

Stories of Guns and Their People

BASED ON THE ORAL HISTORIES OF, AND CREATED IN CONSULTATION WITH (in program order):

Wilkins and Kennedy Robles (MIAMI)

Daniel Carlson-Strom (BOZEMAN) 

“Patricia” (MIAMI) 

Leslie McCaddon (LOS ANGELES)

Ryan Cooney (HELENA)

Jessica Huerta (SAN DIEGO)

PRODUCED, WRITTEN, AND DIRECTED BY: Dan Froot

IN COLLABORATION WITH:

Justin Alston 

Sola Bamis

Natalie Camunas 

Krysta Gonzales

Bobby Gordon

Donna Simone Johnson 

Anthony Rey Perez

Christopher Rivas

Tula B. Strong

PERFORMED BY:

ACTORS: Mark Antony Howard, Donna Simone Johnson, Anthony Rey Perez, and special guest artist Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin

MUSICIANS: Tom Moose (guitar), Isaac “el Rabioso” Rodriguez (percussion), Julian Gomez (bass)

SOUND EFFECTS: Dan Froot

LIGHTING DESIGN: Antony Gutierrez

SOUND DESIGN: Duncan Woodbury

SOUND ENGINEER: Adam Sperry, C.A.S. 

PRODUCTION MANAGER: Ursula Collins-Laine

COMPOSER: Julio Montero 

DRAMATURGE: Bobby Gordon

SET DESIGN: Marcus Kuiland-Nazario

ORAL HISTORIANS: Jordan Rogers, Tula B. Strong, Jose “Rufio” Vasquez

RECORDED MUSICIANS: Tom Moose, Julian Gomez, Isaac Rodriguez

DF&Co GENERAL MANAGER: Rachel Park

PROGRAM

• Introduction

• Rich & Dave

• Gabriel

• Patricia

• June

• Aaron

• Tiffany

• The Kitchen Table

Over the course of 2021 and 2022, Dan Froot & Company created six book-length oral histories of families around the country whose lives were in one way or another shaped by guns. We collaborated with each family to devise the live audio dramas that comprise Arms Around America. 

This production contains material of a sensitive nature, including frank discussions of suicide. Please care for yourself and others accordingly.

As guests in this place, Dan Froot & Company honor and offer gratitude to the traditional caretakers and stewards of the ancestral land in and around the Salt Lake Valley, including the Shoshone, Goshute, Ute, and Paiute Tribes. 

The Kitchen Table:

A central component of each performance is a moderated discussion (envisioned as a conversation around a kitchen table) bringing together stakeholders from diverse communities and perspectives whose work sits at the intersection of gun violence, law, public health, and civic life. The goal is to foster thoughtful, productive dialogue among local community partners and leaders who may hold differing views, while sharing a commitment to reducing gun violence and respecting citizens’ rights.

Learn more about the participants below.

Kitchen Table Participants:

Aaron Fisher, Thursday Moderator
Dr. Fischer is a Professor of school psychology in the College of Education, adjunct professor of pediatrics, and adjunct professor of psychiatry at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the University of Utah. He serves as director of the U-TTEC Lab and co-director of the Utah School Mental Health Collaborative, which partners with numerous school districts across Utah to provide technical assistance, training, and direct behavior and mental health support for effective integration of behavior health in education settings. His research centers around technology applications in those settings including Telehealth, teleconsultation and virtual learning environments. Dr. Fischer is a Licensed Psychologist and Licensed Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has worked over 20 years to improve the wellbeing of students, educators, and caregivers.

Dr. Kurt Michael, Friday Moderator
Dr. Kurt Michael is Vice President, Prevention & Crisis Response Consulting at The Jed (JED) Foundation, a national suicide prevention non-profit. Kurt is a licensed clinical psychologist and suicidologist with deep expertise in research, rural mental health, and the prevention of firearm suicides.  Before JED, Kurt was the Stanley R. Aeschleman Distinguished Professor and Assistant Chair of Psychology at Appalachian State University (now Emeritus). There, he established a nationally recognized program of funded research and has published over 85 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters on mental health and suicide prevention.  Kurt is also Adjunct Professor at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Child Psychiatry Division.

Clark Aposhian
Clark Aposhian is a firearm law consultant and expert witness with over 30 years of experience advising Utah’s legislative, executive, and legal bodies on firearm and use-of-force legislation. He currently serves as the Chairman and Utah State Registered Lobbyist for the Utah Shooting Sports Council, as well as a Contract Lobbyist for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Additionally, he is a member of the Utah School Safety Commission and the Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition. He looks forward to bringing these perspectives to our discussion.

Evan Goldstein
Evan V. Goldstein is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Utah’s Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. Dr. Goldstein is a health policy researcher and population health scientist. Among other things, his research examines how state-level public policy and healthcare systems can help prevent firearm injury and suicide deaths involving firearms in American communities. As a Principal Investigator, Dr. Goldstein’s research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research & Education. His work has been published in high-impact journals, including Health Affairs, Psychiatric Services, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Medical Care, and JAMA Network Open. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Goldstein worked in community healthcare, overseeing community engagement, government affairs, and non-clinical program operations for a Federally Qualified Health Center system in Cleveland, Ohio.

Reps from The Gun Violence Prevention Center
The Gun Violence Prevention Center (GVPC) of Utah was chartered in 2001 by a group of concerned citizens, who believed that we need to and can do more to protect society from gun violence.  GVPC is a non-partisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to prevent the tragedy of gun violence through education, awareness, prevention initiatives and advocacy for policies proven to make communities safer.  GVPC’s  policy education is evidence-based and data driven from peer-reviewed articles of reputable sources and data tracked over time focused on outcome measured research.  From this data, GVPC advocates for reasonable regulations of firearms like universal background checks, safe storage, and crisis intervention protective orders  that have been shown to significantly reduce gun violence in states that have adopted them.  These are policies that the courts continue to uphold as consistent with our 2nd Amendment rights. GVPC works with the majority of gun owners who believe that with rights comes responsibility; that training, knowledge of gun laws and safe practices should be incumbent on every gun owner.  GVPC publishes a biennial Utah–specific gun violence report and hosts annual vigils and memorials for victims of gun violence in Utah.   Through initiatives like GunSafe Families and Guns To Gardens, GVPC works to foster a culture of safety and responsibility across the state.

Dan Froot PRODUCER, WRITER, DIRECTOR, LIVE SOUND EFFECTS
Dan Froot’s work has toured internationally since 1983. Awards include a Bessie (New York Dance & Performance Award), a City of Los Angeles Artist Fellowship, a Foundation for Jewish Culture Playwriting Fellowship, and is a recipient of many grants including several from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Theater Project grant. He has collaborated with Dan Hurlin, Yoshiko Chuma, Ping Chong, David Dorfman, Mabou Mines, Ralph Lemon, Cornerstone Theater Company, and Victoria Marks, among others, and has been a resident fellow at the MacDowell Colony and the Bogliasco Foundation. He was on the faculty of UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance from 2000 to 2024. www.danfroot.com

Mark Antony Howard, ACTOR
Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Mark Antony Howard received his BFA in Musical Theatre from Wright State University, and promptly moved to Los Angeles where he continued his training under various ensembles and instructors, including The Wallis Annenberg Studio Ensemble, Dr. Budi Miller and the Encompass Collective, and the 23'-24' Screen Acting Cohort of Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab. Now based in NYC, he continues his theatre training as a mentee in The Actor’s Center Mentorship Program. 

Onstage he’s worked with numerous theatres from coast to coast, helping develop new works at IAMA Theatre (LA) and the National Black Theatre (NY). His most recent stage roles earned him Broadway World Award nominations for ‘Best Performer in a Play’ as Shawn in King James by Rajiv Joseph and ‘Best Performer in a Musical’ as Andre in Ain’t Misbehavin’ dir. by Ken Page. 

Onscreen, Mark Antony has acted in various commercials and short films and he recently made his feature film debut acting opposite Josh O’Connor as David, in Kelly Reichardt’s Canne’s Selected film The Mastermind.  @mah.himself

Donna Simone Johnson ACTOR, COLLABORATOR, PERFORMER
Donna Simone Johnson is a two-time NAACP Award-winning actor, director, choreographer, and educator. In addition to her work with Dan Froot & Co. on Pang! and now Arms Around America, she can be seen (and heard) in a wide range of commercials and audiobooks. Some regional theater credits include Power of Sail (The Geffen Playhouse), Joe Turner's Come and Gone (NY Resident Acting Company), and performances at La Mama, The Guthrie, Virginia Stage Company, Portland Center Stage, The Road Theatre Company, and The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where she is a proud company member. She also serves as Co-Artistic Director of Watts Village Theater Company, which nurtures and produces diaspora-driven work while celebrating the rich history and cultural diversity of South LA. Johnson holds an MA in Dance from NYU and an MFA in Acting from CalArts—and carries with her a deep sense of gratitude.

Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin ACTOR
Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin became an actor to tell stories. To see herself reflected in those stories. To provoke thought, spark ideas, tell the truth as she sees it and, most importantly, to heal. Art has the ability to be a balm, a salve, and a poultice for the wounds that life thrusts upon us. Once you open yourself to hearing the story, the responsibility becomes yours. Art changes you. Art should leave you wanting. Want is the beginning of change. Be Open. Be Present. Past acting credits include The Roommate, Whitelisted, Passing Strange, and Mercury; regional credits include Footloose, Dance Nation, The Clean Up Project, Caroline or Change, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Third Crossing, The Overwhelming, Fences, [title of show], 1940's Radio Hour, Women of Lockerbie, Lady Day at Emerson Bar and Grill, and for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf; Film: The Housewives of the North Pole, Love Across Time, and Olympus Dale: The Ghost of Valkyrie. Dee-Dee has recently turned her gift for giving excellent advice into a wellness coaching practice. Find her at info@symcounseling.com or follow her on Instagram @deedeedarbyduffin.

Anthony Rey Perez ACTOR, COLLABORATOR, PERFORMER
Anthony Rey Perez is originally from Miami. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Florida State’s conservatory-style theater program. Over the years in Los Angeles and New York he has worked in various film, television, and commercial projects, appearing Off Broadway as well as significant voice over work, he was just nominated for a SOVA and AUDIE award. He most recently played a young Andy Garcia in the new Latine-centered Father Of the Bride. Perez, the son of immigrants (and loving Husband of one), doesn’t take lightly the opportunity to represent a fuller, more rich representation of Americans in the mainstream narrative for the next generation, including his beautiful daughter Luna.

Julian Gomez MUSICIAN
Julian Gomez is a bassist/multi-instrumentalist currently performing and teaching throughout Southern California. Growing up in Baldwin Park, Los Angeles, he studied music and bass performance at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Colburn School, and Pasadena City College, where he became immersed in the multitude of styles within jazz and Latin music. During this time, he received the Shelly Manne Memorial New Talent Award from the Los Angeles Jazz Society and also toured Houston and New York with the Thelonious Monk Institute’s Peer-to-Peer Jazz Education Initiative, performing and taking part in jazz education workshops alongside world-renowned saxophonists Antonio Hart and Don Braden. Aside from live performances and recording sessions, he has worked as a freelance producer and composer for various groups and independent projects. He is a member of the group Coras, a Cumbia/soul band, and the mambo revival big band, Los Chicos Del Mambo.

Tom Moose MUSICIAN
Tom Moose is a Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist and composer. A classically trained violinist, he holds a B.A. in Music and Theater Performance. He was nominated for a Horton award for his work as a composer for dance. He performs a variety of music, including bluegrass (his band, Ikes Creek, won the 2019 Topanga Fiddle Festival), alternative South American folk (Cuñao), classical, jazz (cool beat borscht), Django jazz, neo soul, and klezmer (mostly Kosher). Moose has performed at REDCAT’s NOW Festival, Highways, UCLA, Disneyland (and -world) and The Golden Globes. @tommoosemusic 

Isaac Rodriguez MUSICIAN
Isaac “El Rabioso” Rodríguez is a multi-instrumentalist, born and raised in Puerto Rico, who discovered his passion for music at a very early age. He studied at the InterAmerican University of PR to become a music teacher and for many years enjoyed teaching children and adults to play various instruments, but he also worked as a roadie and stage manager for several artists on the island. Music has taken Rodríguez to innumerable stages, including renowned festivals, around Latin America and the USA. His experience is based on countless projects, recordings and live performances, spanning multiple musical genres, including World Music, Funk and Country. And, in addition to many local artists from every city he has lived, Rodríguez has also worked with renowned international artists like: Wisin & Yandel, Carlos Baute, Vicente García, Bersuit Vergarabat, Shadmehr Aghili, Sie7e, and El Twanguero. He currently works with Corazón Entertainment, Dendê Entertainment, and Q Productions, three of the most innovative entertainment companies in Las Vegas, Nevada. @isaxito

Julio Montero COMPOSER
Julio Montero was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, but grew up in New York City. He has collaborated with choreographers Alexx Shilling, Cheng Chieh Yu, Sarah Jacobs, DaEun Jung, Richard Rivera’s Physual, Wilfried Souly’s Souly Dance Arts, and Rayven Armijo/cuerva urban folklorico, and others, to compose original scores. He was founder and songwriter for Latin Alternative Folk band Cuñao. Cuñao was commissioned by The Wooden Floor Artistic Director Melanie Rios-Glaser to compose new original music for the piece Playground & Playground II, performed by The Wooden Floor students at The Irvine Barclay Theatre (Irvine, CA). In 2018, Montero and Cuñao performed Cancion Del Inmigrante, a multimedia folk opera in collaboration with alexx makes dances and One Grain of Sand Puppet Theater, at the Bowers Museum. Currently residing in Freehold, NJ, he is an audio production technician at Princeton Univeristy’s Richardson Auditorium, a freelance podcast editor, and always working on new music. Montero holds a Master of Professional Studies in Arts and Cultural Management from Pratt.

Bobby Gordon DRAMATURGE, COLLABORATOR
Bobby Gordon is a poet, performance maker, and Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner with an M.A. in Applied Theatre Arts from the University of Southern California (USC). He is a co-founder of the Melrose Poetry Bureau, teaches at UCLA in the Department of World Arts & Cultures/Dance, and has created work with ensembles across the Americas and in South Africa.

Marcus Kuiland-Nazario SET DESIGNER
Marcus Kuiland-Nazario is an interdisciplinary artist, producer, and curator. His practice spans sculpture, video installation, social practice, performance, and design. His installations and performances have been featured in museums in the United States and abroad. Kuiland-Nazario is the 2024 inaugural recipient of the Jacki Apple Award in Performance. He is a recipient of the Santa Monica Artist Fellowship award and an Artist At Work Fellowship. Kuiland-Nazario is a founding artist of the 18th Street Arts Center, where he is currently an Artist in Residence.

Duncan Woodbury SOUND DESIGNER
Duncan Woodbury is a sound designer and composer based in Los Angeles working on a range of creative projects including music, theater, dance, installation, and podcasting. Woodbury currently serves as Associate Technical Director of the UCLA Nimoy Theater. His previous collaborators include Lars Jan/Early Morning Opera, Andrew Schneider, Zoe Aja Moore, and Milka Djorjevich, among others. He is a graduate of Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts in Music Technology.

Antony Gutierrez LIGHTING DESIGNER
Antony Gutierrez is very excited to be a part of Arms Around America. His work has been seen in many productions at UCLA, where he serves as the Lighting Supervisor for Royce Hall. Recent credits include: All In Podcast Summit, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s anniversary gala, Angel City Chorale, and Omar Offendum’s Little Syria.

Ursula Collins-Laine PRODUCTION MANAGER
Ursula Collins-Laine is a manager of many things and is thrilled to be the production manager for Arms Across America in Salt Lake City. Since getting a master’s from USC with a focus on character driven narratives in South Korean reality television, she has designed escape rooms internationally, taught circus camps, and run teambuilding events. Her recent production management credits include Brassroots District LA ’74 and Outside In Theater’s California Story among others.

Very special thanks to: Chloe Jones, Melissa Salguero, Severin Sargent-Catterton, Aja Vogelman, Rosemary Jones, Sheri Jardine, Dennis Busch, David Braithwaite, James Padilla, Jason Hogue, Juniper Taylor, Michael Dallum, John Armstrong, and the entire staff of Utah Presents; to Clark Aposhian (Utah Shooting Sports Council), Terri Marshall Gilfillan (Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah), Jerry Rapier (Plan B Theater Company), Avery Holton (University of Utah Communications), Evan Goldstein (University of Utah Department of Population Health Sciences), Becky Zarate (Huntsman Mental Health Institute), Kurt Michael (Huntsman Mental Health Institute), Gretchen Case (University of Utah Medical Humanities), Matt DeLong (University of Utah Pistol Club), Sonia Salari (University of Utah Sociology Department), Alexandra Harbold (University of Utah Theatre Department), Samantha Briggs (University of Utah Theater Department, and the Enough Project); to the staff and advisors of The National Theater Project: Quita Sullivan, Derek Schwartz, Leilani Ricardo, Daniel Banks, Candace Feldman, Claudia Alick, Torange Yeghiazarian; to the beautiful children who have lit up our rehearsals: Luna Perez, Coltrane Johson-Irvin, River Alston, Sula Bamishigbin; and to the narrators who generously shared their stories: Daniel Carlson-Strom, Ryan Cooney, Jessica Huerta, “Patricia,” Leslie McCaddon, and Wilkins and Kennedy Robles.

Dan Froot & Company thank the following individuals for their support: Alberto Denis, Amy Denio, Angelia Leung, Brian Selznick, Courtney Bell, Cristina Fernandez, Dana Cuff/Kevin Daly, Ken Froot, David Gere, Eve Beglarian, Gayle Kouklis, Hana van der Kolk, Ilaan Mazzini, Jackie Lopez, Jason Samuel, Jeff Griffin, Jeff Kahane, Jost Rhodius, Juliana Irizarry, Karla Christian-Irizarry, Katie Pfeifer, Kenneth Foster, Lili Flores, Mari Kornhauser, Maria Gillespie, Marike Splint, Marla Berns, Mathew Sandoval, Nan Friedman, Jessica Stern, Oliver Trager, Pat Turner, Paul Bonin-Rodriguez, Robert Flynt, Ryan Jones Talmadge, Tom Keegan.

THANKS TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS:

• MIAMI
  • Colleen Adams of Empowered Youth
  • Natalie Lewis Schere of PATH to Hip Hop
  • Dr. Keshia Abraham
• LOS ANGELES
  • Emily Ives of UCLA Veteran Resource Center
  • Tess Barragan Banko of US Vets
  • Dr. Sharon Birman and the Mayor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide
  • Roberto Álvarez and the Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger
  • James Zenner and the LA County Department of Mental Health Veteran Peer Access Network (VPAN)
  • Cuco Rodriguez and Brian Malte of The Hope and Heal Fund
• MONTANA
  • Project for Alternative Learning (Helena)
  • University of Montana Department of Native American Studies (Bozeman)
• NATIONAL
  • Patrick O’Neil of Stop the Bleed
  • Ben Cohen of TourScout

Arms Around America is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by The Myrna Loy, Miami Light Project, UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, and NPN. The Creation & Development Fund is supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency). For more information: npnweb.org. This program is made possible with funding by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Theater Project, with lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and additional support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and by grants from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, UCLA’s Office of Research and Creative Activities Acceleration Grant Program, the Chancellor’s Council on the Arts (UCLA), and the National Endowment for the Arts. 

If you enjoyed this show, please check out the Arms Around America podcast. It’s a companion work to what you have seen this evening, with different material in every episode. New episodes coming soon! Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to discuss the show? Tell us about it on TourScout, the world's largest community platform for rating and reviewing live performances. Connect with other fans and the performers you've just seen on stage. Your feedback helps others discover great events and supports the work of artists like Dan Froot & Company. Every voice matters -- your insights could inspire someone's next night out or help an artist refine their craft. Help shape the future of live entertainment! Scan here and join the conversation on TourScout. https://tourscout.com/artist?id=261

Donations to the continuation of Arms Around America and the work of Dan Froot & Company are gratefully accepted and are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law.  Via Paypal: danfroot@me.com

At Utah School Mental Health Collaborative, we help Utah schools build strong mental health systems that care for every student. The USMHC team gives schools hands-on training, tools, and support to promote wellbeing, prevent problems early, and connect students and families to resources.

Together, we make it easier for schools to notice, understand, and respond to mental health needs in a caring, timely way.

Thank you to Tonight's Performance Sponsors

Thank you to our 2025 - 26 Season Sponsors:

GORDON & CONNIE HANKS

DAN JOHN & ERICA LEMKE

NANCY PEERY MARRIOTT

DINESH & KALPANA PATEL

SALLIE SHATZ

BEVERLEY TAYLOR SORENSON FOUNDATION

ALICE & KEVIN STEINER

KYLE TREADWAY & GREG PEDROZA

Samara Joy

Tuesday, April 7 | 7:30PM

Few figures in jazz history have experienced the kind of meteoric rise that vocalist Samara Joy has enjoyed—especially at such a young age. At just 25, her career is nothing short of sensational.

With six GRAMMY Awards already to her name, including Best New Artist, as well as an NAACP Image Award, Joy has achieved the kind of profile typically reserved for pop celebrities. Her visibility has made her a steady presence on network television and a favorite among younger music fans, particularly on platforms like TikTok, where she has helped introduce timeless American music to new generations. Her performance history reads like a who’s who of the world’s most legendary venues and festivals, with appearances at the Newport Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, and Montreal International Jazz Festival, as well as iconic stages including the Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, the Village Vanguard, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Joy’s rise has been accompanied by rave reviews. DownBeat called her breakout Verve Records debut Linger Awhile “a beautiful recording,” hailing her as “a silky-voiced star,” while The New York Times described her as a “rising star,” and NPR referred to her as a “classic jazz singer from a new generation.” With each performance, she has earned a reputation as a masterful interpreter of jazz standards, drawing comparisons to legendary vocalists including Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, and Carmen McRae.

A native of the Bronx’s Castle Hill neighborhood, Joy grew up surrounded by music. Her family’s musical legacy runs deep: her grandparents led the Philadelphia gospel group the Savettes, and her father, musician and songwriter Antonio McLendon, toured with Andraé Crouch and recorded his own work. As a child, Joy was captivated by classic R&B and honed her singing in her church’s gospel choir. Her journey into jazz began in her teens while attending Fordham High School for the Arts, where she won Best Vocalist at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s prestigious Essentially Ellington program.

After graduating as valedictorian, Joy studied jazz at SUNY Purchase, where she met a group of instrumentalists who would become key collaborators. While still in college, she won the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, a victory that catapulted her into the spotlight and marked the beginning of her professional career.

In 2021, Joy released her self-titled debut album on the Whirlwind label, impressing critics with her deeply expressive approach to jazz standards and her remarkable musical sensitivity. Her follow-up, Linger Awhile (2022), showcased her exceptional interpretive ability across a diverse repertoire, including Ronnell Bright’s “Sweet Pumpkin” and Fats Navarro’s “Nostalgia.” That same year, she won the GRAMMY Award for Best New Artist, elevating her public profile to new heights, with appearances on The Tonight Show, The Late Show, and Today.

In late 2023, Joy embraced her roots with the release of A Joyful Holiday, an EP featuring updated renditions of holiday classics alongside her musical family. The release was followed by successful holiday tours in 2023 and 2024, culminating in two GRAMMY Awards in 2025—Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Jazz Performance—at the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Just a year after her Best New Artist win, Joy also released the inspirational track “Why I’m Here,” co-written with PJ Morton, which was featured in the acclaimed Shirley Chisholm biopic Shirley on Netflix, starring Regina King.

In 2024, Joy’s artistic growth continued with the release of her album Portrait, co-produced with GRAMMY-winning trumpeter Brian Lynch. Reflecting her evolution as a musician and bandleader and showcasing her deep rapport with her touring band, the project earned Joy the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album in 2025 and the GRAMMY Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album at the 69th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2026. The album features her own lyrical compositions, including “Reincarnation of a Lovebird (Pursuit of a Dream),” a meditation on love and ambition built around a tune by Charles Mingus, as well as reimagined standards such as “You Stepped Out of a Dream” and “Autumn Nocturne.”

“I’m still very much a student,” Joy says. “So this is only the beginning—there is much, much more to come.”

Thank you to the Jazz at Kingsbury Hall Series Sponsors

ERIC & DOMINIQUE ARAGON

NATE BOWLER

MARKOSIAN AUTO

SARAH MCCARTHEY

TOM & MARY MCCARTHEY

ERIC & JAYE OLAFSON

Award-winning food doesn’t have to be reserved for “special occasions.”

Sometimes the occasion is:

You’re hungry.
The patio is open.
And the wine list is calling your name.

Cucina Wine Bar. The Avenues’ food and wine island, just minutes from downtown Salt Lake City.

Thank you to our 2025 - 26 Season Sponsors:

GORDON & CONNIE HANKS

DAN JOHN & ERICA LEMKE

NANCY PEERY MARRIOTT

DINESH & KALPANA PATEL

SALLIE SHATZ

BEVERLEY TAYLOR SORENSON FOUNDATION

ALICE & KEVIN STEINER

KYLE TREADWAY & GREG PEDROZA

PRESENTED BY

Founder & Artistic Director MOSES PENDLETON

Associate Director CYNTHIA QUINN

 with

NATHANIEL DAVIS, MADELINE DWYER, DEREK ELLIOTT JR., AURELIE

GARCIA, OKSANA HORBAN, JADE PRIMICIAS, AND ADAM ROSS

MOMIX
PO Box 1035  Washington, Connecticut  06793
1-860-868-7545 I info@momix.com I www.momix.com

REPRESENTATION

Margaret Selby - Selby Artists/Management
262 West 38th Street, Suite 1701 New York, NY 10018
1-212-382-3260 I mselby@selbyartistsmgmt.com I SelbyArtistsMgmt.com

Instagram @MomixOfficial | Facebook @OfficialMomix | X @Momix  #MOMIXALICE

Alice PROGRAM NOTE   

Travel down the rabbit hole, MOMIX-style, with Moses Pendleton’s newest creation, ALICE, inspired by Alice in Wonderland. As Alice’s body grows and shrinks and grows again, MOMIX dancers extend themselves by means of props, ropes, and other dancers.

“We don’t intend to retell the whole Alice story,” he says, “but to use it as a taking-off point for invention. I’m curious to see what will emerge, and I’m getting curiouser and curiouser the more I learn about Lewis Caroll. I share his passion for photography and his proclivity for puns”.

The Alice story is full of imagery and absurd logic – before there was Surrealism, there was Alice. Alice is an invitation to invent, to let the imagination run wild. “Go Ask Alice”, sang Grace Slick in “White Rabbit” – she also said, “Feed your head”.

Pendleton continues, “You can see why I think Alice is a natural fit for MOMIX and an opportunity for us to extend our reach. We want to take this show into places we haven’t been before in terms of the fusion of dance, lighting, music, costumes, and projected imagery. Our puns are visual, not verbal. It’s not modern dance, it’s Momix – under the spell of Lewis Carroll, who was under the spell of Alice – who was still learning to spell.”

As with every MOMIX production, you never quite know what you are going to get. Hopefully, audiences will be taken on a journey that is both magical, mysterious, fun, eccentric, and much more. As Alice falls down the rabbit hole and experiences every kind of transformation, we invite you to follow her.

We see Alice as an invitation to invent, to dream, to alter the way we perceive the world,
to open it to new possibilities. The stage is our rabbit hole; we welcome you to drop in!
-- Moses Pendleton, Artistic Director

Conceived and Directed by:
MOSES PENDLETON

Associate Director:
CYNTHIA QUINN

Assisted by:
ANTHONY BOCCONI, BEAU CAMPBELL, JENNIFER CHICHEPORTICHE,
SAMANTHA CHIESA, HEATHER CONN, GREGORY DE ARMOND,
JONATHAN EDEN, MATT GIORDANO, SEAH HAGAN, HANNAH KLINKMAN,
SEAN LANGFORD, HEATHER MAGEE, SARAH NACHBAUER, JADE PRIMICIAS,
REBECCA RASMUSSEN, COLTON WALL, and JASON WILLIAMS

Production Manager & Lighting Supervisor:
WOODROW F. DICK III

Production Stage Manager /FOH Engineer:
COLIN NEUKIRCH

Production Electrician:
ALEXA DENNEY

Lead Carpenter/Rigger:
AUSTIN DOWNS

Lighting Design:
MICHAEL KORSCH

Music Collage:
MOSES PENDLETON

Music Editing:
ANDREW HANSON

Video Design:
WOODROW F. DICK, III

Spider Puppet Design:
MICHAEL CURRY

Costume Design:
PHOEBE KATZIN

Costume Construction:
PHOEBE KATZIN & BERYL TAYLOR

Ballet Mistress:
VICTORIA MAZZARELLI

Research Consultant:
PHILIP HOLLAND

Communications Manager:
QUINN PENDLETON

Company Manager:
PAULA BUDETTI BURNS

This production of Alice has been funded, in part, by a contribution from Next Move Dance.

‘Would you tell me, please. which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”

“I don’t much care where -”

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”

 - Lewis Carroll

Down the Rabbit Hole

A Summer Day
Alice Down the Rabbit Hole
Pool of Tears
A Trip of Rabbits
The Tweedles
The Cheshire Cat
Advice from a Blue Caterpillar
The Lobster Quadrille
Mad Hatters
The Queen of Diamonds
The Queen of Clubs Versus The Queen of Spades
The Mad Queen of Hearts
Cracked Mirrors

Through the Looking Glass

There is Another Shore
Into the Woods
The Wolf-Spied-Her
Looking Through Stained Glass
Garden of Molar Bears & Other Creatures
The Mock Turtle Deflated
Trial of the Fallen Cards
Bed of Roses
Go Ask Alice

Alice Soundtrack

Des Chapeaux dans les Lapins by Odezenne - Alix Calliet, Jacques Cormary, and Matthia Lucchini, SDRM; Cracked Mirrors and Stopped Clocks, Womb Duvet by Origamibiro -Tom Hill, Andy Tytherleigh, and The Joy of Box, Two Thousand and Eleven Ribbon Music; Faster and Faster by Tony Kinsey, KMP LTD; Fortress of Doors, Fungiferous Flora, Skool Daze, Falling Down the Rabbit Hole by Chris Vrenna & Mark Blasquez, Almo/Pink Lava; Taal Se Taal by Alka Yagnik & Udit Narayan - A.R. Rahman & Anand Bakshi, Tips Industry Music Publishing; The Cheshire Cat by Danny Elfman, Wonderland Music Company; Restless by Sounds from the Ground - Nick Woolfson & Eliot Jones from the Waveform Release Brightwhitelight; The Lobster Quadrille by Franz Ferdinand - Alexander Huntley, Nick McCarthy, Paul Thompson, and Robert Hardy, Universal Polygram Intl.; Mexicali, Jacquadi by Polo and Pan - Paul Armand-Delille & Alexandre Grynszpan, EOS; 1977 by Ana Tijoux, BMG; Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You, Smoke and Mirrors by Gotye - Wouter De Backer, Songs of Kobalt Music.; Prologue/Cherry Ripe by Richard Hartley, He Pro Tunes, Inc.; The Sea by Joey Pecoraro, Rough Trade Songs; Divine Moments of Truth by Shpongle - Simon James Posford & Raja Ram, Twisted Music LTD; Requiem by House Made of Dawn, Arcane Creative Publishing; 2 Songar (Two Songs) II Vogguvis (Lullaby) by Jon Leifs, Iceland Music Information Center; Indifferent Universe, Liminalidad, Espera by Lucrecia Dalt, RVNG Intl.;  White Rabbit Written by Grace Slick, Published by Mole Music (BMI) All rights reserved, (used by permission); Perpetuum Mobile by Simon Jeffes, Daniel Myer, Barbara Thompson, and Dejan Samardzic, Editions Penguin Cafe LTD.

MOMIX, a company of dancer-illusionists founded and directed by Moses Pendleton, has been presenting work of exceptional inventiveness and physical beauty for more than 40 years. From its base in Washington, Connecticut, the company has developed a devoted worldwide following. In addition to stage performances, MOMIX has also worked in film and television, as well as corporate advertising, with national commercials for Hanes and Target, and presentations for Mercedes-Benz, Fiat, and Pirelli. With performances on PBS’s “Dance in America” series, France’s Antenne II, and Italian RAI television, the company’s repertory has been beamed to 55 countries. The Rhombus Media film of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition with MOMIX and the Montreal Symphony was the winner of an International Emmy for Best Performing Arts Special. MOMIX was also featured in IMAGINE, one of the first 3-D IMAX films released in IMAX theaters worldwide. MOMIX dancers Cynthia Quinn and Karl Baumann, under Moses Pendleton’s direction, played the role of “Bluey” in the feature film F/X2, and White Widow, co-choreographed by Pendleton and Quinn, was featured in Robert Altman’s movie The Company. With nothing more than light, shadow, fabric, props, and the human body, MOMIX continues to astonish and delight audiences on five continents.

MOSES PENDLETON (Artistic Director) has been one of America’s most innovative and widely performed choreographers and directors for over 50 years.  He co-founded the ground-breaking Pilobolus Dance Theater in 1971 while still a student at Dartmouth College. Pilobolus shot to fame in the 1970s. By the end of the decade, he had begun to work outside of Pilobolus, performing in and serving as principal choreographer for the Paris Opera’s Intégrale Erik Satie in 1979 and choreographing the Closing Ceremony of the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid in 1980.

In that same year, he created MOMIX, with Alison Chase, which rapidly established an international reputation for inventive and often illusionistic choreography that pushes physical boundaries and defies imagination. The troupe has now been creating new work under his direction and touring worldwide for over four decades. Mr. Pendleton has also been active as a performer and choreographer for other companies. He has worked extensively in film, TV, and opera, and as a choreographer for ballet companies and special events. He staged Picabia’s Dadaist ballet Relâche for the Paris Opera Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet, and Tutuguri, based on the writings of Artaud, for the Deutsche Oper Berlin. He created the role of the Fool for Yuri Lyubimov’s production of Mussorgsky’s Khovanschina at La Scala, choreographed Rameau’s Platée for the U.S. Spoleto Festival, and contributed choreography to Lina Wertmuller’s production of Carmen at the Munich State Opera. Mr. Pendleton has created new works for the Arizona Ballet and the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, and he teamed up with Danny Ezralow and David Parsons, both former MOMIX dancers, to choreograph AEROS with the Romanian National Gymnastics Team. Mr. Pendleton choreographed The Doves of Peace, featuring Diana Vishneva and 50 Russian ballerinas, for the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi.

Film and television work includes the feature film F/X2 with Cynthia Quinn, Moses Pendleton Presents Moses Pendleton for ABC ARTS cable (winner of a CINE Golden Eagle award), and Pictures at an Exhibition with Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony, which received an International Emmy for Best Performing Arts Special in 1991. He has also made music videos with Prince, Julian Lennon, and Cathy Dennis, among others.

Mr. Pendleton is also an avid photographer whose work has been presented in Rome, Milan, Florence, and Aspen. He was a Guggenheim Fellow in 1977, a recipient of the Connecticut Commission on the Arts Governor’s Award in 1998, received the Positano Choreographic Award in 1999, and the 2002 American Choreography Award for his contributions to choreography for film and television. In 2010, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts (HDFA) from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he delivered the commencement address. In 2021, Mr. Pendleton received the Doctor of Arts, honoris causa, from Dartmouth College for his lifetime contributions to the arts. Most recently (June 2024), he was the recipient of the prestigious Taobuk Award  — a recognition given annually to intellectuals and artists who have left a remarkable cultural message on the global scene. In 2025, Pendleton was honored with the Richard Brettell Award in the Arts by the University of Texas at Dallas.

CYNTHIA QUINN (Associate Director) grew up in Southern California, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California at Riverside, then continued on as an Associate in Dance for five years. As a member of Pilobolus in the 1980s, she performed on Broadway and throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Israel, and Japan. Ms. Quinn began performing with MOMIX in 1983 and has toured worldwide with the company. She has appeared in television programs, films, and music videos, and has assisted Moses Pendleton in the choreography on numerous projects.  She has also appeared as a guest artist with the Ballet Théâtre Française de Nancy, the Deutsche Oper Berlin Ballet, and the Munich State Opera, as well as international galas in Italy, France, and Japan. Ms. Quinn is a board member of the Nutmeg Conservatory in Torrington, Conn., and is on the advisory board of Torrington’s Susan B. Anthony Project. She was featured with Ru Paul and k.d. lang for M.A.C. Cosmetics’ “Fashion Cares” benefit in Toronto and Vancouver. More recently, she co-choreographed The Doves of Peace, featuring Diana Vishneva, for the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Her most rewarding and challenging role, however, has been as a mother to her daughter, Quinn Elisabeth.

NATHANIEL DAVIS (Dancer) was born in Toronto, Canada. He started training at the age of seventeen and attended the New World School of the Arts college, graduating cum laude in 2015 with a BFA in dance. He has worked with the Peter London Dance Company in Miami, Florida, and Artichoke Dance Company in Brooklyn, New York. He has performed works by Robert Battle, Daniel Ulbricht, George Balanchine, Jose Limon, Kyle Abraham, Bill T. Jones, and Darshan Bueller. Nathaniel joined MOMIX in 2017.

MADELINE DWYER (Dancer) is a NYC-based dancer and artist. She began training at Stowe Dance Academy in Vermont and later at the Boston Ballet School Pre-Professional Program under Margaret Tracey. She has studied with the School of American Ballet, the Martha Graham School, and GALLIM. A summa cum laude graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in New York, Madeline performed original works there by Brice Mousset, Darshan Bhuller, Joanna Kotze, Natalie Lamonte, and Jacqulyn Buglisi. She has also performed works by Young Soon Kim, Alec Knight, and Jesse Obremski, and has danced at the Boston Opera House in Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker. Madeline is the resident choreographer at Hudson River Opera and a company dancer with White Wave Dance. Madeline joined MOMIX in 2024.

DEREK ELLIOTT JR. (Dancer) is a performing artist residing in Pennsylvania. He received his BA in Dance and a BA in Theatre with a Concentration in Musical Theatre Performance from DeSales University. He has been performing in musicals since the age of thirteen. While in college, he had the privilege of training with Dance Artists Trinette Singleton, Timothy Cowart, Julia A. Mayo, Derek Crisenti, Steven Casey, and Angela Sigley Grossman. He has performed excerpts from Paul Taylor's Cloven Kingdom, restaged by Annmaria Mazzini, and A Chorus Line directed, choreographed, and restaged by Luis Villabon as an Offstage Cover/Swing at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. In addition to dancing, acting, and singing, Derek holds a Black Belt in traditional Karate, Jeet Kune Do, and Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu. He also holds an International Parkour Coaching Certification and has additional Parkour professional development training in Strength Training for Movement. Derek joined MOMIX in 2022.

AURELIE GARCIA (dancer) is a dancer, dance teacher, and choreographer. She grew up in the South of France, where she first started dancing at a local dance school. At eighteen, she moved to New York City to attend The Ailey School, graduating from their scholarship program in 2018. She has performed works by Ray Mercer, Elizabeth Roxas, Tracy Inman, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Talley Beatty, Anabelle Lopez Ochoa, Eduardo Vilaro, Michelle Manzanalez, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Pedro Ruiz, and Alvin Ailey. Since moving to New York to pursue her dance career, Aurelie has performed with companies such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Hispanico, and Ntrinsik Movement, Bloodline Dance Theater, Ann Nuo Spiritual Dance Art, VLDC, OCA Dance, and ACBD. Aurelie joined MOMIX in 2019.

OKSANA HORBAN (Dancer) is originally from Kyiv, Ukraine. In Kyiv, she studied Pantomime at the Academy of Circus and Variety Arts, where she graduated with honors, and also worked with Bingo Circus-Theatre and artist Mykola Baranov. In 2017, she moved to California to pursue dance and became part of the NCA cheerleading team at Palomar College. She graduated from Montclair State University in New Jersey in 2022 with a BFA in Dance. She has performed works by Alexander Anderson, Ohad Naharin, Paul Taylor, Bradley Shelver, Larry Keigwin, Maxine Steinman, Fredrick Earl Mosley, and Romeo Castellucci. Oksana has performed with Streb Extreme Action Company in Brooklyn and Yara Arts Group at La Mama Theatre in New York, and has presented her choreography at the Koresh Artist Showcase. Oksana joined MOMIX in 2023.

JADE PRIMICIAS (Dancer) leapt into the rabbit hole in 2018, joining MOMIX for the thrilling creation of Alice. In addition to touring with the company, Jade enjoys teaching dance and English and performs as a guest artist with Pilobolus, Connecticut Theater Dance Company, and Tennessee Ballet Theater. As Associate Creative Director of Tennessee Ballet Theater from 2015 to 2018, Jade collaborated with Artistic Director Erin Walter to produce site-specific performances retelling Memphis history through dance. Funded by the Jim Wayne Miller and Beverly Veenker Foundations, Jade established an artistic residency in Grantham, England in 2013. This culminated in a series of performances and research-based publications on contemporary dance improvisation in the UK and USA. Jade graduated summa cum laude from the Mahurin Honors College at Western Kentucky University with a dual degree in Dance and English after having grown her love of the arts in small-town Kentucky studios. Jade has since studied Limón technique and pedagogy under Colin Connor, Debra Noble, Risa Steinberg, and Dante Puleio. Jade joined MOMIX in 2018.

ADAM ROSS (Dancer) began training at a young age in Chesapeake, VA. He went on to compete in regional and national dance competitions throughout the East Coast. As a teen, he attended the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk, VA, where he focused on Ballet and Modern technique. Adam earned his BFA in Contemporary Dance from the Conservatory at Berklee in 2023, where he performed works from Paul Taylor, Erick Hawkins, Martha Graham, Murray Louis, and Gabrielle Lamb, as well as multiple creations from faculty, students, and alumni from the Conservatory. Dance Intensives and workshops include Point Park University, Milwaukee Ballet, RUBBERBANDance Group, and CoMotion. Adam joined MOMIX in 2022.

PHOEBE KATZIN (Costume Designer) After graduating from Endicott College’s fashion design program, Phoebe worked for Kitty Daly, building dance costumes and dressmaking. For several years, she lived in New York making costumes for Kitty Leach, Greg Barnes, and Allison Conner, among others. Phoebe has been instrumental in designing and constructing costumes for MOMIX and Pilobolus for more than 20 years.

MICHAEL KORSCH (Lighting Designer) is a lighting and scenic designer based in Philadelphia. He has worked with numerous directors and choreographers, creating visual designs for dance and theatre throughout North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.  Michael has been the resident lighting/scenic designer and technical director for Complexions Contemporary Ballet since 1998, and the resident lighting designer for Ballet Arizona since 2001.  In addition, he has created original designs for companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Aspen/ Santa Fe Ballet, BalletMet, BalletX, Carolina Ballet, Cleveland Play House, DanceBrazil, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Daytona Contemporary Dance Company, Disney Creative Entertainment, English National Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Oakland Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Sacramento Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin and Washington Ballet, and has worked with MOMIX on several shows.

WOODROW F. DICK III (Production Manager & Lighting Supervisor) is MOMIX’s go-to guy for anything and everything production-related. He has worked on numerous productions, both big and small. Woody joined MOMIX in 2005.

VICTORIA MAZZARELLI (Ballet Mistress). Following an impressive and extensive professional international ballet career, Mazzarelli returned to her roots at the Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory in Torrington, Conn., where she serves as Artistic Director, training the next generation of dancers.

Thank you to the Touring Dance Series Sponsor

NEUMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION

And to Tonight's Performance Sponsors

BOB & MARY GILCHRIST

R. HAROLD BURTON FOUNDATION

Thank you to our 2025 - 26 Season Sponsors:

GORDON & CONNIE HANKS

DAN JOHN & ERICA LEMKE

NANCY PEERY MARRIOTT

DINESH & KALPANA PATEL

SALLIE SHATZ

BEVERLEY TAYLOR SORENSON FOUNDATION

ALICE & KEVIN STEINER

KYLE TREADWAY & GREG PEDROZA

IMAGINARY

PERFORMED BY YOUTH THEATRE AT THE U

Friday, March 20, 7:00PM
Saturday, March 21, 11:00AM

IMAGINARY Young@Part®
Book & Lyrics by TIMOTHY KNAPMAN

LEARN MORE

Thank you to Tonight's Sponsors

R. HAROLD BURTON FOUNDATION

Thank you to our 2025 - 26 Season Sponsors:

GORDON & CONNIE HANKS

DAN JOHN & ERICA LEMKE

NANCY PEERY MARRIOTT

DINESH & KALPANA PATEL

SALLIE SHATZ

BEVERLEY TAYLOR SORENSON FOUNDATION

ALICE & KEVIN STEINER

KYLE TREADWAY & GREG PEDROZA

EMMET COHEN

MILES & COLTRANE AT 100

Thursday, March 12, 7:30PM

Emmet Cohen - Piano

Reuben Rogers - Bass

Joe Farnsworth - Drums

Tivon Pennicott - Tenor Saxophone

Jeremy Pelt - Trumpet

Multifaceted American jazz pianist and composer Emmet Cohen has emerged  as one of his generation's pivotal figures in music and the related arts. A recognized prodigy, Cohen began Suzuki method piano instruction  at age three, and his playing quickly became a mature melding of musicality, technique, and concept. Downbeat observed that his "nimble touch, measured stride and warm harmonic vocabulary indicate he's above any convoluted technical showmanship." In the same spirit,  Cohen himself has noted that playing jazz is "about communicating the deepest levels of humanity and individuality; it's essentially about connections,"  both among musicians and with audiences. He leads his namesake ensemble, the "Emmet Cohen Trio," is a vibrant solo performer, and is in  constant demand as a sideman. Possessing a fluid technique, an  innovative tonal palette, and an extensive repertoire, Cohen plays with  the command of a seasoned veteran and the passion of an artist fully  devoted to his medium.

Emmet Cohen is committed to the intergenerational transfer of artistic knowledge, history, and traditions. His signature professional undertaking is the "Masters Legacy Series," a celebratory set of  recordings and interviews honoring legendary jazz musicians. He serves as both producer and pianist for each album in the series. The goal of this landmark, ongoing project is to provide musicians of multiple generations a forum to transfer the unwritten folklore that is America's unique musical idiom.  Cohen has observed that playing jazz "is enriched immeasurably by connecting and studying with jazz masters, forging backward to the very creation of the art form."  Volume one of the "Masters Legacy Series" features drummer Jimmy Cobb, and volume two  spotlights bassist Ron Carter. Future "Masters Legacy Series" releases  will include Cohen's recordings with Benny Golson, Tootie Heath, and  George Coleman.

Emmet Cohen's exacting keyboard artistry has garnered numerous accolades from the international jazz community. He placed first in both the American Jazz Pianists  competition (2014) and the Phillips Piano Competition at the University of West Florida (2011). He was a finalist in the prestigious American Piano Award’s Cole Porter Fellowship (2015, 2011) and the Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition (2011).

Cohen has appeared in world-renowned jazz events, including the Newport, Monterey, North Sea, Bern, Edinburgh, Detroit, and Jerusalem jazz festivals, as well as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia. He has also performed at the Village Vanguard, the Blue Note, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Birdland, Jazz  Standard, London's Ronnie Scott's, Jazzhaus Montmartre in Copenhagen,  Lincoln Center's Rose Hall, the Cotton Club in Tokyo, and the Kennedy  Center, and was received in the Oval Office by President Obama. He is  currently Hammond B-3 organist-in-residence at Harlem's SMOKE jazz club.

Besides leading the "Emmet Cohen Trio," Cohen has appeared regularly with Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Jimmy Cobb, George Coleman, Jimmy Heath, Tootie Heath, Houston Person, Kurt Elling, Billy Hart, and Brian Lynch, among others. Cohen is also a member of Christian McBride's trio "Tip City," the "Herlin Riley Quartet," and the "Ali Jackson Trio," and serves as pianist and music director for jazz vocalist and television personality Lea DeLaria. His recordings include "Masters Legacy Series featuring Ron Carter" (2018); "Masters Legacy Series featuring Jimmy  Cobb" (2017); "New Directions" (2016) with Herlin Riley; "Questioned  Answer" (2014), co-produced with Brian Lynch; "Infinity" (2013),  featuring his Italian Trio; and his acclaimed debut CD "In the Element"  (2011), with bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Rodney Green.

Thank you to the Jazz at Kingsbury Hall Series Sponsors

ERIC & DOMINIQUE ARAGON

NATE BOWLER

MARKOSIAN AUTO

SARAH MCCARTHEY

TOM & MARY MCCARTHEY

ERIC & JAYE OLAFSON

And to Tonight's Performance Sponsors

CAROL STEFFENS

Thank you to our 2025 - 26 Season Sponsors:

GORDON & CONNIE HANKS

DAN JOHN & ERICA LEMKE

NANCY PEERY MARRIOTT

DINESH & KALPANA PATEL

SALLIE SHATZ

BEVERLEY TAYLOR SORENSON FOUNDATION

ALICE & KEVIN STEINER

KYLE TREADWAY & GREG PEDROZA

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL WORLD TOUR

PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

CAMPUS RECREATION SERVICES OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

Saturday, March 7 Film Lineup

See film descriptions here

Thank you to Tonight's Sponsors

Thank you to our 2025 - 26 Season Sponsors:

GORDON & CONNIE HANKS

DAN JOHN & ERICA LEMKE

NANCY PEERY MARRIOTT

DINESH & KALPANA PATEL

SALLIE SHATZ

BEVERLEY TAYLOR SORENSON FOUNDATION

ALICE & KEVIN STEINER

KYLE TREADWAY & GREG PEDROZA

HEALTHCARE STORIES: TOGETHER

PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

THE CENTER FOR HEALTH ETHICS, ARTS AND HUMANITIES AND THE RESILIENCY CENTER

Tonight's Storytellers

Steve Cho, Student

Leisha Nolen, Epidemiologist

Van Aston, Physician Assistant

Annie Frazier, Education Manager

Nancy Langman-Axtell, MSW Intern, Program Coordinator

Lindsay Thompson, Senior Manager

Jess Carey, Pharmacist

Our MC for the evening is Iván Vazquez, storyteller from 2023.

Production Team

Gretchen Case, Director

Megan Call, Producer

Betsy Holm, Program Manager

Bethany Burtch, Marketing Manager

Thank you to Tonight's Sponsor

Thank you to our 2025 - 26 Season Sponsors:

GORDON & CONNIE HANKS

DAN JOHN & ERICA LEMKE

NANCY PEERY MARRIOTT

DINESH & KALPANA PATEL

SALLIE SHATZ

BEVERLEY TAYLOR SORENSON FOUNDATION

ALICE & KEVIN STEINER

KYLE TREADWAY & GREG PEDROZA

What Have We Lost?

Punto de Inflexión | @de_inflexion

This immersive interdisciplinary performance explores humanity's current condition and reflects on what remains in the aftermath of catastrophe.

Concept and Creation
Stephanie García & Peter Hay

Movement Artists & Co-creators
Leslie Jara | @lesliejara64
Fausto Rivera | @faustation
Kellie St.Pierre | @klstpierre
Stephanie García | @stephgarmar

Performer
Peter Hay or Emily Zinn

Collaborator
Emily Zinn | @emziin

Installations, Sculptures
Peter Hay | @p_g_hay

Texts
Collective creation based on García’s drafts

Video Work
“Waking Helen” & “A Burning Hope” by Collin Bradford | @bradford_collin
Final video by Stephanie García | @stephgarmar

Sound Design
Manuel Estrella Chi | @mm.m.mmmmm.mx

Costume Design
Al Mendoza - Santa Elisa | @almendoza.presenta

Lighting Design
William Peterson | @petruvsyn

Stage Manager
VAMP Productions, Samijo Kougioulis | @samijokougioulis

Production
UtahPresents @utahpresents
Guggenheim Fellowship @guggfellows
loveDANCEmore @lovedancemore
Salt Lake City Arts Council @slcartscouncil

Visit!
www.deinflexion.com

https://www.collinbradford.art/

* All handles are for Instagram.

Thank you to the Stage Door Series Sponsor

LEE & AUDREY HOLLAAR

And to tonight's performance sponsors

JAMES R. & NANETTE S. MICHIE FOUNDATION

JEFF PARIS & ALEXAS LUCERO

Thank you to our 2025 - 26 Season Sponsors:

GORDON & CONNIE HANKS

DAN JOHN & ERICA LEMKE

NANCY PEERY MARRIOTT

DINESH & KALPANA PATEL

SALLIE SHATZ

BEVERLEY TAYLOR SORENSON FOUNDATION

ALICE & KEVIN STEINER

KYLE TREADWAY & GREG PEDROZA

Alfredo Rodríguez, Piano

Pedrito Martínez, Percussion

Tonight's program will be announced from the stage

Alfredo Rodríguez

Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, Rodriguez’s world was confined by the numerous restrictions imposed by his country. With limited options, his parents enrolled him in a classical conservatory, but he was quickly shut down by his first teacher who declared him devoid of talent. Despite pushback, his love for piano grew so strong that he wasn’t even deterred by not having a piano to practice on at home; instead, he painted piano keys on his parents' dinner table so he could run his scales.

In 2006, at age 19, he received an invitation to represent Cuba at the Montreux Jazz Festival in the International Solo Piano Competition. After applying and auditioning as a composer, alongside twelve of the top pianists in the world, he was accepted and made his way to Switzerland, where he ended up being invited to festival founder Claude Nobs’ chalet to play for the guests, one of whom happened to be legendary producer Quincy Jones.

Upon Jones’ return to Los Angeles, he couldn’t get Alfredo out of his mind. He called his VP, Adam Fell, and explained that Alfredo was one of the best pianists he had ever seen and they needed to work with him. Little did they know, Alfredo had only received permission to travel to Switzerland to play in the competition - as it was difficult for Cubans to obtain a travel visa - and also learned it would be illegal to work with him due to the Cuban embargo.

Cubans were not allowed to work in the U.S., and could only arrive at U.S. border stations to seek political asylum, meaning that Alfredo would have to relinquish his Cuban citizenship and jeopardize his ability to return home until he obtained a green card. After a year and a half of contemplating, he mustered up the courage and made the difficult decision to leave his family behind for a country that could offer him the platform he needed to share the broader message of his music with more people.

It’s evident the journey was worth it because not only has Alfredo earned frequent appearances on prestigious stages around the world such as the Playboy Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Jazz in Marciac, Umbria Jazz and Jazz A Vienne, but additionally, Rodriguez was nominated for a Grammy® in the category of “Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella,” for the track “Guantanamera,” from his album, The Invasion Parade.

Additionally, during his first tour in China, Rodriguez was asked to work with Tan Dun, Siedah Garrett, and Quincy Jones to compose the English version of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo theme song, becoming the first non-Chinese artist to be bestowed this honor. He’s also been featured over the years by All Things Considered, Downbeat, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Wall Street Journal among many others, and performed for NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert.

Rodriguez continues to share his music along with his impactful message of perseverance and cross culturalization on an international tour, while sharing a variety of viral social media videos in which he plays well-known compositions in a Cuban timba style. These videos have garnered tens of millions of views and directly inspired the recording of his new album, ¡Take Cover!, released on January 23, 2026, which includes collaborations with longtime creative partner Pedrito Martínez.

Pedrito Martínez

Born in Havana, Cuba, Pedro Pablo “Pedrito” Martínez grew up in the Cayo Hueso neighborhood, a place where rumba is not an event but a way of life, heard and lived every day. Immersed from childhood in Afro-Cuban Yoruba traditions, Pedrito began his musical journey at the age of 11, absorbing rhythm through singing, drumming, and dance long before stepping onto international stages.

In the fall of 1998, Pedrito relocated to New York City, where his singular mastery of Afro-Cuban folkloric music quickly set him apart. A consummate batá drummer and widely regarded as the world’s first-call rumbero, he became known for his rare ability to play, sing, and dance with deep authenticity across dozens of Cuban rumba ensembles. His reputation led to collaborations and performances with an extraordinary range of artists, including Paul Simon, Wynton Marsalis, Paquito D’Rivera, Bruce Springsteen, Rubén Blades, Eddie Palmieri, Dave Matthews, and Sting, and contributions to more than 75 albums.

Pedrito was also a founding member of the highly successful Afro-Cuban/Afro-Beat band Yerba Buena, with whom he recorded two albums and toured internationally in the mid-to-late 1990s, helping introduce Afro-Cuban rhythms to new audiences around the world.
His career as a leader began in 2005 with the formation of The Pedrito Martínez Group in New York City. Since then, he has released four albums as a bandleader, beginning with a debut that earned a Grammy® nomination in 2013 and was selected among NPR’s Favorite Albums of the Year as well as The Boston Globe’s Top Ten Albums. His work as a leader solidified his status as both a tradition bearer and an innovator, bridging folkloric roots with contemporary composition and performance.

In February 2019, Pedrito released Duologue, a duo album with Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez, executive produced by Quincy Jones, which received widespread critical acclaim. That same year, he collaborated with Eric Clapton on a newly arranged version of “My Father’s Eyes” for his album Acertijos (Riddles). The two later performed the song together at Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival in Dallas, Texas. Released in early 2021, Acertijos, featuring original compositions and guests such as Gilberto Santa Rosa, Eric Clapton, and Issac Delgado, went on to receive a Latin Grammy® nomination for Best Contemporary Tropical Album.

Throughout 2020 and beyond, Pedrito remained a vital creative force, participating in streamed projects including Play On for CBS with Jon Batiste and the NEA Awards at SFJAZZ. His peers consistently recognized his impact, naming him Jazz Percussionist of the Year multiple times by the Jazz Journalists Association, as well as Percussionist of the Year by the JazzTimes Critics Poll.

In recent years, Pedrito has continued to expand his reach, performing and recording with artists such as Camila Cabello, appearing at landmark events including International Jazz Day, and selling out prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall. In 2026, he received a Latin Grammy® nomination for Best Contemporary Tropical Album for Ilusión Óptica, further cementing his role as a leading voice in contemporary Afro-Cuban music. That same year, he brought his unmistakable rhythmic presence to a national audience with a performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, alongside Bill Murray.

Thank you to the Jazz at Kingsbury Hall Sponsors

ERIC & DOMINQUE ARAGON
NATE BOWLER
MARKOSIAN AUTO
SARAH MCCARTHEY
TOM & MARY MCCARTHEY
ERIC & JAYE OLAFSON

And to tonight's performance sponsors

KAREN ACKER
DENISE DRAGOO & CRAIG ANDERSON

Thank you to our 2025 - 26 Season Sponsors:

GORDON & CONNIE HANKS

DAN JOHN & ERICA LEMKE

NANCY PEERY MARRIOTT

DINESH & KALPANA PATEL

SALLIE SHATZ

BEVERLEY TAYLOR SORENSON FOUNDATION

ALICE & KEVIN STEINER

KYLE TREADWAY & GREG PEDROZA

MONDAY, January 19, 2026

KINGSBURY HALL

PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE University of Utah’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Week

Francesca Harper, Artistic Director

Sylvia Waters, Artistic Director Emerita

Alvin Ailey, Founder

Company Members
Kamani Abu, Jada Ammons, Carley Cruzat Brooks, Meredith Brown,
Christian Butts, Jennifer M. Gerken, Xavier Logan, Xhosa Scott,
Adanna Smalls, Darion Turner, Eric J. Vidaña, Jordyn White

Shay Bland, Rehearsal Director

Apprentices
Vic E. Davis, Jaydin J. De Jesús, Naia Neal, Michelle Osanya

Alicia Graf Mack, Artistic Director of AILEY

 Bennett Rink, Executive Director of AILEY

Ailey II gratefully acknowledges the generous support provided by
The Glorya Kaufman Dance Foundation.

The taking of photographs and the use of recording equipment
of any kind during performances is strictly prohibited.

Programming and casting subject to change.

IN SESSION
(2025)
Choreography by Rena Butler
Music by Darryl J. Hoffman*
Costume design by Katie Chihaby
Lighting design by Aja M. Jackson

 The Company

Rena Butler, a Chicago native, trained at The Chicago Academy for the Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts, and SUNY Purchase (BFA). She performed with Hubbard Street, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, and Gibney. A Princess Grace, Isadora Duncan, and Ferradini Grander Award recipient, Butler has choreographed for Het Nationale Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, San Francisco Opera, Hubbard Street, and more. Her works span opera, ballet, film, and museums across the U.S. and Europe. Her practice weaves storytelling, identity, and the reclamation of traditional narratives through interdisciplinary performance and film.

The creation of In Session is supported by Robert A. Press M.D.

*  “HIDE N SEEK” written by Jaylah Hickmon, Kalon Berry, Michael Hernandez and “STANKA POOH” written by Devin Williams, Jaylah Hickmon, Kalon Berry, and Miles Franklin, courtesy of Universal Music Publishing and Warner – Tamerlane Publishing.
“BLOOM” written by Jayda Love, Jaylah Hickmon, Matthew Hawkins, and Xavier Beard, courtesy of Say Zay Publishing and Universal Music Publishing.
“Doechii: Alligator Bites Never Heal, "DENIAL IS A RIVER", & Hip-Hop Traditions, from Apple Music”. “NISSAN ALTIMA” written by Jaylah Hickmon and Randle Markus Alandrus, courtesy of Universal Music Publishing and Childish Major Music.
“Nosebleeds” written by Jaylah Hickmon and Jonas Jeberg courtesy of Jonas Jeberg Publishing and Universal Music Publishing
“BOOM BAP” written by Darhyl Camper, DIXSON, and Jaylah Hickmon courtesy of Universal Music Publishing.

-INTERMISSION-

THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW
(2025)
Choreography by My’Kal Stromile
Music by Various Artists*
Costume design by Ezra Lovesky
Lighting design by Brandon Stirling Baker

Carley Cruzat Brooks, Xavier Logan, Eric J. Vidaña

My’Kal Stromile received his BFA from The Juilliard School under the direction of Larry Rhodes, following training with Kim Abel, Ceyhun Ozsoy, Dereque Whiturs, and Anna-Marie Holmes at The School at Jacob’s Pillow. A 2014 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, an honor awarded by President Barack Obama, he has performed works by William Forsythe, Aszure Barton, Crystal Pite, Dwight Rhoden, and Jerome Robbins, and danced with Bruce Wood Dance, Disney Productions, and Boston Ballet (2018–2024), where he became a Princess Grace Award nominee. Stromile has choreographed for Boston Ballet, The Juilliard School, the Joyce Theater’s UNITE Ballet Festival, and Vail Dance Festival, among others. In 2024, he choreographed Word for Word for the Paris Opera Ballet in collaboration with CHANEL and participated in the New York Choreographic Institute. He is the recipient of Juilliard’s Hector Zaraspe Prize in Choreography and was recognized with Choreographic Honors three consecutive years. Upcoming commissions include Juilliard’s New Dances and Boston Ballet (2026).

*  “Magnets” (feat. Alan Thompson, 5hekwoaga, & Butler Knowles) by Elijah Fox courtesy of Universal Music Group.
“Nothing Can Stop Us” performed by The Vernon Spring, written by Sam Beste.
“Strength Of A Young Man” performed by The Vernon Spring, written by Sam Beste courtesy of BMG Rights Management.
“Cashew” performed by FKJ, written by Vincent Fenton.
“Meeting Again in the Void” performed by FKJ, written by Vincent Fenton.
“TUI” performed and written FKJ.
“Lying Together- Interlude” performed by FKJ, written by Vincent Fenton.

-Pause-

LIKES VS LIFE
(2025)
Choreography by Renée I. McDonald
Music by Various Artists*
Costume design by Heather Craig
Lighting design by Harrison Hoffert

Meredith Brown, Darion Turner, Jordyn White

Renée I. McDonald is a Jamaican choreographer, dancer, photographer, and attorney-at-law. She trained at the Tony Wilson School of Modern Dance in Kingston and danced with the Company Dance Theatre for 12 years, serving 5 years as Rehearsal Director. Since beginning her journey with choreography in 2008, she has become one of Jamaica’s most in-demand choreographers, creating critically acclaimed and award-winning works for companies, schools, artistes, and major events. Renée is the first choreographer from Jamaica to set a piece (Breaking Point) on Ailey II. She is currently the Associate Artistic Director of CDT Jamaica and practices law full-time.

*  “Overture of Conclave,” “Arrival,” and “Soon Enough,” composed by Volker Bertelmann.
“The Night King,” written by Ramin Djawadi, courtesy of Universal Music Publishing.

-INTERMISSION-

REVELATIONS
(1960)

Choreography by Alvin Ailey
Music: Traditional
Décor and costumes by Ves Harper
Costumes for “Rocka My Soul” redesigned by Barbara Forbes
Lighting by Nicola Cernovitch

Pilgrim of Sorrow

I Been 'Buked................... The Company
Music arranged by Hall Johnson*

Didn't My Lord
Deliver Daniel................... Xavier Logan, Adanna Smalls, Meredith Brown
Music arranged by James Miller+

Fix Me, Jesus..................... Jordyn White, Christian Butts
Music arranged by Hall Johnson*

Take Me to the Water

Processional/Honor,
Honor................................. Eric J. Vidaña, Jada Ammons, Kamani Abu, Xavier Logan
Music adapted and arranged by Howard A. Roberts

Wade in the Water........... Carley Cruzat Brooks, Darion Turner, Adanna Smalls
Music adapted and arranged by Howard A. Roberts
“Wade in the Water” sequence by Ella Jenkins.
“A Man Went Down to the River” is an original composition by Ella Jenkins.

I Wanna Be Ready............. Xhosa Scott
Music arranged by James Miller+

Move, Members, Move

Sinner Man......................... Christian Butts, Xavier Logan, Eric J. Vidaña
Music adapted and arranged by Howard A. Roberts

The Day is Past
and Gone............................. The Company
Music arranged by Howard A. Roberts and Brother John Sellers

You May Run On................. The Company
Music arranged by Howard A. Roberts and Brother John Sellers

Rocka My Soul in the
Bosom of Abraham............ The Company
Music adapted and arranged by Howard A. Roberts

* Used by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc., publisher and copyright owner.
+ Used by special arrangement with Galaxy Music Corporation, New York City.

All performances of Revelations are permanently endowed by a generous gift
from Donald L. Jonas in celebration of the birthday of his wife, Barbara,
and her deep commitment to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Ailey II—The Next Generation of Dance—is AILEY’s second company.

Founded in 1974 as the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, Ailey II has advanced Alvin Ailey’s vision by giving early-career dancers the vital experience of transitioning from training as a student to becoming a professional dancer. Ailey II dancers bring their technical mastery and emotional depth to works by the most daring established and emerging choreographers. Just as Mr. Ailey envisioned, the company continues to expand the audience for dance through global touring and community-based performances.

Sylvia Waters, the company’s first artistic director, was personally chosen by Mr. Ailey and led the company for 38 seasons. In September 2021, Francesca Harper became artistic director. Ms. Harper—a former student at The Ailey School who has choreographed for both AILEY companies—guides Ailey II with her unique perspective, paying homage to Mr. Ailey’s legacy while taking the company in bold, new directions.

Under Ms. Harper’s direction, Ailey II is forging a new path for modern dance—one that’s inclusive, experimental, and transformative.

AILEY II PRODUCTION CREDITS

Francesca Harper................... Artistic Director
Sylvia Waters.......................... Artistic Director Emerita
Shay Bland.............................. Rehearsal Director

Eric D. Wright.......................... General Manager
Isabelle Mezin......................... Director of Company Business Affairs
Sumaya Jackson...................... Company Manager
Maragret Caradona................Stage Manager
Harrison Hoffert..................... Lighting and Sound Supervisor
Heather Craig.......................... Wardrobe Supervisor

Jennifer Fyall............................. Associate Director of Marketing
Tracy Severe............................. Associate Director of Public Relations

TOURING CONTACT
OPUS 3 ARTISTS: 212-584-7500 / www.opus3artists.com

AILEY.org/AileyII
Follow us on Instagram – @AileyII
Like us on Facebook – www.facebook.com/AileyII

FRANCESCA HARPER, Artistic Director
Francesca Harper began her professional dance career with Dance Theatre of Harlem. She was also a member of Ballett Frankfurt from 1991-1999 under the direction of William Forsythe, and she has performed on Broadway in productions including Fosse, All Shook Up, The Color Purple, Sweet Charity, and Sophisticated Ladies, and was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical by Broadway.com for her role as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill. Ms. Harper created her first play, 50 minutes with Harriet and Phillis, produced by Anna Deavere Smith, with her aunt, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Margo Jefferson, and Paul Miller, a.k.a DJ Spooky. In 2014, she debuted her critically acclaimed one-woman show, The Look of Feeling, as a writer, actor, dancer, and vocalist. She is also the writer, producer, composer, and narrator of the documentary film To Lillian (2021). Ms. Harper has choreographed works for companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Dance Theater of Harlem, Hubbard Street II, and Tanz Graz, as well as The Francesca Harper Project, which she had founded in 2005. Her television and film credits include appearances on Boardwalk Empire, Late Night with David Letterman, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. She served as ballet consultant for the motion picture Black Swan and was featured in Zinnias – The Life of Clementine Hunter, directed by Robert Wilson. In 2013, Ms. Harper received a Living History Award during Black History Month from Long Island University and the Innovation and Technology Award for her choreography for Fashion Week with designer Louis Vuitton. She also served as co-director and choreographer for the musical Rose’s War and as movement director for Tommy Hilfiger and Zendaya for their fashion show at the Apollo Theater in 2019. Ms. Harper was the creator and directorial consultant for 16 world premiere virtual films. Her latest works include a new creation for Wendy Whelan, Associate Artistic Director of New York City Ballet, and poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph. Currently, Ms. Harper is engaged as Executive Producer with Sony Pictures on a series in development, and recently she received her Masters of Fine Arts degree from Goddard College.

SYLVIA WATERS, Artistic Director Emerita, Ailey II
Sylvia Waters was personally selected by Alvin Ailey in 1974 as Artistic Director of Ailey II and led the company for 38 years. She attended The Juilliard School, where she worked with Donald McKayle’s company, and with a young Hava Kohav –who later became an actress and Academy Award nominee— performing very often to widely populated audiences of the entire New York Dance community at the YMHA. After receiving her B.S. from Juilliard, she moved to Paris, where she appeared regularly on television. She toured in the European company of Black Nativity and worked with Michel Descombey, then director of the Paris Opera Ballet, as well as Milko Šparembleck. She also performed in Donald McKayle's European production of Black New World and worked with Maurice Béjart’s company performing in Brussels and at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City. In 1968, Ms. Waters joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and toured with the Company until assuming leadership of Ailey II. She has received honorary doctorates from the State University of New York at Oswego and The Juilliard School, and she has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts. Ms. Waters is a recipient of the Legacy Award as part of the 20th Annual IABD Festival, Syracuse University’s Women of Distinction Award, a Dance Magazine Award, and a “Bessie” Award.

SHAY BLAND, Rehearsal Director
Shay Bland is from Englewood, NJ. She began her formal dance training at The Ailey School in 2007 where she was a scholarship student in the Junior Division. She is a graduate of the Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS), and has danced with several companies including Ailey II, Elisa Monte Dance, Nimbus Dance Theater, Von Howard Project, Francesca Harper Project, Ray Mercer Collective, Kachal Dance, and The Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Ms. Bland has worked on projects on and off-Broadway including The Visitor (off-Broadway) as associate choreographer, and as assistant choreographer for the 13-time nominated Broadway show Hell’s Kitchen. She was also lead choreographer for Nebraska High School Theater Academy (NHSTA) in conjunction with Omaha Performing Arts. As an educator, Ms. Bland serves as a faculty member at Pace University, The Ailey School, Manhattan Youth Ballet, and Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts (EMIA).

AILEY II WHO’S WHO

KAMANI ABU (New Castle, DE) began his dance training at the age of 16 at a local studio in his hometown. He also trained in the summer intensive at BalletX. He is a recent graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program, and has worked with choreographers including Jennifer Archibald, Tracy Inman, Darshan Bhuller, Gregory Dawson, and Maleek Washington. In 2023, Abu performed in Geoffrey Holder’s Dougla with Dance Theatre of Harlem and in Alvin Ailey’s Memoria during Ailey’s New York City Center season. This is his first season with Ailey II.

JADA AMMONS (Los Angeles, CA) began her dance training at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. She earned her BFA in Dance from Point Park University in 2022 and graduated from The Ailey School’s Certificate Program in 2025. Ammons also trained in the School’s Summer Intensive where she was the recipient of the Oprah Winfrey Foundation Scholarship. She has performed works by choreographers Debbie Allen, Renee Robinson, Ray Mercer, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Christopher L. Huggins, Ronald K. Brown, Branndi Lewis, and Freddie Moore. This is Ammons’ first season with Ailey II.

CARLEY CRUZAT BROOKS (Chicago, IL) received her training at TDA Prep under the direction of Preston Miller and Jacqueline Green. Her studies include summer dance intensives with Jacob's Pillow, Nederlands Dans Theater, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Brooks graduated from the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program, class of 2025. She has performed works by Alvin Ailey, Jiří Kylián, Ronald K. Brown, Hope Boykin, Marco Goecke, Jennifer Archibald, and Christopher L. Huggins. Her performance highlights include Geoffrey Holder’s Dougla with Dance Theatre of Harlem and Alvin Ailey’s Memoria during Ailey’s New York City Center season in 2023. This is Brooks’ second season with Ailey II.

MEREDITH BROWN (Asheville, NC) began her dance training at a local studio in her hometown. She studied at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and she is a recent graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program, where she performed in Alvin Ailey’s Festa Barroca and Memoria during Ailey’s 2022 and 2023 New York City Center seasons. Brown also danced in Hope Boykin’s Chasing the Spirit at Jazz at Lincoln Center. She worked with Madison Hicks’ “The Moving Forward Collective,” and she is an alumnus of the Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Program, where she worked with Sidra Bell, Rena Butler, and Antoine Vereecken. This is Ms. Brown’s second season with Ailey II.

CHRISTIAN BUTTS (Atlanta, GA) began his dance training at Dancemakers of Atlanta under the direction of Lynise Heard and Denise Heard-Latimer. He also trained in the summer intensive programs at GALLIM School of Movement with Andrea Miller and A.I.M by Kyle Abraham. He has worked and performed pieces by Linda Celeste Sims and Glenn Allen Sims, Nattie Trogdon and Hollis Bartlett, Seán Curran, Michelle Thompson-Ulerich, and Kevin Wynn. In 2025, he graduated from SUNY Purchase receiving a BFA in Dance with a concentration in composition. This is his first season with Ailey II.

JENNIFER M. GERKEN (Houston, TX) began her dance training at age six. In 2016, she was accepted into Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. In 2019, Gerken received the Mary Martha Lappe Dance Scholarship and performed in an excerpt of Appalachian Spring by Martha Graham in the roles of the Bride and Follower. She was a student in the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program where she graduated in 2023. Gerken has performed works by William Forsythe, Mark Caserta, Ethan Colangelo, José Limón, and Paul Taylor. This is her second season with Ailey II.

XAVIER LOGAN (Atlanta, GA) trained at Dancemakers of Atlanta. He is a recent graduate of The Juilliard School and has worked with choreographers Medhi Walkerski, Tom Weinberger, Sharon Eyal, Jamar Roberts, Bobbi Jene Smith, and Or Schraiber, amongst others. Logan has been featured on The Vampire Diaries, Dance Moms, and So You Think You Can Dance. In 2023, his work Welcome To The J(U) premiered as the first ever hip-hop dance to appear on Juilliard’s mainstage, and he was named one of Teen Vogue & GLAAD’s “20 Under 20” rising stars. This is Logan’s second season with Ailey II.

XHOSA SCOTT (Richmond, VA) was raised in Virginia where he began dancing with The School of Richmond Ballet’s outreach program, Minds in Motion. He continued training at Baltimore School for the Arts, and attended summer intensives including the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and The Juilliard School. After graduating high school under the School of American Ballet, Scott attended The University of Virginia where he majored in Art History with a minor in Anthropology. While at The Ailey School in the Scholarship Program, he performed works by choreographers including Ronald K Brown, Amy Hall Garner, Ray Mercer, and Darrell Grand Moultrie. This is Scott’s second season with Ailey II.

ADANNA SMALLS (Brooklyn, NY) began her formal dance training at the Abrons Arts Center/Henry Street Settlement. A 2021 graduate of the Professional Performing Arts School with a concentration in dance, she went on to complete the Certificate Program at The Ailey School. That same year, she performed in Bird Lives! and Memoria during Ailey’s New York City Center season. Smalls had the opportunity to work with renowned choreographers including Clifton Brown, Norbert De La Cruz III, and Ronald K. Brown, and she previously served as an apprentice with Evidence, A Dance Company. This is her first season with Ailey II.

DARION TURNER (Clayton County, GA) began his dance training at AileyCamp Atlanta and attended Martha Ellen Stilwell School of the Arts. He studied as a scholarship student at Atlanta Ballet and Eagles Landing Dance Center. Turner is a graduate of the Certificate Program at The Ailey School and worked with choreographers Darrell Grand Moultrie, Christopher L. Huggins Anthony Burrell, Amy Hall Garner, Ronald K. Brown, Norbert De La Cruz, Brandi Lewis, Houston Thomas, and Baye & Asa. He also performed works by Robert Battle, Geoffrey Holder, and danced in Alvin Ailey’s Memoria during AILEY’s 2022 New York City Center season. This is Turner’s second season with Ailey II.

ERIC J. VIDAÑA (Las Vegas, NV) is a graduate of the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts. He received his early dance training from The Nevada Ballet Theatre and continued studying at West Las Vegas Arts Center and Contemporary West Dance Theatre’s Conservatory, under the direction of Bernard Gaddis and Avree Walker. Vidaña furthered his dance education as a Scholarship student at The Ailey School. He has performed works by choreographers including Alvin Ailey, Hope Boykin, Donald Byrd, Michelle Manzanales, Tommie Waheed Evans, Milton Myers, Jeneane Huggins, Don Bellamy, Rennie Harris, Ronald K. Brown, and Christopher L. Huggins. This is his second season with Ailey II.

JORDYN WHITE (West Palm Beach, FL) graduated from Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts high school. She began her dance training at Raskin Dance Studio in Florida and attended summer intensives at Joffrey Ballet School, Modas Dance, and The Ailey School. White has performed works by choreographers Houston Thomas, George Balanchine, Judith Jamison, and Ronald K. Brown, and danced in Alvin Ailey’s Memoria during Ailey’s 2022 and 2023 New York City Center seasons. She is a recent graduate of The Ailey School’s Certificate Program, and the University of Florida with a BA in Psychology. This is White’s second season with Ailey II.

APPRENTICES

VIC E. DAVIS (Atlanta, GA) is originally from Gaffney, South Carolina. He began his formal dance training at South Gwinnett High School in Atlanta, where he graduated with honors. He continued studying as a scholarship student at Gwinnett School of Dance, Northeast Atlanta Ballet, and Atlanta Dance Connection. Davis is currently a student at The Ailey School where he trains on scholarship and has performed works by choreographers including Christopher L. Huggins, Maleek Washington, and Clifford Williams. This is his first season as an apprentice with Ailey II.

JAYDIN J. DE JESÚS (West Hartford, CT) is a current senior in the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program. He received his early dance training at Studio 860 and continued his studies at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts high school. He has performed works by Alvin Ailey, Takehiro Ueyama, Martha Graham, Christopher L. Huggins, Pedro Ruiz, and Ray Mercer. This is De Jesús’ first season as an apprentice with Ailey II.

NAIA NEAL (Aptos, CA) began her dance training at the age of seven at Dancenter, a local dance school in her hometown. She is a graduate from the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program, where she received the 2023 Denise Jefferson Memorial Scholarship. Neal has performed works by choreographers Christopher L. Huggins, Hope Boykin, Jonathan Lee, PeiJu Chien-Pott, Clifford Williams, Darshan Singh Bhuller, and Ephrat Asherie. She also danced in Alvin Ailey’s Memoria during Ailey’s 2023 New York City Center season and at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) in 2024. This is Neal’s second season as an apprentice with Ailey II.

MICHELLE OSANYA (Ames, IA) began her dance training at Robert Thomas Dancenter. She also attended summer intensives with LINES Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and TDA Prep with Preston Miller and Jacqueline Green. Osanya is currently a junior in the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program and has performed works by Adam Barruch, Burr Johnson, Adrienne Hurd, and Judith Jamison. In 2024, Osanya performed in Harrison Guy’s Can We Know the Sound of Forgiveness at Carnegie Hall, and recently, she worked with choreographer Kyle Abraham and slowdanger at Springboard Danse. This is her first season as an apprentice with Ailey II.

ALVIN AILEY DANCE FOUNDATION
Recipient of a National Medal of Arts

Bennett Rink, Executive Director

ALVIN AILEY DANCE FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Chairman
Daria L. Wallach

President
Anthony S. Kendall

Jolen V. Anderson, Eleanor S. Applewhaite, Esi Eggleston Bracey, Janice Brathwaite, Laura D. Corb,
Georgette C. Dixon, Markus Green, Esq., Jaileah X. Huddleston, Vickee Jordan Adams, Jaishri Kapoor,
Suzan Kereere, Kristin LaRoche, Anthony A. Lewis, Alicia Graf Mack, Johnbull Okpara, Jack Pitts,
Paula Price, Muhammad Qubbaj, Lata N. Reddy, Bennett Rink, Oti Roberts, Cara Robinson,
Danielle M. Robinson, PhD, Tara L. Smith, Joan H. Weill, Jean-Rene Zetrenne, Pamela D. Zilly

Chairmen Emeriti
Philip Laskawy, Stanley Plesent, Esq.,* Joan H. Weill

President Emeriti
Debra L. Lee, Henry McGee

*In Memoriam

Thank you to the Touring Dance Series Sponsor

Neuman Family Foundation

And to tonight's performance sponsor

R. Harold Burton Foundation

Thank you to our 2025 - 26 Season Sponsors:

GORDON & CONNIE HANKS

DAN JOHN & ERICA LEMKE

NANCY PEERY MARRIOTT

DINESH & KALPANA PATEL

SALLIE SHATZ

BEVERLEY TAYLOR SORENSON FOUNDATION

ALICE & KEVIN STEINER

KYLE TREADWAY & GREG PEDROZA

Sō Percussion

VIRTUOSO CONCERT SERIES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC

TUESDAY, January 13, 2026

LIBBY GARDNER CONCERT HALL

4+9 was written for the Sō Percussion Summer Institute 2017.  The piece explores all of the ways that a bar of 9/4 can be subdivided:  There are 36 sixteenth notes in the bar (9 beats x 4 sixteenth notes per beat) - and 36 can be divided evenly by 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, and 18.  The various combinations of different overlapping divisions in the bar make the underlying groupings of 16th notes constantly sound different.  I used this basic idea in a piece for So Percussion’s project ‘A Gun Show’ in 2016, but Four and Nine explores simply the pure process of hearing each possible combination in turn.

Notes by Eric Cha-Beach

Dear Readers, here are a few things to know about Strange and Artificial Echoes ahead of time:
It lasts about 25 minutes.
Feel free to daydream.
The rocks came from my backyard.
It is not in sonata form.

For avid readers of program notes, here are a few more things one could know:

Around 1623, Francis Bacon was writing an unusual utopian novel, New Atlantis, which was left unpublished until his death a few years later. One passage depicts imaginary Sound Houses: “We have also diverse strange and Artificiall Eccho's Reflecting the Voice many times, and as it were tossing it: And some that give backe the Voice Lowder than it came, some shriller and some Deeper.” About three hundred years later, sound artist Celeste Oram pinned this passage to the door of her studio in the BBC building in London, where she was experimenting with tape and electronics while engineering sounds for Samuel Beckett’s first radio plays in the 1950s. A decade later, in another radio house (WBAI New York), composers John Cage and Morton Feldman recorded four open-ended conversations from 1966 to 1967, musing on radio waves, telepathic messages, and “what a sound is.” Unrelated to any of this is a 2013 performance in a high school auditorium on 24th Street in New York, during which I heard the Ebene Quartet play Mozart’s “Dissonance” and I wept during the second movement.

The spoken voices on the cassettes are Celeste Oram (BBC 1969) and John Cage in conversation with Morton Feldman (WBAI 1966-67). The singing/humming voice on the cassettes is my own. The other music on the tapes includes fragments of Mozart K465 (Guarneri) and rehearsals with Sō. The opening moment of the piece is inspired by my friend, the composer Andrea Mazzariello, who mused in conversation once that he just wanted to hear someone simply hit two rocks together.

Writing “Strange and Artificial Echoes” for my longtime friends in Sō Percussion has been one of the deepest musical experiences of my life, and one of my most challenging joys. Thank you to Carnegie Hall and The Concertgebouw for commissioning these echoes. I hope they resonate with you in some strange way.

Notes by Caroline Shaw

Kendall K. Williams’ new quartet, Panorama for Mallet Quartet, features the configuration of two marimbas and two vibraphones. We asked Kendall to write for us in the style of the instrumental pieces of the steel band competition called Panorama. In 2020, just before COVID arrived, Sō Percussion traveled to Trinidad to perform in the Skiffle Steel Orchestra during Panorama finals. Kendall was arranging for the band at that time.

One of the striking features of playing in a steel band is that the music is taught by rote through oral instruction and demonstration. When we performed with Skiffle, our skills in reading music were useless – the musicians in Trinidad were much faster at picking up the music by ear than we were.

When we asked Kendall to write this piece, we prompted him to recreate this process for us. For almost four years, we convened periodically with Kendall so that he could teach it to us note-by-note. The value in this experiment, impractical as it was, was that it gave Kendall ample time to compose along the way. He had no idea how the piece was going to end when we were learning the first notes.

Panorama pieces, like sonata forms, have standard sections that are expected by listeners. Kendall would often refer to “the minor section” or “the jam” as a shorthand for things that he knew would eventually exist in the piece, even if he didn’t yet know how we were going to get there. Something that all Panorama pieces have in common is that they are based on a theme from a popular song, but this Panorama is composed from scratch.

Steel bands have two main types of instruments: the melodic steel pans and the “engine room,” which consists of drums, congas, metal brake drums, shakers, and other non-pitched instruments. Naturally, performers play one or the other. In Sō’s Panorama quartet, Kendall assigns the engine room to our feet, so that we play hi-hats, bass drums, and even cowbells simultaneously with our melodic mallet instruments. This is a particular kind of virtuosic challenge, because marimba and vibraphones are usually meant to be played from a stable standing position (and the vibraphone has a pedal). In a nod to the percussion quartet tradition, we also break out occasionally to play tin cans.

Although this steel pan world would seem to come from beyond our shores, the genre has become important in the USA, particularly among the large Trinidadian population in Brooklyn, who celebrate their own massive Panorama festival during Labor Day (in Trinidad the festival corresponds with Lent and Carnival). Kendall represents a cohort of American-born pan masters whose style and sensibility is heavily influenced by New York.

Notes by Adam Sliwinski

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

 - Max Ehrmann’s “Desiderata”

Jason Treuting’s Amid the Noise began as a soundtrack, which morphed into our third album and then into a flexible set of live music. Now it is a communal music-making project that can occur with a flexible number of musicians in almost any combination. Go Placidly with Haste grew out of this same concept.

The musical ideas are abstract: drones, melodies, rhythms, textures, patterns. Originally, Sō Percussion orchestrated them on the instruments we had in our studio, but we’ve since discovered that accordion, organ, or tuba might play a satisfying drone as well as bowed vibraphone! Like Terry Riley’s In C, this work maintains its identity and integrity even through wildly different realizations.

This modular concept allows us to conduct residencies that reach beyond percussion departments. Many kinds of students at a music school or conservatory can participate in Amid the Noise: vocalists, string quartets, wind and brass players, guitarists, and of course percussionists.

Notes by Jason Treuting

For 25 years and counting, Grammy-winning percussion quartet Sō Percussion has redefined chamber music for the 21st century through an “exhilarating blend of precision and anarchy, rigor and bedlam” (The New Yorker). They are celebrated by audiences and presenters for a dazzling range of work: for live performances in which “telepathic powers of communication” (The New York Times) bring to life the vibrant percussion repertoire; for an extravagant array of collaborations in classical music, pop, indie rock, contemporary dance, and theater; and for their work in education and community-building, seeking to explore the immense possibility of art in our time.

To celebrate its 25th anniversary season, Sō Percussion releases 25x25 on Cantaloupe Music in September 2025, an 8-disc box set featuring 500 minutes of entirely new and previously unreleased recordings of 21st century music, each piece written for, in collaboration with, and premiered by Sō Percussion. 25x25 includes works by Bora Yoon, Kendall K. Williams, Vân-Ánh Võ, Dan Trueman, Jason Treuting, Olivier Tarpaga, Shodekeh Talifero, Caroline Shaw. Juri Seo, claire rousay, Tristan Perich, Angélica Negrón, Andrea Mazzariello, Steven Mackey, Michael J. Love, Leilehua Lanzilotti, Nathalie Joachim, Robyn Jacob, Vijay Iyer, Suzanne Farrin, Cenk Ergün, Donnacha Dennehy, Dan Deacon, Eric Cha-Beach – and Sō Percussion as a writing group!

Recent highlights include  a headlining series of concerts and collaborations at Bang on a Can’s LOUD Weekend at MASS MoCA, leading a festival-opening of Steve Reich’s Drumming with the composer in the audience; a two-week residency at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in two programs, including collaborations with Helado Negro and Kate Stables (This is the Kit) and with Caroline Shaw featuring Ringdown performing a program highlighting their GRAMMY-winning Nonesuch album, Rectangles and Circumstance (Best Chamber Music / Small Ensemble Performance, 2025). Sō has performed concerts at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Big Ears, Cal Performances, the BOZAR in Brussels, 92NY, at the Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Penn Live Arts in Philadelphia, the Hancher Auditorium at the University of Iowa, the Library of Congress; toured Benin and Burkina Faso with Olivier Tarpaga - and elsewhere.

Along with 25x25, Sō has a catalog of more than thirty albums featuring landmark recordings of works by David Lang, Steve Reich, Julia Wolfe, Caroline Shaw, Steven Mackey, Bobby Previte, Matmos, and many others.

Rooted in the belief that music is an elemental form of human communication, and galvanized by forces for social change, Sō enthusiastically pursues a range of social and community outreach through their nonprofit umbrella, including an ongoing partnership with Pan in Motion; the Sō Laboratories concert series; a studio residency program in Brooklyn; and the Sō Percussion Summer Institute, an intensive two-week chamber music seminar for percussionists and composers they have led annually since 2009. The members of Sō Percussion are the Edward T. Cone Performers-in-Residence at Princeton University - a role they’ve held for more than a decade.

Sō Percussion is Jason Treuting, Adam Sliwinski, Josh Quillen, and Eric Cha-Beach.

Sō Percussion uses:
Pearl/Adams Instruments
Vic Firth Drumsticks and Mallets
Zildjian Cymbals
Blackswamp Accessories
Remo Drumheads
Estey Organs
Kyle Dunleavy Steel Pans
MalletMan Steel Drum Mallets

Sō Percussion would like to thank these companies for their generous support and donations.

Percussion students performing tonight:

• Davis Fowers
• Nathan Montoya
• Ella Prawitt
• Peter Hill
• Jake Harker
• Rebekah Hall
• Zach Anderson
• Conner Johnson
• Kaitlynn Steff
• Alex Kent
• Jordan McMillan
• Tim Petersen
• Ellie Foote
• Jaxon Howes
• Eillot Mohlman
• Evelyn Williams
• Sawyner Nutall
• Ian Miller
• Drew Fallon

Upcoming Percussion Events (click the links for more info):

Evening of Percussion with John Psathas, guest artist / composer

Sandbox Percussion Concert

Exclusive Percussion-Only Patron List

The University of Utah School of Music has developed an exclusive percussion-only patron list and would be happy to keep you informed of upcoming Percussion Concerts at the U. Please click this link and fill out contact information to be added to this list.

University of Utah Percussion Faculty
Michael Sammons, D.M.A., Percussion Area Head
Mason Aeschbacher, Global Music Ensemble
Keith Carrick, Orchestral Percussion
Danny Soulier, Timpani
Kelly Wallis, Drum-set / Jazz Vibraphone
Heath Wolf, Music Education / Percussion Methods
Douglas Wolf, Professor Emeritus

Thank you to the Virtuoso Series Sponsor

Thank you to our 2025 - 26 Season Sponsors:

GORDON & CONNIE HANKS

DAN JOHN & ERICA LEMKE

NANCY PEERY MARRIOTT

DINESH & KALPANA PATEL

SALLIE SHATZ

ALICE & KEVIN STEINER

KYLE TREADWAY & GREG PEDROZA