Revisiting
Dec. 15 and 16, 2023 at New York Live Arts
Choreography: Melissa van Wijk
Costume Design: Stacy Jansen
Costume Supervisor: Hannah Mattingly
Lighting Design: Maryam Sweirki
Stage Management: Kaleigh Bernier, Heather Guthrie Skovera, Mya Piccione
Dancers: Greta Baier, Justin Campbell, Lisa Clementi, Infiniti Eaglin, Ilanah Everett, Dominique Lockett, Abby McBroom, Ava McIntosh, Elvig Michael, Janet Nightingale, Jamie Petrone, Avery Roberts, Nicole Sclafani, Sara Schwabacher, joined by students from P94M@340 and P811 Mickey Mantle School.
So, Anyway….
Turning the stage into its living room, Born Dancing premiered So, Anyway... a new one-act show about getting off the couch, getting our dance on, and sharing small talk, big talks, a few laughs, and some painful conversations. The work is set to music by Kenyan folk singer Ondara and featured live musical accompaniment under the direction of Eric Finland.
DECEMBER 16-18, 2022
Ailey Citigroup Theater (ADA Accessible), 405 W55th Street, NYC, 10019
Audio Description by Laura Congleton.
American Sign Language Interpretation offered at all three performances.
Dancers: Vivian Abarno, Greta Baier, Patricia Beilman, Serenity Brown, Tim Canali, Samuel Caraballo, Keller Chung, Lisa Clementi, Isaac Edelson, Christopher Francis, Aaliyah Hardy, Dominique Lockett, Ava McIntosh, Elvig Michael, Janeya Nazario, Jamie Petrone, Niilah Rivera, Avery Roberts, and Nicole Sclafani.
Band: Chris Anderson (Upright bass), Eric Finland (Keys), Jonathon Hoard (Lead vocals), Evan Pazner (Drums/percussion), and Morgan Weidinger (Acoustic guitar, vox, violin).
Creative and Production Team:
Choreography Melissa van Wijk
Music Direction Eric Finland
Costume Design Stacy Jansen
Costume Design Assistant Kim Griffin
Lighting Design Maryam Sweirki
Stage Manager Kaleigh Bernier
Assistant Stage Manager Heather Guthrie Skovera
Born Dancing Live and In-Person | 2021
Born Dancing Live and In-Person
December 10, 11, and 12, 2021
The Flea Theater (20 Thomas Street, New York, NY 10007. ADA accessible)
Born Dancing presented two new choreographic works, inspired by paintings by visual artists Ton Schulten and Jacqueline Malanga. Featuring a musical composition written for us by Croatian digital composer Ranko Šajfar.
Dancers: Greta Baier, Edwardo Brito, Madeline Charles, Lisa Clementi, Zachary Denison, Joán Joel, Avery Roberts, and Nicole Sclafani.
Creative and Production Team:
Visual Art Jacqueline Malanga
Visual Art Ton Schulten
Choreography Melissa van Wijk
Original Music Ranko Šajfar
Costume Design Stacy Jansen
Costume Design Assistant Stephanie Mae Fisher
Lighting Design Bentley Heydt
Projection Design Jeremy Allen
Born Dancing and Misty Boyce | June 2019
Born Dancing performances with singer/songwriter Misty Boyce. Born Dancing presented Spin 1/2 and Stop-Loss (Premieres) and Wasted Love; a modern dance Not So Fairy Tale. All shows with live music. June 14, 15 and 16, 2019 at The Riverside Theater. Performances offered ASL Interpretation by Elizabeth Botti and live Audio Description by Laura Congleton.
As always our cast featured dancers of all ages and abilities: David Buffam, Samuel Caraballo, Madeline Charles, Lisa Clementi, Infiniti Eaglin, Ilanah Everett, Madison Ferris, Joán Joel, Bashak Kahya, Beste Kahya, Bree Klauser, Dominique Lockett, Chris Makens, Janet Nightingale, Nicole Sclafani, and Caileen Teige.
Choreography: Melissa van Wijk
Music Direction: Misty Boyce
Costume Design: Stacy Jansen
Lighting Design Michael Cole
Musicians: Misty Boyce (vocals, piano), Zach Jones (drums), Chris Kuffner (Bass, Vocals), Bess Rogers (vocals, guitar), and Hannah Winkler (vocals, keyboards).
Martha Graham Studio Theater | December 2018
Madeline Charles and Madison Ferris. (Photo: Russell Haydn). (Black and white photo of two women laying on the floor with one women behind the other holding each other).
Born Dancing Performances were held December 13-16, 2018 at the Martha Graham Studio Theater.
The cast for this production spanned every decade between age 9 and 75 and -as always- featured dancers with and without disabilities. Born Dancing presented 6 works, including 4 new works.
DANCERS: Greta Baier, Kamran Barbour, Patricia Beilman, David Buffam, Tim Canali, Madeline Charles, Lisa Clementi, Infiniti Eaglin, Ilanah Everett, Madison Ferris, Emily Frances, Autumn Garcia, Cyndy Gilbertson, Isaac Green, Joán Joel, Afadji Johnson, Meagan Kolakowski, Dominique Lockett, Chris Makens, Ava McIntosh, Rudra Nasker, Janet Nightingale, Coralie Saulson, Sara Schwabacher, Nicole Sclafani, and Kelly Vaghenas.
COSTUME DESIGN: Stacy Jansen.
LIGHTING DESIGN: Michael Cole.
Arts on Site | July 21, 2018
Madeline Charles and Madison Ferris. (Photo: Kyle Netzeband). (Audience seated on floor around two female dancers in grey dresses reaching up high. One woman is seated on the floor, the other in a wheelchair).
Born Dancing showed a duet from Grey performed by Madeline Charles and Madison Ferris at a monthly Performance Party hosted by Arts on Site.
Saturday July 21, 2018 at 9 PM at Arts on Site, 12 St. Marks Place at 3rd Avenue, NYC
The Riverside Theater | January 2018
Kelly Vaghenas and Lisa Clementi. (Photo Russell Haydn). (A female dancers carries and holds another woman who is folded into a fetal position around the first woman’s chest and arms).
January 19, 20, and 21, 2018 at The Riverside Theater Born Dancing presented four works, including two new works. In addition to re-stagings of Silver Staircase and Stems, the company of multiple generations of dancers with and without disabilities debut Grey and Sshhh--all choreographed by Born Dancing's Founder and Executive Director, Melissa van Wijk.
The inspiration for Grey started with the piano and violin driven music of contemporary composer Ludovico Einaudi and evolved after the choreographer saw a video of dancer Ahmad Joudeh who stayed in Syria to teach dance to children who had lost their parents or families to the violence. Ahmad would also dance among the ruins in tribute to those who had lost their lives. That haunting video made its way into the heart of Grey along with other stories and images of refugees.
The second new work Sshhh, as well as Silver Staircase and Stems, put women front and center. While in Grey the only color came from children, in Sshhh the only voices heard were from women.
DANCERS: Andrea Ansale, Samantha Barriento, Tim Canali, Samuel Caraballo, Madeline Charles, Lisa Clementi, Amber Davis, Madison Ferris, Juliana Garber, Dominique Lockett, Meagan Kolakowski, Chris Makens, Katie Mollison, Antoine Hunter, Stefanie Roper, Sara Schwabacher, Nicole Sclafani, Nicole Speletic, Kelly Vaghenas, Tina Wang.
COSTUME DESIGN: Stacy Jansen.
LIGHTING DESIGN: Michael Cole.
Wasted Love | February 2017
Xiang Xu and Katie Wilson. (Photo: E. M. Whiteley). (Female and male dancer standing in window on either side of a divide with New York City building behind them.)
Born Dancing premiered Wasted Love on February 17, 18, 19, 2017 at New York Live Arts Theater. Wasted Love is a modern dance multimedia (Not So) Fairy Tale set to the music of singer/songwriter Misty Boyce and choreographed by Born Dancing's Founder and Executive Director, Melissa van Wijk.
The one-act explores the expected and unexpected meetings and partings of different people as they move through a ‘New York City meets Hogwarts’ world where a Girl and a Boy wrestle through the thrills and trappings of romance.
Misty Boyce joined the Born Dancing cast of 16 dancers with and without disabilities for the performances. Live music was under Music Direction by Scott Sharrard and the production included photography by E.M. Whiteley as well as video by Cheyenne Picardo.
DANCERS: John Fiscian, Katie Wilson, Rebecca Bogue, Anne Carr, Samuel Caraballo, Madeline Charles, Sofiya Cheyenne, Juliana Garber,Laura Guarisco, Jake Haynie, Stephanie Infante, Katrina Leung, Elvig Michael, Jamie Petrone, Sara Schwabacher, Peter Trojic.
MUSICIANS: Brett Bass, Misty Boyce, Christina Courtin, Jason Darling, Sean Dixon, Eric Finland, Scott Sharrard.
COSTUME DESIGN: Stacy Jansen.
LIGHTING DESIGN: Michael Cole.
From Here To There | March 2016
Thomas Sullivan and Sara Schwabacher (Photo Nicole Bennett). (Smiling male and female dancer hold hands and reach way from each other as woman swirls around.)
Born Dancing brought together multiple generations of professional dancers, musicians, performers with disabilities, and students with disabilities for highly successful performances at the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater. From Here To There was set to music by Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam under Music Direction by Scott Sharrard.
DANCERS: Mary Theresa Archbold, Rebecca Bogue, Samuel Caraballo, Anne Carr, Madeline Charles, Eliana Dell’Anna, Juliana Garber, Meagan Kolakowski, Katrina Leung, Elvig Michael, Jamie Petrone, Julienne Rencher, Nicole Speletic, Ariel Tharpe, Sara Schwabacher, Thomas W. Sullivan, Peter Trojic, Kelly Vaghenas, Tina Wang, Katie Wilson.
MUSICIANS: Jason Darling, Eric Finland, Melanie Goerlitz, Jeff Hanley, Scott Sharrard, Diego Voglino.
COSTUME DESIGN: Stacy Jansen.
LIGHTING DESIGN: Marty Postma.
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