Dances

Alone, Together

Choreographed by ShaLeigh Comerford in collaboration with the dancers

Music Credit: “Mirage” by Biz, “Grand Finale (Track 2)” by Hofesh Shechter, “Yasei” by Aston Royce & Mvgmvr

Costume Designer: Heidi Jo Schiemer 

Lighting Designer: Bill Webb

“Someone, somewhere, will say, ‘Don’t do it. You don’t have what it takes to survive the wilderness.’ This is when you reach deep into your wild heart and remind yourself, ‘I am the wilderness.’” Brené Brown

Dancers: Anaya Agard (Saturday 2pm), Pheriby Bryan, Amanda Cousins, Hannah Giessler, Olivia Lanter, Gaby Minionis (Friday 7:30), Emma Morris, Katey O’Connell, Parker MacIntyre, Isabella Piccirilli, Rachel Rightmeyer, Sophie Seitchik (Saturday 7:30, Sunday 2pm)

ShaLeigh Comerford

Pheriby Bryan

Amanda Cousins

Hannah Giessler

Olivia Lanter

Parker MacIntyre

Emma Morris

Gaby Minionis

Katey O’Connell

Isabella Piccirilli

Rachel Rightmyer

Anaya Agard

Sophie Seitchik

ShaLeigh Comerford

ShaLeigh Comerford is an Irish & Native American choreographer and artistic director of ShaLeigh Dance Works, an award winning Durham-based dance-theatre company nationally recognized for innovation in the field. Her choreography and commissions have been presented throughout the United States and abroad. Her work has received recognition and support from National Endowment for the Arts, MAP Fund, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, Dance Theatre Workshop, World Ballet Competition International, and Youth American Grand Prix among others. She is a recipient of the Ella Pratt Fountain Emerging Artist Award and the Institute of Contemporary Art and International Cultural Exchange Award.

Pheriby Bryan

Pheriby Bryan is a junior at Elon University and a North Carolina native. She is getting her BFA in Dance and Choreography with minors in Spanish and Business. She grew up at Jami Masters School of Dance in Charlotte, NC and has danced in Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert at Elon. She has performed at Ash and Elm Dance Company, Central Piedmont Community College’s production of Guys and Dolls, and American Dance Festival’s Footprints where she danced for Abdel R. Salaam. This school year, Pheriby presented her directing and choreography debut entitled Semicolon thanks to the Rhodes Research Grant.

Amanda Cousins

Amanda Cousins is a senior double major in Dance Performance & Choreography (BFA) and Biology (BA). She grew up in Chapel Hill, NC where she trained, competed, and taught at her local studio. Amanda has been in various Elon dance shows and student pieces as a performer, rehearsal assistant, and understudy. Over the summer, she had the opportunity to travel to Florence, Italy and performed at the Florence Dance Festival with other Elon Dancers. Amanda is very grateful for the opportunities Elon Dance has given her and is excited for her final main stage performance at Elon 

Hannah Giessler

Hannah Giessler, a senior from Virginia, is pursuing a double major with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography and a BA in Psychology. She has had the privilege of performing in Dancing In The Landscape, Spring Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, Fall Dance Concert, and numerous other pieces within and outside of the program. Hannah would like to thank her family, both at home and those she found here, for all of their support. She would also like to thank you for coming to her last mainstage show! Enjoy!

Olivia Lanter

Olivia Lanter is a senior pursuing a double major in BFA Dance Performance & Choreography and BA Psychology with a minor in neuroscience. She is a proud St. Louis native and began dancing at the age of two. Besides dancing in numerous dance concerts on campus, she has also studied dance nationally and internationally. She spent the Summer of 2022 in Florence, Italy, where she performed in the Florence Dance Festival. Olivia also spent last summer with world-renowned choreographers and completed an internship with Clear Talent Group Agency in Los Angeles. She is grateful for the opportunity to complete dance neuropsychological research at Elon and presented her findings at the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science. Ultimately, Olivia is excited to pursue commercial dance after graduation this May.

Parker MacIntyre

Parker MacIntyre is a senior double major in Dance Performance & Choreography (BFA) and Dance Science (BS) with a minor in Exercise Science. Parker is incredibly thankful to be able to present his work in this production, and thanks Elon Dance for allowing him to do so. He has performed in various Elon Dance productions during his time here and is excited to make the most of his senior year.Parker MacIntyre is a senior BFA Dance Performance & Choreography major, originally from Londonderry, New Hampshire. He is also earning a Bachelor of Science in Dance Science with a minor in Exercise Science. Parker has performed in the Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Concert, Spring Dance Concert, and most recently presented his own work in this year's Dancing in the Landscape. He is incredibly grateful to be part of his final Fall Dance and is looking forward to the rest of his senior year.

Emma Morris

Emma Morris is a junior at Elon pursuing a double major in Dance Performance & Choreography and Dance Science. She is from Lexington, Kentucky and is thrilled to continue on her path of becoming a professional dancer here at Elon. At Elon, she has had multiple opportunities to perform in Dancing In The Landscape, Spring Dance Concert & Black History Month Dance Concert. Emma was given the opportunity to debut her choreography in Dancing in the Landscape earlier this year. She is grateful and excited to perform in Fall Dance for the first time!

Gaby Minionis

Gaby is a senior at Elon, working towards her BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography, BA in Arts Administration and BS in Sport Management. Originally from Fairfax, VA, she performed with the Burke Civic Ballet for 7 seasons. As a former member of The Movement Studios in Springfield, VA, she traveled and competed nationally and trained with Kathryn McCormick, Dejan Tubic and Kyle Robinson of DMI. While dancing at Elon, Gaby has performed in multiple shows including: Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert and Black History Month Concert. She proudly represented Elon University at the Accademia Europea di Firenze while performing “Catching Light” by Laura Kerns in Florence, Italy. Currently, Gaby is choreographing for studios in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Katey O’Connell

Katey O'Connell, a native of Bedford, New Hampshire, is a junior at Elon pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography and a Bachelor of Arts in History. Throughout her Elon career she has had the privilege to be a part of all of the dance performances from Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month Concert, as well both Fall and Spring Dance Concerts. Dance has allowed Katey to travel all over New England, New York, and Florida and cannot wait to see where else it will take her. After finishing a summer working for the Joffrey Ballet School, she is excited to continue her training for the next two years at Elon. 

Isabella Piccirilli

Isabella is a senior Dance Performance/Choreography and Political Science double major. She is also a contracted cadet in the ROTC program here at Elon, where she will commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army this Spring 2023. She has been fortunate to perform pieces by guest choreographers Leah Wilks, Ashley Lindsay, and Maurice Watson, and pieces by faculty such as Casey Avaunt, Keshia Wall, and Renay Aumiller. She is very excited to perform in her very last Fall Dance Concert and finish her final year here at Elon.

Rachel Rightmyer

Rachel Rightmyer is a senior majoring in Dance Performance and Choreography and minoring in Exercise Science. Rachel has been in many works throughout her time at Elon, including works by Yoshito Sakuraba, Maurice Watson, Clarice Young, and Brianna Forbes. She is excited to be completing her last performance on the McCrary stage in the Spring Dance Concert performing works by Ming-Lung Yang and Shaleigh Comerford.

Anaya Agard

Anaya is a second year Dance Performance & Choreography and Arts Administration double major from Norwalk CT. She has trained in ballet and modern since she was five years old and is loving all the new dance styles and movements she has been learning in Elon’s dance program thus far. This year, she will be performing in Dancing in the Landscape, the Fall Dance Concert, the Black History Month Dance Concert, and the Spring Dance Concert. She is so excited to share her love of dance with you!!

Sophie Seitchik

Sophie Seitchik is a sophomore from Woodstock, MD pursuing her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography and BS in Dance Science. This semester, she will be part of the Black History Month Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, The Matriarchy, as well as a student research project performance on SURF Day. She is so excited to be performing for you today!

Eternal Return, Goddam

Choreographed by Keshia Wall in collaboration with Dr. Ryan Johnson

Music Credit: “Mississippi Goddam” by Nina Simone, “Lonesome Valley” by the Fairfield Four

Costume Designer: Heidi Jo Schiemer

Lighting Designer: Bill Webb

Projection Design: Mark Williams

Dancers: Khairi Morrow, Kayla Spalding

Keshia Wall

Khairi Morrow

Kayla Spalding

Keshia Wall

Keshia Wall of Greensboro, NC earned an undergraduate degree from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Dance and African American Studies and completed the Master of Fine Arts in Dance degree program at Hollins University in collaboration with Kunstlerhavs Mousontvrm and The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts; with support from The Dresden Frankfort Dance Company. She is also the founder of Matriarch Dance Co. LLC, which exists to empower women of all ages to discover their strength and purpose through dance training, performance, and positive mentorship.Wall is currently an Assistant Professor at Elon University, where she coordinates the African and African American Studies minor and instructs courses in contemporary and traditional West African dance. She also leads a study abroad trip to Ghana yearly in collaboration with the University of Ghana Legon and the Ghana Dance Ensemble. Her research focus is rooted in the presence of West African dance in higher education and how this dance form can be engaged as valued and valid epistemological and ontological domains in scholarship and performance. 

Khairi Morrow

Khairi Morrow is a sophomore double major in Dance Science and Public Health with minors in Biology, Exercise Science, and African/African American Studies. She is from Atlanta, Georgia, where she began her dance training at ETD Studios, Carla's Dance Factory, and performing arts through her high school as a competitive company member. This year Khairi will be in Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert. She also serves in various leadership positions on campus and throughout the community.

Kayla Spalding

Kayla Spalding is a dancer and choreographer from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is a senior at Elon University, majoring in both Dance Performance and Choreography (BFA) and History (AB). During her time at Elon, she has performed in Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert all four years. Kayla has also presented work during the Dancing In The Landscape and the Fall Dance Concert at Elon. She also performed in both the Richmond Dance Festival and Florence Dance Festival this past year. Kayla is incredibly thankful for all her opportunities throughout her time at Elon!

Convergence

Choreographed by Casey Avaunt in collaboration with the dancers

Music Credit: Nicholas Jaar and Will Epstein Never Have I Ever

Costume Designer: Heidi Jo Schiemer

Lighting Designer: Bill Webb

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dancers: Lilly Beaver, Madison Boyer, Pheriby Bryan, Angelina DeMartino, Collin Flanagan, Hannah Furey, Caroline Irmscher, Lauren Jacobbe, Lia Kelly, Parker MacIntyre, Gia Nguyen

Understudy: Natalie Dixon

Casey Avaunt

Lilly Beaver

Madison Boyer

Pheriby Bryan

Collin Flanagan

Caroline Irmscher

Lauren Jacobbe

Lia Kelly

Parker MacIntyre

Gia Nguyen

Casey Avaunt

Casey Avaunt received an MFA in Choreography from Taipei National University of the Arts and a PhD in Dance Studies from The University of California, Riverside. Her work has been performed at a number of venues around the globe including the Sheung Wan Civic Center (Hong Kong), The Joyce Theater (New York City), the National Experimental Theater (Taipei), Meridian Gallery (San Francisco), and the 21st Major Network Cities Asia Festival (Bangkok). She has held residencies at The Taipei Artist Village (Taiwan) and Cité internationale des arts (Paris, France). 

Lilly Beaver

Lilly, a native of Kannapolis, NC is a senior Dance Performance & Choreography and Psychology major. Lilly’s performance credits include Elon’s Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month, Fall, and Spring Dance Concerts, along with Elon Cares, ADF’s Footprints, NCDF’s Residency Showing, and JOYEMOVEMENT’s Love Notes. She has presented work in the Fall Dance Concert and numerous festivals and is excited to present work in this year’s Dancing in the Landscape. Lilly has enjoyed working with various guest artists, faculty, and student choreographers. She is grateful to be an apprentice with the JOYEMOVEMENT dance company and a teacher at Miss Kim's.

Madison Boyer

Madi is a third year Dance Science and Exercise Science double major from Jackson, New Jersey. She has performed in Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert. She will also be conducting Dance Science Research for her Honors Thesis, with help of her mentor Professor Kearns. She is so eager to perform in her first in-person Black History Month Dance Concert and is thankful for the opportunities that the dance program has given her.

Pheriby Bryan

Pheriby Bryan is a junior at Elon University and a North Carolina native. She is getting her BFA in Dance and Choreography with minors in Spanish and Business. She grew up at Jami Masters School of Dance in Charlotte, NC and has danced in Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert at Elon. She has performed at Ash and Elm Dance Company, Central Piedmont Community College’s production of Guys and Dolls, and American Dance Festival’s Footprints where she danced for Abdel R. Salaam. This school year, Pheriby presented her directing and choreography debut entitled Semicolon thanks to the Rhodes Research Grant.

Collin Flanagan

Collin is a Junior Music Theatre major from Madison, NJ. Recent credits: Titanic (Maine State Music Theater), 9 to 5 (Maine State Music Theater), Alice in Wonderland (Maine State Music Theater), The Bridges of Madison County (Elon University), Head Over Heels (Elon University), Kiss Me Kate (Madison Public Theater). Endless gratitude for his friends and family who are the best in the world.

Caroline Irmscher

Caroline Irmscher is a senior Dance Performance and Choreography and Communication Design double major from Mississippi. At Elon, she has performed in Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, and various student works. She has also had her choreographic work presented in Fall Dance Concert (2021). This past summer, Caroline was able to study abroad in Florence, Italy, and continue her dance training at the Florence Dance Center.

Lauren Jacobbe

Lauren Jacobbe is a Senior studying Dance Performance and Choreography and Human Service Studies from Western Massachusetts. This summer she studied abroad in Florence, Italy and performed in the Florence Dance Festival Summer 2022. She has previously performed and assisted in Elon University's Productions of Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month, Spring Dance Concert, as well as student run choreography. She has worked closely with Berkshire Dance Theatre from Massachusetts, as well with Dysfunk Crew opening up for dance companies and performing at Jacob's Pillow "On the Road" events in the summer of 2021.

Lia Kelly

Lia Kelly is a Senior Dance Performance & Choreography and Communications Design double major from Buffalo, New York. She has performed in and been a part of Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, and various student works. She spent this past summer studying in Florence, Italy where she furthered her training at Florence Dance Center. Her choreographic work is also being presented in Fall Dance Concert (2022). She is so grateful to be a part of the dance program and looks forward to the rest of her time at Elon.

Parker MacIntyre

Parker MacIntyre is a senior double major in Dance Performance & Choreography (BFA) and Dance Science (BS) with a minor in Exercise Science. Parker is incredibly thankful to be able to present his work in this production, and thanks Elon Dance for allowing him to do so. He has performed in various Elon Dance productions during his time here and is excited to make the most of his senior year.Parker MacIntyre is a senior BFA Dance Performance & Choreography major, originally from Londonderry, New Hampshire. He is also earning a Bachelor of Science in Dance Science with a minor in Exercise Science. Parker has performed in the Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Concert, Spring Dance Concert, and most recently presented his own work in this year's Dancing in the Landscape. He is incredibly grateful to be part of his final Fall Dance and is looking forward to the rest of his senior year.

Gia Nguyen

Gia Nguyen is a junior double major in BFA Dance Performance and Choreography and BA Sociology. She is from Collegeville, PA where she began her dance training at On Edge Movement as a competitive company member. She has had the honor to perform in all of the dance shows presented here at Elon such as Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month Dance Concert as well as both Fall and Spring Dance Concerts. She is thrilled to be back for her third year and is overjoyed to be a part of yet another amazing Elon Dance production. This year, she has the privilege of presenting choreography for the first time in Fall Dance Concert as well as performing in the show as a dancer. She is beyond grateful for this opportunity to showcase her work and hopes that the audience enjoys her narrative through art.

Catching Light (2022)

Choreographed by Lauren Kearns with movement improvisation by the dancers

Music Credit: Giovanni Venosta (1961-present)

Sound Editor: Robert Kearns

Costume Designer: Heidi Jo Schiemer

Lighting Designer: Bill Webb

This piece was originally choreographed in Florence, Italy, during the summer of 2022, as part of the Dancing with Florence site specific study abroad course and developed while I was an artist in residence at the Murate Arts complex in Florence. Catching Light is my creative exploration and interpretation of Le Murate as a historical, contextual, and artistic site. I examined the literal meaning of Le Murate – – the wall – – as that which physically and mentally confines us and juxtaposed that with the humanistic yearning to be free and in charge of one’s own destiny. The title, Catching Light, was inspired by learning that the prisoners only had a small window that allowed light to enter their cell and if the guards chose, they could block the light out completely, leaving the prisoners in total darkness. The idea of trying to ‘catch the light’ became a cornerstone of the piece, both conceptually and in the movement framework, illuminating reaching for freedom, autonomy, and hope. 

Dancers: Brooke Goldstein, Amanda Cousins, Phoebe Crumbine, Maggie Davenport, Caroline Irmscher, Lauren Jacobbe, Makayla Kanerviko, Lia Kelly, Olivia Lanter, Gaby Minionis, Maya Simmons, Kayla Spalding

Understudy: Aleah Newman, Sophie Seitchik

Lauren Kearns

Amanda Cousins

Phoebe Crumbine

Maggie Davenport

Caroline Irmscher

Lauren Jacobbe

Makayla Kanerviko

Lia Kelly

Olivia Lanter

Gaby Minionis

Maya Simmons

Kayla Spalding

Aleah Newman

Brooke Goldstein

Sophie Seitchik

Lauren Kearns

Lauren W. Kearns is a Professor of Dance, the Director of Dance Science, former department chairperson, and the founding coordinator of the BFA dance program and the BS dance science program. Kearns has received over fifty grants, fellowships, and awards to support her artistic and scholarly projects and is an international choreographer having composed over fifty-five professionally produced concert pieces. Her recent creative project was a site-specific installation presented in Florence, Italy. She is a published scholar, a certified and registered yoga, a registered somatic dance educator with ISMETA, and is a Balanced Body comprehensively certified Pilates educator.

Amanda Cousins

Amanda Cousins is a senior double major in Dance Performance & Choreography (BFA) and Biology (BA). She grew up in Chapel Hill, NC where she trained, competed, and taught at her local studio. Amanda has been in various Elon dance shows and student pieces as a performer, rehearsal assistant, and understudy. Over the summer, she had the opportunity to travel to Florence, Italy and performed at the Florence Dance Festival with other Elon Dancers. Amanda is very grateful for the opportunities Elon Dance has given her and is excited for her final main stage performance at Elon 

Phoebe Crumbine

Phoebe Crumbine (BFA & BA, Elon University) is a multi-faceted artist and performer from Beverly, Massachusetts. She has been selected to perform works by Angelo Egarese, Elizabeth Parkinson, Mary Ann Lamb, Jacob Karr, Cindy Salgado, Kim Wolfe, Maurice Watson, Jiwon Ha, Shaleigh Comerford, Sara Ruth Tourek, and Ming Yung Lang. Her choreography was chosen to be presented at a mainstage production at Elon University. She was selected to study dance and perform in Florence, Italy where she performed in the Florence Dance Festival. She is trained vocally by Gretchen Bruesehoff. She is a candidate for a 500 hour comprehensive Pilates Certification. She is working towards her personal trainer certification. She wants to thank all of her mentors, teachers, family, and friends for supporting her and pushing her past what she thought she was capable of! phoebecrumbine.com IG: phoebecrumbine

Maggie Davenport

Maggie Davenport is from Wake Forest, North Carolina, and is currently a Senior at Elon University. She is pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography and a B.S. in Dance Science, as well as minoring in Exercise Science and Business Administration. She has had the opportunity to perform works by Maurice Watson, ShaLeigh Comerford, Ashley Lindsey, Lauren Kearns, Ming-lung Yang, and Dom Alexis. She has previously trained at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and UNCSA Summer Intensive. She has also attended the 2019 and 2022 Winston-Salem Dance Medicine Conference (WiDSM) and is a member of the International Associaltion for Dance Medicine and Science. In the summer of 2022, Maggie studied abroad in Florence, Italy, and continued her dance training at the Florence Dance Center while performing at the Florence Dance Festival. She feels grateful to be supported by all her family, peers, and faculty while in her final performance season. After graduation Maggie plans to attend nursing school to pursue a career in Dance Medicine.

Caroline Irmscher

Caroline Irmscher is a senior Dance Performance and Choreography and Communication Design double major from Mississippi. At Elon, she has performed in Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, and various student works. She has also had her choreographic work presented in Fall Dance Concert (2021). This past summer, Caroline was able to study abroad in Florence, Italy, and continue her dance training at the Florence Dance Center.

Lauren Jacobbe

Lauren Jacobbe is a Senior studying Dance Performance and Choreography and Human Service Studies from Western Massachusetts. This summer she studied abroad in Florence, Italy and performed in the Florence Dance Festival Summer 2022. She has previously performed and assisted in Elon University's Productions of Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month, Spring Dance Concert, as well as student run choreography. She has worked closely with Berkshire Dance Theatre from Massachusetts, as well with Dysfunk Crew opening up for dance companies and performing at Jacob's Pillow "On the Road" events in the summer of 2021.

Makayla Kanerviko

Makayla Kanerviko is a native of Syracuse, New York. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography and a B.S.B.A in Entrepreneurship. During her time at Elon, she has performed in the Fall Dance Concert, Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month Dance Concert, and various other student works. She is excited to perform in the Fall Dance Concert and looks forward to the rest of her senior season!

Lia Kelly

Lia Kelly is a Senior Dance Performance & Choreography and Communications Design double major from Buffalo, New York. She has performed in and been a part of Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, and various student works. She spent this past summer studying in Florence, Italy where she furthered her training at Florence Dance Center. Her choreographic work is also being presented in Fall Dance Concert (2022). She is so grateful to be a part of the dance program and looks forward to the rest of her time at Elon.

Olivia Lanter

Olivia Lanter is a senior pursuing a double major in BFA Dance Performance & Choreography and BA Psychology with a minor in neuroscience. She is a proud St. Louis native and began dancing at the age of two. Besides dancing in numerous dance concerts on campus, she has also studied dance nationally and internationally. She spent the Summer of 2022 in Florence, Italy, where she performed in the Florence Dance Festival. Olivia also spent last summer with world-renowned choreographers and completed an internship with Clear Talent Group Agency in Los Angeles. She is grateful for the opportunity to complete dance neuropsychological research at Elon and presented her findings at the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science. Ultimately, Olivia is excited to pursue commercial dance after graduation this May.

Gaby Minionis

Gaby is a senior at Elon, working towards her BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography, BA in Arts Administration and BS in Sport Management. Originally from Fairfax, VA, she performed with the Burke Civic Ballet for 7 seasons. As a former member of The Movement Studios in Springfield, VA, she traveled and competed nationally and trained with Kathryn McCormick, Dejan Tubic and Kyle Robinson of DMI. While dancing at Elon, Gaby has performed in multiple shows including: Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert and Black History Month Concert. She proudly represented Elon University at the Accademia Europea di Firenze while performing “Catching Light” by Laura Kerns in Florence, Italy. Currently, Gaby is choreographing for studios in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Maya Simmons

Maya Simmons is a senior from Atlanta, Georgia. She will be earning her B.F.A in Dance Performance & Choreography and B.A. in English this spring. She is proud to have performed with the Florence Dance Festival, American Dance Festival, Ash and Elm Dance Co., NC Dance Project, and in a multitude of performances here at Elon every semester. She is grateful to have had her choreographic work presented in Fall Dance Concert 2022 and Dancing in the Landscape 2023! She is so excited to perform in her final Black History Month!

Kayla Spalding

Kayla Spalding is a dancer and choreographer from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is a senior at Elon University, majoring in both Dance Performance and Choreography (BFA) and History (AB). During her time at Elon, she has performed in Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert all four years. Kayla has also presented work during the Dancing In The Landscape and the Fall Dance Concert at Elon. She also performed in both the Richmond Dance Festival and Florence Dance Festival this past year. Kayla is incredibly thankful for all her opportunities throughout her time at Elon!

Aleah Newman

Aleah Newman Is a sophomore BFA Dance Major from Chicago who has been dancing from a young age in various styles and spent four years dancing with Inaside Chicago Dance's Pre-professional company. She is so happy to continue her study of dance here at Elon.

Brooke Goldstein

Brooke Goldstein is a sophomore student from Rockland County, New York. She is pursuing a double major in Dance Performance and Choreography and Sociology. This summer, Brooke completed a choreography intensive with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. During her dance career at Elon, Brooke has performed in Dancing in the Landscape (2022), Black History Month Dance Concert (2023, 2024), and Spring Dance Concert (2023 and 2024). She has also understudied for the 2022 Fall Dance Concert and performed in the 2023 Fall Dance Concert. Brooke has also had experience in student choreography pieces, such as Semicolon, directed by Pheriby Bryan under the Rhoades Scholarship.

Sophie Seitchik

Sophie Seitchik is a sophomore from Woodstock, MD pursuing her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography and BS in Dance Science. This semester, she will be part of the Black History Month Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, The Matriarchy, as well as a student research project performance on SURF Day. She is so excited to be performing for you today!

2123 AD

Choreographed by Jiwon Ha

Music Credit: Joep Beving – Hanging D and Peter Gregson – Somnia

Costume Designers: Heidi Jo Schiemer

Lighting Designer: Bill Webb

Act I Survivors in a Time of Chaos
Act II Lost Civilization

Dancers: Collin Flanagan, Lindsey Goldstein, Anna Iglesias, Mia Johnson, Gia Nguyen, Katey O’Connell, Sarah Rothacker, Lilly Sears, Summer Severin, Lila Snodgrass

Jiwon Ha

Collin Flanagan

Anna Iglesias

Mia Johnson

Gia Nguyen

Katey O’Connell

Sarah Rothacker

Summer Severin

Lilly Sears

Lila Snodgrass

Lindsey Goldstein

Jiwon Ha

Born and raised in Busan, South Korea, Jiwon dances and teaches in multiple forms of dance - contemporary, ballet, modern, and Korean folk dance. That passion for dance has allowed her to dance, teach, choreograph, and organize events in the U.S., Canada, and South Korea. Jiwon currently lives in North Carolina where she teaches dance at Elon University.

Collin Flanagan

Collin is a Junior Music Theatre major from Madison, NJ. Recent credits: Titanic (Maine State Music Theater), 9 to 5 (Maine State Music Theater), Alice in Wonderland (Maine State Music Theater), The Bridges of Madison County (Elon University), Head Over Heels (Elon University), Kiss Me Kate (Madison Public Theater). Endless gratitude for his friends and family who are the best in the world.

Anna Iglesias

Anna Iglesias is from Tampa, Florida. She is a third year student pursuing a B.S. in Dance Science on the Accelerated Pathway to PT. She has been dancing for 17 years, and danced for most of her life at her former studio, All American Dance Factory. So far, she has been a part of Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Spring Dance Concert, DanceWorks shows, and some student-run productions here at Elon. She can't wait to be involved in more shows this year and in the future.

Mia Johnson

Mia Johnson is a Junior BFA dance performance and choreography major double majoring in sports management. She was raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and trained with Georgia Dance Conservatory while being a member of their company Georgia Metro Dance Theatre. Her roles here included Clara, Spanish lead, and Sugar Plum Fairy in the yearly production of The Nutcracker, along with being cast in Swan Lake and Coppelia. At Elon so far she has been a part of Fall Dance, Black History Month, and the Spring Dance Concert. Mia has loved her time so far in this department and has experienced so many performance opportunities.

Gia Nguyen

Gia Nguyen is a junior double major in BFA Dance Performance and Choreography and BA Sociology. She is from Collegeville, PA where she began her dance training at On Edge Movement as a competitive company member. She has had the honor to perform in all of the dance shows presented here at Elon such as Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month Dance Concert as well as both Fall and Spring Dance Concerts. She is thrilled to be back for her third year and is overjoyed to be a part of yet another amazing Elon Dance production. This year, she has the privilege of presenting choreography for the first time in Fall Dance Concert as well as performing in the show as a dancer. She is beyond grateful for this opportunity to showcase her work and hopes that the audience enjoys her narrative through art.

Katey O’Connell

Katey O'Connell, a native of Bedford, New Hampshire, is a junior at Elon pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography and a Bachelor of Arts in History. Throughout her Elon career she has had the privilege to be a part of all of the dance performances from Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month Concert, as well both Fall and Spring Dance Concerts. Dance has allowed Katey to travel all over New England, New York, and Florida and cannot wait to see where else it will take her. After finishing a summer working for the Joffrey Ballet School, she is excited to continue her training for the next two years at Elon. 

Sarah Rothacker

Sarah Rothacker is a Junior at Elon University majoring in Dance Performance and Choreography (BFA) and Communication Design (BA) from Dublin, OH. While at Elon she has been given the opportunity to perform in Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Concert and Spring Dance Concert along with various student works including Semicolon last fall, and The Rhoades Grant Dance Concert later this semester. She has had the opportunity to study dance in Los Angeles this past Summer and plans to dance at the study abroad program in Florence, Italy in Summer 2024.

Summer Severin

Summer is a rising senior Music Theatre major and is so excited to be performing in her third MT Box production. She feels so lucky to perform such a challenging score and a fascinating story. She would like to thank her wonderful fellow cast mates for creating such a wonderful and creative community. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Lilly Sears

Lilly Sears is a sophomore with a major in Dance Performance and Choreography and two minors in Expressive Art and Psychology. She is from Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina and is so excited to be a part of the Elon Performing Arts program. This year Lilly will be performing in Dancing in the Landscape, the Fall Dance Concert, the Black History Month Concert, and the Spring Dance Concert.

Lila Snodgrass

Lila Snodgrass is a sophomore from Pittsburgh double majoring in Dance Performance and Choreography and mathematics. This summer, Lila attended the American Dance Festival, where she had the opportunity to perform for Abdel R. Salaam. At Elon this year, Lila performed in Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, and the Black History Month Dance Concert, and she traveled to Ghana to study West African dance. She is currently working on her research involving the intersection between math and dance through knot theory under the mentorship of Dr. Nancy Scherich. Lila is so excited to be part of this performance!

Lindsey Goldstein

Lindsey is a sophomore Dance Performance and Choreography major with a minor in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She is originally from outside of Boston, MA, and has been dancing since she was three years old! This year, Lindsey has performed in Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, and a student production titled Semicolon. She is so excited to be a part of the Spring Dance Concert and hopes you enjoy the show!

LOTTO (excerpt 2002)

Choreographed by Ming-Lung Yang

Music Credit: “Megamix” by Tranquility Bass from Reich Remixed and “Mind of My Mind” by Vernon Reid & Masque from Other True Self

Costume Designer: Heidi Jo Schiemer

Lighting Designer: Bill Webb

Dancers: Sol Addison, Lilly Beaver, Phoebe Crumbine, Maggie Davenport, Sophie David, Evelyn Ealey, Hannah Giessler, Brooke Goldstein, Makayla Kanerviko, Amy Palmer, Isabella Piccirilli, Luella Rick, Rachel Rightmyer, Maya Simmons

Understudy: Hannah Harris, Kelsi Sheren

Sol Addison

Lilly Beaver

Phoebe Crumbine

Maggie Davenport

Sophie David

Hannah Giessler

Makayla Kanerviko

Isabella Piccirilli

Rachel Rightmyer

Maya Simmons

Amy Palmer

Luella Rick

Brooke Goldstein

Evelyn Ealey

Hannah Harris

Kelsi Sheren

Ming-Lung Yang

Sol Addison

Sol Addison is delighted to be a part this year's guest choreography in his second Elon Performing Arts production! Sol is from Washington D.C. and is a sophomore at Elon University. He previously danced with the Maryland Youth Ballet for ten years before coming to Elon. Sol is member of DanceWorks and is honored to have the opportunity to audition for BFA productions. Elon credits include Spring Dance Concert (2022), MASQUE (Luminosity: A Queer Arts Festival 2023), and various DanceWorks pieces.

Lilly Beaver

Lilly, a native of Kannapolis, NC is a senior Dance Performance & Choreography and Psychology major. Lilly’s performance credits include Elon’s Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month, Fall, and Spring Dance Concerts, along with Elon Cares, ADF’s Footprints, NCDF’s Residency Showing, and JOYEMOVEMENT’s Love Notes. She has presented work in the Fall Dance Concert and numerous festivals and is excited to present work in this year’s Dancing in the Landscape. Lilly has enjoyed working with various guest artists, faculty, and student choreographers. She is grateful to be an apprentice with the JOYEMOVEMENT dance company and a teacher at Miss Kim's.

Phoebe Crumbine

Phoebe Crumbine (BFA & BA, Elon University) is a multi-faceted artist and performer from Beverly, Massachusetts. She has been selected to perform works by Angelo Egarese, Elizabeth Parkinson, Mary Ann Lamb, Jacob Karr, Cindy Salgado, Kim Wolfe, Maurice Watson, Jiwon Ha, Shaleigh Comerford, Sara Ruth Tourek, and Ming Yung Lang. Her choreography was chosen to be presented at a mainstage production at Elon University. She was selected to study dance and perform in Florence, Italy where she performed in the Florence Dance Festival. She is trained vocally by Gretchen Bruesehoff. She is a candidate for a 500 hour comprehensive Pilates Certification. She is working towards her personal trainer certification. She wants to thank all of her mentors, teachers, family, and friends for supporting her and pushing her past what she thought she was capable of! phoebecrumbine.com IG: phoebecrumbine

Maggie Davenport

Maggie Davenport is from Wake Forest, North Carolina, and is currently a Senior at Elon University. She is pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography and a B.S. in Dance Science, as well as minoring in Exercise Science and Business Administration. She has had the opportunity to perform works by Maurice Watson, ShaLeigh Comerford, Ashley Lindsey, Lauren Kearns, Ming-lung Yang, and Dom Alexis. She has previously trained at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and UNCSA Summer Intensive. She has also attended the 2019 and 2022 Winston-Salem Dance Medicine Conference (WiDSM) and is a member of the International Associaltion for Dance Medicine and Science. In the summer of 2022, Maggie studied abroad in Florence, Italy, and continued her dance training at the Florence Dance Center while performing at the Florence Dance Festival. She feels grateful to be supported by all her family, peers, and faculty while in her final performance season. After graduation Maggie plans to attend nursing school to pursue a career in Dance Medicine.

Sophie David

Sophie David grew up in Franklin, Massachusetts and is in her senior year at Elon University. She is pursuing a BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography, a BA in Arts Administration, and a minor in Business Administration. While at Elon, Sophie has had the opportunity to perform in works by Casey Avaunt, Courtney Liu, Jen Guy Metcalf, Ming Lung Yang, Jiwon Ha, and many others. She has also choreographed several dance pieces in various styles for student choreography showings and club performances. Sophie is so excited to perform in Lee Edwards’ piece in the 2023 Fall Dance Concert!

Hannah Giessler

Hannah Giessler, a senior from Virginia, is pursuing a double major with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography and a BA in Psychology. She has had the privilege of performing in Dancing In The Landscape, Spring Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, Fall Dance Concert, and numerous other pieces within and outside of the program. Hannah would like to thank her family, both at home and those she found here, for all of their support. She would also like to thank you for coming to her last mainstage show! Enjoy!

Makayla Kanerviko

Makayla Kanerviko is a native of Syracuse, New York. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography and a B.S.B.A in Entrepreneurship. During her time at Elon, she has performed in the Fall Dance Concert, Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month Dance Concert, and various other student works. She is excited to perform in the Fall Dance Concert and looks forward to the rest of her senior season!

Isabella Piccirilli

Isabella is a senior Dance Performance/Choreography and Political Science double major. She is also a contracted cadet in the ROTC program here at Elon, where she will commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army this Spring 2023. She has been fortunate to perform pieces by guest choreographers Leah Wilks, Ashley Lindsay, and Maurice Watson, and pieces by faculty such as Casey Avaunt, Keshia Wall, and Renay Aumiller. She is very excited to perform in her very last Fall Dance Concert and finish her final year here at Elon.

Rachel Rightmyer

Rachel Rightmyer is a senior majoring in Dance Performance and Choreography and minoring in Exercise Science. Rachel has been in many works throughout her time at Elon, including works by Yoshito Sakuraba, Maurice Watson, Clarice Young, and Brianna Forbes. She is excited to be completing her last performance on the McCrary stage in the Spring Dance Concert performing works by Ming-Lung Yang and Shaleigh Comerford.

Maya Simmons

Maya Simmons is a senior from Atlanta, Georgia. She will be earning her B.F.A in Dance Performance & Choreography and B.A. in English this spring. She is proud to have performed with the Florence Dance Festival, American Dance Festival, Ash and Elm Dance Co., NC Dance Project, and in a multitude of performances here at Elon every semester. She is grateful to have had her choreographic work presented in Fall Dance Concert 2022 and Dancing in the Landscape 2023! She is so excited to perform in her final Black History Month!

Amy Palmer

Amy Palmer is a first year pursuing a BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography. She is from Wilmington, North Carolina, and is thrilled to continue her journey with the Elon dance program. Amy has been dancing for twelve years at her home studio, training in all styles of dance. This year she will be performing in Dancing in the Landscape. Amy is so excited about her next four years at Elon and cannot wait to see what the future holds.

Luella Rick

Luella Rick is a first year at Elon pursuing a major in Dance Performance and Choreography. She is from Oakton, VA and began dancing when she was 4 at Centreville Dance Academy. She trained there for 14 years in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, and Contemporary and was on the competition team for 7 years. This year at Elon, Luella will perform in Dancing in The Landscape and the Spring Dance Concert.

Brooke Goldstein

Brooke Goldstein is a sophomore student from Rockland County, New York. She is pursuing a double major in Dance Performance and Choreography and Sociology. This summer, Brooke completed a choreography intensive with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. During her dance career at Elon, Brooke has performed in Dancing in the Landscape (2022), Black History Month Dance Concert (2023, 2024), and Spring Dance Concert (2023 and 2024). She has also understudied for the 2022 Fall Dance Concert and performed in the 2023 Fall Dance Concert. Brooke has also had experience in student choreography pieces, such as Semicolon, directed by Pheriby Bryan under the Rhoades Scholarship.

Evelyn Ealey

Evelyn Ealey is a second year at Elon University pursuing a double major in Dance Performance & Choreography and Strategic Communications. She is from Fort Mill, South Carolina and is so excited to be a part of the Spring Dance Concert. She has enjoyed participating in Dancing In The Landscape, the Fall Dance Concert, and the Black History Month Dance Concert this year and is eager to see what the rest of her time at Elon will bring!

Hannah Harris

Hannah is getting her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography, along with a degree in Cinema Arts and Television. She grew up living across the country in various states. Hannah enjoys sharing her art of storytelling through choreography and began her choreographic journey as a freshman in high school. Where she attended a performing arts school for dance at Weaver Academy where she trained in various dance styles. This has contributed to her passion for teaching and currently leads classes for children ages 3-18 at Burlington Dance Center in North Carolina. In 2018 she joined a company that partners with Broadway in New York City. When she is training at Broadway Artist Alliance she is mentored by Broadway performers and dances in front of casting agencies and managers.

Kelsi Sheren

Kelsi Sheren is from Antioch, Illinois. She is a sophomore currently pursuing a degree in Dance Science (B.S.) with minors in Dance, Exercise Science, and Biology. Kelsi has performed in student works on campus and in the Fall Dance Concert this past November. She is grateful for this opportunity and is looking forward to future involvement with the program!

Ming-Lung Yang

Ming-Lung Yang is on faculty at University of North Carolina School of the Arts and former member of the Trisha Brown Dance Company. His choreography has been presented by numerous venues across Asia, Australia, Europe and the United States.