A Note From the Artistic Director Welcome to Rider Dances: 2020, Moving in Our Community, celebrating the many ways dancers use their bodies to move in rhythm and harmony. We dance for many reasons: some to embrace and honor tradition and mores; others to strive for personal achievements and win trophies; many dance socially or for recreation, and while some dance to entertain, for others it is the optimal form of artistic expression. Every Dance is an ethnic dance in that it is generated from the values, aesthetics, mythologies and symbolism of the time and culture in which it is created. RD2020 makes connections between the dance genres and points out the distinctiveness of each community. The particular motivation of a dance dictates its shapes, rhythms, dynamics and vocabulary. What the communities share is passion, discipline, energy, attention to detail and common kinesthetic delight. Thank you for joining us, We hope you enjoy the show.

Kim Chandler Vaccaro

We could never do it without our fantastic

Production Team

Buck Linton Technical Director Todd Loyd Lighting Designer Robin Shane Costume Designer Yoshi Tanokura Set Designer Tyrone Palmer Scene Shop Foreman Anne Sears WCC Public Relations Dax Finley Poster Design and students Nicole Nilsson Production Stage Manager Jada Melanson Assistant Stage Managers Maglia Sabio Assistant Stage Managers Kylee Czapiel Sound Board Operator Amy Allen Light Board Operator Alexa Boone Program Morgan Nash Promotion Jewels Essis Social Media Iris Courchaine Assistant Costume Design Mackenzie Germain Wardrobe Supervisor Tanisha Anand Costume Assistant Samantha Butler Ushers, Camera Christiannah Akisnamni Fly Operator Xiomara Quinones Crew Michael Calixto Crew Miranda Kelley Projection Assistant and Laura Luck SFPA Secretary Extrodinaire

Program

Hosts: Josiah Jacoby and Gabriela Alter

Films by Rose Conroy-Voza

River Stories Choreographer Merli V. Guerra

Music Arrangement by Guerra, including music by Hari Prasad Chaurasia; found sound; and vocals by Guerra.

Dancers Gabriela Alter, Rose Conroy-Voza, Iris Courchaine, Alexa Goldblum, Victoria Kreutzer, Cassie Krick, Xiomara

Quinones, Sae Tamano, Victoria Williams

Calls @ 3 Choreographer Laney Engelhard and Dancers

Rehearsal Assistant Niall Lessard Music Shades by Dark Sky

Dancers Gabriella A. Boes, Alexa Boone, Cara Buchanan, Samantha Butler, Christina Ficarra, Anna Fredeen, Melissa Juarez,

Shannin Kavanagh, Morgan Nash

Got This! Choreographer Kim Chandler Vaccaro

Music Original music by Stephanie Zhang, Ares by Yansmaler, Whoa by XXXTANTACION, Hypnagogic by Calvin Harris Dancers Tiffani Britton, Samantha Butler, Michael Calixto,

Jewels Essis

Tap Store Follies Choreographer Julie Johnson Thick

Music "Count the Basses" From Bob Rizzo's Tap & Groove CD compiled by Mark Santoro "Fabulous Feet" from Tap Dance Kid, Broadway Cast recording

Dancers Josie Abruzzi, Ryan Alger, Nicole Alling, Melody Almodovar, Anna Fredeen, Alexa Goldblum, Josiah Jacoby,

Emma Kasper, Shannin Kavanagh, Cassie Krick, Emma Landis, Amanda Ortner, Alayna Rubach

Stardust Soul Choreographer Jennifer Gladney Music Joel P West, Wayne Dyer

Dancers Josie Abruzzi, Gabriella A. Boes, Tiffani Britton, Cara Buchanan, Rose Conroy-Voza, Iris Courchaine, Felicia Garro,

Victoria Kreutzer, Emma Landis, Michelle Lukach, Morgan Nash, Mara O'Brien, Hannah Wade

Don’t Kill The Vibes Choreography Justin Dominic Melvin

Music Sly5thAve, The ClubCasa Chamber Orchestra, Kendrick Lamar, and Total Giovanni

Dancers Melody Almodovar, Alexa Boone, Michael Calixto, Jewels Essis, Christina Ficarra, Josiah Jacoby, Melissa Juarez, Sae

Tamano, Ociel Vazquez-Gonzales, Victoria Williams

Dreamers Choreographer Kim Chandler Vaccaro

Music Dreamers by Judy Collins Dancers Full Cast

Please go to the Rider.edu/Dance to download this program

Congratulations to the Seniors! Gabriella A. Boes is a Dance Performance major. She has danced in, and choreographed for, both the Rider Dance Ensemble & Rider Dance Team. Ms. Boes co-choreographed Moons and Tides for Rider Dances 2019: The Dance and Sustainability Project, and presented a poster on the project at the 2019 National Dance Education Organization Conference in Miami. She plans to move to LA to pursue a career as a professional dancer and choreographer. Alexa Boone is a Dance Performance and Health Sciences double major, and is the recipient of the 2019 Dance Merit Scholarship. She is a 4-year member of Rider Dance Ensemble, and has worked as an entertainer at Sesame Place for 4 years. Alexa completed an internship with Justine DeLuccio at Movement Logic PT, and plans on attending graduate school for physical therapy. Rose Conroy-Voza is a Dance Performance major with a minor in Film and Media Studies. She is a Mildred S. Hawkins Scholarship recipient, has worked as a CA for three and a half years, and teaches dance at The Dance Network. She is the president of the Film Advisory Board and Advertising Chair for The Broncway. She has been a part of the Rider Dance Team, Rider Dance Ensemble, APO, Broncs Go Green, and the Student Conduct Board. Emma Kasper is a Dance Performance major and participated in other dance organizations such as Rider Dance Ensemble. Though only at Rider for two years she was fortunate to work with noted choreographers such as Robson Alves, Ryan Davis and Julie Johnson Thick. Xiomara Quinones is a Dance Performance major with a Psychology minor. She is a recipient of a Founder's Scholarship and has been a part of multiple organizations including: Dance Club Chair on the Rider Dance Team Board, a member of Rider Dance Ensemble, and Delta Phi Epsilon. She is also CPR, Lifeguard, AED, First Aid, and Coppola TIPS certified and works as a bartender at the Rider Pub, a Lifeguard at

the Coppola Pool, and a server at Applebee's. She plans to go to graduate school for Dance Movement Therapy.

About the Artists Kim Chandler Vaccaro, Artistic Director, choreographer, Associate Professor at Rider, faculty Princeton Ballet School. Dr. Vaccaro is an author of Jazz Dance Today with Lorraine Person Kriegel; the editor of Dance in My Life; a contributing editor for A Core Collection in Dance and contributing author to Jazz Dance: Roots and Branches. At Rider she created the BA in Dance Performance, the Minor in Movement Science and the BA in Dance Science. Her research continues to be in the neuroscience of dance teaching and Critical Mindbody Thinking (CMBT.) Chandler Vaccaro has created over 20 original works for Rider Dances, and has produced this event since 2005. She is the creator of the movement system and author of the book CoMBo: Conditioning for Mindbody comboconditioning.com. Rose Conroy-Voza, filmmaker Please see Rose's biography in the Senior section. Dr. Vaccaro would like to thank Rose for the incredible amount of work she did for this project and the support she has given our entire dance community over our past 4 years. Justin Dominic Melvin, choreographer, is a professional dancer, educator, choreographer, filmmaker, and storyteller. Born in Newark, NJ, he trained at Arts High School, Ailey School, American Ballet Theater summer programs, and Joffrey Ballet School. He holds a BFA from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Justin danced in The Hard Nut with the Mark Morris Dance Group and with Lustig Dance Theater, Keigwin + Co, LaneCoArts, Nai Ni Chen Dance Company, Carolyn Dorfman Dance, and the North Carolina Symphony. Justin continues to dance and perform with Dance , and Orfeo ed Euridice. He continues to Heginbotham and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. His opera credits include Marnie, Don

Giovanni, Aida, Les Troyens, and Orfeo ed Euridice. He continues to fulfill his passion for teaching as a guest artist and lecturer at high schools, universities, dance conservatories, and for educator professional development. In addition, Justin with Daniel P. Calderon was most proud to create and produce his first film - unapologetic me: BLACK |GAY|MAN|. Thus far, the film has had screenings at: the Newark International Film Festival, Samsung Experience (NY flagship), Afrikana Alphabet Film Festival, Stockton University, A Celebration of Black Queer Art (Omaha, NE), and No Longer Silent – A Night of Films (New Orleans, LA). Laney Engelhard, choreographer, Adjunct Professor at Rider University, danced with American Repertory Ballet under the direction of Graham Lustig for seven seasons, followed Lustig to Lustig Dance Theatre for three more seasons, and danced for Oregon Ballet Theater. She has been a guest artist with Hubbard Street Dance Company II, performed in Radio City’s Christmas Spectacular and danced with Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance in Asheville. Laney has created exceptional work for Rider Dances for the past 13 years.

Jennifer Gladney, choreographer, ’06 summa cum laude Rider University; double-major in Elementary Education/Dance, minor Early Childhood Education. Jen has been on the faculty at Princeton Ballet School since 2005 and was a company dancer with American Repertory Ballet. Ms. Gladney is also on the faculty of Mercer County Community College, choreographs for the Mercer Dance Ensemble and directs the MCCC annual dance event. She has been part of Rider Dances since its inception in 2005 and was the 1st senior honors student to choreograph (Cross Phases,) for this event. Merli V. Guerra, choreographer, Artistic Director of Luminarium Dance Company (Boston, MA), is a professional dancer and award-winning interdisciplinary artist. She has performed with modern dance and Odissi companies on international tours to India (2007, 2012) and Japan (2009), while her own choreographic works, screen-dance films, and interactive art installations have been

presented by 80+ events across the U.S., and abroad in Canada, Germany, Indonesia, and Italy. Guerra is a freelance dance journalist and graphic designer. She now splits her time between Boston and New Jersey, while pursuing her MFA in Dance at Rutgers University, where she is a part-time lecturer. Niall Lessard, choreographer, began his training at Princeton Ballet School at the age of 3 and attended Julliard. He danced professionally with both American Repertory Ballet Company and Lustig Dance Theatre. He completed a summer internship with Alexandra Wells, Co-founder and Artistic Director of Springboard Danse Montreal. When he is not dancing, Niall works with his father as a metal artisan for Julian Schnabel. Buck Linton, Technical Director, Master of Fine Arts in Scenography and Technical Design from Virginia Tech; Technical Director for the School of Fine and Performing Arts since Fall 2012. He has worked with such venues as The Kennedy Center, Paper Mill Playhouse, Manhattan Theatre Club, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse. He manages all of the productions in the Department of Theatre and Dance and is a master at recycling materials for use in multiple shows! Nicole Nilsson, Production Stage Manager, is a senior Technical Theater major from Los Angeles, California. She has been involved with main-stage Rider productions including Hair (PSM), Assassins (PSM), Oklahoma! (SM), Heathers (SM), The Theory of Relativity (ASM), Disgraced (ASM), Bonnie & Clyde (props supervisor), In Every Note (sound operator/projections operator), and Sophocles: These Seven Sicknesses (hair/makeup). She has also worked on the student productions She Plays the River (SM), Live from Lawrenceville: It's Saturday Night! (SM), and Upon the Shoulders We Stand (SM). Nicole has worked In New York with the Off-Broadway theatre company, Transport Group, as a production assistant, and as a production assistant at the Ahmanson Theatre in downtown Los Angeles on their production of Indecent.

Todd Loyd, Lighting Designer, is the Lighting Director for Rider University's Department of Theatre and Dance. He designs the lighting for every performance that the Department produces in addition to mentoring the students that assist in designing, hanging, focusing, and programming the lighting for each show. At Rider he designed over 30 productions including plays, musicals, dance concerts, cabarets and operas. Some of the highlights include The Will Rogers Follies, Sophocles, Oklahoma!, The Dance and Sustainability Project, Heathers, the Musical, The Theory of Relativity, Disgraced, Once on This Island, White Christmas, She Kills Monsters, and A Chorus Line. Other selected professional projects include Rock of Ages and Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (Forestburgh Playhouse), Journey to Oz (Children’s' Theater of Charlotte and Experiential Theater Company)., and The Gun Show (Passage Theatre.) Robin I. Shane, Costume Designer, has been the resident costume designer at Rider for the past 5 seasons. Favorite designs include Catch Me If You Can, Ubu Roi, All Shook Up, The Praying Mantis, Machinal, Lucky Stiff, Merrily We Roll Along, Metamorphoses (KCACTF Honorable Mention) and The Full Monty. Recent productions include God of Carnage at the Montgomery Theatre, The Captive with the Philadelphia Artist’s Collective, and Yes! And’s Silliest Story Ever Told at Plays & Players in Philadelphia. Robin is also the current Resident Designer at Passage and had previously served as the Resident Designer for EgoPo Productions in Philadelphia. Other favorite productions include Xanadu, Dreamgirls and The Rocky Horror Show (Revision Theater) and Brundibar; Comedy on the Bridge and But The Giraffe (The New Victory Theater/Yale Rep/ Berkeley Rep.) Other credits include Jean Cocteau Rep, Soho Rep, The Mint, Chicago Opera Theater, The Juilliard School, New York University and The Harrisburg Opera, as well as the large and small screen. Robin serves on the Board of Yes! And Collaborative Arts in Philadelphia. She earned her MFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Julie Johnson Thick, choreographer, is an adjunct with priority status, teaching Rider's Musical Theater majors tap dance since 2013. Julie and her husband, Bob, founded the Off-Broadstreet Theater in Hopewell where she functioned as managing producer and choreographer. Together they produced over 300 shows over 32 years. In NYC, Julie danced with Gregory Hines's Tap Company and Luigi Jazz. Julie has worked as a guest artist at The Ed Sullivan Theatre, Hines and Hatchet, Broadway Dance Center, and continues to teach at a NJ dance studio. Her diversified background even includes being the NJAIAW Collegiate State All-Around Champion In gymnastics.

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