DANCERS’ CHOICE
October 12, Dairy ARTS Center
October 12, 2024
Dairy ARTS Center
We unveil a brand-new program this season. This single-night event provides a platform for company dancers and emerging local choreographers to showcase dynamic new works. Designed to foster professional growth among our dancers and spotlight local talent, it promises an evening of innovation and artistic discovery.
MOONLIT by Morgan Rust
CONTINUUM 1 by Philip Perez
MOON IN MY ROOM by Jarrett Rashad
MOSTLY I’M AT SEA by Marian Faustino
UNTITLED by Jethro Paine
THAT’S LIFE (from Michael Smuin’s “Fly Me to the Moon”) staged by Sarah MacGregor
THE VANISHING by Claudia Anata-Hubiak
Join us after the show, for a Q&A with the artists
DANCERS’ CHOICE
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Choreographers
MORGAN RUST
Morgan has been a company dancer with Boulder Ballet since 2023.
In her work Moonlit, the dancers bring to life the beauty and calmness of nature’s rhythms. When stressors affect you, let this piece remind you of God’s creation in and around you. Take the time to breathe in as the tides of both bitter and sweet emotions rise to the surface; allow your anxieties and thoughts to crash on the shore, leaving ultimate peace in their wake.
“Let the waters settle and you will see the moon and the stars reflected in your own being.” -Rumi
PHILIP PEREZ
A company dancer with Boulder Ballet since 2018, Philip will step into the role of Choreographer for our Dancers's Choice program. His work Continuum 1 is the first movement of an ongoing experimental work.
Continuum 1 is the first movement of an ongoing experimental work. A dancer wears six inertial measurement sensors on the wrists, ankles, head, and back, which transmit motion data in real time to a computer. The composer has trained a neural network to recognize specific phrases and movements performed by the dancer.
This AI system sends messages to another application, directing it to use the motion data to control various musical parameters depending on the dancer’s movements. The resulting soundscapes are created to amplify the evocative and emotional qualities of the choreography.
Through continuous collaboration between the composer and dancer(s)/choreographer, a piece is constantly refined wherein the dancer enters a dialogue with the music, learning to influence and shape it in different directions. The AI also introduces surprises and mistakes- leading to situations where the dancer is prompted by the music to elaborate on specific phrases that result in new ideas that sprout from uncertainty and chance.
JARETT RASHAD
Jarrett's work was featured in our program Beyond Connection in 2022 and heads up his own dance company, JR Dance Theater.
Experience the profound healing journey of Moon in My Room an evocative new ballet by choreographer Jarrett Rashad Set to the music of Portico Quartet, this powerful
work fuses jazz and contemporary styles to create a rich tapestry of emotion, transformation, and resilience.
MARIAN FAUSTINO
This season marks Marian's first season as a company dancer with Boulder Ballet. She will create a new work as part of this program.
Marian's piece mostly i'm at sea is a contemporary duet that explores the interplay between past and future selves, inviting you to experience the fluidity of perspective as it shifts over time.
SARAH MACGREGOR
Sarah joined Boulder Ballet as a company dancer this season. She will take on the challenging task of staging the work That's Life by Michael Smuin.
For Sarah, stagers play an essential role in ballet, breathing new life into historical works while preserving their integrity. She’s inspired by their incredible attention to detail and powerful skill, and she’s eager to explore this vital aspect of ballet further.
JETHRO PAINE
Jethro is in his first season with Boulder Ballet and decided to create a work for this program as a choreographer.
Barco Negra/Mãe Preta is a solo piece that follows the journey of a song called Barco Negra (“black boat”), composed for the Portuguese, Fado singer Amália Rodrigues in the 1950’s. This new work explores themes relating to feminism and constructions of femininity through the male gaze, or the female experience under the pressures/demands of a patriarchal society, as well as how sounds and movement can tell a story.
CLAUDIA ANATA HUBIAK
In 2022, Claudia premiered her first work, ECHO, for Boulder Ballet, which was a big hit at our show New Moves. Her brand-new work The Vanishing premieres in this program.
The Vanishing is a new work created by Claudia Anata Hubiak exploring the intricate relationship between time, aging, and identity. Through a deeply personal lens, the choreography reflects on the moments of endings and beginnings—paying homage to the dancers coming to the end of a career, the mothers who lose themselves in the journey of parenthood and to the older generations who often fade into the background. The Vanishing celebrates the beauty of the aging process, identifies the speed of the world ushering us forward in the rush to accomplish and reminds us to move gracefully through time without fading away.
Come witness this powerful tribute to resilience and artistry in the face of life's inevitable transitions.
Rehearsal Assistants
GIANNA FORTE
CARLY HAMBRIDGE
MONTES’ PIRTLE