Dreaming with Ruth Page: The Expanding Universe
Premiere Date: 10/15/2021
Choreographer: Nejla Yatkin
Rehearsal Director: Maray Gutierrez
Music: Ben LaMar Gay
Costume Design: Katrin Schnabl
Costume Assistance: Nick D’Allessandro
Lighting Design: Robyn Wilson
Dancers: Patricia Cepeda, Paige Kingston, Sara Kuzminski, Maria Victoria Matos, Maurissa Powell
In 1932, Ruth Page, in collaboration with artist Isamu Noguchi, created an iconic solo entitled Expanding Universe. In celebration of the 50th anniversary, Ruth Page Center commissioned Chicago-based dancemaker Nejla Yatkin to create a re-imagined Expanding Universe for the Ruth Page Professional Dance Training Program. Instrumental in Page’s original work was the sack dress she wore, designed by Noguchi.
Les Célébrantes
Premiere Date: 3/25/2022
Choreographer: Timothy O’Donnell Rehearsal Director: Maray Gutierrez
Music: Pink Martini
Costumes: Eduardo Sosa and Ruth Page School Wardrobe
Lighting Design: Robyn Wilson
Dancers: Madeline Kiesel, Sara Kuzminski, Maurissa Powell, Devyn Simon, Exodis Ward
Les Célébrantes celebrates five women and their strength in continuing to work on their art form during the most difficult times.
Steady Going
Premiere Date: 10/14/2022
Choreographer: Kia Smith
Rehearsal Director: Maray Gutierrez
Music: The Black Dog, John Butler, Georg Philipp Telemann, Command All-Stars, Frédéric Chopin
Costumes: Kia Smith
Lighting Design: Sarah Lackner
Dancers: Keeley Clark, Kaelen Gouveia, Mian Hirasawa, Alicia René Kenefic, Oscar Uribe Zapata
Steady Going resulted from a week-long residency in September 2022, where Smith worked closely with the Training Program dancers. The collaborative rehearsal process encouraged the dancers to find their own focus and intention while exploring themes of isolation, irony, and beauty.
Abscission
Premiere Date: 6/15/2023
Choreographer: Adrian Marcelo Saenz
Rehearsal Director: Maray Gutierrez
Music: Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, Rene Aubry, Johan Sebastian Bach, Gem Club
Costume and Set Concept: Adrian Marcelo Saenz
Costume Design: Adrian Marcelo Saenz
Costume Construction: Amanda Bradley and Claire Lyons
Set Construction: Anne Laue-Minden
Lighting Design: Sarah Lackner
Dancers: Keeley Clark, Kaelen Gouveia, Mian Hirasawa, Alicia René Kenefic, Oscar Uribe Zapata
Abscission: the act or process of cutting off the natural separation of flowers, fruit, or leaves from plants at a special separation layer
Abscission invites viewers to explore the most intimate and dark places of themselves.
La Tierra de Canela y Maíz
Premiere Date: 10/20/2023
Choreographer: Francisco Aviña
Rehearsal Director: Maray Gutierrez
Music: Pregones Mexicanos, “Mexicana Hermosa” Natalia Lafourcade feat. Los Macorinos, “Hagamos un Trato” Mario Benedetti, “Ayer y Hoy” Julio Jaramillo, “Paloma Negra” Chavela Vargas, “Árbol Que Recuerda” Eduardo Galeano, “Un Día Cualquiera” Silvana, “Estrada El Rey” Vicente Fernández, “Alma al Aire” Eduardo Galeano, “Cuando los Pies Besan el Piso” Calle 13.
Lighting Design: Sarah Lackner
Costume Concept: Francisco Aviña
Dancers: Jennamarie Aboul-Hosn, Valeria Aguirre Cano, Alexandra Bradley, Gianna Curless, Mikala Curless, Ania Dimalta, Trystan Lopez Zumwalt
La Tierra de Canela y Maíz (The Land of Cinnamon and Corn) is a love letter to a country that blessed Aviña with a form of refuge and life lessons. A country rich with tradition and yet is surprisingly modern. A country that was conquered by the Spanish but still holds dear its pre-Hispánic indigenous traditions and customs. Mexico has profound geological beauty, yet even more breathtaking is the warmth, generosity, spirit, and perseverance.
Apophenia
Premiere Date: 3/23/2024
Choreographer: Adrián Marcelo Sáenz
Rehearsal Director: Maray Gutierrez
Music: Felix Mendelssohn, Peter Nagy
Costume Design: Adrián Marcelo Sáenz
Costume Construction: Maray Gutierrez & Anne Laue-Minden
Lighting Design: Sarah Lackner
Dancers: Jennamarie Aboul-Hosn, Valeria Aguirre Cano, Alexandra Bradley, Gianna Curless, Mikala Curless, Ania Dimalta, Alexandra Webb
Apophenia's choreography seeks to induce in the spectator a reflective and personal interpretation of the meaning and intention, which unveils their thoughts, concerns, and psychological characteristics.
