CCM Dance SERIES Presents

An American In Paris + Other Works

Nov. 30-Dec. 2, 2023, Patricia Corbett Theater

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  • Director | Shauna Steele
  • Dance Arts Administration Graduate Assistant| Aaron Libby*
  • Dance Costume Design Graduate Assistant| Jayna Fry*
  • Technical Director | Stirling Shelton
  • Lighting Designer | Jules Cabrera*
  • Sound Designer | Lucia Hill*
  • Production Stage Manager | Hannah Kate Hawver*
  • Physical Therapists | University of Cincinnati Medical & NovaCare
  • Dance Physicians, Physical Therapists | Darcy Lei, D.O., Dr. Michael Donaworth, Alan Husarchik ,M.Ed. AT, Dan Scheid, Rachel Gleason, Rose Smith, Heather Graden 

 * CCM Student

An American In Paris + Other Works will last approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Rodney & Laurie Gasch, Dr. Kyuran Ann Choe, Dr. Michael Donaworth, Dan Scheid, Rachel Gleason, Rose Smith, Heather Graden, Alan Husarchik, Dale Pickett, Diana Queen of Diana’s Dancewear, Kat Wolf of Northern Kentucky Dancewear. Peter Davison, Jennifer Aiken, Peter Sparling, The Dance Department gratefully acknowledges the support of The Corbett Endowment at CCM.

Director's Note

By Shauna Steele

In reflecting on what my directors note would be this year, I realized something important and amazing. The seniors you will see onstage tonight started their college journey on a sea of shifting sands, in the middle of a hurricane and stepped into the unknown to play a game where the rules were forever shifting.  

They began their college career not just with the normal unknowns of moving away from home, how could they become a dancer...or a dancing double major but how will I dance? How will I learn? Will there be any jobs out there once Covid ends? When will Covid end? They arrived on campus in masks, had to stay 6-10 feet away from each other at all times, dance in defined squares in the studios, take classes online that would normally not be engaged in that way. I believe they have thrived in part not in spite of this unknown that shut down the entire world but because of it. They are all strong dancers, with clearly defined purpose and goals both inside and outside of dance. They are exactly what we hoped would develop when we frantically started making our plans for the future when the world shut down.  

They have become leaders amongst their peers.  

We can’t seem to get away from mentions of Covid and even here I really did try...but I can’t really and truly honor not just the seniors but all of the other students, faculty, staff, parents, and family that have continued to trust, persevere, find joy, and create magic without mentioning it. This concert is a reflection of that spirit of looking forward into a terrifying and horrifying unknown and finding not just a ‘pivot’ but an entirely new language, road...in essence creating a new recipe of ingredients but using a ‘starter.’ We engaged in collaborations, new choreographic ideas, new ways to interact, new ways to create.

The result is onstage in the strength of technique, artistry, and aesthetic...of the dancers, choreogsraphers and student and faculty design collaborators and I absolutely look forward to seeing what we will all do in the future as we find new moments that ‘take our breath away!’

Dance Selections

La Esmeralda (1844)

  • Choreographers | Marius Petipa (1818-1910) after Jules Perrot (1810-1892)
  • Restaged with Choreography by | Tricia Sundbeck, Isabele Elefson
  • Music | La Esmeralda by Cesare Pugni (1802-1870)
  • Lighting Designer | Abigail Fluck
  • Costume Design | Dr. Kyuran Ann Choe, Isabele Elefson, Shauna Steele, Tricia Sundbeck
  • Leads | Celeste Lau (11/29, 12/1), Emilia Mieczykowski (11/30, 12/2)
  • Soloists | Shaelyn Kuipers, Grace Mitchell
  • First Pas de Quatre | Erin Decker (11/30, 12/2), Soyars Green (11/29, 12/1), Katherine Kraal, Cynthia Lutz,  Elizabeth Tanner
  • Second Pas de Quatre | Campbell Lee, Regina Murphy, Mia Neslanovic, Maddie Weber
  • Understudies | Lexi Bastin, Maya Gordon, Bethany Roup, Laykin Stoess, Anjali Vadlamudi
  • Program Note | The most famous passage from Esmeralda is the "Pas de Jalousie" (commonly known today as the La Esmeralda Pas de six), which was created by Petipa and Drigo for Virginia Zucchi in Petipa’s 1886 revival. As was the custom of the time, a novelty piece was added to showcase the ballerina’s dramatic gifts and the result was a pas de six in the third act entitled the Pas de Jalousie, which replaced Perrot and Pugni’s original pas d’action. In the Pas de Jalousie, Esmeralda and her friends are invited to dance at a feast to celebrate the engagement of Fleur-de-Lys, only to discover that Fleur-de-Lys’s fiancé is none other than her beloved Phoebus. The pas reflects Esmeralda’s heartbreak, but by the end, her love for dancing completely takes over. The La Esmeralda Pas de six has since remained in the ballet repertoire and is often performed at galas, but the version that is widely danced today is Agrippina Vaganova’s revival from her 1935 production of "Esmeralda." The original pas de six does not contain a variation for Pierre Gringoire; the traditional male variation danced in the pas de six today is set to music from "The Talisman" and was added to the pas by Vakhtang Chabukiani ca. 1935 (Petipa Society, Esmeralda, 2023).”

Vincent, Iris, and the Starry Night [Premiere]

  • Choreographer | Jiang Qi
  • Music | Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Minor, Op. 40 II. Largo (Original 126 Version) by Alexander Nicolayevich Scriabin (1871-1915)
  • Lighting Designer | Jules Cabrera
  • Cast | AJ Gross (11/30, 12/2), Willie Harris Jr. (11/29, 12/1), Iliana Rich (11/30), Maddie Talbot (11/29, 12/1), Maddie Weber (12/2)
  • Guest Performer | Ciarán Barlow (Cincinnati Ballet, Professional Training Division
  • Understudies | Willie Harris Jr., Caitlyn Wehner
  • Program Note | Vincent van Gogh started painting irises within a month of entering the asylum. He called painting “the lightening conductor for my illness.” To keep himself from going insane he continued to paint, eventually creating a series of Irises and the Starry Night.  This work did not begin with the choreography and music selection but rather with a discussion on collaboration with Elizabeth Payne, CCM Professor in Costume Design. Erin Donnelly, a costume design graduate student, had written for and been awarded a grant for an original costume design and story concept. Donnelly pitched her idea to the dance chair who found the story and design concepts original and intriguing. Dance offered to include it in our mainstage concert instead of just an ‘in studio study.’ Jiang Qi, Professor of Ballet, was asked to create a work inspired by the costume design plates and story synopsis provided by Donnelly concerning the specific time van Gogh spent in the asylum and created ‘Iris (1889)’ and ‘Starry Night (1888).’ Funding for the costumes for Vincent, Iris, and the Starry Night provided by the University of Cincinnati’s University Research Council (URC) Graduate Student Stipend and Research Cost Program for Faculty—Student Collaboration: Arts & Humanities

Jux d’pose

  • Choreographer | Ihaiah Miller
  • Rehearsal Assistant | Bethany Roup
  • Music | Concerto in A minor RV. 356 I - Allegro, Concerto in a minor RV. 356 II – Largo, Concerto in A minor RV. 356 III Presto by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
  • Lighting Designer | Abigail Fluck
  • Costume Designer | Ihaiah Miller
  • Leads | Hazel Alexander (11/30, 12/2), Eva Moore, Iliana Rich (11/29, 12/1), Sofia Stitz, Erin Decker, AJ Gross
  • Corps | Hannah Altmiller, Elise Arcuri, Sophia Gray, Soyars Green, Shaelyn Kuipers, Emerson Lecrone, Campbell Lee, Addie McCarter, Regina Murphy, Laykin Stoess
  • Understudies | Mary Lee, Grace Mitchell, Miranda Sharer

INTERMISSION

it's not the breaths you take...

  • Choreographer | Shauna Steele
  • Music | Stabat Mater by Giovanni Batista Pergolese (1710-1736)
  • Lighting Designer | Jules Cabrera
  • Costume Designer | Shauna Steele
  • Cast | Hazel Alexander, Hannah Altmiller, Lexi Bastin, Bryn Cintrón, Katie Griffith, Mary Lee, Kelsey Lewis, Isabella Thoroughman, Cynthia Lutz, Mia Neslanovic, Sylvia Quinio, Miranda Sharer, Maddie Talbot, Elizabeth Tanner, Anjali Vadlamudi, Maddie Weber, Caitlyn Wehner, Gracie Zamiska
  • Understudies | Katie Griffith, Kelsey Lewis, Isabella Thoroughman, Anjali Vadlamudi, Maddie Weber
  • Featured Dancers:
    • Movement 1 Stabat Mater Dolorosa, Grave: Hazel Alexander
    • Movement 2 Cujus Animam Gementem. Andante Amoroso:
      • Trio 1: Miranda Sharer, Elizabeth Tanner, Sylvia Quinio
      • Trio 2: Mia Neslanovic, Caitlyn Wehner, Gracie Zamiska
      • Trio 3: Lexi Bastin, Bryn Cintrón, Kelsey Lewis
      • Trio 4: Hannah Altmiller, Mary Lee, Cynthia Lutz
    • Movement 3 O Quam Tristis Et Afflicta. Larghetto: Hazel Alexander, Hannah Altmiller
    • Movement 4 Quae Moerebat Et Dolebat. Allegro: Gracie Zamiska
    • Movement 5 Quis Est Homo. Largo: Katie Griffith, Kelsey Lewis, Caitlyn Wehner
    • Movement 6 Vidit Suum Dulcem Natum. A Tempo Giusto: Hazel Alexander, Maddie Talbot
    • Movement 7 Eja Mater Fons Amoris. Andantino: Hazel Alexander, Maddie Talbot, Isabella Thoroughman 
    • Movement 8 Fac Ut Ardeat Cor Meum. Allegro: Maddie Weber
    • Movement 9 Sancta Mater, Istud Agas. A Tempo Giustu: Bryn Cintron, Katie Griffith, Kelsey Lewis, Mia Neslanovic, Isabella Thoroughman, Gracie Zamiska
    •  Movement 10 Fac Ut Portem Christi Mortem. Largo: Hazel Alexander, Bryn Cintrón, Anjali Vadlamudi
    • Movement 11 Inflammatus Et Accensus. Allegro: Sylvia Quinio
    • Movement 12 Quando Corpus Morietur. Largo: Hazel Alexander, Cynthia Lutz, Miranda Sharer, Anjali Valdamundi, Caitlyn Wehner, Gracie Zamiska
    • Program Note | We live in a world defined by darkness and light, the grotesque and sublime, ugly and beautiful...not only is this a social construct that can make us feel ‘less then...’ it is not truth. In thinking about these ideas, I also considered what makes something real, lasting, whole...complete. It’s the messy things. The unknown that turns out to bring us our biggest joy. The known that can break our hearts. Some ‘burdens’ we carry with pride not because they weigh us down. Pergolese wrote his Stabat Mater from his death bed in a monestary. I picture him working frantically wanting to finish this creation because he felt he had something he had to share. As I researched both the Stabat Mater and Pergolese and listened to an amazing BBC podcast I realized it needed to be shared in its entirety, breaking it up would be a wrong that could become a burden. In speaking with the dancers I translated these idea through discussions of universal themes. Birth, death, rites of passage, love, hate, moving forward, moving on. The passengers in our lives are important because of how we define ourselves having known them. We miss the people that aren’t in our lives every moment of every day but we carry them with us and we honor them when we realize that just existing and rolling forward is not enough, that the moments where we truly allow ourselves to live, love, and see is where we can live...that its not the breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away that define us.

American In Paris [Regional Premiere]

  • Choreographer | Peter Davison
  • Repititeur | Jennifer Aiken
  • Rehearsal Director | Jiang Qi
  • Music | An American in Paris (Un Américain À Paris) by George Gershwin (1898-1937)
  • Music Recording | Erich Kunzel and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
  • Spoken Word | Peter Davison 
  • Lighting Designer | Jules Cabrera
  • CCM Costume Design | Shauna Steele, Jayna Fry
  • Petite Ecoliers Wrangler | Maia Gordon
  • Rehearsal Assistant - Petite Ecoliers | Sylvia Quinio
  • Rehearsal Assistant - Kids | Katherine Kraal
  • Jerry | AJ Gross
  • Lise | Grace Ortega, Sylvia Quinio (Understudy)
  • Gendarme | Willie Harris Jr.
  • Serveur/Chauffeur | Celeste Lau 
  • Milo | Eva Moore, Celeste Lau (Understudy)
  • Henri | Brian Cheung (11/29, 12/1), Coty Perno (11/30, 12/2)
  • American Tourists | Iliana Rich, Sofia Stiz
  • Dames (Boulevard Les Riches) | Elise Arcuri, Sophia Gray, Katie Griffith, Kelsey Lewis, Emilie Mieczykowski, Maddie Talbot, Isabella Thoroughman, Gracie Zamiska
  • Kids | Sylvia Quinio, CCM Prep: Evelyn Huey, Tatiana Lanier, Victoria La Niear, Dashiell Suess, Alejandra Villalva
  • Petite Ecoliers | CCM Prep: Frances Blocher, Anja Marlatt, Nora Peterson
  • Les Peintres | Elise Arcuri, Erin Decker, Sophia Gray, Willie Harris Jr.
  • Pas de Deux Couples | Erin Decker, AJ Gross, Willie Harris, Maddie Talbot, Isabella Thoroughman, Gracie Zamiska
  • Understudies | Katherine Kraal, Celesta Lau, Campbell Lee, Regina Murphy, Sylvia Quinio

Production Staff

  • Assistant Stage Managers | Lily Landoch, Bethany Untener
  • Assistant Production Managers | Annalee Crosser, Katie Reus
  • Associate Lighting Designers | Abigail Fluck*
  • Wardrobe Supervisor | Jayna Fry*
  • Pattern Maker/Draper | Jayna Fry*
  • Production Electrician | Nate Miller
  • Assistant Production Electrician / Board Operator | Hayden Valkema
  • Lighting Programmer | Brenden Friedel
  • Followpsot Operators | Evan Reinhart, Jordan Shaw
  • Deck Electricians | Raeya Garcia, Reagan Warvel
  • Set/Props Running Crew | Anya Brennan, Chloe Caudil, Halena Edwards, Ali Fishbain, Sophie Stockton
  • Assistant Sound Designer | Nick Feldmann
  • Production Sound Engineer | Brady Smith

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Watch: The CCM Wind Symphony performs guest composer Viet...

November 20, 2024

The UC College-Conservatory of Music's concert series continued on November 1 with a performance by the CCM Wind Symphony presenting multiple pieces by guest composer Viet Cuong, who is one of the most inventive voices in the wind repertoire. The centerpiece of the concert was Cuong’s piece Re(new)al, a concerto for percussion quartet that celebrates the innovations of renewable energy. The four soloists use crystal glasses, a single snare drum, compressed air cans and more to evoke three sources of renewable energy: hydro, wind and solar.

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The competitive scholarships CCMpower provides help attract and retain the best and brightest students, nurture professional development opportunities and – in turn – continue CCM’s tradition of excellence for the next generation of student-artists. Join or renew your CCMpower membership today to help provide critical scholarship funds.

Join or renew your CCMpower member today to help provide critical scholarship funds. Visit foundation.uc.edu/ccmpower to learn more.

 

Sponsors

Louise Dieterle Nippert Trust
Scholarship and Resident Artist Supporter
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship Sponsor
The Corbett Endowment at CCM
Dance Department Supporter
All-Steinway School Supporter
The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation, Ritter & Randolph, LLC, Corporate Counsel
Visiting Artists & Thinking About Music Supporter
William L. Gasch Endowment Fund for Dance Excellence
CCM Dance Department Supporter
J. Brett Offenberger, MD and Mr. Douglas E. Duckett;
Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer 
Greg Mathein 
Jim & Linda Miller 
George & Caroll Roden
Musical Theatre Department Supporters
Gearsupply.com AV Marketplace
Theater Design & Production Supporter
The Estate of Genevieve Smith
Opera Production Supporter
Bacchus Legacy Foundation
TAPAA Guest Director Supporter
Rafael and Kimberly de Acha
Opera D’Arte Supporter
Estate of Mrs. William A. Friedlander
Dr. Randolph L. Wadsworth
Judith Schonbach Landgren and Peter Landgren
Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Santen
Elizabeth C.B. Sittenfeld
Elizabeth Stone
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman
Mrs. Theodore W. Striker
Mrs. Harry M. Hoffheimer
Ariel Quartet Supporters
Friedlander Family Fund
Karl Zipser
Chamber Music at CCM
Jan Rogers
Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation
Choral Studies Supporters
Anonymous
Classical Guitar Supporter
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph W. Hirschhorn
Philharmonia Supporters
Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation
Starling Pre-Collegiate Supporter
Starling Strings Supporter
Dr. Timothy E. and Janet L. Johnson
Thom Miles and Roberta Gary
Organ Department Supporters
Keyboard Club of Cincinnati
L. Ried Schott
Piano Department Supporters
Kevin and Nancy Rhein
Wind Studies Supporters
Willis Music/ Buddy Rogers Music
LINKS Instrument Donation Supporter
Strader Fund of the Greter Cincinnati Foundation
CCM Innovation Supporter


Sponsors listed as of August 1, 2024

General Information

Land Acknowledgment

The Cincinnati area and the land that the University of Cincinnati has been built on is the native homeland of the Indigenous Algonquian speaking tribes, including the Delaware, Miami, and Shawnee tribes.

Box Office

Located in the CCM Atrium, the Box Office is open Tuesday through Friday, 1-5 p.m.; and one hour prior to curtain for all ticketed performances. MasterCard, Visa and Discover cards are accepted.

  • Location: CCM Atrium Lobby next to Corbett Auditorium
  • Telephone: 513-556-4183
  • Email: boxoff@uc.edu
  • Mail: CCM Box Office, P.O. Box 210003, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0003
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Parking

Convenient parking is available in the CCM Garage at the base of Corry Boulevard off of Jefferson Avenue. Additional parking is available in garages throughout the UC campus. Any questions concerning on-campus parking should be directed to UC Parking Services at 513-556-2283.

Parking Services

Tax Credit

If you find that you cannot attend your performance, your tickets may be donated for tax credit as a charitable contribution. Simply notify the Box Office prior to the performance to release your seats, and give your name and address. A tax donation receipt will be mailed to you.

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Lost and Found

If you have lost an item, contact lost and found at 513-556-9413.

House Policies

The House Manager has been instructed to minimize the disturbance to patrons already seated when accommodating latecomers. The director and producer of each production select times that are least likely to interrupt the performance, and latecomers will be seated only during these times. Latecomers who miss these opportunities will not be admitted until intermission. Children under the age of 6 will not be admitted.

Cameras, Phones and Recording Devices

The video or audio recording of performances is prohibited.

The use of cameras, with or without flashes, recording devices, cellular phones and other electronic devices inside the theater is prohibited. Please leave them with the House Manager.

Smoking and Refreshments

Smoking and refreshments are not permitted in the theater. Effective May 1, 2017, smoking and tobacco use (including chewing tobacco and electronic cigarettes) shall be prohibited by students, staff, faculty, visitors, vendors and contractors at all times in or on University of Cincinnati properties, including events on university property during non-school hours. This includes all shelters, indoor and outdoor theaters and athletic facilities, bridges, walkways, sidewalks, residence halls, parking lots, and street parking and garages owned by the university.

Learn more about UC's "Tobacco Free Campus"

Hearing Enhancement

Telex listening devices are available for checkout during performances in both Patricia Corbett Theater and Corbett Auditorium. Please inquire at the Box Office.

Wheelchair Seating

Wheelchair seating is available in both Corbett Auditorium and Patricia Corbett Theater. Seating is limited, so reservations should be made with the Box Office when ordering tickets. These seats are subject to availability.

Group Sales

The Box Office can accommodate groups for major productions and concerts. Preview and benefit performances are also available for some productions. For more information, call the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183.

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CCM's faculty and staff and its state-of-the-art facilities make possible the professional training and exceptional education on which CCM believes the future of the arts relies. The school's roster of eminent faculty regularly receives distinguished honors for creative and scholarly work, and its alumni have achieved notable success in the performing and media arts. More than 150 internationally recognized faculty members work with students from around the world, specializing in eight areas of study.

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Know Your Exit

Map depicting exits from Patricia Corbett Theatre

Performance dates and repertoire are subject to change. View CCM's current calendar of events.

The purpose of these performances is educational, and they are part of a University of Cincinnati academic program.