fairies, swans and still waters

• Choreographer | Marius Petipa (1818-1910) 
• Restaging & Additional Choreography | Isabele Elefson, Tricia Sundbeck 
• Composer | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) 
• Conductors | Aik Khai Pung (4/13, 4/15), Trevor Kroeger (4/14), Kevin Li (4/16)
• Costume Design | Isabele Elefson, Tricia Sundbeck, Dr. Ann Kyuran Choe
• Headpiece Design/Construction | Isabele Elefson 
• Drapers |  Shauna Steele, Dr. Ann Kyuran Choe
• Fairy of Wisdom | Morgan Montour (4/13, 4/15), Maddie Talbot (4/14, 4/16)
• Fairy of Beauty |  Rose Engel
• Fairy of Kindness | Sydney D’Orso
• Fairy of Grace | Hazel Alexander
• Fairy of Joy |  Gracie Zamiska
• Fairy of Temperament | Illiana Rich
• Lilac Attendants | Sophia Gray, Katie Griffith, Shaelyn Kuipers, Grace Mitchell, Miranda Sharer, Maddie Weber, Caitlyn Wehner, Mandi Weitz 

Program note: 
Several fairies are invited to the ceremony to bestow gifts on the christening of the Princess. Each fairy brings a gift of a virtue or positive trait, such as beauty, courage, sweetness, musical talent and mischief. The powerful Lilac Fairy arrives with her entourage, but before she can bestow her gift, the evil fairy Carabosse arrives with her minions, angrily demanding to know why she did not receive an invitation. Carabosse curses Princess Aurora and foretells that she will indeed grow up to be a beautiful and accomplished, but on her 16th birthday she will prick her finger on a spindle and die.  Horrified, the King and Queen beg for mercy, but no quarter is given. However, because the Lilac Fairy has yet to bestow her blessing is able to intervene. Though she does not have the power to completely undo the curse, she is able to alter and unravel the ‘death’ aspect. Aurora will indeed prick her finger on a spindle but instead of dying, it will cause a peaceful 100-year sleep for the princess and all those within the realm, rather than death. At the end of those 100 years, she will be woken by true loves kiss. 

• Choreographer | Shauna Steele 
• Composer | Grace Choi* 
• Music | ‘Drown’ [Premiere] 
• Conductor | Aik Khai Pung
• Costume Design | Clara Cavins* 
• Draper | Meredith Buckley* 
• Media Production Documentary Crew | Chloe Otterback* (producer), Hailey Bernot*, Claire Foley*, Juan Andrés Fernández García*, Kiara Gross*, Aislinn Moss-Buckley*   
• Dancers | Erin Decker, Rose Engel, A.J. Gross, Willie Harris Jr., Celeste Lau, Emerson Lecrone, Eva Moore, Grace Ortega, Mira Sidhu, Garrett Steagall, Sofia Stitz, Maddie Talbot, Caitlyn Wehner, Mandi Weitz, Claire Zakrajsek 

Note from the Choreographer: 
This began as a small seed, just an idea casually discussed with Aik Khai Pung when we spoke last year of how orchestra and dance would be working together in spring of 2023. Would dance be interested in collaborating with a 2nd year DMA student to create an original composition and original choreography? It then became a fully collaborative project that inspired multiple departments and students, including costume design students, lighting design students and media production students. Which is exactly what ‘Still Waters’ was meant to embody, that nothing is ever really what we see on the surface but if we take the time to share our inner selves, we then begin to see the rich color and texture, trust and faith that others will share with us. While there were many inspirations for the movement sequences, the motif played with most was what does the ’ground’ mean? What is the force or texture or weight in the ‘low space’ can it be embodied in high space? My creative point for two of the choreographic sequences was the poem that Grace shared.

Note from the Composer:
We can observe various forms of the sea. Its surface is sometimes calm and sometimes dynamic. Its color also changes from moment to moment as the light in the sky changes. It makes us feel various emotions, and sometimes it makes us romantic. On the other hand, the deep sea is always calm. It is unaffected by the outside world and is covered in muddy darkness. I expressed the moment when these two irreconcilable parts meet and accept each other through music with the meaning of inclusion and sacrifice.  

• Choreographer | Marius Petipa (1818-1910) and Lev Ivanov (1834-1901) 
• Restaging & Additional Choreography | Jiang Qi 
• Composer | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 
• Music | ‘Swan Lake Op. 20’  
• Conductors | Aik Khai Pung (4/13, 4/15), Matthew Lee (4/14), Matthew Swope (4/16)
• Costumes | CCM Dance 
• Additional Costume Design/Draping | Shauna Steele
• Additional Odette Headpiece Design/construction | Natalie Zimmerman*
• Princess Odette | Claire Zakrajsek (4/13), Eva Moore (4/14), Rose Engel (4/15), Sofia Stitz (4/16) 
• Prince Sigfried || Milton Holloway 
• Baron Von Rothart | Garrett Steagall (4/14, 4/16), A.J. Gross (4/13, 4/15) 
• Danse des Cygnes, allegro moderato | 4/13, 4/15: Sydney D’Orso, Shaelyn Kuipers, Eva Moore, Iliana Rich; 4/14, 4/16: Hazel Alexander, Grace Ortega, Mira Sidhu, Claire Zakrajsek. 
• Danse des Cygnes, tempo di valse | 4/13, 4/15: Celeste Lau, Emerson Lecrone, Sofia Stitz, Maddie Talbot; 4/14, 4/16: Rose Engel, Katie Griffith, Emilia Mieczkowski, Morgan Montour
• Corps de Ballet | Hazel Alexander ( 4/15, 4/16), Hannah Altmiller, Elise Arcuri, Sarah Bartlett, Sydney D’Orso (4/13, 4/15), Erin Decker, Sophia Gray, Meg Green (4/13, 4/15), Katie Griffith, Shaelyn Kuipers (4/13, 4/15), Celeste Lau (4/14, 4/16), Emerson Lecrone (4/14, 4/16), Kelsey Lewis, Cynthia Lutz, Emilia Mieczykowski (4/13, 4/15), Grace Mitchell, Morgan Montour (4/13, 4/15), Regina Murphy, Grace Ortega (4/14, 4/16), Iliana Rich (4/4/13, 4/15), Miranda Sharer, Mira Sidhu (4/14, 4/16), Laykin Stoess (4/13, 4/15), Maddie Talbot (4/14, 4/16), Isabella Thoroughman, Maddie Weber, Caitlyn Wehner, Mandi Weitz (4/14, 4/16), Gracie Zamiska

Program Note:
Prince Siegfried arrives at the lakeside, just as a flock of swans land, He aims his crossbow but freezes when one of them transforms into a beautiful maiden named Odette. At first, she is terrified of him. When he promises not to harm her, she explains that she and her companions are victims of a spell cast by the evil owl-like sorcerer, named Rothbart. By day they live as bespelled swans. Only at night, by the side of the enchanted lake, do they return to human form. The spell can only be broken if one who has never loved before swears to love Odette forever. Rothbart suddenly appears, Siegfried threatens to kill him, but Odette intercedes – if he dies before the spell is broken, it can never be undone. 

As Rothbart disappears, the swan maidens fill the clearing, Siegfried breaks his crossbow, and sets about winning Odette's love and trust. But as dawn arrives, the evil spell draws Odette and her companions back to the lake and they once again are transformed into graceful swans.

• Technical Director | Stirling Shelton
• Assistant Stage Managers | Hannah Burford, Jie “Mia”Min
• Assistant Production Managers | Katie Reus*, Emma King*
• Associate Lighting Designers | Rama Van Gils, Andrew Gange
• Production Electrician | Vincent Vandeleest
•  Assistant Production Electrician | Nick Hunley
•  Programmer | Tal Kochav
•  Board Operator | Nick Hunley
•  Spotlight Operators |  Hannah Kate Hawver, Benji Lookatch, Kassidy Schley
• Electrics Crew | CCM Lighting Design & Technology Students  
• Set Construction Crew | Matti Andrews, Jeffrey Bell, William Blank, El (Elora) Bowers, Anna Camerer, Nick Feldmann, Raeya Garcia, Ella Gover, Laura Hanks, Willow Heichel, Corvo (Mary) Hopkins, Lily Landoch, Kaitlin Mier, Maddi Myer, Kait Naylor, Molly Powell, Charlie Raschke, Evan Reinhart, Paloma Robles, Kassidy Schley, Moira Seger, Jordan Shaw, Emma Shreve, Morgan Terry, Bethany Untener, Reagan Warvel   
• Scene Shop Assistants | McKenna Cameron Brennan, Isabelle /Izzy Dillon, Lukas J. Hummeldorf, Nick Hunley, Hunter Lee, Benji Lookatch, Grace Elizabeth Mayo, Janay Sukkarieh, Gabrielle Sprouse Ullman, Logan Timothy Vanderpool  
• Set/Props Running Crew | El Bowers, Jordan Shaw, Katilin Mier
• Assistant Sound Designer | Frank Jernigan
• Production Sound Engineer | Bryan Pivaral