November 2, 2024 at 4:00 and 8:00 p.m.
Chapman Steamer Arts
Artists
Haley Andrews – Andrews Movement
Livia Armstrong – Extensions Dance Company (Salve Regina University)
Casey Avaunt – Thin Glass Dance
Christine Baltes & Janell Burgess – Jazz Spectrum Dance Company
Alexandra Bark – Barefoot Dance Company
Meredith Barnes – DanceArtTheater
Julianne Cerreta
Judy Kurjan-Frank
Meghan Frederick – Meghan Frederick/Practice Project
Tessa Fungo – Tessa Fungo
Emily Green
Aaron Loux & Brian Lawson
Spencer John Powell – Mounarath Powell Dance
Carolina Quiros – Baran Dance Company
Mateo Tirres – Dale Play
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Program
Welcome to Small Plates Newburgh
We are so glad that you are here and we are thrilled to be presenting this collection of dances, which were selected from a record number of applicants. We hope to continue to expand this annual event to provide the opportunity for you, our audience, to experience even more of the dance that is out there wanting to be seen.
This concert consists of two hours of absolutely incredible, undeclinable dance with a 10 minute intermission. We encourage you to notice what you see, hear, feel, and experience when watching these dances. Notice how the work impacts you, if it evokes a memory or makes you curious.
After the performance, we will provide the opportunity for you to speak directly with the artists in an informal meet-and-greet. Share with the artists how you were touched by their work. Less useful are opinions and suggestions about what you think they might have done differently.
The intimate nature of this space creates a unique moment in time and space where we experience dance together. Your reactions to the work are priceless gifts to the artists in return for these precious parts of themselves they have brought here to share with you today. This exchange between audience and artists makes Small Plates
Choreography Festival truly special.
We hope you enjoy this experience as much as we have enjoyed preparing it for you.
Act 1
After YES
Meghan Frederick/Practice Project
Choreographed and Costumed by Meghan Frederick
Music: ‘Rhapsody’ composed by Wilson Osborne and performed by José María Belló García
Danced by Kate Seethaler, Christina Gesualdi
The things we hide
The Movement Factory
Choreographed and costumed by Carolina Quirós Otárola
Music by: Dylan Gilbert
Danced by Audrey Baran and Carolina Quirós
Explores the universal experience of hiding traumas, painful memories, and nostalgic moments in order to move forward in life.
Contours in Sepia
Thin Glass Dance
Choreographed and costumed by Casey Avaunt
Music: “It Used to Be Spring” by Jimi Chen
Danced by Casey Avaunt; Paris Wilcox
Is This Ballet? Excerpt from This is Ballet
Choreographed and costumed by Julianne Cerreta
Music: Sol Levante composed by Laura Masotto
Original Cast: Steffi Carter & Stella Casson-Du Mont
Danced by Molly Bagatto & Elpiniki (Ellie) Tsapatsaris
De Todas las Flores
Choreographed by Mateo Tirres
Music: Natalia Lafourcade
Costumes: Quinn and Ally
Danced by Alessandra Gonzalez, Quinn Kuch
A close look at the end of a relationship, as one partner fades away, knowing that everything will come to an end, while the other desperately tries to hold on, confused by their lover’s desire to leave. They retrace memories, as one seeks to recapture what is lost. Through passionate movements and risky maneuvers, the two dancers provide a physical embodiment of love’s tenderness and evanescence.
Birth Plan/Dear Child
Choreographed, costumed and danced by Judy Kurjan-Frank
Music: Stephen Frank, Poems read by Claire Taylor
Birth Plan/Dear Child are originally from a larger work called “Mother Nature”, which was inspired by a book of poems by Claire Taylor. The poems and dances express different aspects of motherhood. Birth Plan is composed of movement from my labor with my third child.
Peapod
Barefoot Dance Company
Choreography by Alexandra Bark
Music: Lunita – Danit
Costume: Jessie Levey
Danced by Alexandra Bark, Violet Favell
The word “sacred” can be defined as one thing that is completely devoted (and is necessary) to service another. Inspiration for “Peapod” was derived from this interpretation of “sacred.”
Blue
Choreographed, Costumed and Danced by Emily Green
Music: “Green Onions” and “Time is Tight” by Booker T. and the M.G.’s
‘Blue’ is an indulgence in musicality through movement.
INTERMISSION
Act 2
In Spite of You
Choreographed by Livia Armstrong
Music: “Funkier Than a Mosquitos Tweeter” by Nina Simone
Costumes: Salve Regina University Dance Program
Danced by Ashley Blake, Trinity Leite, and Jala Settles
Relationship Impasse
DanceArtTheater
Choreographed and costumed by Meredith Barnes
Music: Walkabout by Chelsea McGough
Kari Argabright and Alysea Colon
Ode to Jesse
Mounarath Powell Dance
Choreographed by Spencer John Powell
Music: John Coltrane Quartet, Christopher Young
Costumes: Caley Hernandez
Danced by Yasmina Devos, Devonté Murphy, James Marcus LaRose Powell
Clair de Loser
Choreographed, costumed and danced by Tessa Fungo
Music: Claude Debussy, performed by Martin Jones
“1,968.4 Miles of Vulnerability”
Andrews Movement
Choreographed and costumed by Haley Andrews
Danced by Hannah Brown and Hannah Franz
Chameleon
Jazz Spectrum Dance Company
Original Concept & Choreography: Christine Baltes (1987) Choreography & Re-Creation: Janell Burgess (2020)
Music: Cisco Dimas
Costumes: Tomo Swan
Rehearsal Director: Thel Moore
Lighting Designer: Jody Caley
Danced by Alfonso Fuentes & Karli Padilla
Jazz Spectrum Dance Company (JSDC) aims to merge the human body and music into a unified expression, pushing boundaries while maintaining technical excellence. Their performances have earned acclaim at festivals worldwide. In 1987, JSDC founder Christine Baltes initially crafted “Chameleon” as a large ensemble work. Artistic Director Janell Burgess later breathed new life into the piece, reimagining it as a stunning duet. Burgess also collaborated closely with composer Cisco Dimas to develop fresh, unique music tailored for the dance. In 2020, JSDC adapted “Chameleon” into a successful film, winning multiple awards including best score and best choreography. The company’s influence continues to inspire dancers and audiences globally.
What If We’re Beautiful (excerpt)
Choreographed and danced by Aaron Loux & Brian Lawson
Music: Composer: Daniel Thomas Davis, Musicians: Hub New Music
Costumes: Brian Lawson
What If We’re Beautiful explores various textures of queer intimacy, from youthful play to the grit of adult life. Our first choreographic collaboration emerges from over a decade of dancing together on stage and in the studio. The music, by Daniel Thomas Davis, prompted us to ask: how would it have felt to have a friend, like we are to each other now, back when we were young, effeminate boys? How might we have seen and supported each other in play with the trappings of gender? This dance illuminates how joy emanates from the experience of intimate friendship, from seeing and being seen.
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ARTIST MEET AND GREET
We invite you to spend a little time with the artists and ask them about their work.
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Credits
Produced by Small Plates Choreography Festival and Chapman Steamer Arts
Small Plates Choreography Festival Creator/Director: Beth McKee Elliott
Small Plates Assistant Director: Jennifer Williams
Chapman Steamer Arts Founder/Artistic Director: Carlye Eckert
Chapman Steamer Arts: David Fishel
Lights: Carlye Eckert
Lights Provided by Aero Sound Company LLC
Sound: Michele Painter
Front of House: Jennifer Williams, Travers King
Acknowledgements
Adjudication
Anthony Alterio, Nick Daniels, Kathy Harty Gray, and Michele Painter.
A portion of the venue rental was subsidized by Chapman Steamer Arts
Small Plates Choreography Festival is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.
Artist Biographies at www.smallplatesdance.com/artists
Chapman Steamer Arts fosters inspiration and compassionate exchange through artistic process, performance, & community engaged arts practices. Located in a historic firehouse in the City of Newburgh, Chapman Steamer Arts facilitates and collaborates with local groups to provide arts-based experiences for economically diverse groups living in and around New York State’s Hudson Valley.
Year-round programming offers established, emerging, and international artists working in Performance and the Fine Arts opportunities to participate in creative development residencies, public presentations, and educational outreach programs.
Chapman Steamer Arts is a 501c3 non profit. For more information, visit http://www.chapmansteamerarts.org
Small Plates Choreography Festival is a dance performance series advancing the work of dance makers. Small Plates is a platform for artist promotion, an incubator for creative community, an entry point for emerging choreographers and curious observers into the world of concert dance, and a sounding board for established artists and their audiences to engage in the art of performance with one another.
2025 Season
Small Plates Duck
Duck Amphitheater
Date TBA
Baran Dance
DanceArtTheater
Haven Movement Company
Small Plates Austin
September 5 & 6, 2025
Ground Floor Theatre
Applications open December 1, 2024
Small Plates Newburgh
November 7 – 9 2024
Chapman Steamer Arts
Applications open February 1, 2025
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