Dances by Very Young Choreographers Alumni Concert 

Ellen Robbins

January 25 & 26: 2pm
ALUMNI CONCERT: January 25, 7:30PM

Chapter the Seventh; In Which our HERO is Overwhelmed by a Plethora of Ideas, Finds thons Bearing, and Delights in the Music
Choreographed by Amelia Dawe Sanders
Performed by Marina Chan, Krista Jansen, Amelia Dawe Sanders, Alex Scully, Rakhel Shapiro, Lou Sydel, with Jakob Taylor, cello
Music: Bach

Funky Flight
Choreographed and performed by Marina Chan
Music: Herbie Hancock

WAITING/POINTING
Choreographed by Lou Sydel
Performed by Gesture Theater Company: Campbell Ives, Erika Michelle Davis, Lulu Munteanu, Theo Duclo, Lou Sydel
Music: John Fahey, Jo Stafford, Audio samples of Abigail Shrier and On Hold
Masks by Leah Levine

Community Hazard
Choreographed and performed by Lina Azalea with audience volunteers
Music: Lina Azalea

Intermission

Terpsichore Today
Choreographed and performed by Alexandra Scully
Music: Avi Belleli

Switch Out
Choreographed and performed by Maia Sage Ermansons and Brook Metcalfe
Music: Elderbrook

Place
Choreographed and performed by Rakhel Shapiro
Text and sound by Rakhel Shapiro
Music: The Staple Singers

Solo
Choreographed and performed by Lou Sydel with Krista Jansen
Music: Dente

Off the Cuff
Choreographed by Krista Jansen
Performed by Krista Jansen with Marina Chan, Maia Sage Ermansons, Amelia Dawe Sanders, Alex Scully, Rakhel Shapiro, Lou Sydel
Music: Walter Donaldson, lyrics by Gus Kahn, performed by Nina Simone

Director: Ellen Robbins
Lighting Designer: Serena Wong
Production Manager: Tricia Navigato
Lighting Manager: Leo Janks
Audio & Video Manager: James Bennet
Light Board Operator: Ryan Clark
Sound Board Operator: Patrick Calhoun
Deck Hand: Emily Vizina
Stage Manager: Grace Griffin
Stagehands: Krista Jansen, Yuna Clark, Henrietta Hamilton, Evan Werner

SPECIAL THANKS

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Thanks to the Arnhold Foundation Inc., Joan T. Racho-Jansen, Nancy Stevens, Tracey Sydel, the parents of the performers, and the New York Live Arts Staff. And thank you (!) to all who contributed to the fund that supports our work.*

BIOGRAPHIES

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Ellen Robbins teaches dance for children, teenagers and, alumni in SoHo. She was the resident dance educator at Dance Theater Workshop for 34 years. She is a recipient of the 1993 Arts in Education Round Table Award and a 1986 Bessie (New York Dance and Performance Award) for her work with children. In May of 2015, she was the honoree of La MaMa Moves Gala. Ms. Robbins is a consultant to choreographers working with children, and presents an intensive teachers’ course, Growing a Dancer, for the 92 Y’s Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) program. She has also taught dance education at Sarah Lawrence College and as a guest lecturer around the country and abroad. She has been on the faculties of the 92 nd Street Y, the Bennington College July Program, and ArtsConnection, a performance arts project for public school children, and has directed the Young Dancers School at the American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina. In the summer of 2001, Dances By Very Young Choreographers (Ellen Robbins’ students ages 8-18) was produced at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in the Doris Duke Theater. Ms. Robbins is known for her repertory of group dances, choreographed in collaboration with children.  For more information, see: www.ellenrobbinsdance.com

serena wong (Lighting Designer) is a Brooklyn-based freelance lighting designer for theater and dance. Her designs have been seen at Lincoln Center, Fall For Dance at City Center, Danspace, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, among others in the US and abroad- including, oddly enough, a Celebrity cruise ship. Most recently she has designed for choreographers LaTasha Barnes, Gemma Bond, Caleb Teicher, Leonardo Sandoval, and Bill T. Jones. She enjoys biking, baking, and pottery.

Marina Rebecca Chan is a Brooklyn-based performer and playwright, with a soft-spot for musical theater and a commitment to advancing Asian representation.  A Columbia graduate, with a drama degree, Marina went on to conceive and produce the Asian Americans in Theatre: Art and Activism panel series at Asia Society and Barnard College.  Marina’s plays have been developed and performed as staged readings, including at The Braid, Little & Fierce Theatre Company, Rachel Love’s AirPlay and Pan Asian Repertory Theatre; most recently, her monologue “47” was performed in TGD Productions’ festival at Theatre Row.  Professional NYC performing credits include: A Black and White Cookie (The Tank), A Tomato Can’t Grow in the Bronx (Chain Theatre), MasterVoices Chorus concerts at Radio City Music Hall and Carnegie Hall, Ellen Robbins’ Dance Concerts (DTW/NYLA) and Il Re Pastore (Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival).  Having studied with Ellen from ages 5-11, Marina is delighted to be a regular member of Ellen’s alumni group for 2 years and counting! marinachan.com

Lina Azalea Dahbour is an interdisciplinary artist and event producer based in the Hudson Valley and New York City. Her work has been presented by New York Live Arts, Grace Exhibition Space, ROSEKILL, Glasshouse Project, The Locker Room, RAWDance, The Living Gallery, The Lace Mill, ArtPort, Trans-Pecos, Greenkill, Groundswell Series, Nonchalant, Domingo World, North Node Space, Baba Yaga Gallery, and DIY venues across the Northeast. She was a 2023 Franklin Furnace FUND Recipient for her work ‘Light Meditations’. She was the 2024 Suzanne Fiol Curatorial Fellow at ISSUE Project Room. She produces BADDANCE, a dance event series she founded in 2017 that upholds the merit of confounding, obscene, strange, and very bad dance works. In 2022, she co-founded Momenta, a monthly dance and performance art event series in residency at Trans-Pecos and Intercomm.

Maia Sage Ermansons is a native New Yorker with a zigzagging journey through the city’s dance and theater scenes. As an Ellen Robbins loyalist ages 5 through 18, Maia had opportunities to perform her own choreography at Jacob’s Pillow, Chez Bushwick, St Mark’s Church, and more. Most recently her new piece, Passed, a project merging modern and ballroom dance, was selected for Dixon Place’s 8 In Show festival. She joined the Martha Graham Youth Company performing at the Joyce Theater and Tavern on the Green and was highlighted in Noémie Lafrance’s site specific piece, Agora, in the McCarren Park Pool. In 5th grade Maia participated in Pierre Dulane’s Dancing Classrooms program and developed a deep love for Ballroom. She was showcased at Irving Plaza’s Night of Swing, later joined Piel Canella’s junior Salsa company, but eventually landed on Competitive Latin Ballroom. Maia attended the Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS), LaGuardia High School for drama, and The Maggie Flanigan Meisner Drama School. She premiered Off-Broadway in a series of short plays written and directed by the since disgraced playwright Israel Horovitz. Returning to Ellen’s program is a joy and honor; this has always been where the magic happens.

Krista Jansen is a dancer and choreographer born, raised and based in New York City. She is one half of the duet company Jansen & Holm, where she performs and choreographs alongside CJ Holm. Her own choreography has been performed at Dixon Place, STUFFED! at Movement Research, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the 92Y, Triskelion Arts, the Flea, and for an award-winning film with director Bat-Sheva Guez. Krista is currently performing with the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble, and was an original cast member and Assistant Rehearsal Director for the critically acclaimed Doug Elkins & Friends’ Fraulein Maria. She also choreographs for the theater department at Beacon High School. Krista started dancing with Ellen at the age of five, and has never left — she continues as a teaching assistant in Ellen’s classes.

www.kristajansen.wordpress.com is a great place to sign her mailing list, look at dance-y pictures, and stay updated on her performances.

Brook Diamond Metcalfe is an award-winning NY based dancer, competitor and private instructor with an affinity for International Latin Ballroom and American Smooth. He was born and raised in Anchorage Alaska where he began dancing at age 5. Brook has trained with world renowned coaches and in 2010 was granted a scholarship at the Joffrey School of Ballet relocating him to NYC where he has remained. Most recently he performed in Passed, a piece selected for Dixon Place’s 8 In Show that merges Ballroom with Modern Dance. Brook works with students of all ages and all levels ranging from professionals focused on furthering their competition resume, to novices interested in building a foundation leading them onto the competitive floor.

Amelia Dawe Sanders (pronouns: zie/zir) has studied with Ellen Robbins since 2011 and has been a teaching assistant for Ellen. Zie has presented zir choreography at New York Live Arts, 92Y, Mary Anthony’s Studio, Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, Norte Maar’s Dance at Socrates, and Montclair State University. Amelia graduated summa cum laude with a Dance BFA from Montclair State University, where zie performed work by Emmanuèle Phuon, Maxine Steinman, Kathleen Kelley, Jody Sperling, Abby Zbikowski, and Jessica DiMauro. Zie has performed with Emmanuèle Phuon at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, Dartmouth College, and Fairfield University. Zie has performed works by Isadora Duncan with Loretta Thomas, Catherine Gallant, and Lori Belilove at venues including Jacob’s Pillow and St. Mark’s Church. Amelia was a founding member of the Paul Taylor Teen Ensemble under the direction of Raegan Wood, performing at venues including The Joyce Theater and Symphony Space.

Alexandra Scully has been dancing with Ellen since she was seven years old. Nearly ten years of work later, she will be performing in her first alumni concert at only seventeen. Currently, she is a freshman Macaulay Honors scholar at Hunter College. Alex is majoring in psychology and plans to pursue the pre-med track in preparation for med school. She hopes to accomplish her PhMD but plans on holding on tightly to her love for Ellen Robbins modern dance.

Rakhel Shapiro danced with Ellen Robbins from ages 5 to 18, and is so happy to be back with Ellen now, in her 30s! Thanks to Ellen, dance has been a steady companion throughout Rakhel’s life, from living room dance parties, to Ecstatic Dance, to studying modern, ballet, and dance improvisation at Vassar College. Rakhel is currently a PhD candidate in clinical psychology at Long Island University – Brooklyn, and a creator and meditation facilitator at Madrona Meditation. Rakhel incorporates somatic work extensively in both her work as a soon-to-be psychologist and as a meditation facilitator, and thanks Ellen for planting the seeds of this nourishing lifelong relationship with the body.

Lou Sydel is a choreographer who draws from the study of gesture and experiences of transness. His work connects clowning, mask, puppetry, improvisation, linguistics and more. He is the artistic director of Gesture Theater, a queer-led movement company most recently in residency at NYU Tisch through WADE. Lou is in the Artistic Leadership Circle for NYC’s first ever Physical Theater festival, PhysFest, at Stella Adler. He is also the company manager for Jody Oberfelder Projects. Past work has been shown at NYLA with Ellen Robbins, Celebration Barn Theater, Triskelion Arts, The Tank,  La MaMa Puppet Slam, Brooklyn Art Haus, The Center at West Park, Edinburgh Fringe, Bowdoin College, Accademia Dell’Arte, Sokolow Theater / Dance Ensemble, Norte Maar Dance at Socrates, and the International Society for Gesture Studies. Find more at lousydel.com. Thank you to Ellen Robbins for all you do to create this artistic home! 

Jakob Taylor – Born in New York City, Jakob began playing the cello at the age of three. A year later, he began dance classes with Ellen Robbins until the age of 14. Praised for his ridiculous virtuosity and innate musical sensibility,Jakob Taylor is a recipient of Yale’s Aldo Parisot Prize for gifted cellists who show promise for a concert career. A graduate of the Yale School of Music, he has recently completed his Masters of Musical Arts under the esteemed cellist of the Emerson Quartet, Paul Watkins. As a soloist, Jakob has performed at such venues as Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Bargemusic, Jordan Hall, Woolsey Hall and Stude Hall at Rice University. Jakob’s passion for chamber music has allowed him to collaborate with artists such as Wu Han, Ani Kavafian, Ettore Causa, Marcy Rosen, Steven Tenenbom, Hye-Jin Kimand Matthew Lipman. He recently performed Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante with the Yale Philharmonia under the baton of Leonard Slatkin as the winner of the 2022 Yale School of Music, Woolsey Hall Concerto Competition. He is also the winner of the 2020 Shepherd School of Music concerto competition. Jacob’s passion for sharing music has led him around the globe with engagements in the United States, Cuba, and the United Kingdom.

LIVE ARTS CONTRIBUTORS

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New York Live Arts is deeply grateful to all the individuals listed below for their vital gifts to New York Live Arts over the last year:

Gifts and commitments between January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023

Support for New York Live Arts is provided by the Arnhold Foundation, Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Ed Bradley Family Foundation, The Brant Foundation, Inc., Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts, Dance/ NYC, Ford Foundation, Keith Haring Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Harkness Foundation for Dance, Marta Heflin Foundation, Alex Katz Foundation, Lambent Foundation, Alice Lawrence Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Muriel Pollia Foundation, National Performance Network, New England Foundation for the Arts, One World Fund, The Poss Family Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Jerome Robbins Foundation, The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, The Semel Charitable Foundation, Scherman Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Tides Foundation.

Corporate support for New York Live Arts includes Con Edison, Google, Tito’s Handmade Vodka.

Public support for New York Live Arts is from National Endowment for the Arts,
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

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