Dance and Dialog 2021
On Mute
Choreography and Sound Design: Gorno (Glenn Potter-Takata)
Dancers: Amanda Almeida, Mariah Jahnee Castillo, Jayleen Maldonado, Zullyvette Muniz
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The Push Through
Choreography: TweetBoogie
Music:
Dancers: Javier Cardenas, Mariah Jahnee Castillo, Janine Fittipaldi, Edgar Gonzalez, Jayleen Maldonado
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Choreographer Bios
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Gorno (Glenn Potter-Takata) (choreographer) is a Bronx-based artist-person working in sound art and butoh, a Japanese anti-modernist performance genre and somatic practice developed in Tokyo during the late ‘50s. Gorno's work typically centers a Japanese-American experience, and is preoccupied with the consumer culture runoff from the Japanese archipelago. His ongoing performance series, titled Yonsei f*ck f*ck, imagines a future where the cultural erasure associated with Japanese incarceration camps has been overcorrected and distorted into a bizarre value system where anime and Japanese junk food have been assimilated into the pantheon of buddhas and bodhisattvas. It serves as both a celebration and critique of an American Japanese experience. Gorno is a current artist in residence at Movement Research, and has developed work through residencies at Gibney Dance, Amanda + James, and Lehman College through CUNY Dance Initiative. Past works have been presented at Gibney Dance, Amanda + James, Abrons Art Center, Triskelion Arts, Video Sound Archive, HERE Arts Center, Dixon Place, and Arts On Site. Glenn received an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College, where he focused in multimedia performance and studied butoh under Kota Yamazaki and Mina Nishimura. https://gorngorngorn.com
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TweetBoogie (choreographer) is devoted to the street styles of hip-hop. As she continues to travel all over the world teaching in different countries such as Japan, Poland, Switzerland, China, Taiwan, Korea, Russia, Prague, The Philippines, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Australia and South Africa to name a few. Her passion has led her to work with top artists like Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Mary J Blige, Shakira, Kanye West & Nicki Minaj and the iconic Miss Janet Jackson in her amazing “Made For Now” video. Most recently, Tweetie choreographed for 50 Cent at Madison Square Garden for the POWER Premier of Season 6 of STARZ. The multi-talented was also the host of MTV's "Dances From Tha Hood" On Demand executive produced by Sway Calloway. Some of her biggest clients were teaching Gail and Oprah a few of the latest hip-hop moves as a guest choreographer on The OPRAH Show. As the brand Ambassador of Ladies of Hip Hop Festival, TweetBoogie helps bring Ladies of all ages and sizes across the world to come together and celebrate street dance culture through music & dance one lady at a time. Boogie Gang is a collective of extremely powerful underground dancers who embody diverse styles of the underground world of street dance. It's intense, hype, aggressive yet playful charismatic energies draw you into a world full of extreme dominance and demanding presence of one another. In this company the Future is FEMALE. Always! Female empowerment at it's BEST!
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Dancer Bios
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Amanda Almeida (dancer) graduated from Lehman College in 2020 with a Dance BA and Anthropology BA. She has previously performed in works by Alexandra Beller, NIC Kay, Jermone Donte Beacham and Jumatatu Poe. Amanda has also performed in other NYC performance spaces such as BAAD!, Kraine Theatre, Mark Morris Dance Center, and Gibney Dance. Amanda advocates for the integration of immigrant stories to diversify ideas surrounding American identity and citizenship
Javier Cardenas (dancer) is a Multimedia Performing Arts BFA dance track student in his senior year at Lehman College. He found his love for dance performing in numerous off-Broadway musicals at TADA! Youth Theater. Later he began teaching dance to his peers and went on to become a Director/Choreographer for TADA! via their education department. He now teaches in various NYC public schools. As a lover of all things artistic, Javier is thrilled to be a part of Dance in Dialogue with such an incredible group of dancers.
Mariah Jahnee Castillo (dancer) is a senior at Lehman College, pursuing a Multimedia Performing Arts BFA with a concentration in dance. She’s been teaching dance to elementary school students for over three years. She had also participated in a performance during a summer program at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
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Janine Fittipaldi (dancer) is proud to be a CUNY BA student, studying what she loves!!! —dance! She is a Health Communication and Dance Studies major and is set to be graduating in January. She trained at Broadway Dance Center and at Peridance as part of the Independent Studies Program, where she continues to intern. Her training includes: house, dancehall, contemporary, ballet, jazz and street jazz. She’s beyond happy to have had this opportunity to work with THE one and only Tweetboogie and has truly learned so much!!! Upon graduating, she hopes to be able to continue to train even harder and pursue her dreams of booking work in the commercial dance industry. She also plans on pursuing her master’s in Dance Education in the future.
Edgar Gonzalez (dancer) is a New York City based actor and dancer. He is currently at Lehman College pursuing a Multimedia Performing Arts BFA with a track in theatre. Dance in Dialogue 2021 is his latest opportunity to pursue a career in performance. He has previously been a part of Dance in Dialog 2019 and The New Playwrights Festival.
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Jayleen Maldonado (dancer) is a senior, pursuing the Multimedia Performing Arts BFA with a concentration in dance. She is a commercial dancer and has been training in various styles since age 11. She hopes to dance on tour with her favorite artists and choreograph for many different projects in the future.
Zullyvette Muniz (dancer) is an alumna of Lehman College. She graduated with a degree in Multimedia Performing Arts and Film and Television Studies. Previously she directed and wrote Last Love Letter, as well as This is How I Will Remember You. Since coming to Lehman, she has performed as part of Kenopsia (Ray), Dance and Dialog 2020 with Marjani Forté-Saunders and Everett Saunders, and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Mary Magdalene).
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Design and Production Bios
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Miriam Nilofa Crowe (lighting design) is a New York-based lighting designer for theatre, dance and live music, with an interest in devised, site-specific, and interdisciplinary performance work. She has spent the last two decades lighting plays, rock concerts, dances, events, and the odd art installation across North America and Europe. Some of her favorite collaborations have been with artists like The Assembly, Blessed Unrest, Parity Productions, The Collective NY, Ma-Yi, The Apothetae, Eric Nightengale, The Studio Theatre, Hanger Theatre and Triad Stage. In the music world, she has toured extensively with Grammy-winners Lila Downs and Rosanne Cash.
Her work has been seen at venues such as Carnegie Hall (Stern Auditorium and Zankel Hall), BAM Next Wave, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Lincoln Center Festival, Bang on a Can Marathon, St. Ann’s Warehouse, The Public, La Mama, HERE, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Apollo Theater, Cherry Lane, KKL Luzern, Barbican Center, The Fillmore, SF Jazz, New York City Center, Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Hollywood Bowl.
Miriam is an Adjunct Professor in NYU Tisch Drama’s Production and Design Studio. She has worked with students at Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts, Lehman College CUNY and The Juilliard School. She is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829. She holds an MFA in Design from the Yale School of Drama and a BA in English from Yale College.
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Fatemata Krubally (stage manager) received a Theatre BA from Lehman in 2021. Since graduating from high school, she has stage managed various performances at the Lehman College Studio Theatre. She has also stage managed a parks tour with the Rising Sun Performance Company. She has over 5+ years of people-oriented work experience including theatre ushering and apprentice painting. Her love of theatre began in middle school and is forever growing.
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Anthony Toney (costume design) A Detroit native, is an artist with a deep passion for creating. He first found his love for the arts after attending a performance arts high school and pursuing secondary education in the same field. Toney practices many different forms of creative expression and is dedicated to making his art an exact representation of who he is and what he would like to see in the world.
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Technical and Production Staff
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Anthony Paul Cavaretta Costume Shop Supervisor
Chris Higgins Technical Director
Amy Larimer Producer/Artistic Director/Program Design
Amira Mustapha Master Electrician
MX Oops Publicity and DJ
Felix Otero Production Manager
Alyssa VanGorder Production Crew Supervisor
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Crew
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Gabriel Agostinelli Light Board Operator
Ja-el-Lucina Dozier Film Crew
Shawn Lackerson Run Crew and Wardrobe
Arislady Martinez Run Crew and Wardrobe
Coraima Rodriguez Run Crew and Wardrobe
Facely Tapia Run Crew/Video Projection Operator
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Special thanks to the choreographers for making beautiful work under challenging circumstances; the dancers for their tenacity and belief in each other; Chris Higgins for creating a space for us to dance; everyone at Lehman Stages for their constant support of the dance program and for getting us on campus; Miriam Crowe for beautiful lights both planned and spontaneous; Tony Toney and Anthony Paul Cavaretta for making everyone look good; Fatou Krubally, Alyssa VanGorder, Amira Mustapha and the crew for brilliantly managing two very different spaces; MX Oops for pre-show groove; Jael-Lucina Dozier and Steve Buonanotte for capturing the moment, James Mahon for ongoing support and the theatre and dance faculty who have helped build this community.
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