The Creature’s winter soiree
The Mark O’Donnell Theater
at the Actors Fund Arts Center
Feb 2nd at 4:30
Presented by:
ChristinaNoel & The Creature
welcome
Letter from the Artistic Director:
Each year brings about new change and change brings about new experiences, new projects, and new people. The Ephyras group is bigger than it has ever been—what a celebration! We are bursting with classes, new levels, and new artistic voices. I am so excited to hear and see these children express themselves, enrich our lives and join our family! Thank you to all the Ephyras friends and families for spreading the word about this unique youth program and enabling us to grow!
In the Fall we had the opportunity to hold an audition for The Creature professional company for the first time in three years. The audition was an unforgettable, raw, inspirational experience. We made many new friends, and have found four new talented artists to join the Creature as performers, collaborators, and mentors to The Ephyras.
Longtime company dancer Jonathan Matthews has a new title: Administrative Assistant. With his extensive knowledge of the company’s artistry and methods, he is a valuable asset to our administrative team. He works in collaboration with our Company Manager, Phoebe Sandford, and I am grateful for both Jon and Phoebe and their help and efforts.
It’s 2020 and I’m happy looking at the beautiful growth that is happening and the bright future ahead.
With gratitude & love,
ChristinaNoel
About the Creature and Ephyras:
We are the pairing of choreographer ChristinaNoel Reaves and a team of highly invested, skilled collaborators (The Creature). Together, we venture into realms of dance and sound, exploring emotional and physical extremes in an effort to illuminate that gray area of human idiosyncrasy in the middle. With this hybrid performance medium, thick with visual and aural textures, we offer a unique mode of expression and a rich experience for our audience members.
The Creature's children's company, The Ephyras, features dancers ranging in age from 2 to 13. The Ephyras train in the ways of The Creature: they learn precise technique, including physical and technical modern dance moves, and apply those lessons in dances of their own composition. The Ephyras’ training also emphasizes music, vocalization, and harmony, integrating these aspects into their work in a style akin to The Creature. They are partners and collaborators, working together to expand their ideas of what dance and theatre are and can be. The Ephyras' different backgrounds and previous training combine to build a company that reflects their individuality and collective energy. The Ephyras are an integral part of The Creature and we are so proud of them!
program
The Creature’s Winter Soiree
The first few months were about creation of material. Before the end result of a performance piece, we develop as much material as we can. Then we cut and shape. In May, you’ll see the end result; now you see a work in progress!
Music: Original music by Cameron Mizell and Aeric Meredith-Goujon
bios
The Ephyras
Alice Arkin-Gallagher, Age 3, Open House Nursery School
Dahlia Asad, Age 5, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Preschool
Alice Braithwaite, 4, Open House Nursery School
Alissa Challand, Age 11, M.S. 51 William Alexander
Josephine Clay, Age 4, Prospect Kids Academy
Eddie Dickerson, Age 5, Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School
Nisha Fagin, Age 2, Open House Nursery School
Lucienne Galea, Age 11, Workshop Independent Middle School
Valletta Galea, Age 7, P.S. 321
Natalia Garcia, Age 8, P.S. 9
Brighton Greene, Age 6, Epic Academy
Xanthe Greenwood, Age 12, Hunter College High School
Anita Hessam, Age 11, M.S. 51 William Alexander
Cyrus Jessani, Age 4, Open House Nursery School
Lulu Kauff, Age 4, Open House Nursery School
Marcelo Moon Kaufman-Powers, Age 4, Open House Nursery School
Ruby Kolundzija, Age 6, P.S. 321
Riley Lamstein, Age 2, Helen Owen Carey
Wesley Lamstein, Age 4, Helen Owen Carey
Lucas Mandell, Age 4, Open House Nursery School
Luli Marino, Age 10, The Berkeley Carroll School
Sabine June Pasnik McClure, Age 5, The Packer Collegiate Institute
Isla Miksis, Age 3, Open House Nursery School
Carolina Powers, Age 11, Institute for Collaborative Education
Yalei Ravin, Age 11, Workshop Independent Middle School
Millie Schwartzman, Age 4, Open House Nursery School
Tenny Smallwood, Age 5, P.S. 10
Kona Sullivan, Age 11
Steve Trivedi, Age 9, P.S. 26
Amara Turgel-Levy, Age 11, Workshop Independent Middle School
Avi Zox, Age 4, Open House Nursery School
Ella Zurim, Age 6, P.S. 10
Mika Zurim, Age 11, Workshop Independent Middle School
The Creature
ChristinaNoel Reaves (Artistic Director): ChristinaNoel Reaves is a multidisciplinary performing artist, choreographer, and educator. She has received a BA in Music: Voice Performance from Georgia State University and an MFA in Dance at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. While at NYU Reaves began developing a unique blend of dance and voice performance, combining her technical proficiencies with creative and organic improvisations reflecting the world around her.
Reaves has presented original work at the Flamboyán Theater at The Clemente, Peridance Capezio Center, The Irondale Center, Judson Memorial Church, Teatro LaTEA, Gowanus Loft, Triskelion Arts, Dance Theatre of Ireland, Shawbrook School Ireland, the Bessie Workshop, the DanceNOW Dancemopolitan Festival Joe’s PUB, LaMama, The Tank, Legros Women in Dance Studio Series, Fete de L’Hurricaine Festival, DanceNOW Raw Festival, Dixon Placeʼs Crossing Boundaries Festivals, and The Hoover Dam Collective Performances. She originated “Rapture Of The Heroine (guurrrl)” on Zoetic Dance Ensemble of Atlanta in 2012 & 2013.
As a performer Reaves has worked with Danielle Russo Dance Co, Patricia Noworol Dance, Collectivodoszeta, Jody Oberfelder Dance Projects, Doug Elkins, Ellis Wood, David Dorfman, Ivy Baldwin, Nathan Trice/Rituals, Monstah Black, Zoetic Dance Ensemble, expanDANCE, and the Collective Opera Co.
Reaves has been a teacher and choreographer for Dancewave of Brooklyn and The Dalton School. She has led master classes and workshops for Irelandʼs Shawbrook School, Scotlandʼs Aberdeen International Youth Festival and Zoetic Dance Ensemble of Atlanta. Reaves is the Resident Movement Instructor for The Harrower Professional Opera Workshop held annually in Atlanta.
While describing her motivations, the essence of her work is summed up with a simple desire: "I want to help make people feel."
Aeric Meredith-Goujon (Composer/Visual Director/Musician): Aeric Meredith-Goujon was raised in southern Indiana but has been a New Yorker for the past decade and a half. In 1999 he received an MFA from Pratt Institute and his photographic interests revolve around bodies in states of extreme activity. Music, erotic portraiture, dance and fashion are among the subjects he pursues. Aeric lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children. http://aericmg.com
Dot Armstrong (Performer) is a mover, maker, and writer from Minnesota. Dot’s work has appeared at The Dance Collective, Artefix NYC, Green Space, and HATCH Performance Series. She dances with/for spacejunk dance and Thea Little and has performed with Katerina Hajsterova, Bryce Dance Company, Alice Liddell and Dancers, the Environmental Performance Agency (EPA), and Adriana Santoro. She’s thrilled to join ChristinaNoel & The Creature this season. Her writing appears in The Dance Enthusiast, Culturebot, and other online publications. Dot trained at the American Dance Festival, Movement Research, the Martha Graham School, and Joffrey Ballet Chicago and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Iowa with degrees in Dance Performance (BFA) and English (BA).
Paige Barnett (Performer) is a dancer and performance artist originally from Lafayette, Louisiana, where she graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisiana in 2017. In Louisiana, she danced with Basin Dance Collective under the direction of Clare Cook, most notably with the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra and for the Paul and Lulu Hilliard Museum. In 2018, Paige began creating movement and film installations, including a short dance film, Periscope, which received an Official Selection for the 92Y Mobile Dance Film Festival in NYC, a solo gallery exhibition titled Woman in Bath (90 Minutes), and a rework of Tina Girouard’s minimal Mardi Gras Suites and Quartets 1974/2018, held at Acadiana Center for the Arts. Most recently, she choreographed a new site-specific work, Every Place I Ever Lived, which was directed by Gina Aswell and funded by the Acadiana Center for the Arts and Lafayette Economic Development Authority ArtSpark grant. Paige currently dances in NYC with companies Dance Heginbotham and Meen Moves, and she is thrilled to now dance alongside the talented artists of ChristinaNoel & The Creature.
Liana Kleinman (Performer): Liana Kleinman is a dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker from Los Angeles, CA. Liana received her BFA in Dance in 2018 from Marymount Manhattan College with minors in Biology and Chemistry. She has performed works by Merce Cunningham, Helder Seabra, Andrea Miller and Ronald K. Brown. In addition to her work with Christina Noel and the Creature, Liana is currently a company member with Soluq Dance Theater, The Movement Playground, and RyderDance. In 2019, she was invited to The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity's residency, Preparing the Ground, under the direction of Medhi Walerski and Pierre Pontvianne, and curated by Emily Molnar. As a filmmaker, Liana was honored to work as the video documentation intern at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival 2016, filming works for companies such as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, ARIAS Company, and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.
Jonathan Matthews (Ephyras Assistant Director, Management Assistant): Jonathan Matthews is a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a minor in music from NYU Steinhardt. His studies have taken him abroad to Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance, Springboard Danse Montreal, the International Theatre Festival of Kerala, and Toscana Dance HUB. Along with having performed with the Creature from 2015 to 2019, he has additionally danced with mishiDance, Darrah Carr Dance, The Little Streams, and This is Not a Theatre Company, for which he is also the company’s choreographer. Jonathan is the co-founder/artistic director of BREAKTIME, a performance duo with Holly Sass. A collaborative musician, he accompanies for Tisch Dance and Ballez, mentors the students of Tisch’s pedagogy program on musical collaboration, has composed for Giada Ferrone, Patrick Corbin, Gaspard Louis, and Rashaun Mitchell, music directs for Medicine Show Theatre and Queens Shakespeare, Inc., and sings tenor with the Cecilia Chorus of New York. His writing has been published by Eye on Dance and the Arts, The Dance Enthusiast, Time Out NY, The Journal of Dance Education, and Dance Magazine. Join him on Fridays at noon for Revel, a donation-based movement gathering for all bodies at St. John’s in the Village!
Cameron Mizell (Administrative Consultant/Musician): Cameron Mizell, Brooklyn-based guitarist and composer, has been part of the diverse New York City music scene for the past decade-plus, performing in a wide variety of genres from experimental improvisation to bluegrass musicals. He also works on the industry side, currently managing operations for Destiny Records. As an artist, Mizell has released six albums ranging from jazz-funk to Americana to avant-garde experimentalism. His latest, an improvised solo guitar album titled Memory/Imagination, “stands out as an eclectic collection of songs, reflecting on Cameron’s penchant for melody, while exploring his most forward-thinking aspirations” (No Depression). To hear his music and learn more, visit http://cameronmizell.com.
Therese Ronco (Performer) is a Brooklyn-based dance artist. She is very excited to be working with ChristinaNoel & The Creature. Therese dances with Kinesis Project dance theater, Kristi Cole & Guests, freelance projects, and her own work. She performs with MICCA, Jeff Shortt, and Effy Grey. Therese graduated with a BA in dance from Goucher College where she had the joy of performing works choreographed by renowned artists such as Andrea Miller, Doug Elkins, Pascal Rioult, Doris Humphrey, Jon Lehrer, and Gwen Welliver. She is originally from Massachusetts where she found her passion for the art form learning from Frances Kotelly and Richard Colton.
Phoebe Rose Sandford (Company Manager/Producer): Phoebe Rose Sandford is a modern dancer, choreographer, singer, arts administrator, and teaching artist, and she has a BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Phoebe was a founding member of RedCurrant Collective, and in addition to co-managing, dancing, and choreographing for the collective, she has performed with Anne Zuerner, mishiDance, Sarah Foster/MoveWorks, Alice Gosti, Jonathan Matthews, The Charles Weidman Foundation, and AMS Project. Phoebe has presented her own work at La MaMa, Dixon Place, Westbeth, Triskelion Arts, Green Space, Gibney Dance Center, and Cameo Gallery. She was the choreographer of Rebel Playhouse’s Loudmouth at The Tank, and was the choreographer and co-director of A Presentation by the People of Lake Victory for Our Leader at The Gym at Judson. She is the director of dance theatre company Copy That Dance, and she is also Development Associate for Mare Nostrum Elements, a certified yoga teacher, and a fantasy/sci-fi reader. www.copythatdance.com
Dalia Sevilla: Dalia Sevilla is a graduate of the Vocal Performance program at NYU Steinhardt, 2016. She is a director, performer, and lighting designer. Her lighting design credits include The Creature’s Self Love Kind of Thing; Arts for All’s Jack vs Rapunzel; New Student Cabaret 2016 - 17; Players Club's A Little Night Music; and Classical Voice Club’s Le Mariage aux Lanternes, Daphnis et Chloè, Riders to the Sea, and Hänsel und Gretel. She has also assisted in many productions around NYC including The New York Pops concerts at Carnegie Hall, Blueprint Specials, Fairytale Christmas, and The Dudleys! She is the founder of the NYU Classical Voice Club through which she produced and directed eight operas: Bastien und Bastienne, Hänsel und Gretel, The Portrait of Manon, Riders to the Sea, Le Mariage aux Lanternes, Daphnis et Chloé, and Prima la Musica e poi le Parole. She also directed For the Love of Natalie Woods for Communal Spaces Festival. She assistant directed The Dialogue of the Carmelites as well as directed five opera scenes at the Harrower Music Festival. Her performance credits include Cavalerria Rusticana, A Body in the Allegheny Valley (Lana), Twelfth Night (Malvolio), 4@15, First Stages, Pulsing and Shaking, and New Student Cabaret, and Carmina Burana at Charles University in Prague.
Lea Torelli is a New York–based dance artist, choreographer, and administrator. A graduate of Muhlenberg College, she has trained at the American Dance Festival, Accademia Dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy, and b12 in Berlin, Germany. Lea has performed with Shapiro & Smith Dance, Marianela Boan, Svea Schneider, Josh Pacheco Dance Theatre, Deirdre Towers, Beth Soll & Company, and Spaces of Fontana. She is currently collaborating with Kristi Cole & Guests and Thea Little. She is a co-founder of Futile Gestures and collaborates with them when not making solo work. When she is not dancing, Lea is an in-home Pilates instructor and freelance grant writer.
Behind the Scenes Creatures
Artistic Director: ChristinaNoel Reaves
Visual Director (Film/Photo) and Composer: Aeric Meredith-Goujon
Administrative Consultant: Cameron Mizell
Company Manager/Producer: Phoebe Rose Sandford
Management Assistant: Jonathan Matthews
Lighting Design: Dalia Sevilla
Promo/Graphic Design: Casey Loomis
Performance Photography: Michelle Zassenhaus
Thank you:
Gus Solomons, Jr
Betsy Burmeister & Rich Reaves
Casey Loomis
Lori and Spoke The Hub
Open House Nursery School
Michelle Zassenhaus
Shelley Hanna
Yael Sahar
Dalia Sevilla
Andrew Ravin
Parents of the Ephyras
Past and present Creatures!
Past and present Ephyras!
ChristinaNoel & The Creature is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of ChristinaNoel & The Creature must be made payable to Fractured Atlas only and are tax-deductible the extent permitted by law.