Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup to Present MOVING MEMORY: NEXT GENERATION

Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup will present Moving Memory: NEXT GENERATION, an evening of original movement-based works centered around the evocative themes of memory, erasure, and forgetting. The event will take place on Friday, June 14 at 8pm at Broadway Presbyterian Church, 601 West 114th St., NYC. 

Moving Memory: NEXT GENERATION will showcase innovative new pieces from emerging choreographic voices curated by Maya Orchin, Prentice Whitlow, and Chris Matthews. All of the choreographers featured are alumni of Dance Italia, SND's renowned educational dance festival. Each summer, Dance Italia gathers educators, artists, students, and performers from around the world, in an inspiring environment designed to challenge, share, and expand their skills and ideas. Moving Memory: NEXT GENERATION supports the development of new artistic voices, strengthens artistic connections, and provides opportunities for the next generation of artists to gain exposure and recognition in our community.

Stefanie Nelson, the driving force behind SND, emphasizes the importance of nurturing emerging talent in the dance community. "Our goal with Moving Memory: NEXT GENERATION is to support and uplift new voices in dance, providing them with the opportunities and platform they need to thrive," says Nelson. "We are thrilled to share the innovative and thought-provoking work created by these young artists."

PROGRAM:

Playa Baby choreographed and performed by Ana Delgado

Cleaning Windows, A Response choreographed and performed by Ty Lewis

Koto choreographed by Picabo Saunders and performed by Nell Ritchey, Megan Trappe, Logan Eddington, and Kamari Donaldson

Caschetto choreographed and performed by Annie Dingwall

Letter(s) to Mom choreographed by Tricia Dietrick and performed by Drew Allen, Daede Ott, and Dawvyn Winters

my arms, always around you choreographed and performed by Kayla Gonzalez

Demonstrative Interrelation choreographed by Maya Glover-Castro and performed by Luka Gabriel Appelbaum, Mark DiIorio, Lucie Blue Fink, Melissa Guerra, KatieLeHoty, Amanda Johnson, and Taniah McKinney



ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Maya Glover-Castro is a native of San Diego, California. In 2020 she moved to New York to continue her training and education at Marymount Manhattan College. While at Marymount Manhattan, Maya participated in the Marymount Manhattan Dance Company and performed works by Jenn Freeman, Andrea Miller, and many more. In the Spring, Maya will be graduating with a B.F.A in Dance with a concentration in Choreography and a B.A in Politics & Human Rights.

Ana G Delgado Cruz started dancing at the age of four in Puerto Rico. Her experiences on the island led her on a continued journey to acquire a contemporary dance BFA at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. She has choreographed for musicians Mary Ogbonné and Serena Jade, alongside solos, duets, and ensemble pieces in and out of the conservatory. In her junior year she joined Jo-Mé Dance Company in Jamaica Plain while still being a full-time student at the conservatory. Her original works include Mujeres, Playa Baby, and Let's Lie.

Tricia Dietrick is a dance artist from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, living and working in Boston and New York City, and a recent graduate from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee in 2024 with a BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance with an emphasis in dance composition. She has performed works by Victor Quijada, Doug Varone, and most recently The Unsung by José Limón where she was in the first all-female identifying cast to stage the masterwork. Tricia is interested in researching embodied memories through relationships, textures, and musicality.

Annie Dingwall is a movement artist and facilitator based in Detroit, Michigan. She is a recent graduate of Wayne State University where she received both a BFA in dance and a BA in psychology. As a performer, she has been a part of works directed by BAIRA MVMNT PHLOSPHY, Dr. Biba Bell, Brotherhood Dance!, Alex Clair, Amy Miller, Stefanie Nelson, Leah O'Donnell, Maya Orchin, and Jessica Rajko amongst others.

Kayla Gonzalez graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance from Wayne State University in 2022. During her time there she had the opportunity to perform in multiple pieces by established professionals and fellow students, create and set her work, gain leadership experience by overseeing multiple student companies, and receive her STOTT Pilates certification. She resides in Manhattan, working as a freelance dancer, pilates instructor, and administrator for Adrenaline Dance Convention.

Ty Lewis is a movement artist, choreographer, teacher, scholar, and activist, born and raised in Houston, TX, residing in Urbana, Illinois. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Dance from Sam Houston State University and a Master's Degree in Dance with a concentration in performance, choreography, somatic, and interdisciplinary practices from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her choreography primarily uses rhythm to develop structure, explore abstract and literal concepts, and orchestrate embodiment.

Picabo Saunders, originally from Wabash, Indiana, recently graduated from Indiana University with a B.F.A in Contemporary Dance, B.A in International Studies, and a minor in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures. She teaches and choreographs at local Indiana dance studios while continuing her training at prestigious intensives like Dance Italia (2022) and LINK Audition Festival (2024). Picabo merges her academic interests in anthropology and dance studies, striving to create inclusive spaces that nurture diverse artistic voices. Her choreographic works have earned recognition, with her piece Koto being selected for its second festival, alongside appearances in showcases like Trifecta Dance Collective's A New Light.

ABOUT THE CURATORS/PANELISTS

Prentice Whitlow is a US-born British choreographer and digital producer working at the intersection of dance and interactive media. In 2019, Whitlow was awarded the Black British Theater Award for Best Dance Performance in a Dance Production. In 2020, Whitlow was named one of the 100 most influential people working in interactive media by the British Interactive Media Association. His performance credits include The Mark Morris Dance Group, Elisa Monte Dance, Phoenix Dance Theatre and BBC Film. As a choreographer, Whitlow has been commissioned by DIS Magazine for MoMA PS1, Lorry TV (DK) and Nike. Whitlow currently lives in London where he designs and produces mobile, web3, virtual reality and metaverse-oriented interactive experiences with game studio Dream Reality Interactive, run by former head of Playstation's London Studio, Dave Ranyard.

Maya Orchin is a choreographer and movement director based between London and New York. She has had her work presented internationally in Canada, Poland, Italy, Scotland, Germany, Russia, Israel, England and throughout the United States. As a performer, she has worked with artists such as Luis Lara Malvacias, Okwui Okpokwasili, Bill T Jones, Christine Bonansea, Davis Freeman, Zoe Scofield, Madeline Hollander, Reut Shemesh, Lynn Neuman, Kate Digby, Jody Oberfelder and more. She was a solo performer in 'Room 29' on a European tour with musicians Jarvis Cocker and Chilly Gonzales. Maya has been an assistant choreographer on projects with MOMAPS1 and NIKE and for Stefanie Nelson for fashion designer Terrence Zhou's 'Bad Binch TONGTONG' New York Fashion Week debut.

Chris Matthews is a dancer, choreographer, and visual artist whose practice speaks to queerness, gender, body image, pop culture, and dance histories. He is an american, dancer, choreographer, visual artist, curator, educator // queer, working class, neurodivergent. He loves Janet Jackson and is a dancer because he's always strived to dance for her. He currently lives between London and Madrid and loves all things dance-related.