SCD + enSRQ

Artistic Director 

Leymis Bolaños Wilmott 

RECLAIM 

SARASOTA CONTEMPORARY DANCE 

17TH SEASON | 2022-2023 

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RECLAIM 


17TH SEASON | 2022-2023 

Voices – 

Rising Choreographers 

OCT 13-16, 2022 

SCD + enSRQ 

PRODUCING SPONSORS: 

SHANE & MONIQUE CHALKE 

DEC 1-4, 2022 

Dance Makers 

PRODUCING SPONSOR: SAM ALFSTAD 

JAN 26-29, 2023 

Evolving/Revolving: 

Jehanne 

MUSIC SPONSOR: BERNARD FRIEDLAND 

APR 27-30, 2023 

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To become a Producer, 

contact Dan Barzel: Dan.Barzel@gmail.com

FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD 

It is with great joy that we present to you our strong, exciting 

17th season: RECLAIM. Last season showcased our tenacity 

and ability to thrive in challenging circumstances. This season 

exemplifies renewal in our strength and spirit as a company! 

We are propelling forward into a post-COVID era head first, 

working to refresh our In-Studio Series, revitalize our studio 

offerings, and reclaim the stage with both in-person and 

virtual viewing options for performances that will amaze 

our audiences. 

YOU, our patrons, donors, volunteers, and supporters, make this work possible. 

We are in awe of your commitment over the past 17 years, so thank you. Your 

continued support has been the defining factor in helping us become the robust 

company we are today. 

Because of you, our 4 1/2 year-old studio is bustling with activity and we are 

proud to offer more classes and workshops than ever before. Weekly it overflows 

with company rehearsals, master classes, and dance intensives, on top of ongoing 

workshops and classes ranging from beginning to advanced Contemporary dance, 

Jazz, Afro-Modern, Improvisation, Conditioning, and Tap. Our studio also houses 

our training ensemble for aspiring dancers (SCDE), and our In-Studio Series, which 

enables us to nurture, grow, and present various local artists through an incubation 

platform. All of this is a testament to the energy and vision that contemporary 

dance cultivates. 

Now, our dancers are rejuvenated and ready to perform with more passion and 

vigor than ever before. By being so committed to this passion, you are helping us 

reclaim the heart of SCD. Seeing you at our events with your encouragement and 

energy, is truly what sustains us and enables us to flourish and to expand our reach 

beyond our community. 

We send a special thanks to our inspirational Artistic Director, Leymis Bolaños 

Wilmott, as well as both our company dancers and administrative team, who pour 

their heart and soul into Sarasota Contemporary Dance. 

And with deep gratitude, we thank YOU, because every one of you helps make 

Sarasota Contemporary Dance possible. 

Dan Barzel, President 

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FROM THE FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 

In our seventeen years, Sarasota Contemporary Dance has continued making itself 

a profound force in the Sarasota Community. When we have faced adversity, our 

grit and passion pushed us forward. Now, we propel into this season fueled to rise 

to a new level as a company, reclaiming the stage, stories, and spirit of SCD in a 

performance season devoted to empowerment, collaboration, and forward motion. 

As someone who believes in the power of prayer, family, and dance, I understand 

the importance of renewing your perspective. That is exactly what we are doing this 

season: reevaluating what was, and shaping it into something stronger. This means 

restoring our bodies, our minds, our souls, and reclaiming all of it for the sake of 

growing and furthering ourselves as artists and as an organization. 

All of this, brings a new energy to this season’s Main Stage lineup. Launching 

this remarkable season is a dedication to the Voices of the next generation of 

choreographers, with more artists being presented than ever before. This year’s range 

of work reinforces SCD’s heart of nurturing artists in various stages and we aim to 

provide a performance platform that empowers these choreographers. We then kick 

off December with a live music collaboration with Samantha Bennett and George 

Nickson of enSRQ. Reinforcing our position as a collaborative force in Sarasota, this 

program explores rhythms from around the world along with St. Petersburg based 

multidisciplinary artist, Sharon McCaman. Roaring us into 2023 is “Dance Makers,” 

bringing a wide range of works from jazz to Afro-Cuban, all created by nationally 

acclaimed contemporary choreographers. And as a compelling finale to close the 

season, SCD’s striking work of “Jehanne” returns to the stage. Accompanied by live 

music and original composition by Mark Dancingers, this performance reflects on 

Joan of Arc’s strength and faith that carried her forward. 

These offerings continue to incite our spirited vision: being a versatile contemporary 

dance company and training ground that nurtures and provides resources for dancers 

and artmakers in various stages of development. Our dedication and purpose, along 

with your presence and support, enable us to share the joy of dance and make it 

accessible to all. 

Thank you for being a vital part of this vision. Having you here drives us to keep 

bringing performance, education, and collaboration to our community. You truly are 

a part of the SCD family and it means everything to us to share our passion with you. 

Because of you, Sarasota Contemporary Dance perseveres, grows, and thrives. 

And with that, I am so grateful to welcome you to our 17th season. 

Leymis Bolaños Wilmott, Artistic Director 

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ABOUT THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 

Leymis Bolaños Wilmott, 

a Cuban-American artist, mother, and teacher 

with rhythm inextricably in her bones found 

her voice through dance at an early age. As 

the Founder and Artistic Director of Sarasota 

Contemporary Dance, she has the privilege of 

using those bones to create art that has been 

called “stunning and imaginative” by Carrie 

Seidman of the Herald Tribune. As Artist-in- 

Residence at New College of Florida, she has 

the opportunity to share her love of dance 

and to be an influential member of Florida’s 

dance community. Featured in Sarasota Scene 

Magazine’s Arts & Cultural Issue: Ladies of 

the Arts, Leymis has been the recipient of 

numerous artistic achievement and leadership 

awards throughout her career. She was honored to receive the Dance Magazine 

award for “Southeast Best Choreographer” and was listed in Sarasota Magazine as 

one of the Top 28 Most Powerful People in the Arts. Her 80+ dance works include 

collaborations with artists and organizations of various disciplines from musicians 

to museums. Collaborative highlights include: Sarasota Orchestra, Choral Artists 

of Sarasota, Westcoast Black Theater Troupe, Asolo Rep, Salvador Dalí Museum, 

Kaleidoscope, John and Mable Ringling Museum, Art Center of Sarasota, Stephen 

Miles of New Music New College, composer Eduard Cosla, percussionist Scott Blum, 

Mark Dancigers of NOW Ensemble, multitalented Francis Schwartz, and legendary 

principal harpist, Ann Hobson Pilot. Her works have been performed nationally at 

the John F. Kennedy Center, Ailey Citigroup Theater in NYC, Colony Theater and 

Jackie Gleason Theatre in Miami, and internationally in Ramallah, Argentina, and 

Spain. Leymis pioneered the Dance and Healing certificate at the University of 

Florida and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Performance and Choreography from 

Florida State University. Her research in dance as a healing art form and its ability 

to harness and foster community building came to fruition in 2006 when she and 

Rachael Inman founded Fuzión Dance Artists, now Sarasota Contemporary Dance. 

Leymis is a professor of dance at New College of Florida, a certified Pilates instructor, 

and through her Dance for PD certificate experience founded and developed the 

dance program at Parkinson Place in 2012. She served as Vice President of the Florida 

Dance Association from 2013-2017 and is a member of the Arts and Health Coalition 

in Sarasota. Her most precious honor, however, is being married to her husband 

Kavin of seventeen years and mother of twelve-year-old Charles Edward and 

six-year-old Valda Elizabeth who inspires her dance-making daily. 

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ARTISTS 

Melissa Rummel (Dancer/Associate Director 

of SCDE) was raised in Dryden, Michigan where she 

started dancing at the age of seven. She graduated 

from Belhaven University with a BFA in dance, emphasis 

on modern dance and choreography. She has trained 

with companies such as Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, 

RiverNorth Chicago, Ad Deum Dance Company, and 

Sarasota Contemporary Dance. This is Melissa’s eighth 

season with Sarasota Contemporary Dance and fourth 

as Studio Coordinator. Melissa is the Associate Director 

for Sarasota Dance Ensemble (Training Company) and the SCD Summer Intensive 

Administrative Director. She also enjoys fitness and the positive effect it can bring 

to others, and she strives to find new ways to combine her love of dance and 

fitness. She strives to never stop stretching herself as a performer, choreographer, 

and teacher. 

Jessica Obiedzinski (Dancer/Rehearsal Assistant) 

A Florida Native, Jessica is in her 4th season as a 

performer, choreographer, teaching artist and is 

currently serving as rehearsal assistant with Sarasota 

Contemporary dance. She is also involved with 

independent dance projects in the St. Petersburg 

community and works with many interdisciplinary 

artists, playwrights and photographers. She holds 

a Bachelor’s degree in Dance and a Master’s Degree in Science in Tourism and 

Hospitality Management from the University of Florida. She’s created works in 

Tampa for the New Grounds Festival, Creative Pinellas, and Sarasota Contemporary 

Dance summer intensive as well as the In The Round performance series. Jessica is 

certified as a Simonson technique teacher and has a love for teaching the dance 

community, collaborating new works with the company members, and is excited to 

continue teaching Yoga each week at the studio this season. 

Juliana Cristina (Dancer/Development Associate) 

was born in West Palm Beach, FL. A graduate from 

the University of North Carolina School of the Arts 

(UNCSA). She received her B.F.A Degree in Dance under 

the direction of current Artistic Director of American 

Ballet Theater (ABT) Susan Jaffe and Associate Dean 

Brenda Daniels former faculty at Merce Cunningham 

Studios, NY. During her time at UNCSA, Ms. Cristina has 

had the pleasure of performing works by Azure Barton, 

Martha Graham, Trisha Brown, Brenda Daniels, Kira 

Blazek, Helen Simoneau, Ming Lung-Yang and Juel D. Lane. Juliana has studied in 

Trainee Programs with Nashville Ballet, Ballet Palm Beach, CDI directed by Casey 

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and Cassidy Noblett and the New York City Rockettes. Ms Cristina has performed 

in multiple productions of the “Tales of Hoffman” with The Palm Beach Opera in 

(2014). This year is Ms.Cristina’s Fourth season with the Sarasota Contemporary 

Dance company; she has recently been promoted to “Development Associate” 

where she manages/refines all SCD Donor events and relationships. 

Xiao-Xuan Yang Dancigers (Founding 

Company Member/Associate Director of SCDE) was 

nominated for Best Female Dancer in Australia in 2009, 

has performed throughout Asia, Europe, Australia, and 

the United States with Australian Dance Theater and 

Cloudgate 2. Previously Assistant Professor at the Taipei 

National University of Arts, she has danced with and 

choreographed for Sarasota Contemporary Dance since 

2012. In 2013, Xiao-Xuan co-choreographed Dreamfall featuring music by NOW 

Ensemble with Leymis Bolaños Wilmott. She has also danced as a soloist in Leymis’ 

Summer Days, of which the Sarasota Herald-Tribune wrote, “With…Dancigers’ 

total ownership of the characterization, it was stunning.” She was also a soloist in 

Gerri Houlihan’s Every Little Movement, of which the Bradenton Herald wrote, 

“A highlight on opening night was the long and unspeakably gorgeous solo 

by Xiao-Xuan Yang Dancigers. If you appreciate dance at all, you find yourself 

wishing the solo would never end.” In 2017, she choreographed and performed 

the solo Signal for New Music New College to music by Luciano Berio, with the 

Herald-Tribune calling the performance “stunning...precise”. Xuan is also the 

dance instructor at Parkinson’s Place in Sarasota, and Associate Director of Sarasota 

Contemporary Dance Ensemble. 

Monessa Salley (Dancer/Production Lead) South 

Carolina native, Monessa Salley, is in her 4th season 

dancing, teaching professionally, and currently serving 

as Production Lead with Sarasota Contemporary Dance 

Company. She is also an adjunct dance educator for 

the Booker High School Dance Dept. and serves as a 

teaching artist for several arts organizations including, 

The Van Wezel Performing Art Center (Artworks 

Anywhere), Wholehearted Education, Suncoast Black 

Arts Collaborative, and assistant choreographer for West Coast Black Theater 

Troupe. She holds a B.A. in Dance Performance from Winthrop University and an 

M.Ed. in Divergent Learning from Columbia College. After continued education and 

serving as a certified dance educator for 12 years in SC, she went on to pursue her 

MFA in Dance Performance and New Media at New York University’s Tisch School of 

Arts. She has previously toured and performed professionally with Sapphire Moon 

Dance Company, Vibrations Dance Company, T.O. Dance Inc., The Power Company 

Collaborative, and NYU’s Second Avenue Dance Company. Salley enjoys sharing 

the joy and passion of dance with all ages. She has a mind, body, spirit approach 

to dance and relishes in refining her craft as a performer and teacher, generating 

health, healing, and happiness through dance, and enhancing community relations. 

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Sea Lee (Dancer) Born and raised in South Korea, 

Sea (pronounced as “Say”) Lee was trained both 

conservatively and professionally at SunHwa Arts 

High School under the direction of Seung Yup Hong. 

She received a BFA with Cum Laude honors from the 

University of Florida and MFA with a fellowship from 

Hollins University/ American Dance Festival. Sea has 

performed professionally with Moving Current Dance 

Collective, independent projects with Paula Kramer 

and a photographer Tom Kramer, and collaborated with Asolo Repertory Theatre 

with Kaleidoscope Connect project. Sea has been on the faculty at the University 

of Tampa, St. Petersburg College, and directed a dance program at Cypress Creek 

middle school. Sea’s choreography has been presented by Co-motion Dance 

Theatre (2013, 2014), HCC Dance Ensembles (2015-2021), ACDFA in University of 

North Carolina Greensboro (2013) and Florida State University (2011), University 

of Tampa (2015, 2016), Moving Current Dance Collective (2019) and presented at 

Hollins University, NewGrounds Festival, Sarasota Contemporary Dance and the 

American Dance Festival. Sea currently serves as a dance faculty at Hillsborough 

Community College and Sarasota Ballet, and teaches and performs with SCD, 

and with a physically integrated dance company, REVolutions Dance, regionally, 

nationally, and internationally. 

Samantha Miller (Dancer) is an emerging 

dance artist originally from Kendallville, Indiana. 

She trained for 16 years in the areas of tap, jazz, ballet, 

and modern at Tri-County Dance Academy for the 

Performing Arts. In 2013, Samantha continued her 

studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA 

under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. During 

her time at the University of the Arts, Samantha was 

able to perform works by Curt Haworth, Douglas 

Becker, Esther Baker Tarpaga, Jen McGinn, Sidra Bell, 

Robert Burden, and Lauren Putty White. She was also able to work with Jeanine 

McCaine performing her work “Under Her Skin” in the Philadelphia Fringe Art 

Festival in 2015. Samantha received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance, 

in May 2016 and is now exploring the world of dance in St. Petersburg, FL. Since 

residing in Florida. Samantha has been able to work and perform alongside 

Helen Hansen French, Mary Chase Doll, and Lauren Slone. She is a member of 

RogueDance Company and in her thrid season with Sarasota Contemporary Dance. 

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Jordan Leonard (Dancer) grew up in Michigan 

where her love for the performing arts developed. 

Through her training, she discovered the endless 

possibilities dance offered in exploration and storytelling. 

The idea that she would never stop learning 

intrigued her, and she began her journey at Point Park 

University earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, 

Bachelor of Science in Pre-Medical and Pre-Professional 

Studies, and Minor in Chemistry. While at the 

conservatory, she had the privilege of performing works 

by Larry Keigwin, John Heginbotham, Mark Burrell, Jess 

Hendricks, Garfield Lemonius, Kiesha Lalama, Jason McDole, Robert Priore, and 

others. She furthered her training at Keigwin & Company, Sarasota Contemporary 

Dance, and chuthis. summer intensives. Youth education is an important part of 

her life and she strives to promote healthy, positive ways of movement and selfacceptance. 

When she is not dancing or teaching, Jordan enjoys working in the 

field of clinical research and spending time with family. This is Jordan’s second 

season with SCD. She is honored to be a part of the SCD family! 

Gabrielle Henry (Dancer) began her dance training 

with Pittsburgh Youth Ballet Company & School under 

Jean Gedeon, at the age of three. She furthered her 

dance education at Slippery Rock University with Nola 

Nolen-Holland, Ursula Payne, and Teena Custer. Her most 

notable performances while at SRU, were the repertory 

works of Nora Ambrosio and Helen Simoneau. In just 

three years, she graduated Suma Cum Lade with her 

Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Dance. Professionally she’s 

danced with Vivid Ballet, Exhalations Dance Theatre and 

now Sarasota Contemporary Dance Company. Her other 

passions include teaching and choreographing. She loves 

to motivate students to reach their full potential and to create works that stimulate 

and captivate performers and audience members. Gabrielle has also completed 

her RYT200 Yoga certification along with her Lagree Fitness certification. Both of 

which she loves to practice in her free time to help keep her grounded and strong 

mentally and physically. This is her 1st season as a company member with SCD. 

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Sharon Ranieri McCaman (Multidisciplinary Artist) 

was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida – where she 

began her artistic career as a classically trained ballet and 

modern dancer. For several years after high school, Sharon 

danced and lived in various cities across the United States. 

She then returned to Florida where she earned her AA 

from St. Petersburg College and her BFA in Dance at the 

University of South Florida in Tampa. While pursuing her 

BFA, Sharon founded the annual Dance Shorts: College 

Film Festival. The festival was geared toward providing 

university students all over the United States with an outlet to showcase their short 

dance films. Sharon filled the role of artistic director for the festival for five years. 

Upon leaving USF, Sharon went on to graduate from Arizona State University 

with an MFA in Dance, Interdisciplinary Digital Media and Performance. While at 

Arizona State University her research was focused on discovering innovative ways 

to combine dance and technology. This included: investigating the manner in 

which the body interacts with technology, developing technology as a pedagogical 

tool for dance, and combining dance and technology in creative and artistic 

practices. It is from a place of continued self-exploration that Sharon approaches 

the process of creating art that challenges, grows, and informs her ideas. She is an 

interdisciplinary artist who works with a multitude of different media including, 

but not limited to, classical and contemporary movement techniques, digital media 

design, projection design, production design, sculpture, live video manipulation, 

and sensor technologies. She creates work that prioritizes the body and physical 

movement as well as the crafting of physical materials and the manipulation 

of technology. Aesthetically, her work often includes components of repetition 

and accumulation, while still leaving room for agency and interactivity, both for 

herself and for others. Her large-scale instillation, choreography, and performance 

work have most recently been showcased at the Lawrence Arts Center, the 

Gallery at Creative Pinellas, the Palladium, Hillsborough Community College, and 

Arizona State University. Sharon is currently serving as Board Secretary for the St. 

Petersburg Arts Alliance and is working as a Project Manager for the Tampa Bay 

Rays Creative Team – all while continuing to work as a freelance interdisciplinary 

artist, teacher, and designer.

MUSICIANS 

Samantha Bennett (Violinist) has been hailed by the 

Chicago Tribune as a violinist “full of subtlety and poise” 

and is an active and varied performer around the globe. In 

2016 Ms. Bennett joined the Sarasota Orchestra as Principal 

Second Violin. Prior to this position, she was a tenured 

violinist in The Florida Orchestra. She performs regularly 

with Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops and has 

been Guest Concertmaster of the New Haven Symphony. A 

fierce advocate of new music, she has premiered works by 

Gunther Schuller, Toshio Hosokawa, Oliver Knussen, John 

Cage, George Benjamin, Augusta Read Thomas, and Philip Glass. As Concertmaster 

of the New Haven Symphony, Ms. Bennett recorded works for “Portrait of Augusta 

Read Thomas” (Nimbus Records), including the World Premiere recording of 

Augusta Read Thomas’ saxophone concerto Hemke Concerto “Prisms of Light”. 

She has participated in the Lucerne Festival Academy, Spoleto Festival USA, the 

Music Academy of the West, and the Tanglewood Music Festival, where she 

performed for three seasons with the New Fromm Players, a group that specializes 

in contemporary music performance. At Tanglewood, she premiered Einojuhani 

Rautavaara’s ‘Lost Landscapes’ for solo violin and orchestra. In addition, the Fromm 

Players performed as Ensemble-In-Residence at composer Bright Sheng’s festival 

Intimacy of Creativity in Hong Kong in 2015. Born in Ames, Iowa, Ms. Bennett 

completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at the New England Conservatory in 

Boston studying with Donald Weilerstein and Malcolm Lowe. 

George Nickson (Percussionist), a percussionist and 

conductor of great versatility and virtuosity, has been 

hailed by The New York Times as “a performer handling 

his role with ease and flair.” In September 2019, George 

began his tenure as Principal Percussionist of The Dallas 

Symphony Orchestra. Before Dallas, George was appointed 

Principal Percussionist of the Sarasota Orchestra in April, 

2012. He has received the Master of Music degree at The 

Juilliard School where he studied with Daniel Druckman 

and completed his undergraduate studies at the New 

England Conservatory with Will Hudgins. In addition to his position with the 

Sarasota Orchestra, George has had the privilege of performing with the orchestras 

of Boston, Detroit, Washington D.C., Toronto, Honolulu, and San Francisco. 

Recent highlights include a marimba concerto performance at Tanglewood, solo 

performances at The Spoleto Festival, and solo recording projects that can be 

heard on NAXOS, Bridge, and Albany Records. George has appeared as conductor 

in many notable performances of ensembleNEWSRQ, including numerous world 

premieres, U.S. Premieres and Florida Premieres, such as Charles Wuorinen’s New 

York Notes, Le Marteau sans maître of Pierre Boulez, Tansy Davies’ saltbox, and 

Sofia Gubaidulina’s Lyre of Orpheus. 

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Jesse Martins (Pianist) is a conductor, pianist, and 

voice coach who has extensive experience working with all 

types of singers from children to seasoned professionals. 

For Sarasota Opera’s 2022-2023 Season, Maestro Martins is 

the Director of the Studio Artists Program, conductor for 

the Youth Opera production of Dean Burry’s The Secret 

World of Og, and understudy conductor for Cimarosa’s 

Il Matrimonio Segreto, Verdi’s Ernani, and Massenet’s 

Thérèse. Since joining the music staff of Sarasota Opera in 

2011, he has been integrally involved in all aspects of the 

company’s music making. He conducted Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (2019), Purcell’s 

Dido and Aeneas (2021), and Donizetti’s La fille du régiment (2022). Maestro 

Martins was the Chorus Master & Head of the Apprentice Program during the 2020 

Winter Festival and has performed as pianist in many concerts for the company and 

throughout the area. He has worked extensively as a coach in his native Brazil, New 

Zealand, and now the Sarasota opera and area. He is also a member of the Sarasota 

Piano Trio. Since relocating to Sarasota, Mr. Martins has kept a presence outside 

the opera house by collaborating with other artists in recitals throughout the 

community, including multiple concerts with ensemblenewSRQ. He holds a Master 

of Arts in Collaborative Piano from Mansfield University (PA), and a Bachelor of 

Music in Piano Performance from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 

(Porto Alegre, Brazil). 

Production Team 

Technical Director and Lighting Designer.............Celeste N. Silsby Mannerud and 

Flip Flop Productions 

Stage Manager............................................................................................. Josh Goff 

House Managers...................................................................................Bristen Groves 

Videographer................................................................................. Sharon McCaman 

Production Video Editor......................................................................Bristen Groves 

Sound Engineer...........................................................................John Francis Banker 

Costume Alterations............................................................................Terese Guiterz 

Green Room Volunteers.............................................Rob Gibson and Jerry Unland 

Costume/Props Storage Volunteer.................................................... Syclla Liscombe 

All music rights by agreement with ASCAP 

SRQ 

Thank you to our Sponsors and Media Partners 

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13

SCD + enSRQ 

December 1-4, 2022 

Directed and Choreographer: Leymis Bolanos Wilmott 

Lighting Designer: Celeste Silsby Mannerud 

Interdisciplinary Artist: Sharon Ranieri McCaman 

Musicians: ensembleNEWSRQ 

Iannis Xenaxis: 

Rebonds b (1989) 6’ for solo percussion 

Short Preview: A ritualistic web of complex rhythms, Rebonds has become a staple in 

multi-percussion literature (particularly part b) in pushing what is technically possible 

to play on percussion instruments. Rebonds b showcases a constant pulsing groove 

overlaid with accents, complemented with quick interludes on pieces of wood. 

Performed by enSRQ; George Nickson with Sarasota Contemporary 

Dance (SCD); Juliana Cristina, Gabby Henry, Sea Lea, Jordan Leonard, 

Samantha Miller, Jessica Obiedzinski, Melissa Rummel, Monessa Salley 

Full Notes: Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) was born to Greek parents living in Romania, 

and his early interests included music and mathematics. While enrolled at Athens 

Polytechnic to study engineering, Xenakis began to pursue music in earnest. These 

complementary interests – engineering and music – led to an encounter (and later 

employment) in Paris with the architect Le Corbusier, who introduced him to two 

leading members of the musical avant-garde, Varèse and Messaien. In Xenakis’ 

break-through work, Metastaseis, the composer unified architectural space (itself a 

manifestation of mathematics) and music. His music also reflects an interest in both 

electronic music and in Greek culture, especially folk culture and ancient Greek drama. 

Xenakis composed the solo percussion work Rebonds in 1987-89, and dedicated it to 

percussionist Sylvio Gualda. 

The composer has written the following note: 

“Rebonds is in two parts, a and b. The order of play is not fixed: either ab or ba, 

without a break. The metronomic indications are approximate. Part a only uses skins: 

two bongos, three tom-toms, two bass drums. Part b uses two bongos, one tumba, 

one tom-tom, bass drums, and a set of five wood blocks. The tuning of the skins and 

the wood blocks should extend over a very wide range.” 

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Mario Carro: 

About Escher (2015) 13’ for violin and marimba 

Mvmt 1 - Tower of Babel 

Mvmt 2 - Phosphorescent Sea 

Mvmt 3 - Dolphins 

Short Preview: Carro’s three movement work for violin and marimba takes 

inspiration from three drawings of M.C. Escher. Each movement represents the 

distinct atmosphere of the visual artwork, from chaos and confusion, to meditative 

ocean waves, and finally an exuberant sonic representation of dolphins frolicking in 

shimmering water. 

Performed by enSRQ; George Nickson & Samantha Bennett, along with 

SCD company members; Sea Lea, Jordan Leonard, and Samantha Miller 

Full Notes: “About Escher” is a three movement work written in 2015. The work 

follows traditional classical structure by exploring a fast movement, a middle slow 

movement, and a fast finale movement. The work was commissioned by two of 

Mr. Carro’s friends–a husband and wife duo called Duo Escher. Mr. Carro drew on 

the artwork of Mauris Cornelis Escher for inspiration, and each of the movements 

is based on one of Mr. Escher’s drawings. The first movement, “Tower of Babel,” is 

characterized by chaos, noise, and confusion. Heterophony dominates this texture 

where a single melodic line is built between the two different instruments. The violin 

and marimba fall in and out of unisions in this movement which makes the melodic 

line sneaky and deceiving to listeners. The second movement, “Phosphorescent Sea,” 

starts with the marimba alone making waves of sound followed by the violin singing 

an expressive melody with a tremolo section ascending up to the stars. In the closing 

of this movement the violin joins the marimba in a recapitulation of the opening. The 

third movement, “Dolphins,” is a joyful and exuberant sonic experience depicting 

dolphins leaping gleefully around a boat. 

— Mario Carro 

Composer Bio: Born in Madrid in 1979, Mario Carro started his musical studies in 

the Escuela Municipal de Música de Tres Cantos, continuing them in the Conservatorio 

Superior de Música de Madrid, where he got a degree in Piano. During this same 

period, he studied Composition with Jesús Torres. 

During the past years his music has been more and more frequently showcased in 

concert halls and festivals in Spain and different European and North and South 

American countries, through the hands of ensembles and soloists such as the Joven 

Orquesta Nacional de España, Pierrot Lunaire Ensemble Wien, Plural Ensemble, 

Ensemble Kuraia, Grupo Enigma, Alea III Boston University, Cuarteto Bretón, Dúo 

Gelòs-Santes, Dúo 11 Abrazos, Mario Prisuelos, Ricardo Descalzo, Adam Levin, Julián 

Elvira and Celia Alcedo, among others. This has been aided by the fact that his 

musical works have won awards in prestigious competitions: “Alea III International 

Composition Competition” (Boston, 2005), “Labyrinthmaker Plattform” (Wien, 

2006) and “Concurso Internacional de Composición Musical Universidad de Zaragoza 

2008”. He has also been a finalist on “I Muestra de Jóvenes Compositores del CDMC”, 

Premios Injuve (Málaga, 2005) and “Hui, Hui, Música” (Valencia, 2008). In 2009 he 

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eceived the Premio del Colegio de España en París/INAEM, and a monographic 

concert of his music took place in the French capital. 

He has received commissions and grants from La Residencia de Estudiantes, INAEM, 

Comunidad de Madrid and Fundación Canal. He has recently written a piece under 

the commission of “53 Semana de música Religiosa de Cuenca”. 

He balances his creative work with teaching at the Escuela Municipal de Música de 

Tres Cantos. 

Bright Sheng: 

Hot Pepper (2010) 10’ for violin and marimba 

Mvmt 1 

Mvmt 2 

Short Preview: Hot Pepper for violin and marimba is based on a folk song from 

China’s Si Chuan province, which is well known for its hot and spicy cuisine. Musical 

spice and flavor is woven into the music, with short, fast grace note gestures and 

rich chords ornamenting underflying musical motifs. 

Performed by enSRQ; George Nickson & Samantha Bennett, along with 

SCD company members; Jessica Obiedzinski and Monessa Salley 

Full Notes: The two-movement Hot Pepper for violin and marimba is based on a 

folk song from China’s Si Chuan province, which is well known for its hot and spicy 

cuisine. Hot Pepper was commissioned by Camerata Pacifica by Bob Peirce as a 

birthday celebration for his wife, Sharon Harroun Peirce. The premiere of the work 

took place on September 10, 2010, by Catherine Leonard (violin) and Ji Hye Jung 

(marimba). 

— Bright Sheng 

Composer Bio: Bright Sheng (b. 1955) is respected as one of the leading 

composers of our time, whose stage, orchestral, chamber and vocal works are 

performed regularly by the greatest performing arts institutions throughout North 

America, Europe and Asia. A MacArthur fellow and proclaimed by the foundation 

as “an innovative composer who merges diverse musical customs in works that 

transcend conventional aesthetic boundaries”, Sheng has created an oeuvre that 

is not only with Asian influence but also with strong synthesis of Western musical 

tradition which makes his work distinctive and original. Sheng himself admits: 

“I consider myself both 100% American and 100% Asian.” 

In September of 2016, in a co-production with the Hong Kong Arts Festival, 

with sold-out runs at both places, the San Francisco Opera premiered Sheng’s 

commissioned opera Dream of The Red Chamber featuring a libretto by David 

Henry Hwang and Sheng, based on a beloved Chinese novel by the eighteenth 

century writer Cao Xueqin. In September he conducts a three-city tour of the 

production in China. The opera was selected as one of the finalists for the Best 

Premiere by the International Opera Awards in London. 

16

In summer 2022, the San Francisco Opera revived the production of Dream of the Red 

Chamber, a rare honor as it is the only revival of any new operas the company has ever 

commissioned. In addition to composing, Sheng enjoys an active career as a conductor 

and concert pianist, and frequently acts as music advisor and artistic director to 

orchestras and festivals. He is currently the Leonard Bernstein Distinguished University 

Professor at University of Michigan, and the Y. K. Pao Distinguished Visiting Professor 

at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology where, in 2011, he founded and 

has been serving as the Artistic Director of The Intimacy of Creativity—The Bright 

Sheng Partnership: Composers Meet Performers in Hong Kong. For the 2022-23 

academic year, he is appointed as the Distinguished Artist-in-Residence by the New 

York University Shanghai for its 10 anniversary celebrations. 

Sheng was born on December 6th, 1955, in Shanghai, and moved to New York in 

l982 where he pursued his graduate works and studied composition and conducting 

privately with Leonard Bernstein. 

Bright Sheng’s music is exclusively published by G. Schirmer, Inc. and eleven exclusive 

CDs. Please follow www.brightsheng.com 

Reena Esmail: 

Darshan - Bihag (2021) 7’ for solo violin 

Short Preview: Esmail’s luminous solo work for violin is based around the melodious 

raag Bihag, which is associated with the deepest night. It is the first movement of a 

larger work, Darshan, meaning ‘seeing’ in Hindi. 

Performed by enSRQ; Samantha Bennett, along with 

SCD company member; Melissa Rummel 

Full Notes: Darshan means ‘vision’ in Sanskrit: a mystical vision of the divine, or 

seeing one another in the world. Darshan is a five-movement Partita based on a 

different Hindustani raag, and this opening movement, set in the sweet, melodious 

raag Bihag, is associated with the deepest, darkest night. 

This movement (Bihag) is a dream, a beginning in wisps of unreal imagination — 

the violin playing in stratospheric colors. Slowly, the raga is introduced as the violin 

descends into the realm of the real, eventually reaching the “bandish” (or “tune”), 

played on the lowest string with a drone — commonly played by the tanpura 

instrument in Hindustani tradition. 

That drone turns into a pulsating, throbbing triplet, accompanying the bandish 

throughout the rest of the movement, reaching ecstasy, before climbing back to the 

heavens. 

Composer Bio: Indian-American composer Reena Esmail (b. 1983) works between 

the worlds of Indian and Western classical music, and brings communities together 

through the creation of equitable musical spaces. 

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Esmail’s life and music was profiled on Season 3 of PBS Great Performances series 

Now Hear This, as well as Frame of Mind, a podcast from the Metropolitan Museum 

of Art. 

Esmail divides her attention evenly between orchestral, chamber and choral work. 

She has written commissions for ensembles including the Los Angeles Master 

Chorale, Seattle Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Kronos Quartet, 

and her music has featured on multiple Grammy-nominated albums, including 

The Singing Guitar by Conspirare, BRUITS by Imani Winds, and Healing Modes by 

Brooklyn Rider. Many of her choral works are published by Oxford University Press. 

Esmail is the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s 2020-2025 Swan Family Artist in 

Residence, and was Seattle Symphony’s 2020-21 Composer-in-Residence. She also 

holds awards/fellowships from United States Artists, the S&R Foundation, the 

American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Kennedy Center. 

Esmail holds degrees in composition from The Juilliard School (BM’05) and the Yale 

School of Music (MM’11, MMA’14, DMA’18). Her primary teachers have included 

Susan Botti, Aaron Jay Kernis, Christopher Theofanidis, Christopher Rouse and 

Samuel Adler. She received a Fulbright-Nehru grant to study Hindustani music in 

India. Her Hindustani music teachers include Srimati Lakshmi Shankar and Gaurav 

Mazumdar, and she currently studies and collaborates with Saili Oak. Her doctoral 

thesis, entitled Finding Common Ground: Uniting Practices in Hindustani and 

Western Art Musicians explores the methods and challenges of the collaborative 

process between Hindustani musicians and Western composers. 

Esmail was Composer-in-Residence for Street Symphony (2016-18) and is currently 

an Artistic Director of Shastra, a non-profit organization that promotes crosscultural 

music connecting music traditions of India and the West. 

She currently resides in her hometown of Los Angeles, California. 

Lou Harrison: 

Varied Trio (1987) 16’ for piano, violin, percussion 

Mvmt 1 - Gending 

Mvmt 2 - Bowl Bells 

Mvmt 3 - Elegy 

Mvmt 4 - Rondeau in Honor of Fragonard 

Mvmt 5 - Dance 

Short Preview: The relative simplicity of Harrison’s Varied Trio for violin, piano 

and percussion is profound and imaginative, filled with Southeast Asian melody 

and meter, gamelan-like sonorities and marvelous changes of mood and texture. 

Performed by enSRQ; George Nickson with Sarasota Contemporary 

Dance (SCD); Juliana Cristina, Gabby Henry, Sea Lea, Jordan Leonard, 

Samantha Miller, Jessica Obiedzinski, Melissa Rummel, Monessa Salley 

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Full Notes: “Gending” is scored for piano, violin, tam-tam, and vibraphone 

and evokes the sounds of a gamelan (Southeast Asian gong-chime ensemble). 

“Bowl Bells” was inspired by the Indian jalatarang (musical instruments consisting 

of rice bowls tuned with water). “Elegy” evokes Balinese tuning and Baroque 

arpeggiation. “Rondeau in Honor of Fragonard”is a duo for violin and piano 

evoking the French Baroque and gamelan tuning. “Dance” features bakers pans, 

drums, and tambourines, reminiscent of Indian and Indonesian sonorities. 

Composer Bio: Lou Harrison (1917–2003) was an American musical pioneer, 

composing works that incorporated Javanese gamelan and non-Western influences 

and explored the use of alternate tunings and new instruments. Spending much of 

his youth on the West Coast, he studied with Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg, 

before moving to New York to work with Virgil Thomson. In addition to composing, 

Harrison also worked tirelessly to promote the music of Charles Ives, bringing the 

composer to the notice of the musical world and conducting the first performances 

of his Symphony No. 3. 

Harrison returned to Aptos, California in 1953, where he explored new tunings 

and alternative tonalities, as well as his deep interests in Asian music and tuning. 

But he didn’t travel to the region until 1961, when he was invited to the East- 

West Music Encounter conference in Tokyo. From Japan he then visited Korea and 

Taiwan. Throughout the decade he would write some of his best known works 

incorporating Asian influences, including Pacifika Rondo and Young Caesar. 

Harrison met Ki K.P.H. Wasitodiningrat, a master of Javanese gamelan, in 1975. 

Under his instruction, Harrison learned gamelan performance and theory and 

began to compose works for the ensemble. In the ensuing years, Harrison 

composed over 50 pieces for gamelan, often pairing the traditional ensemble with 

Western instruments. These include Philemon and Baukis ( for violin and gamelan) 

and Bubaran Robert (for trumpet and gamelan), as well as his Concerto for Piano 

and Javanese Gamelan. Other of Harrison’s well-known works include his Piano 

Concerto and his early percussion collaboration with John Cage, Double Music. 

Together with his longtime partner, Bill Colvig, Harrison designed and built several 

instrument collections, or “American gamelans,” for which he also composed 

works. He was travelling to a festival in his honor in 2003 when he unexpectedly 

passed away at age 85. 

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20



DANCE MAKERS 

JANUARY 26-29 

PRODUCING SPONSOR SAM ALFSTAD 

This year, “Dance Makers” features new, imaginative dance pieces 

created by nationally acclaimed contemporary choreographers. Their 

eclectic STORIES will be embodied by our fierce and versatile dancers. 

“Dance Makers” promises to be a season favorite by highlighting a 

range of works from the aesthetics of jazz dance performed to Miles 

Davis and syncompated, athletic Afro-Cuban movement, to more 

dramatic solo and duet works. The featured artists include Gilliane 

Hadley (Orlando, FL), Lisa del Rosario (Austin, TX), Melissa Cobblah 

Gutierrez (Miami, FL), and Tania Vergara Perez (Sarasota, FL). 

Photos by Sorcha Augustine 

TICKETS: SarasotaContemporaryDance.org or 941.260.8485 

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CREW 

Celeste N. Silsby Mannerud (Technical Director 

and Lighting Designer) is co-founder of Flip Flop Productions 

and specializes in design and archival for theatrical and 

private events. She received her BA in theatre design from 

USF and her MFA in design management from IADT, and her 

repertoire includes lighting design and production video/ 

photography for local and international dance and theatre 

companies; stage lighting instruction at various Florida 

colleges; and production management, technical/artistic 

design, and lighting/audio installations for the Dali Museum, Tampa Museum of 

Art, L’Unione Italiana Ybor City, and ArtLab Studios in Germany. Aside from her 

“real job,” Celeste is in the midst of renovating an old Airstream to tour the U.S. 

and is most at peace when under sail with her husband, Andreas, and son, Cobyn. 

John Francis Banker (Sound Engineer) graduated 

from St. Petersburg College’s Music Industry and 

Recording Arts program (MIRA). He has contributed to live 

events, feature films, studio recordings and commercial 

AV integrations. This is his first season with Sarasota 

Contemporary Dance. 

Josh Goff (Stage Manager) has been working in theater 

in the Bay area as an actor for 25 years. He was last seen in 

RL productions, Along The Way. Goff has also been involved 

behind the scenes as a Stage Manager, Lighting Board 

Operator, and Sound Engineer. He Is very happy to be working 

for the first time with Sarasota Contemporary Dance. 

22

ADMINISTRATION 

Bristen Groves (General Manager) currently studies 

Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at New College of 

Florida and has always had a strong passion for dance. She 

started training in dance at the age of seven and has since 

become well-trained in multiple styles, traveled nationally 

for dance, and danced pre-professionally. Once coming to 

New College in 2020, she got involved by being a part of 

SCDE, SCD’s training company, two years ago, and then later 

worked closely with Leymis through Dance on Campus and a 

Digital and Production training workshop series. From there, 

she worked backstage for SCD’s In-Studio Performances and 

started training with the admin team. Bristen officially took on the role of General 

Manager in July and has greatly enjoyed working under Leymis’s leadership and 

working with everyone at SCD. She looks forward to helping the company continue 

to grow and thrive and is grateful to be the new General Manager of Sarasota 

Contemporary Dance. Also a dance teacher at Woodland Fine Arts Academy, Bristen’s 

strong faith and love for the arts drive her to work hard in all she does and be loving 

wherever she goes. 

Victoria Leyva (Administrative Assistant) was raised in 

North Port, FL where she began dancing at age 11 with a 

local dance studio. She began taking classes with Sarasota 

Contemporary Dance after graduating high school, performed 

in their debut of Sarasota Contemporary Dance Ensemble 

and interned for SCD from September 2020 to May 2022. She 

graduated from New College of Florida in May 2022 with her 

BA in Humanities. Currently, her love for dance led her to 

teach with Energize Dance Studio which grew to a new role of 

Enrollment Coordinator. She continues her knowledge of arts 

administration alongside the SCD administration staff as an Administrative Assistant 

and hopes to continue pursuing her love for the performing arts. 

23

MAKE DANCE 

DONATE HERE 

Producers $25,000 

*Produce entire production 

• Four tickets to every show for you and three guests 

• VIP access to open dress rehearsal of mainstage production 

• VIP access to In-Studio Showcase of your choice 

• Name and recognition on all production publicity 

• Exclusive dining with Dancer and Director of SCD 

Dance Maker Over $10,000 

*Sponsor a dance work 

• Two complimentary tickets to a performance of your sponsored work 

• VIP access to “Behind The Curtain” 

• Name and recognition in program insert 

• Exclusive lunch with a Choreographer 

Sustainers $7,500 –$9,999 

*Sponsors 3 months payroll for a dancer 

• Two complimentary tickets for two mainstage performances (4 tickets) 

• VIP access to SCDE (Training Company) dress rehearsal 

• Name in program and newsletters 

• Exclusive lunch with SCDE Associate Director 

Devotees $5,000–$7,499 

*Sponsors 1 month of Home Studio expenses 

• Two complimentary tickets to a mainstage performance 

• VIP access to one In-Studio of choice 

• Invitation to watch company rehearsal 


• Exclusive Coffee Time with In-Studio Production Lead 

24

Happen 

Contributors $2,500–$4,999 

*Sponsors a live music collaboration 

• Two complimentary tickets to two In-Studio 

performances of choice 

(4 tickets) 

• Invitation to watch company rehearsal 


• Exclusive brown bag lunch with SCD Company 

Dancers at Home Studio 

Supporters $1,000–$2,499 

*Sponsors a dance choreographer 

• Two complimentary tickets to an In-Studio 

performance of choice 

• Invitation to watch company rehearsal followed by 

Coffee Time with SCD Manager 


S 

C 

D25 

Enthusiasts $100–$999 

*Sponsors our training program for aspiring dancers 


• Invitation to watch SCDE Rehearsal Training Company 

Admirers Up to $99 

*Sponsors a SCD teaching artist 


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SCDE is a pre-professional dance training company under the direction 

of Xiao-Xuan Dancigers and Melissa Rummel, with strong guidance 

and support from Sarasota Contemporary Dance Artistic Director, 

Leymis Bolaños Wilmott. 

The mission of SCDE is to offer dancers high-caliber contemporary dance 

training, opportunities to perform alongside professional dancers, and 

preparation for a future professional career in dance. 

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES AT SCD’S HOME STUDIO: 

• SCDE Winter Showcase: December 16-17, 2022 

• SCDE Spring Showcase: May 12-13, 2023 

For more information, head to: 

sarasotacontemporarydance.org/scd-ensemble 

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SCD’S IN-STUDIO SERIES 

Sarasota Contemporary Dance’s In-Studio Performance Series is 

an incubation platform for artists at varying stages in their careers. 

Conceived by Artistic Director Leymis Bolaños Wilmott to provide 

creators a nurturing and formative artistic opportunity, artists 

receive access to SCD’s home studio and its resources. Whether 

they’re showing a work-in-progress or adding the final touches to 

a developed work, the residency culminates in a live performance 

followed by a Q&A with the featured artist. 

FALL 2022 PERFORMANCES 

• Jennifer Nuesi (poet) 

September 23–24, 7:00 pm 

• Eduard Cosla and 

Michael Rutherford (musicians) 

October 21–22, 7:00 pm 

SPRING 2023 PERFORMANCES 

• Scylla Liscombe (poet) 

collaboration with SCDE 

January 13–14, 7:00 pm 

• Francis Schwartz 

(composer/musician) 

February 10–11, 7:00 pm 

• Charlotte Johnson (dancer) 

February 24–25, 7:00 pm 

• Ann Morrison and 

Blake Walton: SaraSolo 

March 3–4, 7:00 pm 

March 10–11, 7:00 pm 

March 17–18, 7:00 pm 

• Tania Vergara Perez 

(choreographer) 

March 24–25, 7:00 pm 

TICKETS 

$20, $10 student rush | Virtual Tickets: $10 

sarasotacontemporarydance.org/in-studio | 941.260.8485 




28

CONTRIBUTORS TO 


Thank you to everyone who has generously donated from August 13, 2021 to 

September 19, 2022. All contributions are vital to our growth as a dance company. 

Without your generosity, this 17th year would simply not be the amazing reality it is. 

SUSTAINERS: OVER $10,000 

Shane Chalke 

Bernard Friedland 

Shirley Foss 

Sam Alfstad 

DEVOTEES: $5,000 - $9,999 

Dan Barzel 

Kira Lee 

Alden Keyser 

Ken Partyka 

CONTRIBUTORS: $2,500 – $4,999 

Adam & Jaime Still of Smile Sarasota 

Deborah VanEvery 

SUPPORTERS: $1,000 - $2,499 

Bernard Gerber 

Patricia Gebauer 

Georgia Higgins 

Patrick Kenny 

Rick & Karen Lanese 

Muriel G. Mayers 

Jeff and Janice Newman 

Celia Perkins 

Tania Vergara Perez 

Charles & Terry Pishko 

Tom Roberts & Winny Rush 

Sharon Rusnak 

Diana Smith 

Michael & Robin Strauss 

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ENTHUSIASTS: $100 – $999 

Juli Daulton Abraham 

Nancy Blitzer 

Laida Bolaños 

Peter & Judy Carlin 

Karly Christine 

Jane Cirksena 

Joyce Cooper 

Elizebeth Bergmann 

Michael Bigelow 

Terry Black 

Marsi Burns 

George Dancigers 

Robert Eddy 

Susan Feltus 

Shelia Foley 

Whelma Indrid Thompson Ford 

Lonnetta Gains 

Ronda Gallehue 

Carol Gaskin 

Ronald Gibson & Jerry Unland 

Patricia Golemme 

Amy Gordon 

Anamaria Guerra-Vera 

Helen Habbert 

Matthew Hassler 

Robert Hildebrand 

Pat Houppert 

Doug & Pocha Horton 

Mark Kauffman 

Ike & Judith Koziol 

Donna Labik 

Shila LaGrua 

Kathryn Lee 

Patricia Loudis 

Maya Liebermann 

Amanda Mason 

Evalyn Milman 

Sarah Miller 

Cory Mitchell 

Valentim Oliveira 

Lorelei Paster 

Lynn Gurach-Pardo 

Cyd Pearl 

Ann Pilot 

Angela Rauter 

Andrea Dasha Reich 

Joanne Rodland 

Jack Shapiro 

Julienne Smith 

Sue Spigel 

Judilee Sterne 

Rhiana Taylor 

Brenda Topp 

José Luis Rodriguez 

Nancy Roucher 

Remy & Julie Rubin 

Carlos Ruiz 

Becky Schowe 

Christine Schlesinger 

Arthur Siciliano 

James & Joan Sprouse 

Glenn & Carole Swope 

Bob & Donna Titterington 

Michael Vlaisavljevich 

Dona Waks 

Frederick L. White 

The Oaks Womens Club 

Barbara Baccari 

Amy Blair 

Wade Botkin 

Lysell Bolaños 

Maria Cisneros 

Michele Chinskey 

Alyson Dolan 

Harriet Hobson 

Joan Golub 

Jean Kirshenbaum 

Eliza Ladd 

Marcella Levin 

ADMIRERS: UP TO $99 

Hedda Matza-Haughton 

Melina Magistri 

Jane McCormack 

Kelly Menke 

James Monaghan 

Bernedette Oliveira 

Chris Palaskas 

Terry Rixse 

Bethany Smith 

Emily Steeb 

Karen Stults 

Kathleen Sullivan 

Elizabeth Wallace 

Andrea Weissleder 

Selma Goker Wilson 

Sarah Vanderveen 

Ilona Vrba 

Janine Ward 

Olivia Weinberger 

Barabra Young 

Dawn Zapiec 

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

Dan Barzel – President 

Jaime Still – Vice President 

Shane Chalke – Treasurer 

Robert G. McLain, Jr. – Secretary 

Sam Alfstad – General Board 

Muriel Gordon Mayers – General Board 

Georgia Higgins – General Board 

FOUNDERS CIRCLE 

The Founders Circle is a funding initiative through which 

Sarasota Contemporary Dance seeks to establish a circle of ten 

leadership funders committed to a three-year giving term 

($10,000 per year), which will further secure the Company’s ever bright 

present and future. To become a member of our Founders Circle, 

please contact Dan Barzel: Dan.Barzel@gmail.com. 

Sam Alfstad 

Steve & Lynn Blackledge 

Shane & Monique Chalke 

Norbert & Ann Donelly 

Steve & Isabella Lehrer 

Janice Bini & Dean Scarborough 

Shirley Foss 

SARASOTA CONTEMPORARY DANCE IS A 

NON-PROFIT 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION. 

31

Inside In C 

You will be inside the music as NMNC presents Terry 

Riley’s mesmerizing experimental work In C, with 

musicians surrounding the audience on all four sides of 

our outdoor arcade. 

Saturday, November 19 at 8 p.m. 5313 Bay Shore Rd. 

Tickets $15. 

newmusicnewcollege.org 

32

33

34

Theater... Music... Dance... Visual Art... Literature... 

where it all begins. 

20 th Anniversary Season 

GREAT ART ONLY EXISTS 

BECAUSE OF GREAT ARTISTS. 

The Hermitage brings the world’s leading artists 

to Sarasota for free public programs... 

15 Pulitzer Prize Winners, plus 

Tony, Oscar, Emmy, Grammy Winners, and more! 

“My time at the Hermitage was truly magnificent and productive! I completed 

full drafts of two plays, and I couldn’t have done that without the solitude, 

space, and inspiration provided by the Hermitage.” 

~James Whiteside, ABT Principal Dancer & Choreographer 

For upcoming Hermitage programs: 

HermitageArtistRetreat.org 

35

A Proud 

Supporter of the 

Community 

Shop Tervis.com Or A Store Near You 

928 S. Tamiami Trail, Osprey, FL 

St. Armand’s Cir. 319 John Ringling BLVD., Sarasota, FL 

Therapeutic Massage 

Manual Lymph Drainage 

Lymphedema Therapy 

“Massage is like a dance 

between my hands and 

your body’s innate ability 

and desire to find balance”. 

Nicole Clarac Lagès, MA6792 

nicolelageslmt@gmail.com 

(941) 735-1500 

36

37

EXPERIENCE THE MUSIC, DANCE AND DRAMA! 

GUYS AND DOLLS 

MUSIC AND LYRICS BY FRANK LOESSER 

BOOK BY JO SWERLING AND ABE BURROWS 

BASED ON A STORY AND CHARACTERS BY DAMON RUNYON 

DIRECTED BY JIM WEAVER 

OCT 5–NOV 20, 2022 

LANGSTON HUGHES’ 

BLACK NATIVITY 

ADAPTED & DIRECTED BY NATE JACOBS 

NOV 30–DEC 23, 2022 

FLYIN’ WEST 

BY PEARL CLEAGE DIRECTED BY CHUCK SMITH 

JAN 4–FEB 12, 2023 

DREAMGIRLS 

MUSIC BY HENRY KRIEGER 

LYRICS AND BOOK BY TOM EYEN 

DIRECTED BY NATE JACOBS 

FEB 22– 

APR 9, 2023 

BIG SEXY 

THE FATS WALLER REVUE 

CREATED, ADAPTED AND DIRECTED BY NATE JACOBS 

APR 19 – 

MAY 28, 2023 

westcoastblacktheatre.org 

941-366-1505 

1012 N ORANGE AVE, SARASOTA 

Idella Johnson in Eubie!, 2021. Photo by Sorcha Augustine 



Audience Survey 

We want to hear from you! 

Your answers to this quick survey will provide 

valuable feedback on our performance and 

marketing efforts, as well as meaningful data for 

our Sarasota County Tourist Development grant. 

Thank you! 

TAKE SURVEY 

38

Thank you for 

supporting SCD! 



1400 Blvd of the Arts, Suite 300, Sarasota, FL 34236 

info@sarasotacontemporarydance.org | 941.260.8485 


SARASOTA CONTEMPORARY DANCE IS A NON-PROFIT 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION. 

SCD PHOTOS BY SORCHA AUGUSTINE 

39

SCD + enSRQ

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