A Harlem Based Modern Dance Company
11.22.24 Move to Change Program
MODArts Dance Collective (MADC) presents Move to Change - a festival which uses dance as a form of social justice and arts activism through the lens of BIPOC choreographers and cinematographers. The goal of Move to Change is to create cultural and gender affirming spaces for artists of color: African, Latina/o/x, Asian, Arab, Native American (ALAANA); Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI); Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI); Black/African American, Caribbean, Indigenous, Middle East & North Africa (MENA); & South West Asia & North Africa (SWANA) to educate, empower, & illuminate issues that reflects their histories and cultures through their unique and rich movement aesthetics. This hybrid festival consists of live performance and dance films in two different programs over the two day festival. This year’s theme is the Swahili word 'Umoja' meaning Unity. The dance pieces/dance films will highlight the Kwanzaa meaning of Umoja: to strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, and/or the world in which we live in. Please note that one of the dance films contain mature content.
Triumph of the Black Spirit
Choreographer & Cinematographer: Sierra Christine Sanders
Choreographer & Cinematographer’s Pronouns: She/Her
Performed by: Erica Parra, Marsha Guirlande Pierre, Elijah A. Carter, Quashierra Muhammad, Isaiah K.!Harvey, Will Ervin, Ashley B. Carr, Lisa Newsome, Tiara C. Knox, Ricardo G. Barrett, Chanel Stone, Naala Nesbeth
Music: Here We Come, Mayi, Take My House Back to Africa by Palms Down Percussion
Vocals: United States Constitutional Amendments - Jermaine Rowe
Special Thank you to Nya Bowman & Tony Vega for Mentorship. Thank you to the Dance New Jersey Mini Grant for making this possible.
Sierra Christine Sanders from Montclair, Nj began studying modern dance at New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Youth Artists Institute. Sierra later received her B.F.A in Dance from Montclair State University. Upon graduation, Sierra danced for Philadanco’s D2 and later studied at the Martha Graham School under full scholarship as a member of Graham 2. While there, she received the Edward and Sally Van Lier Grant from the New York Community Trust to choreograph on the Graham School. Also a graduate from Camille A. Brown’s Mentorship Program, Sierra professionally dances for Buglisi Dance Theatre and RudduR Dance.
IG: @Sierra.Christine
Website: www.SierraChristineSanders.com
Description of Triumph of the Black Spirit:
Inspired by the “Triumph of the Human Spirit” Sculpture by Lorenzo Pace located in Foley Square and The African Burial Ground Monument, and the recent historical events that have unfolded within this year, This film explores the specific amendments as it pertains to Rights of Black people in the United States. This film honors the past, present, and future of us in our Joy, Resiliency, and Triumph Over Racism & White Supremacy. It also Informs & Affirms the Rights we are entitled to as citizens of this country and if these laws are actually are upheld to Black people in present day America.
Ekam: Oneness through solidarity in dance
Choreographed & Performed by: Saraswathy Lakshmivaraham
Choreographer’s Pronouns: She/Her
Music: Saraswathy Lakshmivaraham
Saraswathy Lakshmivaraham, began her training in dance at a tender age of 4 in Bharatanatyam. After her arangetram, she was initiated by Guru Kalamandalam Vimala Menon into Mohiniyattom and ever since, she has been able to stay true to both dance forms thanks to the strong support of her gurus. She has performed extensively in India and USA, Europe and recently in New Zealand at various platforms.Her passion for dance combined with a strong foundation in carnatic music has enabled her to choreograph to modern concepts without breaking away from the traditional style of Mohiniyattom. In an effort to take the artform to a wider audience, Saraswathy co-founded the first ever organization in the Bay area exclusively encouraging Mohiniyattom, it is called the Mohini Studio. Their Pandattam was one of the First traditional Mohiniyattom to be featured in Indianraga (2020).
Mohini Studio is an organization that was formed with an aim to promote and create awareness of Mohiniyattom , a classical dance form native to the southern state of Kerala in India. Mohiniyattom is unique in that it represents the kaishiki style,in other words it is the dance that is tender, feminine and graceful, like the waves in a calm sea or the swaying of the paddy plants in the field in the breeze.
IG: @saraswathyiy
Description of Ekam: Oneness through solidarity in dance
Ekam- the word used in varied ancient languages from Sanskrit to Arabic means oneness, that to which there is no second. The piece begins with a swaying movement displaying the technique native to Mohiniyattom ( Like the swaying of rice and palm trees in Kerala in the breeze). Then the dancer takes on the role of the Prejudiced- who discriminates the community around by color of skin, appearance and faith and oppressed them by their Powerful prejudice. The scene progresses by the oppressed retaliating and reminding the Prejudiced that “ I may not look like you or speak your language- but I feel the same emotions as you. I will not stand and watch injustice done to a fellow living being.” My choreography aims to inspire dancers to unite through our voices in movement and invite them to join hands to bring about change in attitude towards all prejudices. The protagonist showcases the 8 universal emotions - Love, Pride( Courage), Compassion, Fear, Joy/ laughter, Disgust and Anger, and then the 9th emotion one should aim to master - Shanthi, Peace or Calmness. It is a call to all dancers to come together and invoke the goddess of realization within to bring about change. The costume of the dancer -White and gold - further depicts the idea of a need for Peace/ acceptance.
A Touch of Sin
Choreographed & Performed by: Yinqi Wang and Maggie Liang
Choreographers’ Pronouns: He/Him and She/Her
Music: A Combination of Hands and Feet by Sergey Kuryokhin
Yinqi Wang and Xiao Liang (Maggie) are choreographers and dancers from
China. They both received their Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from New York
University Shanghai, but it is their minor in dance that has led them to a life they truly wanted. In 2024 they received their Master of Fine Arts in Dance from
University of California-Irvine. Their choreography explores themes of myths,
folklore, violence and intimacy, by incorporating movement languages of
Gaga, Countertechnique, contact improv, as well as dramaturgical technologies.
Their works have been presented at various theaters and festivals across the United States.
IG: @wang_yinqi_dance and @xiao_liang_xiao
Website: https://omnivoredance.squarespace.com/
Description of A Touch of Sin
A Touch of Sin is a duet exploring evils—anger, delusion, violence, and greed
for food, sex, and freedom—through movement. It is our embodied reflection on
modern stories where the characters’ heroic "evil" deeds are exhibited, if not
praised: Bizet’s Carmen, Dante’s Inferno, Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray, and Tolstoy’s
Anna Karenina. Are their “sins” truly immoral? Or just incompatible with a certain
system of morality – thus fabricated into a scandal, a transgression, but actually a
modern rebellion? It seems that only in a spectacle can dreams of evils be
celebrated. Hence, in this dance we strive to create an imaginative space with our
dance where gestures of immorality could be exhibited, tolerated, and deliberated
so that finally we all can dance freely and shamelessly.
XwhY
Director & Producer: Karley Wasaff | Kinetics with Karley
Cinematographer: Roman Dubchak
Choreographer: Karley Wasaff | Kinetics with Karley
Choreographer’s Pronouns: They/Them
Performed by: Karley Wasaff
Music: Original sound score by Karley Wasaff
Karley Wasaff is a non-binary movement artist and educator in NYC and founder of Kinetics with Karley, a nonprofit offering accessible training and resources to underserved queer & BIPOC performers. As creative director of BoneDaddy’s Bacchanal, they empower performers through immersive theatre cabaret. Karley premiered XwhY as Christie’s New York’s first performing art soloist. A Social Justice Fellowship recipient, BAX Emerge NYC Artist, and principal performer for MetaBetties, Karley’s work explores trauma, healing, and gender fluidity. Their accessible mini-artist talk series bridges dance theory with social change. Touring with RAD Fest, ASE Dance Theatre Collective, and more, they hold an MFA from Hollins University.
LINKTREE (to all socials, upcoming shows, classes, IG, and online portfolio): linktr.ee/kineticswithkarley
Description of XwhY
‘XwhY’ is a compositional-improvisational score explores the restrictions and tension that gender markers place on a person. This score utilizes memories and ‘X marks the spot’ as movement scores to enunciate the hardships of nonbinary/female identities. Re-framing body trauma into empowerment as reclamation.
Video description: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCHK5kqu0_r/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Dynamic Embrace
Choreographer: Quetzali Hart
Choreographer’s Pronouns: She/Her
Performed by: Macy Alday and Courtney Holbrooks
Music: Stars by Yosi Horikawa
A huge thank you to Macy and Courtney who allowed me to build and create this work and for showing such kindness and dedication. The two of you have truly brought this piece to life and I can't thank you enough!
Quetzali Hart is a New York based dancer and choreographer. In 2023, she received her BFA in Contemporary Dance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. While there she performed works by Jose Limon and Igal Perry, and original works by Darrell Grand Moultrie, Juel D. Lane, Ashley Linsdey, Grady Bowman and Ming Lung-Yang. Quezali has worked with choreographers such as Jacob Jonas, Sidra Bell, Peter Chu, Flockworks. In April 2024 she made her New York debut with Rachael Lieblein-Jurbala Dance Works. Quetzali is currently a company member of Artichoke Dance Company and MADC.
Instagram: @quetzalihart
Website: www.quetzalihart.com
Description of Dynamic Embrace
"Dynamic Embrace" is a duet that focuses on how two individuals can share a space together while also keeping to their own ideas and thoughts. There is a sense of safety and security that comes to play. Their shared unity is what guides the movement forward. It's a calm and peaceful duet that is not only shared between the two dancers but is embraced fully by the music.
The night that you stopped acting/ La noche que dejaste de actuar
Choreographed and Performed by: Anabella Lenzu
Direction: Daniel Pettrow
Videographer and Technology advisor: Todd Carroll
Dramaturgy: Naoko Maeshiba
Choreographer’s Pronouns: She/Her
Music: Caharly Garcuia, Fito Paez and Mercedes Sosa
Originally from Argentina, Anabella Lenzu is a dancer, choreographer, scholar & educator with over 30 years of experience working in Argentina, Chile, Italy, and the USA.
Lenzu directs her own company, Anabella Lenzu/DanceDrama (ALDD), which since 2006 has presented 400 performances, created 15 choreographic works and performed at 100 venues, presenting thought provoking and historically conscious dance-theater in NYC.
As a choreographer, she has been commissioned all over the world for opera, TV programs, theatre productions, and by many dance companies. She has produced and directed several award-winning short dance films and screened her work in over 200 festivals both nationally and internationally. Website: www.AnabellaLenzu.com
Description of The night that you stopped acting/ La noche que dejaste de actuar
The night that you stopped acting/ La noche que dejaste de actuar, confronts the absurdity and irony of life, while being an artist and a spectator in today’s world. The work reflects Anabella Lenzu's experience as a Latina/European artist living in New York and comes from a deep examination of my motivations as a woman, mother, and immigrant.
Hike: A Shadow of Repudiation
Choreographed & Performed by: Kayla Spalding
Choreographer’s Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Music: "McKay and Cassie" by Labrinth/"I Only Have Eyes for You" by The Flamingos/"Allegiance" by Duomo/"NDA" by Billie Eilish
Kayla would like to thank her family and friends for their continued support in her artistry!
Kayla Spalding is a New York City-based artist originally from North Carolina. A graduate of Elon University, she holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in History. Kayla’s choreographic work seeks to delve into the complexities of human experience, re-envisioning the world through multifaceted and deeply considered perspectives. She has presented her work to diverse audiences and eagerly anticipates the next steps in her journey as an artist and person.
IG: @kaylarspalding
Website: www.kaylarspalding.com
Description of Hike: A Shadow of Repudiation
“Everything you want is on the other side of fear”
In this work-in-progress piece, I explore rejection as one of the most stifling and profound human experiences. How do feelings of rejection in childhood evolve into the sensitivities and insecurities that shape adulthood? I am drawn to the concept of rejection as an ever-present shadow—an entity that first emerges in childhood, never fully departing, receding only to return at full height when our deepest fears are confirmed. This piece examines how the fear of rejection forms, cultivating an acute awareness of one’s existence and its movements in relation to others, ultimately prompting a reconciliation with this shadow, for better or worse.
This exploration is inherently humanistic. Sharing one’s shadow with the world, though solitary in its execution, fosters a deeper connection to it. Through this, we find ourselves intertwined with one another, bound by a shared understanding—even within the unknown.
Forward
Choreographer: Kirara Clavines
Cinematographer: Kishan Cooper
Choreographer & Cinematographer’s Pronouns: She/Her and He/They
Performed by: Miranda Tan & El Jones
Music: Vivaldi’s Four seasons: Spring 1 recomposed by Max Richter and Daniel Hope with the Konzerthaus Kammerorchester Berlin
Kirara Clavines (Cebu City, Philippines) began her training in the American School of Ballet in New York City. She graduated high school at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center and moved on to graduate in the BFA dance program at Brigham Young University. She has performed works by Bruce Wood, Jesse Obremski, Alwin Nikolai. She is honored to have her work showcased in the Move to Change Event.
Description of Forward
Forward is around the concept of the feeling before starting a new phase of life. Change is good and it can come with many benefits. Yet, the road to change is not always easy. It comes with hesitance and uncertainty. Sometimes we may have to dance around the topic of moving on before moving forward. But one thing is for certain, change is easier when done together.
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Los Lobos
Choreographer: Andrea Agostini
Choreographer’s Pronouns: She/Her
Performed by: Sarah Malone and Adri Loaiza
Music: The Universe Wakes Up by The Comet is Coming
Sound Editor: Albert Tang
Andrea Agostini is a Venezuelan-American choreographer, performer, and fiber artist based out of Philadelphia. She studied at the University of the Arts under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield until the closure of the school. As a choreographer, she has presented work at Battery Dance Festival and the University of the Arts. Andrea has also had the privilege to perform with Rosie Herrera Dance Theater, David Dorfman, Free Fleet, Sidra Bell, and Shayla-Vie Jenkins. She is planning to pursue a degree in arts administration and immerse herself into museum curatorship while she continues to work as a freelance choreographer.
IG: @andrea.agostinii
Description of Los Lobos
“Los Lobos” began as a study of the wolfpack and the roles it enforces. The research then turned into building a world of playful survival, one that needs curiosity and community to thrive. The dancers embody multiple versions of themselves, relating and rationalizing with another throughout glimpses of different scenarios.
From the Sea
Conceived and Performed by Janet Aisawa
Videography: Fred Hatt
Choreographer & Cinematographer Pronouns: She/Her and He/Him
Music: Air on a G String, Johann Sebastian Bach, arranged by David Hamilton
Editing: Yuko Takebe
Costume: Janet Aisawa
Costume Consultant: Denise Mitchell
Support from the Puffin Foundation, Katie McCarthy and Jeff Platz, Richard Michaels
Janet Aisawa is a performance artist, choreographer, aerialist and dancer. Her evening length performances included video and audio interviews, spoken sound scores, music and video. Her pieces have been shown in New York City, London, Jeffersonville, NY, Fort Lincoln Concentration Camp, Bismarck, ND. She collaborated on a video, “Shadows of Hiroshima” with Yuko Takebe which was filmed in Japan.
Her recent short pieces were performed at University Settlement in MODArts Dance Collective’s Move to Change series. (2019-2023). Founding member of Fly-by-Night Dance Theater, aerial dance. She currently dances with Beth Soll and Dancers.
Description of From the Sea
A woman comes from the sea covered in debris that we all use in daily life. She revels being on land and is burdened by the objects she carries. All the items were collected from the beach.
Circles, Section 1
Choreography: Leah Tubbs (ensemble work); Ellicia Clayton, Solenn Etienne, Quetzali Hart, Mireille Lorenzo, & Lauren Mueller (their own solo work)
Choreographer’s Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Performed by: Ellicia Clayton, Solenn Etienne, Quetzali Hart, Mireille Lorenzo, & Lauren Mueller
Music: Circlesongs 6 by Bobby McFerrin
Birmingham, AL native & Harlem resident Leah Tubbs studied dance at Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) and the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. She has had the great opportunity to work as a professional artist with numerous dance companies, teaching artist, and arts educator. Leah and Shaun established MODArts Dance Collective in 2011 to hold space for BIPOC artists and communities through its choreographic work, festivals, concerts, workshops, and residencies.
Description of Circles, Section 1
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” African Proverb
Circles, Section 1 explores and investigates the following questions: 1. What communities am I a part of?; and 2. What is/are the common goal(s) within the community? as individuals and as an ensemble to find the connectivity between each other.
Gratitude and Thanks
MADC would like to thank our 2024/25 donors: Sharon Banks, Lauren DeGeorge, Sherema Fleming, Karen & Brian Lowy, Tanya Patton, Adriana Ray, & Harriette Smiley. MADC is grateful to be receiving funding this season from the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) COHI | MOVE Gamma Collective Cohort with the Mellon Foundation (2024-26), West Harlem Development Corporation (WHDC), and the New York State Council on the Arts.
Support
MODArts Dance Collective (MADC) is a Harlem based nonprofit multicultural professional dance company where artists of color strive to show up as their authentic selves inside & out of the studio; cultivates platforms for BIPOC dancers, choreographers, & cinematographers to share their lived experiences to assist in amplifying their reach & impact; and provides safe, open spaces for Black & Brown communities to heal, grow, & thrive. Please consider making a contribution to MODArts Dance Collective (MADC) to increase our reach and impact towards West Harlem residents; continuing to provide accessible live professional dance in Upper Manhattan; and offer K-12 Harlem students the opportunity to see performances in their neighborhood that reflects their histories & cultures. Any help is always greatly appreciated. MODArts Dance Collective is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible; EIN: 87-2210130. Please consider contributing to MADC here.