PARA.MAR Dance Theatre

Program Order

• Kiss. by Stephanie Martinez
  -10-15 min pause-
• Stay, a little longer by Yin Yue
• So Soon My Love by Hélène Simoneau
• Threshold by Lucas Crandall
  -10-15 min pause-
• Gentle, Into that Good Night by Stephanie Martinez

Kiss.

• Choreography by STEPHANIE MARTINEZ
• Costumes by STEPHANIE MARTINEZ & AMANDA GLADU
• Original Lighting Design by JACKIE FOX adapted and recreated by JULIE E. BALLARD, USA
• Stage Managed by ANNA SHULTZ-BREEF

Dancers

• CHRIS BLOOM
• CORA CLIBURN
  
• ALICIA DELGADILLO
• JUSTIN RAPAPORT
• GABRIELLE SPRAUVE
• BRANDON TALBOTT
• TAYLOR YOCUM

Music by [VARIOUS ARTISTS]

• Ave Maria by Schubert
• Bach Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor by J.S Bach
• Air on a G-String by J.S Bach
• Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Romanza and Allegro by Mozart
• Live & Breathe and Bali Compositions by Darryl J. Hoffman
• Various Interstitial Sound Edits by Noelle Kayser
• Sonnet 145 - William Shakespeare, spoken by Chris Kayser

Stay, A Little Longer

• Choreography by YIN YUE
• Répétiteur GRACE WHITWORTH
• Original Composition by DANIEL DOROBANTU
• Costumes by AMANDA GLADU
  
• Original Lighting Design by ERIC SOUTHERN adapted and recreated by JULIE E. BALLARD, USA
• Stage Managed by ANNA SHULTZ-BREEF

DANCER

• MYLES LAVALLEE

MUSIC 

• Original composition by Daniel Dorobantu

So Soon My Love 

• Choreography by HÉLENÈ SIMONEAU
• Costumes by AMANDA GLADU
  
• Lighting Design by JULIE E. BALLARD, USA
• Stage Managed by ANNA SHULTZ-BREEF

DANCERS

• CORA CLIBURN
  
• ALICIA DELGADILLO
• JUSTIN RAPAPORT
• BRANDON TALBOTT
• TAYLOR YOCUM

MUSIC BY [VARIOUS ARTISTS]

• The Search for Robert; Father Aquin; End Credits composed by Angélica Negrón from the album “Memories of a Penitent Heart (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)” 2017
• Obscure from the album Perspectives by Jlin and Third Coast Percussion
• Saturn Years from the album It Feels Like by Eunbi Kim.

Threshold

“A level or point at which something would happen, would cease to happen, or would take effect, become true, etc.”

• Choreography by LUCAS CRANDALL
• Original Collaborator: CHING CHING WONG
• Costumes by AMANDA GLADU
• Lighting Design by JULIE E. BALLARD, USA
• Stage Managed by ANNA SHULTZ-BREEF

Dancer

• ANDREW MURDOCK

Music by [VARIOUS ARTISTS]

• Teal - Chris Hunt
• Aria de Capo e Fine - J.S. Bach, Kimiko Ishizaka

Gentle, Into that Good Night

• Choreography by STEPHANIE MARTINEZ
• Costumes by AMANDA GLADU
  
• Lighting Design by JULIE E. BALLARD, USA
• Stage Managed by ANNA SHULTZ-BREEF

Dancers

• CHRIS BLOOM
• CORA CLIBURN
  
• ALICIA DELGADILLO
• MYLES LAVALLEE
• JUSTIN RAPAPORT
• GABRIELLE SPRAUVE
• BRANDON TALBOTT
• TAYLOR YOCUM

Music by [VARIOUS ARTISTS]

• Softly, As I Leave You performed by Frank Sinatra
• Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826: V. Rondeau written by Johann Sebastian Bach and performed by Vladimir Feltsman
• Ne Me Quitte Pas performed by Nina Simone and written by Jacques Brel
• Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056: II. Largo written by Johann Sebastian Bach and performed by Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Glenn Gould, and Vladimir Golschmann
• Autumn Leaves performed by Nat King Cole, and Nelson Riddle.  Written by Jacques Prévert, Johnny Mercer, and Joseph Kosm
• Albinoni: Adagio For Strings And Organ In G Minor - Adagio written by Tomaso Albinoni and performed by Edward Brewer, Eriko Sato, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
• April Come She Will performed by Simon & Garfunkel and written by Paul Simon.

PARA.MAR Dance Theatre

About PARA.MAR Dance Theatre

PARA.MAR Dance Theatre is a Chicago-based contemporary ballet repertory company, founded and directed by Stephanie Martinez.

Meaning together, with, and for, "PARA" represents the vision, purpose, and commitment to empowering diverse voices in contemporary ballet.

Compelled to create job opportunities for the exceptional artists who were forced out of work by the impact of the pandemic, Chicago-based choreographer Stephanie Martinez (Joffrey, Ballet Hispanico, Luna Negra) was inspired to create her own opportunity, using her own unique voice and vision to bring community art back to Chicago.

Together with the common goal of continued innovation in dance as an essential mode of human expression, PARA.MAR centers the unique identities of both artist and audience by providing performance grounded in excellence and accessibility. With a focus on equity in the curation of dance-artists, dance-makers, and the administrative team, PARA.MAR strives to be truly representative of the community it serves.

Since its inception, PARA.MAR has received the distinguished honor of being named Best of the New Chicago by Chicago Magazine as well as being named 25 to Watch 2022 by Dance Magazine.

About the Founder

Over twelve years of award-winning works, Chicago-based choreographer Stephanie Martinez moves her audiences along a journey guided by the kinetic momentum of her work. With original creations for Joffrey Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Charlotte Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Eugene Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Ballet Memphis, Kansas City Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, and National Choreographers Initiative among others, Martinez’s versatility expands the boundaries of contemporary ballet movement. Martinez has created over 60 ballets on companies and collegiate programs across the country.

In 2010, Martinez assisted Broadway legend Ann Reinking in setting the Fosse Trilogy, and in 2015 was awarded Joffrey Ballet’s “Winning Works: Choreographers of Color” commission and the Chicago 3Arts Award in recognition for her work as a female artist of color. More recently, Martinez was awarded an NEA grant for her premiere Bliss! at Joffrey Ballet.

Dubbed “a chameleon” of choreography by the Chicago Tribune, Martinez’s psychologically revelatory works challenge the viewer’s notion of what’s possible.

Stephanie Martinez was also lauded as the subject of “Fearlessly Inspired, 2020” and acknowledged as a “shining example of resilience, adaptability and artistry in an extraordinary year.”

About the Choreographers

YIN YUE

Yue Yin is an internationally recognized performer, choreographer and the founder and artistic director of YY Dance Company (YYDC). Yin studied at the prestigious Shanghai Dance Academy and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she received her MFA in 2008. 

Yue Yin was the recipient of the 2021 Dance Magazine Harkness Promise Award. This prestigious award recognizes her innovation in choreography and education. She was the winner of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago 2015 International Commissioning Project, winner of the 2015 BalletX Choreographic Fellowship, and winner of Northwest Dance Project’s 5th Annual Pretty Creatives International Choreographic Competition in 2013. Through these high-profile successes, Yin has received commissions from all three widely-recognized companies as well as other companies and organizations namely Gibney Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, Boston Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, Limon Dance Company, Alberta Ballet, Balletto Teatro di Torino, Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, USC Kaufman School of Dance, Tisch School of The Arts, George Mason University, Rutgers University, Point Park University, West Michigan University, Juilliard School for Dance and more.

Yin founded YYDC, a NYC-based, non-profit contemporary dance company dedicated to the teaching, production and performance of original choreographic works by Yin. The company incorporates Yin’s signature FoCo Technique™ which represents a dynamic fusion of Chinese dance, folk and contemporary movement language into live performances and choreographic commissions as well as educational endeavors. Under Yin’s direction, the company has presented its work to live audiences on U.S. and international stages including Schrit_tmacher Festival (Germany), and Rassegna Musike (Italy), SummerStage in New York City, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, New York International Fringe Festival, The Open Door Dance Festival in Iowa City, Iowa, DancenowNYC at Joe’s pub and many more. In addition, YYDC has performed at venues such as International Choreographic Competition Hanover, BAM Fisher, Joyce SoHo Theater, Peridance Center, Lincoln Center Rose Hall, New York Live Arts and many others. In addition to performance, the company also re-staged repertories at universities, companies and dance studios around the world.

HÉLENÈ SIMONEAU

Helen Simoneau is a choreographer and teacher. She has been commissioned by The Juilliard School, Charlotte Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, the Ailey School, BalletX, the American Dance Festival, and colleges, dance companies and festivals throughout the US and Canada. She was recently a Choreography Fellow at New York City Center and received a 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship. She has also been a resident artist at Baryshnikov Arts Center, NYU/Tisch, and a fellow of The NYU Center for Ballet and the Arts, Ailey’s New Directions Choreography Lab, and the Bogliasco Foundation. 

She was awarded first place for Choreography at the 13th Internationales Solo-Tanz-Theater Festival in Stuttgart, Germany, for her solo “the gentleness was in her hands.” Simoneau is originally from Luceville, a small village near Rimouski, in Eastern Québec.

LUCAS CRANDALL

Lucas Crandall began training in dance at the age of 14. In 1980 he obtained his first professional contract with the Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve. In 1985, he joined Nederlands Dans Theater where he first worked with HSDC’s Artistic Director, Jim Vincent. 

After performing with the Nederlands Dans Theater for two years, Crandall returned to the Ballet du Grand Theatre, working with choreographers including Ohad Naharin, Jirí Kylián, Mats Ek and Christopher Bruce. In 1996 he became the company’s Rehearsal Director. Lucas then went to Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in 2000 to serve as the renowned company’s Artistic Associate. Lucas Crandall has also served on faculty with the Lou Conte Dance Studio, as well as ballet and repertory instructor for master classes throughout the country. Creating works since 1982, his pieces have been performed in the US and abroad. Lucas has led master classes and workshops for the NW Dance Project and created Triptych for the company in 2006 and Blue in 2008. In 2010, Lucas returned to Nederlands Dans Theater 1 where he served as Repetitor through 2012. Since then, Lucas has served as a guest teacher for the Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve, guest Ballet Master for Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, and Rehearsal Director for NW Dance Project. Lucas returned to Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in April 2013 to serve as the company’s Ballet Master. 

Crandall currently serves as the Coordinator and Repetitor for NDT and has choreographed for Hubbard Street, NW Dance Project, Thodos Dance Chicago, Ballet Junior de Geneve.

Dancer Bios

ALICIA DELGADILLO (Founding Ensemble Member / Guest Rehearsal Director)

Alicia Delgadillo began her career with Hubbard Street 2 and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. She was a founding member of PARA.MAR Dance Theatre in 2020 and later joined Gibney Company as an Artistic Associate from 2021-2023. Delgadillo
has collaborated with a wide array of choreographers and institutions, including Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin, Alejandro Cerrudo, The Art Institute of Chicago, and The Second City.

She graduated with Honors from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program where she was able to foster her passion for arts outreach through JUNTOS Collective, a non-profit dance outreach organization. She has taught through residencies with NYU Tisch School of Dance and Bard College, and also served as Artistic Coordinator for Hubbard Street Summer Intensive, Company Manager for PARA.MAR Dance Theatre, and has produced various artistic projects. She is currently a Rehearsal Director with Charlotte Ballet. 

ANDREW MURDOCK (Guest Rehearsal Director / Dance Artist)

Andrew Murdock is a Canadian dancer, stager, teaching artist, and rehearsal assistant based out of Chicago, IL, USA. He has spent the majority of his dancing career at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Aszure Barton & Artists, Ballet Jazz Montréal, and Robyn Mineko Williams & Artists. He currently teaches company class for Hubbard Street and Ballet Jazz Montréal, and is a former Artistic Lead for Hubbard Street Summer Intensives. He has also staged work and assisted creations for Springboard Danse Montréal, Aszure Barton & Artists, Ballet Jazz Montréal, Arts Umbrella, American Ballet Theatre, National Ballet School of Canada, Ballet BC, STEPS Repertory Ensemble, and New York University.  

CHRIS BLOOM (FOUNDING ENSEMBLE/DANCE ARTIST) 

Chris Bloom is from Fredrick County, VA where he began dancing at the Blue Ridge Studio for the Performing Arts and the Vostrikov Academy of Ballet. Chris graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Ailey/Fordham B. F. A. Progam. Chris has performed with Parsons Dance, The Dash Ensemble, The Black Iris Project, and the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company. Chris joined Ballet Hispanico in 2013 and has had the pleasure of originating roles in new works by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Fernando Melo, Michelle Manzanales, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Edwaard Liang, and Eduardo Vilaro. In addition he has performed in Nacho Duato’s Jardi Tancat, William Forsythe’s New Sleep and as Don José in Gustavo Ramirez Sansano’s CARMEN.maquia. Chris is performing at the courtesy of Ballet Hispanico.

CORA CLIBURN (Dance Artist) 

Cora Cliburn is from Santa Fe, NM. She trained at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance and the Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program. In 2016, Cora was recognized as one of DANCE Magazine's "25 to Watch.” She has worked with ODC/Dance, Robert Moses’ Kin, Post:ballet, Lil Buck and Jon Boogz (Blindspotting/Starz Network), GERALDCASELDANCE, Sharp & Fine and ARCOS Dance, among others. Cora’s repertoire includes works by Robert Moses, Alex Ketley, Kate Weare, KT Nelson, and Amy Siewert. In 2019, she earned a BA with honors in Environmental Anthropology from Stanford University. An advocate for environmental sustainability, Cora is also the Outreach Director for Artists Climate Collective.

MYLES LAVALLEE (Dance Artist) 

Myles Lavallee was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, where he trained and competed with various dance studios. He won many awards including JUMP’s Teen National Title and NUVO’s Teen 1st Runner Up, before moving away to NYC to focus his studies at the School of American Ballet. In 2011 Myles joined Ballet Arizona where he danced for four seasons. In 2014, he moved to Canada to join Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal and in 2016, Myles joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for two seasons. He was commissioned twice to choreograph for Ballet Arizona's Innovations program, and created pieces in both LGBC and HSDC choreographic workshops . Myles now lives in Los Angeles as a freelance artist and choreographer He has recently been seen dancing with Body Traffic, Post Ballet, Ishida Dance, & Heidi Duckler Dance as well as in several music videos and on Netflix and YouTube. He is extremely passionate about teaching, choreographing and sharing his love for dance.

JUSTIN RAPAPORT (Dance Artist) 

Justin Rapaport (he/him) is a freelance dancer, choreographer and stager currently based between Chicago and Vancouver. While growing up in Miami, he formally trained at New World School of the Arts, followed by The Juilliard School under the directorship of Lawrence Rhodes, where he earned is BFA. Throughout his career, Justin has had the opportunity to collaborate with organizations such as Ballet BC, Staatsballett Hannover, Dansk Danseteater, Zoe|Juniper, Alejandro Cerrudo and Artists, and Rachel Meyer. 

Justin started his professional choreographic career with the Peter London Global Dance Company in 2014 and has gone on to create with HD Theatre, Dansk Danseteater and Ballet BC. Most notably, Justin created Passing By during his time at Ballet BC as a part of Take Form, which was the awarded the Danish Dance Theater Award at the 14th Copenhagen International Choreography Competition, and was presented at the Copenhagen Summer Dance Festival in collaboration with Dansk Danseteater in 2023.

GABRIELLE SPRAUVE (FOUNDING ENSEMBLE/DANCE ARTIST) 

Gabrielle Sprauve was born in Queens, NY and raised in Savannah,GA where she began her training at The Academy of Dance. She attended Savannah Arts Academy for the Performing Arts, and also studied at the Ailey School and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. Gabrielle graduated with her BFA from Marymount Manhattan College in 2017. She has performed works by Larry Keigwin, Alexandra Damiani, Norbert De La Cruz, Paul Taylor, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Adam Barruch, and Jo Strømgren. Gabrielle joined Ballet Hispanico in 2017, where she has had the pleasure of working with choreographers such as Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Michelle Manzanales, Bennyroyce Royon, Eduardo Vilaro, Andrea Miller, and Gustavo Ramirez Sansano. Gabrielle is performing at the courtesy of Ballet Hispanico.

BRANDON TALBOTT (Dance Artist) 

Brandon is originally from Manassas, VA, and trained at numerous studios and conservatories throughout the DMV area. In his competitive dance years, he was featured on multiple episodes of reality TV dance shows. After finishing his senior year of high school in 2017, he attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) where he studied concert dance with a focus in contemporary work. At UNCSA he had the opportunity to appear in work by choreographers Doug Varone, Ashley Lindsey, Juel D. Lane, and Stephanie Martinez and worked closely with the ballet department where he appeared in numerous performances including their annual production of The Nutcracker.  Graduating in 2021, Brandon moved to Chicago and joined Visceral Dance Chicago. His freelance works includes AJA Talent, The Candlelight Series, Freckled Sky, Noelle Kayser, and Sancta. 

TAYLOR YOCUM (Dance Artist) 

Taylor Yocum began her dance career in Spokane, Washington studying ballet at Spokane Ballet Studio under the direction of Sara Donnelly. Upon graduating high school, she attended SUNY Purchase and had the opportunity to study abroad in Beijing, China at Beijing Dance Academy. She has supplemented her training at summer programs with NW Dance Project, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Alonzo King Lines Ballet and Springboard Danse Montreal. Throughout her training she has performed in original works choreographed by Micaela Taylor, Rena Butler, Roderick George, Robyn Mineko-Williams, and Franco Nieto, among others. She is currently performing with South Chicago Dance Theatre.

PARA.MAR Team at Hope College

• Founder and Artistic Director – Stephanie Martinez
  
• Executive Director – Adrianna Desier Durantt 
  
• Rehearsal Director – Alicia Delgadillo
  
• Rehearsal Director – Andrew Murdock
  
• Production & Design – Julie E. Ballard, USA and casaboyce
  
• Stage Management – Anna Shultz-Breef
  
• Company Manager & Artistic Administrator – Jayme Braverman
  
• Management & Producing Associate – Jessica Leyva
  
• Marketing & Communications Manager – Gabrielle Sprauve
  
• Development & Partnerships Manager – Chris Bloom

Interested in learning more about PARA.MAR Dance Theatre? Email us at info@paramardance.com

Para.Mar Land Acknowledgment

In recent years PARA.MAR Dance Theatre has been inspired and humbled by the tradition of acknowledging the land and legacy of the native peoples — upon whose land we are living, creating, communing.

It is well known that Founder and Director, Stephanie Martinez's Mexican heritage inspired the naming of PARA.MAR — which blends PARA, “together, with, and for” and MAR, an ode to her last name “Martinez” — to celebrate the rich history of her family name and culture. What is less well-known is her proud Apache lineage. 

Today we invite you to join us in reverence and reflection for their sacrifice.

—

Holland, Michigan is located on the traditional unceded homelands that surround Lake Macatawa, ancestrally known to the Potawatomi, Odawa and Peoria nations as Mekatewgamie, or Black Lake. Indigenous people continue to gather, trade and celebrate their culture and community on these grounds and in this region today. These native communities are a vital and vibrant part of this city and to the history of this country.

—

Ancestors, we celebrate your legacy, we honor your traditions, we carry your spirits and sacrifices with us as we mindfully proceed in the sacred work of culture making and community building on these lands and beyond.

Great performance series

Hope College GPS Staff

• Derek Emerson, Director of Events, Conferences, and the Haworth Hotel
• Maggie Kuzak, Logistics
• Jonathan Fegel, Technical Director for Events and Conferences
• Benjamin Oegema, Assistant Technical Director for Events and Conferences
• Kathryn Kalthoff, Student Assistant – Press Releases and Event Support

Special Thanks

• Hope College Ticket Office Staff
• Events and Conferences Student Technical Staff
• Hope College Department of Dance