Presented by Lehigh Valley Dance Exchange & Cedar Crest College
SUNDAY, APRIL 16, 2023 | 3pm | SAMUELS THEATER, CEDAR CREST COLLEGE

The showcase will be followed by a feedback panel of esteemed artists including Narissa Wescott, Gregory Dolbashian and Jessica mitcham.

PROGRAM ORDER

Empêchement

Direction, Choreography, and Editing: Rosalie Anthony
Cinematography: Holden Brandenstein
Music: Stromae, Labrinth
Performance: Libby Brooks, Abby Carson, Zoe Weldon, Elizabeth Woodberry

1/6

Choreography: Becky Joy
Direction: Grace Wyckoff
Music: Michael Wall
Performance: Daria Charlize Evans, Becky Joy, Magdalene Larrabee,
Lauren Linder, Megan Streichenwein, Isabella Trocino

Illuminated Perspective

Choreography: Magdalene Larrabee
Direction: Grace Wyckoff
Music: Austin Booth & Michael Wall
Performance: Magdalene Larrabee, Lauren Linder, Grace Wyckoff

Big Bang

William Allen High School’s Studio Dance Academy
Choreography: Dawn Blanco
Music: The Avalanches ft. Leon B
Performance: Ky’asia Brown, Bryson Jones, Jessenia Lopez,
Toussaint Morse, Doriangelys Ruiz, Ashley Velez

Conversation

Choreography: Becky Joy
Music: Johan Sebastian Bach, Kolja Blacher,
Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Helmut Müller-Brühl
Performance: Becky Joy, Magdalene Larrabee

Soup

Choreography: Katie Rattell
Performance: Lia Bennicoff, Jennifer Kane,
Nicole Miller, Victoria Polidoro

Quality of Mercy

Choreography: Emma Melochick
Music: Max Richter
Performance: Sara Studlack

Past Self

Catalyst Dance Company
Choreography: Taylor Hahn
Music: Max Richter
Performance: Taylor Hahn & Sydnee Matusky

Church Bells

Dance Works
Choreography: Courtney Kay
Music: Gareth Emery
Performance: Caitlin Bader, Gabriella Berkhous,
Hannah Cole, Jordan Hollister, Kayla Ober,
Elizabeth Oltrogge, Keelin Pollock

A Black T-shirt

Catalyst Dance Company
Choreography & Performance: Taylor Hahn
Music: Valgeir Sigurosson

| trying |

Choreography: Magdalene Larrabee
Music: Son Lux
Performance: Becky Joy, Magdalene Larrabee, Natasha Rosenberg

ABOUT SPRINGUP

SPECIAL THANKS to SpringUP Assistant
Cindy Lozada, Lighting Designer Chris Connnelly, Cedar Crest College Technical Director
Kevin Gallagher, Backstage Assistants
Adjowa Borie, AJ Johnson, and supporters like YOU.

Now in its 11th year, the SpringUP Dance Festival in an annual event that offers Lehigh Valley dancers access to some of the most in-demand regional artists for 2 days of master workshops & shows. SpringUP is the only dance festival of its kind in the area and fulfills LVDE's goal to nurture the physical and artistic potential of the Lehigh Valleys established and emerging professional dancers through a supportive, inspiring festival environment. Brainstormed and developed by seasoned dance professionals, SpringUP fosters the creative potential of its participants in a more accessible and affordable format than similar experiences offered in the dance hubs of major metro areas.

This concert was made possible with generous support from the Pennsylvania Partners for the Arts in the form of a Program Stream grant administered by the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation. Additional support was received from the Cultural Programming Fund and the Dance Program at Cedar Crest College.

Dawn Blanco is the director of the Studio Dance Academy and a dance teacher at William Allen High School.  She began her dance training at age 7 and is trained in ballet, modern, contemporary, jazz, musical theater and hip hop dance. Dawn attended Temple University and Kutztown University.  She has studied dance at Broadway Dance Center, Alvin Ailey Studio, Steps on Broadway and Dance New Amsterdam in New York City. She holds K–12 teaching certification in the state of Pennsylvania and a Dance Masters of America Certification in Ballet, Jazz and Modern Instruction. Miss Dawn has two decades of teaching experience and has taught at studios, colleges and universities throughout Pennsylvania. She has choreographed for nationally competitive dance ensembles, soloists and high school dance teams. A four time Freddy Awards nominee for outstanding choreography for Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, Aida and Sister Act, she has won several awards in recognition of her creative choreography.

Courtney (Andrews) Kay is a graduate of the DeSales University Dance Department. She was a member of Annex Dance (Charleston, SC), DM Dance (NYC), and a guest artist for Repertory Dance Theatre (Allentown, PA). Her choreography has been seen onstage with RDT, DeSales University, Koresh, LVDE and a variety of local dance performances. Courtney is currently on staff at Dance Works in Quakertown.

Becky Joy (she/her) is a Bethlehem based dance artist. She is currently a senior double major in dance and early childhood education at DeSales University. She has the pleasure of being a teaching artist at Acrodynamics in Telford, PA and guest choreographer at West Jersey Youth Ballet. Her most notable performances include excerpts from Paul Taylor’s "Cloven Kingdom", and new works titled "Douceur" by Matthew Neenan, and "How We Hear Sound" by Antonio Brown. Her choreographic works include award-winning screendance 1/6 (DeSales University Screendance Challenge), Perceived Isolation (DeSales University Emerging Choreographers Concert 2021) and Potential (DeSales University Emerging Choreographers Concert 2022). As an artist, she promotes truthfulness, vulnerability, and expressing one’s beautifully unique self through movement. She is inspired to create by the world around her, God’s mysteriously beautiful creations, and the complexities of the human experience.

Taylor Hahn is from PA, where she is a member, choreographer, and co-director of Catalyst Dance Company, based in Lancaster, PA. In 2017, she received her Bachelor of Art in Dance and Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Slippery Rock University. While at Slippery Rock University, Taylor was a Co-director for the Rock Dance Company, a student assistant for Slippery Rock Dance Theater, and President for the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. Taylor has danced in repertories and pieces for Nora Ambrosio, Teena Custer, Matt Pardo, Ursula Payne, Heike Salzer, Attack Theatre, and many other renowned artists. In 2017, Taylor received the award "Outstanding Dance Teacher" from her faculty at Slippery Rock University. Currently, Taylor is an Instructor and Choreographer for a studio, competition team, and performing company in central PA. Taylor enjoys presenting her work at showcases and has received numerous awards for her creativity. Taylor started working as a psychotherapist after she received her Masters in Social Work in 2021. She has created many pieces focused on mental health and promotes the importance of teaching dancers how to advocate for their own mental health.

Grace Wyckoff is a Senior TV/Film and Media Studies dual major at DeSales University. Her film, One Sixth, won Best Director and Best Performance (Becky Joy) at the DeSales University 48-Hour Screendance Challenge and Best Director at DUFF 2022. The first film she directed, Lilies for Caleb, led to a nomination for Best Actress (Sammi Stec) at SEPA Filmmaker Showcase. She serves on the DUFF committee as the Social Media Department Head and is the Social Media Intern for the Division of Performing Arts. She also is currently completing a Video Intern position at the International Fund for Animal Welfare. She produces and hosts a podcast, Career Chat, through the Career Development Center and is collaborating with the Division of Performing Arts to curate career development content for student artists. After graduation, she aspires to work on producing teams for feature films while continuing to direct screendance films in her free time.

Magdalene Larrabee, a Bethlehem based dancer, is a current senior dance major and business minor attending DeSales University. During her time at DeSales, she has performed in numerous works, including an original work choreographed by Matthew Neenan (Docceur 2022), a historical reconstruction by Paul Taylor (Cloven Kingdom, understudy, 2022), and a work by the iconic Donald Byrd (DeSales Occurance 2023). Magdalene is an instructor at Acrodynamics in Telford, PA, and a choreographer for the DeSales dance team. Some of her works include award-winning screendance Illuminated Perspective (DeSales University 72 Hour Film Festival 2022) and Where You Find Them (DeSales Emerging Choreographers Concert 2021). Magdalene believes that art expands one's ability to think critically about the seemingly insignificant, but impactful, aspects of human existence.

Rosalie is excited to have her work performed for the SpringUp Dance Fetival. Her previous education includes earning a diploma in dance from the Alabama School of Fine Arts and B.F.A. degree from Point Park University in Dance. She has presented and published research about dance, trained and performed in pieces set by world renowned teachers and choreographers, taught dance to the next generation, and published news articles regarding artistic performances.

Katie Rattell is a dance major at DeSales University. She has been very inspired by the post-modern movement and that is where her work stems from.