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Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at Maryland Hallelujah/USA "Uneasy Dances" "Ordinary Angels" Jack & Ina Kay Theatre Conceived and Directed by Peter DiMuro, Associate Artistic Director Music Director, Robert Een Liz Lerman Dance Exchange Company Also Performing: Ted Johnson, Michelle Pearson, Pene McCourty, Michael Means (Guest Artists), Peg Schaefer, Sharon Chaiklin, Maxine Richardson (Senior Understudy Apprentices), Laurel Dugan, Debby Karp, Nicole Williams (2001-02 Apprentices), Christal Brown, Dorothy Levy, Mary Miller Stair (2002-03 Apprentices) Hallelujah/USA Company Performing and Community Organizations Participating in the "Hallelujah/USA"
Company Liz Lerman would like to acknowledge that the dances on this program are possible because of the artistic contributions of former and current company members. Both movement and text are developed through a collaborative process that draws upon personal experience, research and experimentation. PROGRAM UNEASY DANCES In Praise of Constancy in the Midst of Change (2001) —pause— Uneasy Dances Body Map* (1998) Anatomies and Epidemics (2002) —intermission— In Praise of Borrowed Blessings (premiere) ORDINARY ANGELS In Praise of Fertile Fields (2000) In Praise of Animals and Their People (1999) —intermission— In Praise of Paradise Lost and Found (2001) About Hallelujah/USA Liz Lerman Dance Exchange's "Hallelujah" is an unprecedented enterprise in art, dance performance, and community collaboration. On January 1, 2000, after three years of planning and preliminary activity, "Hallelujah" launched a national series of public performances that ultimately encompassed 15 cities from Maine to California. Starting with the question "What are you in praise of?" each project engaged community participants and a range of artistic collaborators in making and performing an original dance/theater work at every site. While each city's Hallelujah was a distinctive reflection of the host community, the partnering sites ultimately shared and circulated many themes, stories, choreographic ideas and entire dances. Each of the "Hallelujahs" was built through a series of residencies, visits in which Dance Exchange teams conducted dialogues, developmental workshops and rehearsals. Over 1,000 people took direct part in creating and performing these projects nationwide. Now, with "Hallelujah/USA," a representative group of those participants comes "on the road" to join the Dance Exchange at its home community in a final synthesis and staging of a few of Hallelujah's brightest hours. On sale in the lobby at these performances is a companion booklet, Hallelujah: The Extraordinary Essence in Ordinary Life, which illustrates in words and pictures the story of Hallelujah, its individual residency projects, and a few of the many ideas that it explored. A Note from Liz Lerman We are thrilled to welcome you to these performances of "Hallelujah/USA." What you are witnessing is the outcome of over three years of collaboration in communities around the country. It is also the result of two weeks of intensive rehearsal with a diverse group of performers who have joined the Dance Exchange from nearly every site where we have created a Hallelujah. It has been a wonderful and provocative reunion with a remarkable group of talented performers and inspiring souls. Each of the two programs captures a range of the dances that "Hallelujah's" themes inspired us to create; each features a work that highlights the Dance Exchange's core company along with dances that resulted from the project's very place-based collaborations. "Uneasy Dances" opens with "In Praise of Constancy in the Midst of Change," our Vermont "Hallelujah." We are delighted to be joined by the "card girls" of St. Albans, Vermont, who inspired the theme of this "Hallelujah" and who are graciously making their forty-year card game a part of our performance. "Uneasy Dances," the specific work that gives its name to the full program, is a pair of more intimate pieces that were bookends to our "Hallelujah" period. The second of these was triggered when we began to explore the thin line between laughter and lamentation at a series of workshops we conducted at the Grantmakers in the Arts Conference in the aftermath of September 11. "In Praise of Borrowed Blessings" is a kind of travelogue that gathers ideas, moments, and participants from sites including Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Tucson, North Carolina and Houston, shaped into a new synthesis with additional material that we have developed during the past two weeks. I'm especially thrilled to have participants from the National Teen Institute performing part of a new work they made last week, under the direction of Elizabeth Johnson and Michelle Pearson. The "Ordinary Angels" program starts with "In Praise of Fertile Fields," our commission from Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. In connecting the ideas of cultivating plants and cultivating dance, we drew material from interviews with gardeners in the Berkshire region. We found special inspiration in materials discovered in the Pillow archives, particularly the diary of Esther Miller, cook at the Festival during the summer of 1942, films of Ted Shawn and his Men Dancers, and Ted Shawn's choreographic notes on his "Jacob's Ladder: A Negro Spiritual." "In Praise of Animals and Their People" was one of our first "Hallelujahs," premiered here at home in the Washington area. It has been tremendous fun to perform it at various sites around the country especially when we could be joined, as we are this weekend, by the All-American Fly Dogs. "In Praise of Paradise Lost and Found" resulted from a collaboration drawing artists from the cities of Ann Arbor and Detroit. It tells several stories, including the history of Paradise Valley, a thriving African-American commercial entertainment district in Detroit destroyed by freeway construction in the 1960s. I've written in our "Hallelujah" booklet about my inspiring collaboration with composer Rudy Hawkins on this project. There is only room here to say how thrilled I am to be reunited with him, six of his wonderful singers, and many of the beautiful dancers who were part of our Michigan cast, including Pudgy Barksdale — an original Paradise Valley showgirl. For each of the over 100 people you see on stage at these performances there are 10 or 20 others deserving of thanks: thoughtful and talented collaborators, generous participants, funders of faith, and presenters of vision. "Hallelujah" would not have been possible without the staff and board of the Dance Exchange, and this "Hallelujah/USA" culmination could never have happened without the tenacious support of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. This beautiful facility has been a final source of inspiration, as it housed us in comfort and demanded we push ourselves to match the quality of our surroundings. "Hallelujah/USA" is a hallmark for an unparalleled group of artists — the core company of the Dance Exchange. Each member of this ensemble combines skills as a performer, choreographer, teacher, project leader, and facilitator, and there are not enough words to convey the generosity, talent and heart that they brought to Hallelujah, or the sheer volume of ideas and inspiration that they contributed to its form and content. Though the company carries my name and I am credited as the choreographer, "Hallelujah" has been very much their achievement. —Liz Lerman About the Artists Liz Lerman Dance Exchange was founded in 1976. Its unique brand of dance/theatre breaks boundaries between stage and audience, theatre and community, movement and language, tradition and the unexplored. Through explosive dancing, personal stories, humor, and a company of performers whose ages span six decades, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange stretches the expressive range of contemporary dance. Its work consists of formal concerts, interactive performances, specialized community residencies, and professional training in the art of community-based dance. An artist-driven organization, Liz Luminance Exchange employs a collaborative approach to dance making, administration, and implementation. The Dance Exchange is one of the largest employers in downtown Takoma Park, Maryland, a suburb on the border of Washington, DC. At this location in January 1998, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange opened a school for dancers, children, senior adults and anyone else who is interested in exploring the connections between art making and community life. Liz Lerman Dance Exchange recently embarked on its national "Hallelujah" project with "First Light" in Eastport, Maine, which greeted the dawn of the millennium from the dock of the easternmost city in the United States. The "Hallelujah" project continued on to Tucson, Arizona, where the company performed with over 200community dancers and singers in "In Praise of Ordinary Prophets." In August, 2000 the Dance Exchange was in residence at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival for "In Praise of Fertile Fields." In 2001and 2002 the project moved into high gear with "Hallelujahs" in California, Vermont, Texas, Maine, Minnesota, Michigan and four in North Carolina. The Dance Exchange would like to hear from you. If you would like to find out more about us please contact us at: 7117 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912, www.danceexchange.org, or mail@danceexchange.org. Liz Lerman Dance Exchange Liz Lerman (Founder and Artistic Director) has choreographed works seen throughout the United States and abroad. Combining dance with realistic imagery, her works are defined by the spoken word, drawing from literature, personal experience, philosophy, and political and social commentary. Over the past 25 years she has received recognition for her work with Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and as a solo artist. She has received an American Choreographer Award, the American Jewish Congress "Golda" award, the first annual Pola Nirenska Award, the Mayor's Art Award and Washingtonian Magazine's Washingtonian of the Year. Ms. Lerman's work has been commissioned by Lincoln Center, American Dance Festival, Dancing in the Street, Ballet Met, and The Kennedy Center. In1997, Ms. Lerman directed and collaborated with The Music Hall in creating "The Shipyard Project" in Portsmouth, NH. Her choreographic work has received support from AT&T, Meet The Composer, American Festival Project, National Endowment for the Arts, National Performance Network Creation Fund, and the National Foundation for Jewish Culture. Ms. Lerman is a frequent keynote speaker and panelist for arts and community organizations both nationally and internationally. She is an active participant in Harvard University's Saguaro Seminar, which gathers thinkers from around the United States together to promote growth of social capital and civic connectedness in America. Her book, "Teaching Dance to Senior Adults," was published in 1983. She attended Bennington College and holds a B.A. in dance from the University of Maryland and an M.A. in dance from George Washington University. Peter DiMuro (Associate Artistic Director) has performed, taught, choreographed for, and collaborated with professional artists and those new to art-making throughout the United States and abroad for 25 years — the last ten of which have been as a performing member of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. In addition to leading Dance Exchange performances and residency work, including several individual cities on the Hallelujah trail, Peter leads the company's Dance Exchange Express performances, specializing in smaller ensemble and intensive community engagements. His evening of solo works, "Light Reading/Male Monuments" and the repertoire of his Boston-based Performance Associates, have been seen around the country and in Europe. Peter has spoken on community arts practice at numerous engagements, including the National GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Educators Network) Conference, state arts councils in Oklahoma and New Hampshire and as a guest of the National School of Dance in Mexico City and Firkin Crane Institute in Cork, Ireland. Current projects include a commission through National Performance Network's Creation Fund with the Florida Dance Association and Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, investigating the inter-generational dialogue of the gay community over an eighty-year span. Originally from Round Lake, IL, he now lives in Washington, DC. Chloë Brown (Production Manager/Lighting Designer) is a Brooklyn-based lighting designer and production manager. Her work in the dance and theater community has given her the opportunity to travel the world, lighting things up wherever she goes. Some of the artists she's traveled with include David Dorfman, Susan Marshall, Merce Cunningham, Michael Moschen, Dan Froot, Lisa Race, Marty Pottenger, Doug Elkins, Bebe Miller, Eric Bogosian and Jennifer Blaine. She loves her work. Thomas Dwyer began a dance career with Liz Lerman, after retiring from the U.S. government service, in June 1988. During his time with the Dance Exchange he has become a teacher of creative movement for senior adults in community settings. His choreography, known for modern dance employing community-based seniors, has been presented at Dance Place in Washington, DC and The Church Street Theatre. Margot Greenlee, Company member, completed her MFA at The Ohio State University in 1999.While living in Ohio, she conducted dance residencies for the Ohio Arts Council, taught at Ohio Wesleyan University, and founded Total Theatre, Inc., a multidisciplinary performing lab. Additionally, she performed for choreographers such as Victoria Uris, Michael Kelly Bruce and Bridget Moore. Her work focuses on character-driven movement theatre and is often created in collaboration with other artists: composers Neil Cassidy, Todd Harvey, and Dave Sudan; writers Tara Plaques and Terry Hermes; and visual artists Angelica Pogo and Chris Mahler. At the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, in addition to her performing responsibilities, she serves as Education Coordinator for youth, teen and adult dance programs, has been Project Director for the Michigan and National "Hallelujah" projects, and conducts Critical Response Process workshops. Elizabeth Johnson is a choreographer, dancer and the director of the Dance Exchange's Teen Exchange program. As a company member, Elizabeth has collaboratively created dances in communities from Eastport, Maine to Los Angeles — with Vietnam vets, senior citizens, religious leaders of many faiths and professional dancers. Her work with teens has been featured in Austin, Houston, Hattiesburg, MS, as well as at home in the metro-D.C. area. Her choreographic work is driven by athleticism, words and the desire to push boundaries. She graduated from Connecticut College with a B.A. in Dance and a minor in Theatre, and has studied at London Contemporary Dance School. Michael Mazzola's (Lighting Designer) work has been seen in venues ranging from circus tents to opera houses across America and Europe since 1986. He has designed lighting for ballet, opera, modern dance, theatre and corporate events. The 1992 Bessie Award winning designer's recent works include lighting for James Canfield's Jungle, Go Ask Alice, and Carmina Burana; File O: Mou Sen's apocalyptic Chinese post-modern theater work; Ammirati Puris Lintas recent Task Force Event in New York City; Earth Studies/3 Colonial Encounters, a contemporary opera; Excavations at the Montepellier Dance Festival and PA_RT at the Volks Theater, Vienna, for Steve Paxton and Lisa Nelson; and Going to the Wall for the Bebe Miller Company. Celeste Miller (Resident Artist), choreographer and solo performer/performance artist joined Dance Exchange in 1999. Miller directs the Professional Apprenticeship Program at Dance Exchange, oversees local activities, and directs Community Dance Exchange. She is actively involved in "Spirit & Substance," examining faith, religious heritage and art making, and "Epiphanies," a community engagement project. Most recently, she was choreographer for a Dance USA/National College Choreographer Initiative residency with Columbia College in South Carolina. Her work has been seen at many venues in New York City and across the U.S. She has been commissioned by American Festival Project, Emory University and New Orleans Ballet Association, and has received recognition and funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Rockefeller Foundation, among others. Miller has been the director of "Leading Communities to Dance" at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and has been the lead artist in their arts-in-education program since 1994. Miller is the proud mother of eight-year-old Alexandra McColl, future president of the United States. Naoko Nagata (Costume Designer) is an avid collector and restorer of 19th and 20th century clothing and lace. She has had a long interest in the movement of clothing, the body and the relationship between the two. Ms. Nagata has costumed 48 pieces of choreography in two years, including Doug Elkins Dance Company, David Dorfman Dance, Zvi Gotheiner and Dancers, Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig and Dancers, Cheryln Lavagnino, and Janis Brenner among others. Her background is biochemistry. What changed her life is a long story. Nowadays her laboratory is a rehearsal studio. Currently, she is working with David Dorfman Dance for BAM. Kazu Nakamura is originally from Japan where he appeared in Japanese musicals. He moved to New York in 1991 to study modern dance at Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance and Alvin Alley American Dance Center. Since then he has worked with H.T. Chen, Nicholas Rodriguez and Dance Compass, Despina Stamos, Christine Sang, Jennifer Chin, Kristin Jackson, and Tomoko Imanaka among others. He is also currently dancing with Yasuko Yokoshi and Yen Mei. Jane Schloss Phelan (Costume Designer) first collaborated with Liz Lerman Dance Exchange in 1995 when she created costumes for Faith and Science on the Midway(Shehechianu Phase I). Ms. Phelan's 15 years of costume design include projects for Very Special Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, and many theatres including Woolly Mammoth Theater Company, Theatre of the First Amendment, and the Kennedy Center Youth and Family Programs. She received the Helen Hayes Award for outstanding costume design for1990 Roundhouse Theatre's production of Heathen Valley. Ms. Phelan, has a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art, received a 1992 Individual Artist's grant from the Arlington, VA Commission on the Arts, and currently has a studio at the Arlington Arts Center. Marvin Webb, originally from Kansas City, has Degrees from Creighton University and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and a Certificate from the Martha Graham School. He has toured and danced the works of Martha Graham, Up With People, Illinois Dance Theater, Pascal Rioult, Martita Goshen, Ralph Lemon, Ronald K. Brown, Doug Varone, Shapiro & Smith, BeBe Miller, Peter DiMuro, Celeste Miller, and Liz Lerman where he co-facilitates projects at home and on the road. His works have been seen and produced at The University of Illinois at Urbana, Dancespace, NYU's Second Avenue Dance Company, NYC Downtown Arts Festivals, Joyce SoHo, Dixon Place, Joy of Motion, Dance Place, and touring with Dance Exchange Express. He studies Yoga, Skinner Releasing and various other body therapies. Martha Wittman is a native of Philadelphia, PA. Martha has been a teacher, dancer and choreographer for over 40 years. As a young performer, she danced with Juilliard DanceTheatre under the direction of Doris Humphrey and in the Ruth Currier, Joseph Gifford and Anna Sokolow dance companies. From 1968 to 1996, Martha was an associate choreographer with the Dances We Dance Company directed by Betty Jones and Fritz Ludin where her choreography was toured throughout the United States and parts of Europe. Awards in choreography include three NEA fellowships and the Doris Humphrey Fellowship from the American Dance Festival. Martha has shown works at Dance Place and Joy of Motion in Washington, DC. In April 2002, she was commissioned to make a new work for students of Eastern New Mexico University in Portales under Dance/USA's National College Choreographers Initiative. For many years, she was a faculty member at Bennington College in Vermont. She is a practitioner of T'ai Chi Ch'uan and a certified teacher of Skinner Releasing. Guest Artists and Musicians Sharon Chaiklin first studied dance with Bessie Schonberg while at Sarah Lawrence College. She later performed in community theatre and became a dance therapist, training with Marian Chace at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, DC. After over 35 years of using movement with people of all ages in psychiatric hospitals, private practice and teaching here and internationally, she went back to dance as an art form at the Dance Exchange. After taking movement classes for older adults, she became an intern at the Dance Exchange and now is a senior understudy with the company. Laurel Dugan, an apprentice with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, grew up in Essex Junction, Vermont. There she studied ballet, modern, and contributed to the founding of Vermont Fairytale Theater. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College, where she deepened her study of dance and choreography with Sarah Rudner. Laurel practices the Skinner Releasing Technique and Tai Chi. Robert Een (Composer, Music Director) is an acclaimed composer, singer, and cellist. He has written extensively for film, dance and theater, including the score for the feature film "Mr. Jealousy," and music for choreographer Yoshiko Chuma's award-winning "Unfinished Symphony." The recipient of a 2000 "Bessie Award" for sustained achievement, Een has performed his music on stages and in unusual venues throughout the world, including the Buddhist caves of Ellora, India, a Shinto shrine in Tsurugi, Japan, a theater in Norway above the Arctic circle, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. Een has recorded6 albums, including "Your Life is Not Your Own"(solo),"Big Joe" (featuring his band), and" The Rook." Robert Een's music for dance can be heard in the repertories of Liz Lerman, David Dorfman, Sara Pearson/Patrik Widrig, Jennifer Muller, Irene Hultman, Yoshiko Chuma, and Ron K. Brown, among others. He has been a guest lecturer and an artist-in-residence at colleges, universities and professional schools around the globe. The Dance Exchange commissioned Een to write the music for "In Praise of Fertile Fields," the "Hallelujah" for Jacob's Pillow in Lee, Massachusetts. It premiered at the Pillow in August 2000. The music is available on a CD called "Fertile Fields." It was recorded at Long View Farm in N. Brookfield, Mass., and may be ordered from Buzzbox Records. Hearn Gadbois (Percussion) recently returned from six months in the Czech Republic, where in addition to performing and teaching, he recorded a new solo album, "Joinery." He has performed and recorded with an array of artists including: Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, Suzanne Vega, Annabouboula, Katell Keineg and Saqqara Dogs, to name a few. He also is a skilled woodworker and carves most of the hand drums he plays. Dr. Rudolph V. Hawkins (Composer) has an impressive array of musical direction, performance and composition. Dr. Hawkins was Music Director of Artistic Inspirations, starring Cab Calloway, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and was choral director for the Martin Luther King Celebration, featuring Bette Midler at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Dr. Hawkins has toured extensively with various ensembles, and directed the only gospel version of "Jesus Christ Superstar." He was appointed as music director and chief songwriter/arranger for "Mamma I Want to Sing," the longest running off-Broadway black musical. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Hawkins received theMayor's "Spirit of Detroit" in 1996, along with a Letter of Recognition from then President Bill Clinton for his dedication to the community. Rudy Hawkins Singers, founded in 1998 by the University Musical Society/University of Michigan and the Arts League of Michigan, serves as an active, community-based choirwith an active performing schedule in the Ann Arbor/Detroit area and, more recently,nationwide. The group has performed and collaborated with a number of prominentartists, including Donald Byrd, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and now Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. Ted Johnson, an Iowa native, has been a member of Bebe Miller Company since 1995. He has had the pleasure of working with a wide array of choreographers and companies including Ralph Lemon Company, David Alan Harris, the Yard, Amy Sue Rosen, Li Chiao-Ping, Eun Me Ahn, Barbara Grubel and, now, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. An avid singer, with a background in musical theater, Ted finds physical nurture from the work of Barbara Mahler and Susan Klein (Klein Technique), as well as in the practice of contact/improvisation. Deborah Karp, a native of San Diego, graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with an undergraduate dance degree in 2001. While in Ann Arbor, Deborah performed in both University and local dance concerts and was a member of the Prison and Creative Arts Project under the direction of Buzz Alexander. Since joining the Apprentice Program at Liz Lerman Dance Exchange in September 2001, Deborah has performed at several Washington, DC theaters and has enjoyed teaching, choreographing, and performing with people ages 2 to 71 years old. Pene McCourty strives to create as well as perform work that addresses intimate and personal journeys of the human soul. Her avid interest in the therapeutic aspects of dance/movement as a way of healing physically, emotionally and spiritually led to her certification as a yoga teacher/therapist in 1996. Pene has taught ongoing yoga workshops at Sivananda Vedanta Yoga Center, Healing Works, Maria Lawton Senior Center and several other venues throughout NYC. For the past 4 years, she has taught theater/movement/dance and performed as a member of Marlies Yearby's Movin' Spirits Dance Theater, which does work in varied community settings throughout the country. As a choreographer, she has worked collaboratively with writer Suhier Hammad, jazz percussionist Leon Parker and his ensemble, and vocal stylist Elizabeth Condomble. Michelle Pearson began dancing with Raleigh, NC's intergenerational Rainbow Dance Company in 1979 and received her B.F.A. in dance from East Carolina University. She was a company member of the Doris Humphrey Repertory Company and the AmericanDance Ensemble in NYC. She joined Liz Lerman Dance Exchange from 1993-97, and is now Artistic Associate with the company. Under the auspices of the Dance Exchange, Michelle was project leader for the North Carolina statewide Hallelujah initiative. She is leading the Massachusetts' Cultural Council's Elder Arts Initiative artist training program. Her work has been presented at Dance Place in Washington, DC, the American Dance Festival, and at Arts Together, Inc. Michelle is a member of Raleigh's collaborative group, Even Exchange Dance Theater. This year, Michelle can be found teaching and choreographing for Arts Together, The Rainbow Company, Saint Mary's School, Meredith College, and the American Dance Festival. Michelle lives with her husband, Steve, and daughter, Madigan, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ted Reichman performs rock, jazz, new music, and traditional East European music on accordion and other instruments. After studying music at the New England Conservatory and Wesleyan University, Reichman began his career at the age of 19 with composer/saxophonist Anthony Braxton. Reichman recorded several albums with Braxton and performed widely with him in contexts ranging from duo to fully produced opera. Since arriving in New York City in 1994, Reichman has worked with a wide range of artists including Uri Caine, Eugene Chadbourne, Anthony Coleman, Elysian Fields, Guy Klucevsek, David Krakauer, Elliott Sharp, and Paul Simon. He has also composed many pieces ranging from solo accordion works to electric rock. Reichman is also the founder of the New Music Series at Tonic. Upcoming CD releases include John Hollenbeck's "Claudia Quintet" on CRI and Roberto Rodriguez's Tzadik debut "El Danzon de Moises." Peg Schaefer was a Montessori teacher for 27 years. In those years she also raised 3 sons, went to all of their baseball and football games but also found time to take ballet class. She joined the Dance Exchange as an apprentice in the fall of 2000. Andy Teirstein (Composer) inspired by the rich and diverse folk roots of modern culture, is a student of Leonard Bernstein and Henry Brant. He is the recipient of numerous awards for his music, theater and concert music, including three National Endowment for the Arts awards, ASCAP Awards, and Meet the Composer Awards. He is the recipient of a Continental Harmony Award from the American Composers Forum that resulted in a symphony, Landscape Changing that premiered in Washington State on March 26, 2000.He is on the faculties of New York University and Marymount Manhattan College, where he is Music Director of the Dance Department. Mr. Teirstein writes music for the concert hall, film, theatre and dance. Washington Performing Arts Society's Men and Women of the Gospel Mass Choir WPAS initiated its Gospel Concert Series 12 ago to reach new audiences through gospel music. Originally formed as separate choirs, the Men and Women of the Gospel Mass Choir joined forces after their critically acclaimed solo debuts in 1991and 1992, and debuted together in the 1992-1993 season. Their joint performances have featured guest artists such as Yolanda Adams, B.J. Crosby, William Becton, and Daryl Coley. Numerous directors have led the choir, including Evelyn Simpson Curenton, Valerie Foster, Joyce Garrett, and Arphelius Paul Gatling III. Performance highlights include the 1997Presidential Inaugural production "King," directed by Tony Award-winning director and choreographer George Faison; a 1994 choral tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Thomas A. Dorsey at the Kennedy Center; and the 1993 National Minority Aids Council's presentation of "Divas — Simply Singing." Nicole Williams is from Houston, Texas where she began dancing professionally at the age of 16.While pursuing her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Houston she performed with the University Dance Theatre and was a Guest Artist with several jazz companies in the Houston area. Most recently Nicole was a dancer with Chrysalis Dance Company, where she was able to begin doing community based work, and was a teaching artist for the Street SmART dance program in the Houston Juvenile Probation Department. Since moving to Washington DC, and becoming an apprentice at Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Acknowledgements The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and Liz Lerman Dance Exchange gratefully acknowledge the following sponsors of "Hallelujah/USA": Champion ($25,000+) The Liz Lerman Dance Exchange also acknowledges additional operational support
from: Liz Lerman Dance Exchange Board of Directors Joan Marsh, Chair, Susan O. Mann, Vice Chair, Robin Halsband, Treasurer-Elect, Marla Allard, Karen K. Christensen, Amy S. Gerson, Joy W. Gill, Robert D. Greene, Margot Greenlee, Linda Karson, Liz Lerman, Anne V. Maher, Elliot Maxwell, Nhora Barrera Murphy, Gail Percy, Elliot Rosen, Ronald R. Ross, Alex Thornton, John R. Urciolo, Joseph E. Wnuk; Emeritus: Ron Eichner, Beth Van Houten Liz Lerman Dance Exchange Staff Liz Lerman, Artistic Director, Joy W. Gill, Executive Director and CEO, Peter DiMuro, Associate Artistic Director, Celeste Miller, Resident Artist, John Borstel, Director of Humanities, Jane Hirshberg, Producing Director, Gayle Stamler, Local Activities Producer, Jenna Ballard, Office Manager, Phyllis Shapiro, Development Consultant, Maya Garza, Intern
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