Celebrating 30 years of Community Dance and Art in Boulder 

Message from Mariposa Collective Founding Members

Diane Butler (Bali), Barbara Dilley (Boulder), Carol McDowell (California), and Polly Motley (Vermont)

Held (excerpt from Where Substance Meets Air)

Choreography: Brandon Welch

Dancers: Katrin Roach and Mackenzie Schuller

Music: Dobrinka Tabakova 

Costumes: Brandon Welch in collaboration with dancers 

Parece de Verdad

Choreography: Jesús Muñoz

Dancer: Jesús Muñoz

Composers: Jesús Muñoz & Victor Mestas

Musicians: Jesús Muñoz & Victor Mestas

with translation of Mis Dudas by Juan Formell y Los Van Van

Costumes: Jesús Muñoz

fetters

Choreography: Rachel Halmrast

Dancers: Rachel Halmrast, Cassy Clark

Music: ‘bmbmbm’ by black midi

Costumes: Rachel Halmrast

2 Days Quiet

Choreography: Kim Olson

Video, Direction, and Performance: Kim Olson

Sound: a train in Golden

This Is My Gender

Choreography: Riley Bartlett

Dancer: Riley Bartlett

Music: Rhyme Dust by MK, Dom Dolla

Costumes: Riley Bartlett

Do You Want to Dance: A Fusion Demonstration

Directed by: Aleighya Dawkins and Flora Silberman

Dancers: Aleighya Dawkins, Justin T Horton, Laura C Hutchinson, T.R. Mitchell, Flora Silberman, Tayla Vinther, Laurel Wilczek

Music: River by Ibeyi, SWIM by EVAN GIIA, Water - FKJ Remix by Little Dragon and FKJ, Ocean (feat. Khalid) by Martin Garrix and Khalid, River by Leon Bridges

Costumes: The Dancers

Note: This dance is fully improvised. 

INTERMISSION

Remains

Choreography: Alli Jones with Mira Kaplan

Dancer: Mira Kaplan

Music: Roger Goula: Pale Blue Dot

Costume: Alli Jones

Creating the piece “Remains” began out of necessity rather than desire. I had planned on a satirical piece.   But then, abruptly, startlingly, people in Israel were terrorized by Hamas.  Then, Israel terrorized the people of Gaza. And so it continues.  I couldn’t proceed with creating a satire. My emotions were felt too deeply, and they brewed and bubbled in my heart.   Mira and I journeyed together in the dance studio improvising, journaling and gathering movement to express the rawness of our hearts. Our piece is full of imagery- searching through rubble for family members. There is terror, death, hunger, dehydration, rape, and loss like I could never imagine.  Life as it was is now only a dream. 

I You She They We

Choreography: Jeny Jones and the dancers

Dancers: Aleighya Dawkins, Indica Gaess, Angela Gumieniak, Flora Silberman

Music: Rosey Jones with text by the dancers, “Nature’s Joint” by ((( O )))

Costumes: Jeny Jones and the dancers

Special Thanks to Riley Bartlett for their help with the text for this piece. 

From Falling to Flying

Choreography: Shreya Venkatesh

Dancers: Shreya Venkatesh, Riley Bartlett, Elizabeth Pond

Music: Tabla Breath by Benjy Wertheimer, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence by Ryuichi Sakamoto

Costumes: Shreya Venkatesh

Excerpt from 'As x is followed by y’

Choreography: Celia Perarnaud

Dancers: Jesús Muñoz and MacKenzie Schuller

Music: 'Recomposed By Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons: Summer 2, 2012' and 'Recomposed By Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons: Winter 2, 2012’

Costumes: Celia Perarnaud and Paloma Tavernetti

A giant thank you to Kris Jobson for assuming the role of Rehearsal Director this month, during Celia's absence!

Girl's Night

Choreography: Yes Ma'am (Evelyn Miller, Nicky Shindler, Sara Swain, Zhuldyz Tokbulatova)

Dancers: Nicky Shindler, Sara Swain, Zhuldyz Tokbulatova

Music: Do It by Chloe X Halle  album: Ungodly Hour Released 2020  Conceited (There's Something About Remy) by Remy Ma *explicit album: There's Something About Remy: Based on a True Story Released 2006

Costumes: Yes Ma’am

Bow Music: JOY (Unspeakable) by Voices of Fire and Pharrell Williams

Stage Manager: Alysha Perrin

Technical Director: Sean Wells

Artist Bios

Riley Bartlett (Mariposa Core Member) is a non-binary writer and dancer living in Colorado. They received their MFA in Creative Writing from CU Boulder in 2019 and now teach English and writing classes at the University. They are published in Stoneboat Literary Journal and they love performing dances to their own writing. Their dance work has appeared in Convergence, The Avalon Ballroom, CU Boulder and Allegheny College. 

Cassy Clark, originally from Salt Lake City, is a dancer and choreographer located in the Denver area. In December 2023, Cassy earned her BFA in Dance from the University of Colorado Boulder, studying under artist such as Rennie Harris and Michelle Ellsworth. During her time at the University of Colorado Boulder, she became the Director of VeRVE Collisionz and the Public Relations for CU Dance Connections. Currently, Cassy is working at Live Love Dance in Broomfield. She is continuing her research of explore the transformative power of movement, delving into moments of disembodied stickiness and utilizing dance to recognize, honor, and heal her inner child.

Aleighya "AJ" Dawkins, from Denver, Colorado, is a dancing, singing, modeling, acting jack of many trades, They received their bachelor of Arts from University of Colorado Boulder in Dance with a minor in Music. She is working on broadening and transforming her areas of interest into areas of expertise. She would like to use her art forms and platforms to have a positive impact on communities and be a mental health and LGBTQ+ intersectional advocate.

From a young age, Indica Gaess found a deep appreciation for the nature of movement as emotional process. Her repertoire includes classical ballet, various contemporary/modern styles, improvisational work, and a smattering of streetstyle. Indi holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Naropa University, where they studied the intersection of somatic psychology and dance. Indi is a cofounder of The Wheel Collective, an artistic community rooted in contemplative process, and is continuing to explore somatic movement as a medium for happiness and healing. 

Angela Gumieniak started dancing at the Arvada Center where she studied Jazz, modern Ballet and Hip hop and danced with their performing company. She is currently a student a University of Colorado Boulder working towards her BFA in Dance as well as an undergraduate degree in English Literary Studies. Emergence is Angela's professional debut as a dance performer. 

Alli Jones (Mariposa Core Member) is the Artistic Director and Choreographer of Nosilla Dance Project (NDP).  She began dancing at a young age in New York and was fortunate to be exposed to  many different choreographers. At the age of 17, she performed professionally with Tim  Martin in Connecticut, Boston and New York including Mobius Theatre & the 92nd  Street Y. Alli graduated from Ohio University where she received a B.S.S in Therapeutic  Arts with a Concentration in Dance and Choreography. Alli traveled to Asia where she  danced at The Beijing Dance Academy. There, she studied Chinese cultural dance and Tai Chi, as well as studied with choreographers Doug Nielson and Dan Wagoner from the  United States. She studied Balinese Dance in Indonesia, and Thai Massage in Nepal.  Alli has performed for Movement Alliance (MA Dance), Carol McDowell with the Mariposa Collective, Don Atwood, amongst others over her years in Boulder. NDP took a couple of pieces on the road  and has performed in both New York and Los Angeles. Alli is also a mom and a Massage and Craniosacral Therapist. nosilladanceproject.org

Jeny Jones (Mariposa Core Member) received a BA in Dance from Washington University in St. Louis in 1997.  She performed with Cara Reeser and Kim Olson and presented her own choreography in several Mariposa Collective events from 1998-2006. Jeny co-founded The Movement Alliance in Boulder, CO in 1999. She was a co-founder of Sephiroth Dance, a multi-media performance art troupe that performed at music and art festivals throughout Colorado and on the east coast from 2003-2010. Jeny performed with Kim Robards Dance ('97 - '99), Frequent Flyer Producitons ('99-'01), and Nosilla Dance Project ('04). She was a Core Member with Circle Modern Dance in Knoxville, TN from  2015-2021.  Jeny is also a Massage Therapist and Postpartum Doula, and the mother of 2 almost grown up kids!

Rosey Jones is a third year Recorded music student at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded music in Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. She is also Jeny Jones's daughter! She started out playing live music but quickly got involved in event organization, artist management, and audio engineering/production.

Mira Kaplan is originally from Vermont, and moved to Boulder to pursue teaching the GYROTONIC® method to help others, and gain a deeper sense of the body. She graduated from The Hartt School at The University of Hartford with a BFA in Dance. Dancing ballet from a young age, she fell in love with movement and the freedom of expression. Her dance repertoire consists of ballet, contemporary, and modern techniques such as Limón, Graham, and Cunningham. 

Victor Mestas was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, and studied at the "J. A. Lamas" School of Music with Carmen Moleiro. He is an endorsement artist for YAMAHA keyboards in Venezuela (2001). His professional background includes more than 100 recording productions for national and international artists. Mestas has performed as a pianist and arranger for world renowned singers such as Soledad Bravo, Cheo Feliciano, and Julio Iglesias. He is currently a Latin Jazz Lecturer at the Thompson Jazz Studies Program, College of Music, CU Boulder, and performs locally in the Latin Jazz scene.

Jesús Muñoz (él) is a dancer, choreographer, educator, percussionist, and MFA candidate at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Born in Mexico, Muñoz functions within the contexts of Mexican Folkloric, Afro-Cuban, Cuban Folkloric, Cuban Popular, Cuban Contemporary, Ballet, Modern, and Jazz Dance and Latin Percussion. Through movement and experimental musical making, his research proposes a reclaiming of non-dominant aesthetics of native and vernacular cultures to integrate, alienate, and harness new ways of performativity: “I create music, I write and recite poetry, I sense my body, I question the foreign sense of human flesh, and augment my capacity to transcend on stage.” 

Kim Olson received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, cum laude from the Ohio State University. In New York City she performed with the internationally acclaimed Stephen Petronio Company, Randy Warshaw Dance Company, and Donna Uchizono Company. Olson founded SWEET EDGE in Boulder in 2004, acting as Artistic Director, Choreographer and Performer and has worked with many talented, generous and inspiring dancers, artists and collaborators. In addition to creating for stage, film and site/installation, Olson has been commissioned internationally to set original works, teach and organize community arts installations. Her work has received numerous awards and accolades in Colorado, as well as internationally. Olson has also conducted outreach and arts integration and development trainings for educators in Colorado and has taught and set new work in universities around the country. www.SweetEdge.org 

Celia Perarnaud (Mariposa Core Member) completed a B.F.A. in Dance at New York University’s Tisch  School of the Arts, and pursued a career as a freelance dancer,  choreographer, actress and teacher in the U.S., the United Kingdom,  Japan, Switzerland and The Netherlands. Along her dance journey, Celia has had the pleasure and honor of working with and for Ballet Black, Antonia Franceschi, Rafael Bonachela, Irek Mukhamedov, Stephen Sheriff,  Denzil Bailey, Sheron Wray, Union Dance Company, and Kim Brandstrup in the U.K.; Sanne van der Put, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Jennifer Hannah in the Netherlands; Nishida Yukio in Japan; and Wayne Cilento, Gus Solomons, Michael  Mao, and Monte/Brown Dance in the U.S.. Celia is deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to become a part of the dance community in Boulder over the past five years, and is delighted to participate in this re-emergence of the Mariposa Collective!

Elizabeth Pond is a long time contemporary and modern dancer who is currently studying journalism and creative writing at the University of Colorado Boulder. She’s excited to be moving and grooving in Emergence with the sweet Mariposa Collective community! 

Katrin Roach was born and raised in Indiana. She graduated from SUNY Purchase College with a bachelor’s of fine arts in 2020. Katrin is now dancing with Brandon Welch and teaching dance in Denver, CO.

MacKenzie Schuller is a Boulder-based dancer whose movement ideology is shaped by contact improvisation, release technique, and somatic excavation. She currently works with choreographers Brandon Welch and Celia Grannum Perarnaud, as well as following the threads of her personal artistic and expressive inquiries. She dances for the liberation of her energy and the vastness of her experience that wants to be discovered and felt. 

Nicky Shindler is a dancer and guest of multiple dance forms such as locking, Hip-Hop, House and contemporary. Her curiosities center around encouraging and co-creating spaces where women feel comfortable and empowered to take risk, connect, and express through movement. She is so thrilled to be performing and sharing space with her wonderful friends.

Flora Josephine Silberman - After dancing for a decade at Moovment House in Denver, Flora is so excited to make their professional debut in Emergence as both a performer and a choreographer! During her gap year, Flora has been emerging into adulthood, artistic experimentation, deepening relationships, and certainty of self.

Sara Swain is a dancer and historian in the Boulder area. She is passionate about Hip-hop history and dancing with her best friends at Mi Chantli, Bboy Factory, Viskosity, Love Language, and other jams. Sara is also a Zinester and creates zines that cover Hip-hop history and other social justice topics. Sara’s dream is to be a Hip-hop historian that brings women to the forefront of Hip-hop storytelling.

Zhuldyz Tokbulatova recently moved to Boulder from Kazakhstan. She began hip hop dancing, performing, and battling 10 years ago as a member of AT Stars Crew. She took a break, but she is now very happy to reconnect with the culture. Zhuldyz loves to travel. She has a 2.5 year old son who loves dancing too.

Shreya Venkatesh is an Indian classical dancer with over 20 years of experience, specializing in a South Indian art form called Bharatanatyam. She performed her professional debut in 2017 and began studying contemporary dance in 2019. She has been performing in Boulder for the past two years.

Dancer, singer, and actor of many years, Tayla Vinther aspires to create healing and inclusive community spaces where people can find their freedom of expression. They are currently working to start a community oriented choir for people to connect with their peers through harmonization.

Brandon Welch is a dancer, teaching artist and creator. He holds a BFA from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance with a semester on exchange at the Western Australian Academy of the Performing Arts. His performance career includes being a company member of Momix Dance Illusionists, Doug Varone and Dancers, Hannah Kahn Dance Company, JK-co and Gibney Dance Company. As an educator, Brandon has taught contemporary dance in Armenia, Argentina, Peru, Singapore, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey and across the United States. He has facilitated movement workshops in a variety of unique education settings including New York City and Chicago public schools, Pennsylvania prisons and jails, shelters for vulnerable populations and health recovery groups. Recent creative commissions include the Lamont Opera Theatre, Ucross Artist Residency, Mariposa Collective and Where Substance Meets Air to premiere at the Whitney Center for the Arts.

Laurel Leigh Wilczek - After a 10 year dance hiatus Laurel is making a come back to the stage with her passion dance of blues fusion. She had spent the past years cosplaying at anime conventions, and frolicking and being merry at Renaissance festivals, and hip-checking folks as Sailor Doom during roller derby bouts. Laurel grew up in Colorado nestled against the foothills

This performance was funded in part by a grant from the Boulder Arts Commission, an agency of the Boulder City Council.

Please join us for our weekly classes and special events! 

The Mariposa Collective would greatly appreciate your input on our survey to aid our future grant writing efforts. Thank You for your assistance!

The Mariposa Collective thanks our partners Mi Chantli Movement & Art Sanctuary and Streetside Studios for their support!