We regret the passing, on April 11, 2024, of the distinguished Romanian author and critic Dan Cristea, who served as the editor in chief of the Luceafărul de Dimineață cultural monthly. In addition to being an alum of the 1985 Fall Residency, Cristea received his PhD in Comparative Literature at the University of Iowa.
In this politically and socially tumultuous time, the words “resistance” and “revolution” can elicit strong emotional responses. For this reason, the International Writing Program (IWP) writers were given Merriam Webster’s definitions of resistance and revolution as a prompt to begin writing. Over the last several weeks, the dance makers and writers have collaborated on the performance that we bring to you this evening, Thursday April 21, 2022.
Please stay with us after the performance for a brief Q/A session with the performers and writers.
PROGRAM
1. Insubmission
Choreographers/Performers: Sean Thomas Boyt and Lauren Linder
Writer/Collaborator: Luíza Fazio (IWP, Brazil)
Music: "Se Essa Rua Fosse Minha" by XAXIM, reple, and Íria; "Quando Eu Nasci" by Lumanzin (feat. Luca Maestri)
2. The Centenary Saint
Choreographer, performer, and music mixing: Jaruam Xavier
Writer/Collaborator: TJ Benson (IWP, Nigeria)
Composer: Franz Gordon; Hampus Naeselius
*exit to outside*
3. Mind your steps
Choreographers: Stephanie Miracle with Katherine Shamdin and Lauren Macke
Writer/Collaborator: Yasser Abdel Hafez (IWP, Egypt)
Performers: Katherine Shamdin and Lauren Macke
Music/Sound: Katherine Shamdin
Note from Stephanie: My gratitude to Yasser for every conversation in this process.
*intermission/return to theater space*
4. TIC TOC
Choreographer: Eloy Barragán
Writer/Collaborator: Pamela Rahn Sanchéz (IWP, Venezuela)
Performer: Emily Trapnell
Music/Sound/Composer: Adam EricksonSound engineer: Ramin Roshandel
Voice: Sabrina Duke
TIC TOC is an exploration of time, space, memory, and the perception of our own history, own identity, and how others view us. Special thanks to Pamela Rahn Sanchéz, Emily Trapnell, and Adam Erickson, for their warm openness to create this work in such a short time, and this amazing and beautiful art.
5. We're Still Whispering
Choreographer and Performer: Emmalee Hallinan
Writer/Collaborator: Jidanun Lueangiansamut (IWP, Thailand)
Music/Sound: Poetry Recording of Ghosts by Jidanun Lueangiansamut, Horizon by Garth Stevenson
6. The Meek
Choreographer and Performer: Todd Rhoades
Writer/Collaborator/Narrator: Angel Igov (IWP, Bulgaria)
Music/Composer: "Penumbra" by Gregory Rowland Evans
Costume: Juliana Waechter
7. Silence
Writer: Tariro Ndoro (IWP, Zimbabwe)
Video: Ellen Oliver
Performers: Tariro Ndoro and Ellen Oliver
Music: Ramin Roshandal
Program note: Video includes excerpts of Pexels stock footage titled “Horses Running on a Field” by Mikhail Nilov, “Horses on Pasture” by Scarlet Syu, and “Close-up View of Walking Horses” by Siyahbeyazbiradam.
Production Team:
Stage Manager: Marian Tejada
Backstage Crew: Michael Landez and Juliet Remmers
PARTICIPANTS
International Writing Program Spring 2022 Residents
Yasser ABDEL HAFEZ ياسر عبد الحفيظ (novelist, journalist, editor; Egypt) is the author of three novels: [On the Occasion of Life] was longlisted for the 2008 Arabic Booker; The Book of Safety, the winner of the Banipal Translation Prize (English translation Robin Moger) appeared in 2017; the third, [Platitude], is forthcoming. With a long career in journalism, Abdel Hafez is the managing editor of the literary magazine Akhbar al-Adab. He lives in Cairo. His participation was made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
TJ (Tarfa) BENSON (fiction writer, non-fiction writer, editor, visual artist; Nigeria) has had writing appear in Transition Magazine, Saraba, Jalada Africa, Catapult, Bakwa Magazine and elsewhere. His story collection We Won’t Fade into Darkness (2018) was shortlisted for the Saraba Manuscript Prize; his first novel, The Madhouse, appeared in 2021. A grant from the U. S Embassy in Abuja made possible his participation.
Luíza FAZIO (screenwriting; fiction; Brazil) is the author of the screenplay for Sintonia (Netflix), the most-watched Brazilian TV series of 2019. Other recent work was on Samantha! (Netflix) and Sentence (Amazon Prime) and on a feature-length adaptation of the LGBTQIA-themed children’s book A Princesa e a costureira [The Princess and the Seamstress], which won a script development grant from the Brazilian Ministry of Culture. Her 2010 story collection O Laboratório do escritor [The Writer’s Lab] received funding from the São Paulo State Department of Culture. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Angel IGOV Ангел Игов (novelist, translator, scholar; Bulgaria). teaches English literature and Translation at Sofia University. He is the author of three novels, among them Фини прахови частици [Particulate Matter] (2017), shortlisted for the Novel of the Year Award, Кротките [The Meek] (2015), whose German translation shared the 2020 HKW International Literary Prize, Кратка повест за срама (2011), appearing in the US as A Short Tale of Shame (2013), and two collections of short stories. Igov translates contemporary British and American prose and poetry. His participation was made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Jidanun LUEANGPIANSAMUT จิดานันท์ เหลืองเพียรสมุท (fiction writer; Thailand) has published more than 20 novels, largely in the sci-fi and romance genres. The youngest-ever winner, in 2017, of the Southeast Asian Writers Award, she specializes in dystopian and LGBT themes, and YA literature. Her novel เฟื่องนคร [City of Stars] has been translated into English and Chinese, and will be the basis of a TV series. Her participation was made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Tariro NDORO (poet, fiction, nonfiction; Zimbabwe) is the author of the poetry collection Agringada: Like a Gringa, Like a Foreigner (2019), which won the inaugural NAMA Award for Outstanding Poetry Book from Zimbabwe's National Arts Council. A finalist in several other poetry competitions, she has had her work anthologized and translated. Ndoro, who has a BSc in Microbiology and an M.A. in Creative Writing, lives in Harare. Her participation in the 2022 Spring Residency is made possible by the U.S. State Department.
Pamela RAHN SÁNCHEZ (poet, visual artist; Venezuela), a graduate of the National Film School in Caracas, has published four poetry collections: La luz entre las cosas [The light between things] (2020), Breves poemas para entender la ausencia [Brief poems to understand absence], the winner of the 2019 Gloria Fuertes International Young Poetry Award, Flores muertas en jarrones sin agua [Flowers in vases without water] (2017) and El peligro de encender la luz [The danger of turning on the light](2016). Her poetry, sometimes accompanied by her collages, also appears in anthologies and in print and on-line journals. She participates courtesy of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.
UI Department of Dance
Eloy Barragan teaches ballet technique, choreography, partnering, and screen-dance and is from Mexicó City. He received a choreographers’ fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Boise Arts Council, as well as a Lifetime Career Fellowship by the Idaho Commission of the Arts. This year he received an Artist Project Grant from Iowa Arts Council. His choreography has been presented at the Bolshoi Theatre, Finnish National Opera House, Conservatoire de Paris – Cité de la Musique, Alvin Ailey Studios Citigroup Theater, DiCapo Opera Theater NYC, Teatro Nacional de Panamá, Ballet Real de Costa Rica, and more. He is also the Director/Founder of the International ScreenDance Festival, and Co-Director of the Iowa Dance Festival.
Sean Thomas Boyt is a dance person in the MFA program at the University of Iowa. Prior to this stint in academia, they worked in Philadelphia with artists including The Naked Stark, Nora Gibson Contemporary Ballet, stb x at, Anne-Marie Mulgrew & Dancers Company, and Vervet Dance. Their choreographic ventures have been presented by festivals and mixed bills nationwide. Learn more on STBDancing.com
Emmalee Hallinan is a dance artist and educator from Altoona, Pennsylvania. She holds a BFA in dance/business administration from Slippery Rock university and is a second year MFA candidate in choreography at the University of Iowa. She is an Iowa Arts Fellow, a Summer Arts Grant recipient, and has had the privilege of working with a variety of influential artists over the years.
Lauren Linder is a dancer and educator who recently relocated to Iowa City from Seattle. During her time in the PNW she danced with The Three Yells, Alice Gosti, Petra Zanki, and The Pat Graney Company. Currently, Lauren is a teacher at The Country School and Nolte Academy. Lauren holds a BFA in Dance and a BA in Spanish from The University of Iowa.
Stephanie Miracle, visiting Assistant Professor, is a choreographer and performer exploring the overlap of ordinary, physical realities and imagined, spiritual or supernatural landscapes within public spaces. She is a director of FAKERS CLUB and often works in collaboration with other artists locally and abroad. Find out more at stephaniemiracledances.com
Ellen Oliver is an MFA Candidate in Dance at the University of Iowa. Her research explores interdisciplinary performance and the choreographies of rock climbing.
Todd Rhoades, University of Iowa M.F.A. Dance Candidate, has a long history of performance and choreography. He currently focuses on abstract narratives and storytelling through gestural and physical embodiment. More at www.toddrhoades.net
Jaruam Xavier is an MFA Candidate at the University of Iowa. An experienced dancer, He worked and performed in Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Shanghai, Uruguay, the United States, and Brazil, among other countries. As a choreographer, he has been working on fusion martial arts techniques and contemporary dance. Influenced by the Brazilian culture, Capoeira and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu traits are visible in his works.
Additional contributors
Ramin Roshandel is currently a PhD candidate in Music Composition at the University of Iowa where he is working with David Gompper. His pieces have been performed by Anna Elder, Will Fried, Daniel Schreiner, JACK Quartet, Ensemble Dal Niente, Kamratōn Ensemble, and LIGAMENT duo as well as in New Music On the Point and SICPP festivals.
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