PDTP Repertory


Dreaming with Ruth Page: The Expanding Universe
 

Premiere Date:  10/15/2021

Choreographer: Nejla Yatkin
Rehearsal Director: Maray Gutierrez
Music: Ben LaMar Gay
‍Costume Design: Katrin Schnabl
Costume Assistance: Nick D’Allessandro

‍Lighting Design: Robyn Wilson
Dancers:  Patricia Cepeda, Paige Kingston, Sara Kuzminski, Maria Victoria Matos, Maurissa Powell  

In 1932, Ruth Page, in collaboration with artist Isamu Noguchi, created an iconic solo entitled Expanding Universe. In celebration of the 50th anniversary, Ruth Page Center commissioned Chicago-based dancemaker Nejla Yatkin to create a re-imagined Expanding Universe for the Ruth Page Professional Dance Training Program.   Instrumental in Page’s original work was the sack dress she wore, designed by Noguchi.


Les Célébrantes

Premiere Date:  3/25/2022

Choreographer: Timothy O’Donnell Rehearsal Director: Maray Gutierrez
Music: Pink Martini
Costumes: Eduardo Sosa and Ruth Page School Wardrobe
Lighting Design: Robyn Wilson  
Dancers: Madeline Kiesel, Sara Kuzminski, Maurissa Powell, Devyn Simon, Exodis Ward

Les Célébrantes celebrates five women and their strength in continuing to work on their art form during the most difficult times. 


Steady Going

Premiere Date:  10/14/2022

Choreographer: Kia Smith
Rehearsal Director: Maray Gutierrez
Music: The Black Dog, John Butler, Georg Philipp Telemann, Command All-Stars, Frédéric Chopin
Costumes: Kia Smith
Lighting Design: Sarah Lackner
Dancers: Keeley Clark, Kaelen Gouveia, Mian Hirasawa, Alicia René Kenefic, Oscar Uribe Zapata  

Steady Going resulted from a week-long residency in September 2022, where Smith worked closely with the Training Program dancers. The collaborative rehearsal process encouraged the dancers to find their own focus and intention while exploring themes of isolation, irony, and beauty.


Abscission

Premiere Date: 6/15/2023

Choreographer: Adrian Marcelo Saenz
Rehearsal Director: Maray Gutierrez
Music: Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, Rene Aubry, Johan Sebastian Bach, Gem Club
Costume and Set Concept: Adrian Marcelo Saenz
Costume Design: Adrian Marcelo Saenz
Costume Construction: Amanda Bradley and Claire Lyons
Set Construction: Anne Laue-Minden
Lighting Design: Sarah Lackner
Dancers: Keeley Clark, Kaelen Gouveia, Mian  Hirasawa, Alicia René Kenefic, Oscar Uribe  Zapata

Abscission: the act or process of cutting off the natural separation of flowers, fruit, or leaves from plants at a special separation layer

Abscission invites viewers to explore the most intimate and dark places of themselves.


La Tierra de Canela y Maíz

Premiere Date:  10/20/2023

Choreographer: Francisco Aviña
Rehearsal Director: Maray Gutierrez
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Music: Pregones Mexicanos, “Mexicana Hermosa” Natalia Lafourcade feat. Los Macorinos, “Hagamos un Trato” Mario Benedetti, “Ayer y Hoy” Julio Jaramillo, “Paloma Negra” Chavela Vargas, “Árbol Que Recuerda” Eduardo Galeano, “Un Día Cualquiera” Silvana, “Estrada El Rey” Vicente Fernández, “Alma al Aire” Eduardo Galeano, “Cuando los Pies Besan el Piso” Calle 13.
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Lighting Design:
Sarah Lackner
Costume Concept: Francisco Aviña
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Dancers:
Jennamarie Aboul-Hosn, Valeria Aguirre Cano, Alexandra Bradley, Gianna Curless, Mikala Curless, Ania Dimalta, Trystan Lopez Zumwalt  

La Tierra de Canela y Maíz (The Land of Cinnamon and Corn) is a love letter to a country that blessed Aviña with a form of refuge and life lessons. A country rich with tradition and yet is surprisingly modern. A country that was conquered by the Spanish but still holds dear its pre-Hispánic indigenous traditions and customs. Mexico has profound geological beauty, yet even more breathtaking is the warmth, generosity, spirit, and perseverance.


Apophenia

Premiere Date:  3/23/2024

Choreographer: Adrián Marcelo Sáenz
‍Rehearsal Director: Maray Gutierrez
‍Music: Felix Mendelssohn, Peter Nagy
Costume Design:
Adrián Marcelo Sáenz
Costume Construction:
Maray Gutierrez & Anne Laue-Minden  
Lighting Design:
Sarah Lackner
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Dancers:
Jennamarie Aboul-Hosn, Valeria Aguirre Cano, Alexandra Bradley, Gianna Curless, Mikala Curless, Ania Dimalta, Alexandra Webb  

Apophenia's choreography seeks to induce in the spectator a reflective and personal interpretation of the meaning and intention, which unveils their thoughts, concerns, and psychological characteristics.