November 9 and 10 | 7:30 p.m.
Wolf Kuhn Theatre
Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts
Director’s Note
Tradition is a loaded word. Some view it as something to rebel against, some feel it is something to hold on to, some hold both beliefs based on the context for the tradition being considered. Nevertheless, tradition is important to our understanding of who we are and who we want to be. When reviewing the dances for this concert that were created by a variety of choreographers, tradition, in all these iterations, is what came to mind.
Tradition in the sense of the established methods and styles of dance, seen tonight in the ballet tradition of "Coppelia" Excerpt from Act I, staged by Jaye Mackinson, or the theatrical jazz style of Good in Red, also choreographed by Mackinson, or taking the influences of the traditional tap greats from the late 19th and early 20th centuries in my exploration of rhythm in A Rousting Stomp.
But when talking about tradition, we cannot forget cultural ones. On the stage tonight you will see a sample of the Scottish tradition of the sword dance, with a bit of contemporizing, while holding true to the training necessary for the execution of such a powerful, expressive, and often intimidating dance dating from the 15th century.
In addition, the cultural tradition and storytelling of our guest choreographer Juhanna Rogers’ dance Stringin’ 2 Beats Togetha’ is the driving message for this dance inspired by Women of the African Diaspora. The dancers begin in the Village, move through the Middle Passage, and Rebellion, into discovering Freedom. This experience, while working with Rogers, opened the dancers’ eyes to a perspective of tradition that helped shape their culture today and how they see themselves and others, whether they share the same tradition or not. This is a powerful use of tradition. Tradition used in this sense helps change our ideas from the inside, through understanding and empathy, as all art forms hope to accomplish.
I hope you enjoy our concert this evening and the talented dancers who bring their own sense of expanding dance tradition to the stage to share with you.
— KT Huckabee, artistic director of Ivyside Dance Ensemble
Program Order
"Coppelia" Excerpt from Act I
- Choreography: Petipa after Saint-Leon, coached and adapted by Jessica Jaye
- Music: Leo Delibes (1870)
- Dancers: Kemi Ebigbola, Hailey Long, Skyler Madtes, Emma Peterman, Charlotte Popson, Abigail Quinn, Shelby Sinkowski
A Rousting Stomp
- Choreography: KT Huckabee
- Music: Dave Grusin
- Costumes: Kyle Artone
- Dancers: Sarah Christopher, Adamari Cortez, Nia Hubbard, Skyler Madtes, Abigail Quinn, Morgan Ratcliffe, Isabella Tibado
Scottish Broadsword
- Choreography adaptation: Ruth Packard, Sian Packard
- Dancers: Haylei Libran, Ruth Packard, David Packard, Olivia Ruble
Stringin’ 2 Beats Togetha’
- Choreography: Juhanna Rogers
- Music: produced by Luther Monsanto (Syracuse,NY). Songs included: KaKaramba - Black Motion, Ten Thousand Voices - Rhiannon Giddens, Rebellion - Joe Arroyo, Freedom - Black Motion
- Dancers: Katherine Cava, Adamari Cortez, Kemi Ebigbola, Skyler Madtes, Emma Peterman, Charlotte Popson, Casarra Stanley, Isabella Tibado
- Scene 1. Village/Home
- Scene 2. Forced upon Seas
- Scene 3. Life fight
- Scene 4. Free Me
- African Diasporic Woman across lands and times, some with names and some without, unite and find connections. Despite languages and cultures, traditions and beliefs, they find solace in the commonality of their struggles to survive and to simply be. This movement and musical journey honors these women - past, present, and future. Traces of their existence are stained into the fabric of our societies; their legacies are found in what we eat, how we dance, and our essence of living.
—Juhanna Roger, PhD.
Good in Red
- Choreography: Jaye Mackinson
- Music: The Midnight
- Dancers: Katherine Cava, Sarah Christofer, Kylie Hammond, Nia Hubbard, Hailey Long, Angelina Lucchetti, Skyler Madtes, Emma Peterman, Abigail Quinn, Morgan Ratcliffe, Shelby Sinkowski, Casarra Stanley
Ivyside Dance Ensemble
Katherine Cava is from the Bay Area in California. She is a first-year student studying criminology and aspires to work in the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Cava graduated from Moreau Catholic High School in 2023. She has written and published a book.
Sarah Christofer is a second-year student from Tyrone, Pennsylvania. She is currently pursuing a degree in communications. Before attending Penn State Altoona, she danced at Andrea’s School of Dance, and she was a member of the MainStreet Dance Company. She hopes to continue dancing for the Ivyside Dance Ensemble throughout her time at Penn State Altoona.
Adamari Cortez is a third-year student studying criminal justice. She is from southern California and is looking forward to a future of crime scene investigation.
Kemi Ebigbola is from Glenolden Pennsylvania, Southeast Delco. She is in her final year in integrative arts with a focus on dance studies. She plans to continue with her passion of liturgical dance. Ebigbola's future goal is to participate in dance productions as a choreographer. Most importantly she wants to work as an art therapist.
Kylie Hammond is a first-year student pursuing a degree in visual arts studies. Hammond is from Tokyo and wants to sing and dance.
Nia Hubbard is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is her third year at Penn State Altoona where she is studying to become a nurse. Tap is her favorite genre of dance. Hubbard enjoys being part of Ivyside Dance Ensemble and expanding her ideas of movement and “dance.” She loves to perform and plans to continue into her adult years.
Hailey Long is from the Bay Area in California. She is a second-year student pursuing a degree in public relations/advertising and a minor in English. She plans to become a social media manager. This is her third semester in the Ivyside Dance Ensemble. She teaches dance at her local studio whenever she is home for breaks and also works for her former high school’s varsity dance team by cleaning and correcting the choreography.
Haylei Libran graduated from Sweet Briar College in 2020 with a B.F.A. in dance and theatre. She recently moved to Pennsylvania from southern California. Libran is no stranger to the stage. From a young age, Libran studied jazz, hip hop, and modern technique. Libran also participates in Scottish Highland dance competitions under the guidance of fellow dancer Ruth Packard. Libran is a member of Allied Motion Dance Company.
Angelina Lucchetti is from Butler County, Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh. She is a first-year student pursuing a degree in biology and minoring in dance studies. Her future plans with dance include auditioning for the Lionettes dance team at University Park in her junior year.
Skyler Madtes is from the small town of Old Forge in upstate New York in the Adirondacks. She is a third-year student studying criminal justice with a minor in sociology and security risk analysis. She hopes to continue dancing at Penn State Altoona until she graduates.
Emma Peterman is a first-year student at Penn State Altoona. She is pursuing a degree in nursing and a dance studies minor. She was born and raised in Altoona and intends to become a pediatric oncology nurse practitioner.
David Packard graduated from Lighthouse Academy of Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 2018. He started Scottish Highland dance at age 6 and competed for several years. Recently, he has taken up Highland dance again and is excited to be back on stage. Packard studies Highland dance with his mother, Sian Packard, and his sister, Ruth Packard, who is a member of Allied Motion. He also hikes and raises aquarium fish, poultry, and rabbits.
Ruth Packard graduated from Sweet Briar College in 2017 with a B.F.A. in dance and writing. She lives in State College, Pennsylvania, where she teaches jazz, lyrical, and hip hop at the Central Pennsylvania Dance Workshop. She is a competitive Scottish Highland dancer and a member of the British Association of Teachers of Dance, which allows her to teach other competitive Highland dancers. Packard is a member of Allied Motion Dance Company.
Charlotte (Charlie) Popson is a first-year student at Penn State Altoona. They are from Rockville, Maryland, and plan to spend their next four years at Altoona studying human development and family studies. New to contemporary dance, they are looking forward to learning more with Ivyside Dance Ensemble.
Abbie Quinn is a second-year student from Altoona, Pennsylvania. She is pursuing a degree in business and double minoring in dance studies and entrepreneurship. She hopes to own and teach at her own dance studio after college.
Morgan Ratcliffe is a first-year student from Perkasie, Pennsylvania. She is currently pursuing a degree in forensic science and minoring in dance studies. Her future goals are to become a performer, choreographer, or a forensic scientist.
Olivia Ruble is a member of Allied Motion. Ruble has studied tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, and lyrical. Most recently, she took classes at Central Pennsylvania Dance Workshop in State College and delved into Scottish Highland dance.
Shelby Sinkowski is from Boyertown, Pennsylvania. She is a third-year student pursuing a degree in community environmental development. She plans to keep dance in her life by teaching at a studio after college while working for an environmental protection company.
Cassara Stanley is from Altoona, Pennsylvania. She is a third-year student studying early childhood education and minoring in dance. She plans to continue dancing and to keep growing her performance ability. Stanley currently coaches hip hop at Rail City Allstars. She wishes to continue coaching dance and to incorporate dance in her travels in the future.
Isabella Tibado is from Fredericksburg, Virginia. This is her fifth semester in college. She is a nursing student and intends to complete the dance studies minor. She has been a part of the Ivyside Dance Ensemble for three years and hopes to continue with the group.
Choreographer Bios
KT Huckabee (director, choreographer) received her B.F.A. in dance from East Carolina University and her M.F.A. in dance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She received her certification in Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis from the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in New York, which she utilizes for all her teaching, choreography, and body work in consultation situations with individuals and groups. Huckabee came to Penn State Altoona in 1998 to start the dance program and assist in the development of the integrative arts major. She is currently a teaching professor of dance and is spearheading the new vision of performing arts at the college which includes an increase in community involvement, collaboration on and off campus, and exciting new opportunities and productions. Huckabee utilizes her love of collaboration to find new inspirations for creativity, movement, and program development.
Jessica “Jaye” Mackinson (choreographer) received her training at the Milwaukee Ballet School. She attended summer intensives at the School of American Ballet, Boston Ballet School, the Vail International Dance Festival, and Chautauqua Dance. Mackinson has performed professionally with Milwaukee Ballet, BalletMet, Charlotte Ballet, Rockford Dance Company, Madison Ballet, and Elements Contemporary Ballet. Mackinson has worked as a dance educator, director, and choreographer for over 20 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Rockford University where she also served as a professor of dance. Mackinson is currently on faculty at Nittany Ballet, PBR Dance, and Penn State Altoona and serves as executive director of Fermata Ballet Collective.
Juhanna Rogers, Ph.D. (guest choreographer) is a motivational speaker, commentator, artist, and education activist residing in Central New York. As a native of Newark, New Jersey, Rogers has a commitment to social justice, education, and the arts. She earned a bachelor’s degree in integrative arts from Penn State Altoona where she wrote, directed, and produced artistic performances that celebrated Black history and culture earning her Central Pennsylvania NAACP Woman of the Year at age 20. Upon graduation, Rogers earned a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from Indiana University where she returned in 2010 to pursue a doctorate in higher education. Her research focuses on critical race theory, racism in education, and the international experiences of Black students and scholars. Over the last 10 years, Rogers has traveled the world exploring ways through which underrepresented populations, specifically people of African descent, can improve their lives and communities. In 2016, she and seven other colleagues made institutional history at Indiana University by being the largest group of Black women to graduate simultaneously in the School of Education. The group of women gained national attention and were deemed The Great8. The Great8 were selected as honorees for the 2016 Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 list. Rogers leads and organizes workshop experiences and retreats on college campuses. She encourages women of color to live out loud and unapologetically.
Production Team Bios
Kyle Artone (costume designer) is a New York-based designer for theatre and film. Select credits include The Dastardly Thornes vs. The Town of Goldhaven (The Brick), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Yale Repertory Theatre), the father, the son, and the holy spirit (Yale Summer Cabaret), Gidion’s Knot (Ripple Effects Artists, Theatre Row), Four Meddling Kids and One Dumb Dog (Yale Cabaret), The Winter’s Tale (Iseman Theater, Yale School of Drama), Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical (Virginia Repertory Theatre), Venus in Fur, The Nightman Commeth (Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theatre), Little Shop of Horrors (Raymond Hodges Theater), The Seagull (Short Film, NY) and Luther (Life Without Limbs Production). He holds an M.F.A. in design from the Yale School of Drama and a B.F.A. in costume design and technology from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the fall 2023 artist in residence for design at Penn State Altoona and an adjunct instructor.
Maxwell Doherty (technical director) has worked on Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and The Wonderful World of Animation. In addition to his recent experience at Disney World he is also a recent graduate of the Penn State School of Theatre where he worked on the productions Brigadoon, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Seawall, Angels in America, To Kill a Mockingbird, Legally Blonde, and others.
Logan Sava (stage manager) is a third-year student. Sava’s background is primarily in technical theatre, having been involved with numerous productions as both stage manager and assistant stage manager.
Benjamin Weaver (assistant technical director) graduated from Centenary University with a degree in technical theatre. Past credits include set design for 1984, Avenue Q, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Sweat at NEXTStage Rep, scenic artist for A Christmas Carol at Centenary Stage Co., and assistant scenic design for The Evolution of Mann at the American Theatre Group. His Instagram is @yellowbensets.
Production Team
- Director: KT Huckabee
- Technical Director: Maxwell Doherty
- Choreographers:
- KT Huckabee
- Jessica “Jaye” Mackinson
- Juhanna Rogers
- Ruth Packard
- Sian Packard
- Stage Manager: Logan Sava
- Technical Theatre Assistant: Benjamin Weaver
- Costumer: Kyle Artone
Upcoming Performances
- November 14–15, 2023
7:30 p.m.
Circle Mirror Transformation
by Annie Baker - December 9, 2023
2:30 p.m.
University Jazz Ensemble - November 30-December 1, 2023
7:30 p.m.
Ivyside Pride Night and Dreams
Acknowledgements
- Dr. Ron Darbeau, chancellor and dean
- Peter M. Hopsicker, vice chancellor, Academic Affairs
- Corey Gracie-Griffin, associate dean for research, Academic Affairs
- Dr. Leigh Ann Haefner, interim division head, Arts and Humanities
- Dr. Brian Black, consultant, Arts and Humanities
- Jonathan O’Harrow, director, Strategic Communications
- Marissa Carney, media and public relations coordinator, Strategic Communications
- Melissa Wilt, graphic designer, Strategic Communications
- Brenda Berry, faculty and program assistant, Misciagna Family Center
- Kylea Myers, theatre and gallery coordinator, Misciagna Family Center
- Christian Howard, theatre and gallery assistant, Misciagna Family Center
- Maxwell Doherty, techincal director, Misciagna Family Center
- Benjamin Weaver, technical theatre assistant, Misciagna Family Center
- Kathy Bumberger, janitorial worker, Facilities and Operations
Performances are free thanks to the Kjel Meling Arts for All Initiative.
Penn State encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the box office at the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts by calling 814-949-5452 in advance of your participation or visit.
This publication is available in alternative media on request.
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