Photo:JohannaAustin
DREXEL DANCE ENSEMBLE AND FRESHDANCE CORE VALUES
We strive to provide a safe environment where students can be imaginative, explorative, challenged, surrounded by pluralistic ideas, and guided to achieve artistic and technical goals. We value hard work, working as a team, and the communal spirit it takes to achieve a fully produced dance performance. This home – and place of artistry – will serve the students. This is a place for dancers to learn, expand, unite, and be.
A LETTER FROM THE PROGRAM AND DEPARTMENT
Welcome to this presentation by the Dance Program in the Department of Performing Arts. Dance is a way to express oneself that can only be shown through embodiment. It is also a platform for understanding other cultures and people; it is about human connection. We hope that the students involved in this performance feel themselves represented, and at the same time learn about others. We also hope the same for our audience. We want all who come to feel comfortable and enjoy the concert, finding ideas and vocabularies that are familiar to them, as well as new concepts and ways of moving.
Both the Dance Program and the Department of Performing Arts are dedicated to providing rich and meaningful artistic engagement while at Drexel. We offer students the opportunity to perform in large, organized, and professionally directed ensembles. Our goal is to give dancers the best experience we can offer while they are here and prepare them for an artistic life after graduation. We prepare and encourage our students to continue with dance whether it be a vocation or an avocation.
We want to take this opportunity to thank the dedicated and talented dance faculty in our Department. These accomplished professionals not only create opportunities to learn and develop, but also share their passion for dance, which is contagious to the students. We are so grateful to them for all they do.
We appreciate your support by being here. On behalf of the students and faculty, we sincerely thank you for attending this performance.
Jennifer Morley, Dance Program Director
Dr. Miriam Giguere, Department Head, Performing Arts
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
Welcome to the Mandell Theater, a vibrant artistic home nestled within the heart of Drexel University’s campus. We are honored to welcome you as the Drexel Dance Ensemble and FreshDance invite you into a world of imagination, rigor, and expression where energy, emotion, and movement converge to tell powerful stories.
Movements in Focus: Drexel Dance Ensemble Winter Concert invites audiences into a shared space of reflection and dialogue through embodied expression. Through diverse choreographic works, the concert highlights movement as a powerful tool for inquiry, storytelling, and community engagement.
Visions in Motion: Drexel FreshDance Winter Concert brings together dancers and audiences to witness the energy, curiosity, and creative exploration of first-year performers. The concert honors movement as a starting point for artistic expression, collaboration, and connection within the Drexel community. Dance, when done well, appears effortless, but excellence is never accidental. It is cultivated through repetition, reflection, and an unwavering commitment to craft. Musicality, emotional authenticity, and ensemble connection are skills honed over time. Week after week, our dancers and choreographers come together to rehearse, revise, and refine, shaping moments that are not only technically precise, but deeply human, and rooted in shared experience. What you are about to witness is the result of that collective dedication—a testament to practice, collaboration, and belief in the power of dance to educate, challenge, and inspire. Thank you for being part of this experience.Your presence affirms the work we do and the future we are building. We invite you to journey with us and enjoy the remarkable dancing ahead.
Onward,
Britt Whitmoyer Fishel Director, Drexel Dance Ensemble & FreshDance
GROUND THAT REMEMBERS:
moving within town-gown tensions
Choreographed by Valerie Ifill and Dancers
Dancers: Lauren Hille, Catherine Kalita , Na’Ziyah
Payton
Music: “Electric Counterpoint: II Slow” by Steve Reich, Mats Bergstrom, “Clapping Music (1972)” by Steve Reich, “White Flowers Take Their Bath" by Meredi, Mari Samuels
Conversation: Valerie Ifill, Ash Manna, Carol McCullough, Tajsha Pope
Art Design by: Yannick Lowery, in collaboration with 2025 Drexel Dance Touring Ensemble
Costumes: Becky Wetzel
Lighting: J. Dominic Chacon
Scenic/Props: Chris Totora
SHE RISES
Choreographed by Kaya Hawthorne
Dancers: Isabella Carbonetto, Margaret Malinowski, Na’Ziyah Paton
Music: “Escalate” by Tsar B, “you should see me in a crown” by Billie
Elish
Costumes: Asaki Kuruma
Lighting: J. Dominic Chacon
UNDER THE BRIM
Choreographed by Piper Filiault
Dancers: Hannah Gupta, Jordan Hahn, Anushka Nazareth
Music: “Fever” by Peggy Lee, “Black and Gold” by Brenna Whitaker
Costumes: Mae Merkle
Lighting: J. Dominic Chacon
PORTAL TO SELF
Choreographed by Sydney Donovan
Dancers: Emma Aguayo, Lauren Hille, Na’Ziyah Payton
Music: “The Truth, The Glow, The Fall” by Anna Von Hausswolff
Costumes: Kelly Myers
Lighting: J. Dominic Chacon
DANCE YRSELF CLEAN
Choreographed by Sara Koncinky
Dancers: Emma Aguayo, Hannah Gupta, Lauren Hille, Margaret Malinowski, Anushka Nazareth, Samantha Silk,
Music: “Dance Yrself Clean” by LCD Soundsystem
Costumes: Aliyah Primich
Lighting: J. Dominic Chacon
FRESHDANCE ENSEMBLE
Emma Aguaya (Chemical Engineering)
Isabella Carbonetto (Mechanical Engineering)
Hannah Gupta (Chemistry)
Jordan Hahn (Health Science)
Lauren Hille (Dance)
Catherine Kalita (Biomedical Engineering)
Margaret Malinowski (Elementary Education)
Anushka Nazareth (Computer Science)
Na’Ziyah Payton (Dance)
Samantha Silk (Biology)
ABOUT OUR ARTISTS
Britt Whitmoyer Fishel (Director) (she/her) is an award-winning choreographer, screendance maker, educator, author, and scholar. Her work examines relationships between the ephemeral nature of live performance and the permanence of dance in the digital sphere, with a research focus on the rhizomes of feminism, gender gap, access, and community. Fishel leads Britt Fishel & Artists, a collaborative, non-profit contemporary dance company, presenting both live performance and dance film in the Philadelphia community and beyond. Through research and performance, the company aims to foster a better assimilation of the human experience, to democratize and normalize socioeconomic, political, and identity driven conversations that are both diverse and inclusive through intersectionality. In addition to BF & Artists, Fishel is the director and curator of Opine Dance Film Festival, an annual, international Screendance festival in its 11th season. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance from East Carolina University and an MFA in Dance (Screendance) from the University of Michigan. Fishel has led company tours throughout New York City, Philadelphia, D.C., Richmond, Asheville, Charlotte, Atlanta, Chicago, London, Scotland, Italy, and France. Her screen work has been seen in Greensboro Dance Film Festival, Y’allywood Film Festival, Detroit Dance City Festival, EnCore Dance on Film Festival, DanceBARN, Dance for Reel, FilmFest by Rogue Dancer, Women in Dance Leadership Conference, FringeArts, MashUp Dance's IWD Festival, 20/92 Video Festival, and ACDA, in addition to several gallery exhibitions across the country. In 2021, Fishel and BF & Artists received the “Lorenzo il Magnifico” International Award for Performance from the Florence Biennale and in 2022 Fishel authored The Screendance Practitioner's Workbook: A Pre-Production Guide for Creativity and Organization. Fishel has presented research at Dance Studies Association's Annual Conferences and sits as Co-Chair of DSA's Dance and Technology Working Group. She currently resides in Philadelphia where she is a full-time faculty member in the dance department at Drexel University.
ABOUT OUR ARTISTS
Sydney Donovan (Assistant Director & Choreographer) is a Philadelphia performer, choreographer, educator, and healer. She graduated from the University of The Arts in 2019, receiving her dance BFA. After graduating, Donovan continued working with Uarts as rehearsal director for Bobbi Jene Smith and Annie Rigney. Then as guest choreographer, she premiered her work Thy Spirit like Thy Flesh (2023). As a freelancer, Donovan is a dancer with Opera Philadelphia. Recently as principal dancer being the coyote in The Listeners (2024) , choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly and self-choreographed marble sculpture in II Viaggio a Reims(2025). She performed with Paul Matteson in his work How Many Times (2020); performed in Lilach Orenstein’s She Will Come on Her Own (2021) featured in Dance Magazine and Zoe Scofield’s Princess Grace award winning work The Other Shore (2021), as well as Scofield's most recent work Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil (2025). Donovan was movement director of the creative film agency, Wear Your Feelings (2019-2022) and collaborated with Brandon Graf on a durational film The Poets Divination (2021). Since 2024, Donovan has been a collaborator in BF & Artist. She participated in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival performing in Hillary Pearson’s HAIR (2022) and Susan Marshall’s Rhythm Bath (2023). In Scotland, she performed Wally Carbonell’s Fruit of Her Lips (2024) and Britt Fishel’s False Tongues (2025) as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2022, Donovan was an Artist in Residence at MOtiVE Brooklyn where she developed and performed her solo The Many in One are Mingled (2022). In 2024, she choreographed an evening length trio titled TRINE, that premiered at The Decon Phl launching her dance company OmenThrice. Currently, OmenThrice is in artistic residence at Philly PACK where new work Jack, Jill, and the Hill will premiere spring 2026. Donovan is a professor, guest choreographer, rehearsal director, and assistant ensemble director at Drexel University. Last winter she restaged/ reworked Thy Flesh like Thy Spirit (2025) on DDE. This winter she is premiering new work Portal to Self (2026) on the university’s Fresh Dance Ensemble.
ABOUT OUR ARTISTS
Abby Toll (Producer & Stage Manager) is a graduate of Drexel University with a Bachelor of Science in Entertainment and Arts Management. Since graduating in 2018, she has worked as a freelance Stage Manager and Arts Administrator in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. She has worked for Delaware Shakespeare, Inus Nua, Azuka, and many more. When not working in the arts, Abby is a preschool teacher, working with kids ages 3-5. She loves introducing the magic of the arts to young minds.
Arabia Richardson (Assistant Director) is a Danceivist, performer, choreographer, educator, and collaborator born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. She holds an MFA in Dance (2022) and a BFA in Dance (2019, cum laude) from the University of the Arts (UArts). Throughout her undergraduate studies, Arabia was featured in solo performances in works by renowned choreographers including Tommie-Waheed Evans, Meredith Rainey, Jimena Paz, and Marguerite Hemmings.After graduation, Arabia served as the administrative assistant to Gaynell Sherrod, then interim executive director of Philadanco. Her leadership in rehearsal settings includes roles as rehearsal director for Juel D. Lane, rehearsal assistant to Kim BearsBailey, and rehearsal director to Marguerite Hemmings. She has also contributed creatively as a co-choreographer with Wayne St. David and as a creative associate for the School of Dance at UArts.In 2023, Arabia was awarded the Creative Research & Innovation grant in recognition of her commitment to the intersections of performance, pedagogy, and social engagement.Currently based in Philadelphia, Arabia is an Adjunct Professor at Temple University, a Teaching Artist at The Rock School, and the Assistant Director for the Drexel Dance Ensemble. Her work continues to explore dance as a tool for dialogue, resistance, and community building.
ABOUT OUR ARTISTS
Alisia Lipsey (Producer) is a passionate and innovative dance professional from Queens, NY, specializing in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling. She graduated from Drexel University in 2022 with a B.S. in Dance and furthered her education by earning an M.A. in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling in 2024. Currently, Alisia works as a Creative Arts Therapist for Charlie Health, a virtual intensive outpatient program, where she utilizes movement and creative expression to help clients navigate their emotional challenges. Alisia is excited to return to her alma mater as the co-producer of the Drexel Dance Ensembles, where she aims to pour back into a program that shaped her development as a student, dancer, and professional.
J. Dominic Chacon (Lighting Designer) is a Lighting Designer and Production Manager based in Philadelphia. He has been working in Philadelphia since he arrived here in 2002 from the University of Iowa. Taking a small break to get his MFA from Temple University he has been involved in many projects around the East Coast. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Drexel University and the Lighting Coordinator for the Lang Performing Arts Center at Swarthmore College.In Philly he has designed for Walnut Street Theatre, Azuka, People's Light and many more. Outside of Philly his work has been seen at Capital Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, Bowery Street Theatre and Long WharfTheatre. He is dedicated to making theatre a collaboration as well as a learning experience. In addition to his theatre work he is very passionate about his civic duties volunteering for Planned Parenthood, The Trevor Project, and the ACLU. Some of his favorite collaborations have been Peter and the Starcatcher (Walnut Street Theatre), Nes Quitez Pas (Opera Company Philadelphia as an ALD), Blood Wedding (PAC), Dido+ (Curtis Opera). To find out more check out his website domchacon.com
ABOUT OUR ARTISTS
Asaki Kuruma (Costume Designer and Costume Shop Manager) is originally from Japan, a multi-disciplinary artist who has been working professionally with many theater companies and artists in the Philadelphia area. Design credit:Percy Jackson the Lightening Thief, Songs for the New World (Drexel Theatre), Cymbeline (Delaware Shakespeare), Death of a Driver, 72 Miles to Go..., Man of God (InterAct Theatre), Backing Track (Arden Theatre),The Taming!, Pericles (Shakespeare in Clark Park), Kissing the Witches (Ursinus College), House of Desire, A Midsummer Nights Dream (Villanova Theatre), Boycott Esther (Azuka Theater), Las Mujeres (Power Street Theatre Company),Tiger Style! (Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists), Romeo & Juliet, Complete History of America, Abridged, Measure for Measure (Commonwealth Classic Theatre Co). Asaki is also the Costume Shop Manager at Drexel University.MA -Villanova University.
Chris Totora (Production Manager and Scenic and Prop Designer) Christopher Totora is the Technical Director/ Production Manager for the Mandell Theater. Outside of Drexel, Chris is a freelance Musician, Designer, Director, Performer and Technician. He holds a BA in Theatre and a MA in Arts Administration from Rowan University
Mae Merkle (Costume Designer) is a Philadelphia based costume designer and wardrobe technician, and they are so honored by the opportunity to join the Drexel Dance Ensemble for the Winter Concert, their first after graduating from Drexel University in 2025. Mae has a degree in costume design and they have had the privilege of working with many theaters and companies in the Philadelphia area, including People’s Light, Theater Horizon, Relic Theatre Company, Power Street, Arden Theater Company, and more. In addition to work in theater, Mae has a background in costuming independent film, music videos, and performance art.
ABOUT OUR ARTISTS
Kelly Myers (Costume Designer) is happy to be back for another dance concert with Drexel. Costume Design work: The Real Thing, The Wanderers, Comedy of Errors, Tartuffe, The Lifespan of a Fact, A Man for All Seasons, The last Match (Lantern Theater Co), Macbeth, The Chairs, The Wizard of Oz(Quintessence Theater Group), The Mountaintop, The Butterfingers Angel (Uptown! Knauer PAC), A little Night Music (Pittsburgh Opera Theatre), The Farnsworth Invention, Saving the World (Throughline Theatre Co), Deepchurch Hollow (Edinburgh Festival Fringe). She has also designed for Rutgers University-Camden, and Upper Darby Summerstage. Other costume work: Costume Supervisor (Lantern Theater Co), Draper (Walnut Street Theatre), Asst Costume Designer (American Players Theatre), Crafts Artisan (Opera Theatre of St. Louis). Training: MFA in Costume Design at Ohio University, BA in Theatre at Slippery Rock University
Piper Filiault (Choreographer) Piper is a 21-year-old senior Drexel dance major with a purpose to create celebration and community in order to connect people and bring them joy by dancing, performing, and lighting up any room with her smile. Born in Massachusetts, she started her training at Terpsichore Dance Center and later joined the junior company of Cantarella School of Dance. She performed in many shows of The Nutcracker with the professional company Albany Berkshire Ballet. So far at her time with Drexel, she has taken a 2 week intensive with 2 time Bessie Award winner Maria Bauman, completed a 5 week study abroad at the Trinity Laban Conservatory and has worked with many guest choreographers. She recently completed an internship in New York City with Broadway Dance Center where she appeared at many events alongside the company in her junior year. This is her second work with the Drexel Dance Ensemble, and she dedicates this work to all of her teachers that helped her grow into the confident dancer she is today.
ABOUT OUR ARTISTS
Becky Wetzel (Costume Designer) is a multi-talented visual and fiber artist based in Philadelphia, Pa. She received her BA and MFA from Temple University, as well as an AFA in painting from Montgomery County Community College. Her most recent past productions have been She Kills Monsters with Drexel University, Young Frankenstein at Media Theater, and Ragtime at Candlelight. She wishes to thank the cast and the production team for their joy, collaboration, and hard work.
Valerie Ifill (Choreographer) is a Philadelphia-based choreographer, educator, and researcher whose work explores how embodied experience supports identity development, deepens relationships with community, and reveals our connections to place. Her creative practice centers storytelling, improvisation, and an intensely physical engagement with movement, leaning into dance as both an expression of joy and an act of resistance. Her choreography has been shared in Philadelphia and nationally, including at the Painted Bride Art Center, the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), and Velocity Dance Center in Seattle, as well as in site-specific and community-engaged contexts. Valerie earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance from the University of Oregon, completed the Independent Study Program at The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a Dance minor in Dance from Kent State University.
ABOUT OUR ARTISTS
Kaya Hawthorne (Choreographer) is a sophomore dance major on the custom design track. She grew up dancing at Orlandi Dance Center where she has training in ballet, jazz, hip hop, modern, and tap. She is also currently a faculty member at Orlandi Dance Center where she teaches and choreographs for their annual show THATS ENTERTAINMENT. As of 2024, she is apart of Rylee Lockers adult training company, where she acquired professional training and performing opportunities in heels, waacking, and vogue. Kaya is eager to expand her choreographic abilities through Drexels Freshdance Ensemble this Winter.
Sara Kocinsky (Choreographer) is a junior Dance major at Drexel University, Class of 2027. She began dancing at age three and has trained at Rockwell Dance Center (RDC), where she was a member of their pre-professional Modern and HipHop companies, at American Academy of Ballet and School of Creative and Performing Arts in NYC. Her experience spans performance, choreography and leadership. She worked with Embody Dance Conference as an elect assistant. She is the Secretary of Drexel’s chapter of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. Passionate about choreography she began creating dances at an early age. Sara finds joy in creating works that tell complex stories and express emotions using embodiment during dance. She has choreographed pieces for herself and RDC’s companies. This past spring, she premiered a piece in Drexel Dance Ensemble’s Spring concert, where she explored movement as a tool for storytelling, reflection, and connection. With a foundation in both concert and commercial dance, she aims to build a career that bridges performance, choreography, and community engagement, while always staying grounded in the power of dance to communicate the unspoken.
ENSEMBLE STAFF
Ensemble Director: Britt Whitmoyer Fishel
Producer: Abby Toll & Alisia Lispey
Assistant Directors: Sydney Donovan & Arabia Richardson
THEATER STAFF
Mandell Theater Managing Director: Caroline Leipf
Mandell Theater Technical Director: Chris Totora
Audience Services Coordinator: Liv Shoup
Assistant Technical Director: Layanne Mohammed
Stage Manager: Abby Toll
Deck: Rick Conner, Kayla Donalson & Audrey Ling
Master Electrician: Amelia Hooker
Assistant Master Electrician: Connor Daniels
Sound Technician: Jason Adams
Costume Shop Manager: Asaki Kuruma
PRODUCTION STAFF
Lighting Designer: J. Dominic Chacon
Scenic/Prop Design: Chris Totora
Costume Designers: Asaki Kuruma, Mae Merkle, Kelly Myers, and Becky Wetzel
Graphic Design: Erin Ford & Sara Kocinsky
Program Design: Sara Kocinsky
DEPARTMENT OF PERFORMING ARTS
Department Head: Dr. Miriam Giguere
Department Administrator: Hannah Burke
Administration Coordinator: Ellie Ebby
Ensemble Production Assistant: Lauren Tracy
Dance Program Director: Jennifer Morley
Music Program Director: Luke Abruzzo
Theatre Program Director: Nick Anselmo
Theater Production Manager/ Black Box Technical Director: Paul Jerue
Graduate Assistant: Elisha Robinson
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Drexel Performing Arts would like to thank Senior Vice President for Student Success, Dr. Subir Sahu, for his continued support of Performing Arts at Drexel.
SUPPORT GREAT PERFORMANCE
Performing Arts, Dance, Music, and Theatre are a vital, central part of the Drexel academia and student life. Donations support performing arts ensembles and programs, as well as the operation of our performing arts venues, including the Mandell Theater and URBN Annex Black Box Theater.
https://drexel.edu/performingarts/about/make-a-gift/ Giving.drexel.edu/