DANCE
The Salem State University Music and Dance department presents
Salem Dance Ensemble
May 2, 7:30 pm
May 3, 2 pm
Sophia Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts
This performance is presented in conjunction with Salem State University’s Center for Creative and Performing Arts.
WELCOME
As the great Mexican American choreographer José Limón once said, “we are never more truly and profoundly human than when we dance.”
Dance serves not only as a medium for entertainment, but also as a space for openness, dialogue, and emotional truth. In gathering together to participate in and witness live dance performance, we all become a bit more human. Together, we experience the power of creativity as a force for reflection and connection, for grounding and growth. Our world needs us to experience these things.
This weekend, we gather to witness a culmination of the rich artistic exploration that has taken place in the Salem State University dance program throughout the semester. From immersive workshops in House and Jazz Dance to a semester-long choreographic residency with Mainebased choreographer Hannah Ranco, students have had the opportunity to learn from a breadth of traditions, philosophies, and stylistic approaches. These experiences have not only expanded their technical and creative vocabularies but have also shaped the choreographic voices you’ll see expressed on stage.
Dance has been a part of the Salem State University campus for decades, solidifying with the formation of the Center for the Creative and Performing Arts (CCPA) in 1983. Since this time, the dance program has developed into a specialized area of academic study with a dance major, minor, and dance education certificate that is both regionally and nationally recognized for excellence. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the dance major and the music and dance department.
We thank you for joining us and welcome you to share your thoughts and experiences with us afterwards! If you enjoy the concert, consider a monetary donation to the CCPA dance program. Your support has a direct and meaningful impact: it provides our students with invaluable opportunities, from training with renowned guest artists to professional-level performance experiences. More information can be found at participate.salemstate.edu/giveCCPA .
We hope you will join us here again Wednesday, May 6 at 7 pm for the CCPA’s annual Creativity Awards. This special event will recognize the achievements of senior dance majors Eliza Crook and Jack Newton, along with students in the disciplines of art + design, creative writing, music, and theatre. In honoring their achievements, we celebrate the next generation of artists and acknowledge the value of the arts in education, and in our lives.
Thank you for experiencing and supporting the arts!
Betsy Miller, Dance Liaison to the Center for Creative and Performing Arts
PROGRAM
mutilation/metamorphoses; part one.
Choreography: Francis Amster
Performance: Francis Amster, Alivia Gendron, Isabelle Keller, Maya Luna, Julie Maguire, Molly Porter-Crean, Lili Rajtaj
Music: “Riders on the Storm,” The Doors
green grass clippings
Choreography: Aiden Jones
Performance: Michaiah Fernandes, VedaRuth Harvey Ahami, Karen Velasco-Duffy
Music: “Kotochrome,” Paul Simon
Divine Feminine
Choreography: Evan Bernstein
Performance: Evan Bernstein, Lili Rataj, Kayleigh Sheehan
Music: “mary magdalene,” FKA twigs
1/28/26, 3:26pm, 32 minutes
Choreography and Performance: Bella Rocha
Music: “Wall St Underwater,” Elijah Fox, “Après un Rêve B Minor Piano
Accompaniment,” composed by Gabriel Fauré and arranged and performed by Christina Pepper; edited by Bella Rocha
Maybe You’re Already Gone
Choreography and Performance: Alivia Gendron and Francis Amster
Music: “Homage to a Soul,” Sebastian Plano, edited by Francis Amster
the mountain we miss in CA
Choreography: Michelle Deane
Performance: Evan Bernstein, Shea Coe, Gwendolyn Hyde, Sarah Hyppolite, Hailee Jewell, Isabelle Keller, Kallyn Lavallee, Hailey Nuzzo, Quinn Plunkett, Liv Read, Nicholas Soares, Gianna Taormina, Karen Velasco Duffy
Music: “Seasons,” “Sun In My Face,” Aso
Dedicated to my mother-in-law, Carolyn Deane — a small but mighty mountain.
INTERMISSION
O Children
Choreography: Hannah Ranco
Performance: Francis Amster, Maddie Cefalo, Alivia Gendron, Heaven
Hastings, Aiden Jones, Isabelle Keller, Maya Luna, Sela Morris, Jack Newton, Hailey Nuzzo, Molly Porter-Crean, Bella Rocha, Caroline Sciaretta, Nevaeh Scott, Kayleigh Sheehan, Karen Velasco Duffy,
Music: “Red Right Hand,” “O Children,” Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
she’s blue
Choreography and Performance: Alanna Niemczura
Music: “Think About Your Troubles,” Harry Nilsson
True Blue
Choreography: Maya Luna
Performance: Alivia Gendron, Bella Rocha, Maya Luna
Music: “Futile Devices,” Sufjan Stevens; “Night Ambiance in Rural Countryside,” ChildofNature94; edited by Francis Amster and Maya Luna
For the women in my life whose love is tried and true blue.
Cut / Copy / Repeat
Choreography and Performance: Jack Newton
Music: “f.d.,” Dummy Run; “Reality of Matter,” The Tape-beatles; edited by Jack Newton
This work adapts the logic of plunderphonics, a music practice built from sampling and recombining existing material, into choreography. Drawing on fragments by Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, and Lester Horton, the piece considers how movement circulates through bodies and how recognition is shaped through repetition.
Riders Block Party
Choreography Credits: Joanne (Jojo) Caidor
Dancers: Mackenzie Trainor, Hailey Nuzzo, Gianna Taormina, Caroline Sciarratta, Heaven Hastings, Maddie Cefalo, Lili Rataj, VedaRuth
HarveyAhmai, Bella Rocha, Molly Porter-Crean, Michaiah Fernandes, Julie Maguire, Nevaeh Scott, Alanna Niemczura, Alivia Gendron, Maya Luna, Frankie Amster, Sessina Mele, Nataly Daly, Jaiana Ohannesian, Sunny Liu, Aurora Billante, Lilliana Bruun, Sydney Collazo
Music: “Raise Up,” Petey Pablo; “You Broke My Heart,” Drake; “Vibez,” the DaBaby; “Get It in on the Floor,” DMX; “Get Up,” Ciara; edited by Joanne (Jojo) Caidor
STUDENT CHOREOGRAPHER BIOGRAPHIES
Francis Amster is currently a student at Salem State University pursuing degrees in dance and art. His most recent work, 10cm 4cm 12cm: CRUSHED LUNG, was performed in Salem Dance Ensemble’s 2025 spring concert. Francis has also created work for community theatre, including productions of Chicago, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and elementary aged children’s shows. Additionally, he has received the SSU Presidential Arts Scholarship and the Meghan Noel Scholarship for Dance.
Evan Bernstein is a senior from Winthrop, MA. She has a major in media and communications and a minor in dance. She is also a songwriter, and enjoys telling vulnerable stories through her art. Her works have been featured in Salem State’s 2024 fall dance concert and Fall 2026 Dances In The Raw.
Alivia Gendron is from Baldwinville MA. She is currently a sophomore pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing and dance with a concentration in modern/ contemporary, along with a minor in biology. Alivia trained for 16 years at The Dance Center in Winchendon, MA. She has had the opportunity to be a part of a pre-professional dance company, Company 39 for the past three years. Alivia performs and presents work at SSU with Repertory Dance Theatre (Spring 2025) and Salem Dance Ensemble’s Dances In The Raw (Fall 2025) and 2025 fall concert. She is also a member of Hip Hop Dance Ensemble, has participated in guest residencies, and performed at the 2026 American College Dance Associations formal concert. She is also a recipient of the Presidential Arts Scholarship and works as a Dance Program Associate.
Aiden Jones is a recent Salem State grad with a Bachelors’ degree in elementary education and dance. They will graduate again with their master’s degree in education this May. Aiden is a proud recipient of the Salem State Summer Artistic Development Grant which brought them to Bates Dance Festival, as well as Bebe Miller and Angie Hauser’s ‘Solo/Duo Dancing Workshop’ at Bearnstow in the summer of 2024. Aiden creates work in a ‘pleasant daydream’, working with ideas of remembering and caring, loving and sharing. Aiden’s work has been presented with the Salem Dance Ensemble previously, in both fall and spring concerts (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) and Dances In The Raw (2023, 2026).
Maya Luna is a sophomore at Salem State University and is a double major in business administration and dance. Since coming to Salem State University in 2024, she has been a part of both Salem Dance Ensemble and Repertory Dance Theater, and she has recently joined Hip Hop Dance Ensemble. Her work has been performed in Dances In The Raw, multiple Salem Dance Ensemble concerts, and Repertory Dance Theater showcases. Maya is a Dance Program Associate for the Music and Dance Department. This year, she attended the American College Dance Association New England conference and presented her self-choreographed solo, Al menos tengo la Luna como compañia.
Jack Newton is from Lowell, MA. He is a senior undergraduate student pursuing a BA degree with majors in modern/contemporary dance, classical voice, and theatre performance, and a minor in religious studies. He performs regularly with both the Salem Dance Ensemble and Repertory Dance Theatre and works for the department as a Dance Program Associate. This year, he had the opportunity to attend the American College Dance Association New England Conference. Jack is a recipient of the Presidential Arts Scholarship (2024–2026), Summer Artistic Development Grant (2025), and the Creativity Award in Dance (2026).
Alanna Niemczura is from Palmer, MA. Currently a senior art major with a minor in dance, her choreography, Reverentia, was performed in Salem Dance Ensemble’s 2025 spring concert. She also attended and performed at the American College Dance Association New England Conference in Providence, RI. This year, Alanna has received the Excellence in Art / Art History award and will be continuing her education with graduate studies in historic preservation at the University of Vermont next fall.
Bella Rocha originally from Dracut MA, is a junior undergraduate student pursuing a major in criminal justice and a minor in dance. Her work has been shown in SSU’s Repertory Dance Theatre as well as the Salem Dance Ensemble 2025 fall concert. She has had the opportunity to attend and perform at the American College Dance Association New England Conference (2025, 2026) and is a recipient of the Presidential Arts Scholarship.
FACULTY AND GUEST ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
Joanne Caidor (faculty) focuses on making you feel good while doing good. Her education and training come from Dean College and the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she studied Dance and Business Management. Throughout life, Joanne has been a part of cabarets, musicals, step teams, and more. Her credits involve performance in Jean Appolon Expressions (a Haitian contemporary), and Street Hype (a hip hop company). She is the director of Afmohip: a hip hop, African, and modern company. She is also the lead in Haitian folklore dance troupe Arc-en-ciel. Joanne has been featured in movies and has performed in major venues such as the Embassy in Washington, DC, Annual Independence Gala in Boston, José Mateo Ballet Theatre Annual Dance for World Community Festival, Haitian Movie Awards, Boston City Hall, The Boston Contemporary Dance Festival at the Paramount Center, World of Dance, French Festival, Prelude Dance, Performing Arts Festival, Boston University Theater, Annual Haitian Fund Conference, and Hairspray the musical.
Matthew Brian Cost (guest artist- lighting design) is a Boston-based lighting designer whose work has appeared in hundreds of productions throughout Boston, New Hampshire, and Maine, and more far-flung corners. Matt has designed with The Boston Conservatory, Boston University, Portland Stage Company, BoSoma Dance Company, Gold Dust Orphans, The Center for the Arts in Natick, Moonbox Productions, and many others. Recently you could have seen his work in What the Constitution Means to Me at Greater Boston Stage Company. Matt graduated from Colby College in 2001, and lives in East Weymouth, MA with his wife Abby, son Simon, daughter Sadie, and pitbull Roadie. More information can be found on matthewbriancostdesigns.com.
Michelle Deane (faculty) began her dance training in Southern California and earned her BFA in Dance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She later continued her education at Cambridge College, receiving her M.Ed. Since 2002, Michelle has been training, teaching, and performing throughout New England. She has danced as a company member with Adrienne T. Hawkins’ Day Job Dancers and taught for Adrienne at Impulse Dance Studio in Boston. Michelle has also performed with numerous companies, including BeanTown Lockers, Six One Seven Dance Collective, Rainbow Tribe Dance Company, Triiiple Threat Entertainment, and Synergy Dance Company. She was also co-founder and choreographer for Amara Dance Company. Michelle performed and choreographed for Built on Stilts on Martha’s Vineyard and the Salem Arts Festival. Recently, she has joined Afmohip as a company member under the direction of Joanne Caidor. Now in her eighth year teaching in the Music and Dance Department at Salem State University, Michelle is passionate about working with the dedicated and talented students and faculty who make this community so vibrant.
Hannah Ranco (guest artist) is a New England-based dancer, choreographer, and educator. After graduating from Dean College in 2021 with a BFA in Dance Studies, Hannah danced as a professional NBA dancer with the Boston Celtics. Hannah has danced in several music videos and live performances with artists such as DJ Kool, Montell Jordan, and Spose, and has also worked in the concert dance world with choreographers such as Ilya Vidrin, Jessi Stegall, and Kelsie Steil. Hannah performed in Jessi Stegall’s Theremin Vignettes at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and has attended two residencies at the Harvard Dance Center with choreographer Ilya Vidrin. Hannah has also choreographed for numerous college and high school dance programs, including Thornton Academy, Casco Bay High School PATHS program, Dean College, and Endicott College. Hannah was on faculty at Endicott College where she taught Commercial Dance and Introduction to Dance. She is currently the dance teacher at Maine Arts Academy in Augusta, ME.
