Ellipsis Dance Concert

Missouri State University, 2023

Photography by Jake Vollmar

Creative Team


Director: Brittney Banaei

Choreographers: Mokhtar Eldenary, Abby Ball, Josephine Hale, Sadie Nehlsen, Chelsea Deters, Kelsey Zimmerman & Camryn Denny, Halle Lawson, Haley Bradstreet Olszewski, Jade Zickefoose, Brittney Banaei

Stage Manager: Jake Vollmar

Technical Director: Aaron Mayer

Lighting Design: Airi Ueda and Zoe Rico-Beaubien

The Ellipsis dance concert, the culmination of a semester of classwork, was based on the presentation of works in progress. Following each piece, the audience was invited to shout out one word of feedback or general response about the piece for the choreographers to observe audience's snap analyses of their work, as well as a talkback following the fifth piece nightly. This concert featured one of the most challenging pieces I have ever called, a 20-minute dance piece with an 8 minute long improvised section that was also set to improvised vocals. 

Cast (click to expand)

Qaaf
Choreographed by Mokhtar Eldenary

Naliah Hernandez, Aili McFall, Tanautica Cross, Lily Deck, Scout Hutchinson, Camryn Denny


Geometric Break
Choreographed by Abby Ball

Alexis Smith, Chelsea Deters, Caroline Wolfe


It Was Just Yesterday...
Choreographed by Josephine Hale

Grace Frey, Courtney Adamson, Xander Blackmon, Lily Dodge, Elysa Wagner


And Everything That Follows

Choreographed by Aili and Elease McFall

Aili McFall, Elease McFall


Every Day

Choreographed by Sadie Nehlsen

Jona Harders, Jessica Neidigh, Chloe Swadley, Ashtin Umstattd, Grace Frey, Jaden Brown, Nahlia Hernandez (sub)


Escaping Reality

Choreographed by Chelsea Deters
Josephine Hale, Abby Ball, Alexis Smith, Courtney Adamson


Confluence

Choreographed by Kelsey Zimmerman and Camryn Denny

Kelsey Zimmerman, Camryn Denny


The Joy of (Re)Living

Choreographed by Halle Lawson

Caroline Wolfe, Taylor Hartman, Grace Frey, Elysa Wagner, Jaden Brown, Ashlyn Koford, Xander Blackmon, Kailynn Stiff, Katey Gardiner, Alana Shields (swing), Kyra Upoff (swing), Alyssa Green (swing), Kiarra Adkins (swing)


Share the Weight

Choreographed by Haley Bradstreet Olszewski 

Aili McFall, Kelsey Zimmerman, Jaden Brown, Naliah Hernandez, Ashlyn Koford (swing)


Temporal Tension

Choreographed by Jade Zickefoose 

Elease McFall, Adonis Negron, Scout Hutchinson, Cassidy Diehl, Jaden Brown, Grace Frey


Explicit Directions Whispered then Yelled (see also: an ancestral guide to survival) 

Choreographed by Brittney Banaei 

Chloe Swadley, Naliah Hernandez, Elease McFall, Elysa Wagner, Sadie Nehlsen, Josephine Hale, Sydney Lopez, Katie Jane Karlstrand (swing)


House Party

Choreographed by Brittney Banaei

Halle Lawson, Elizabeth Phillips, Jaden Brown, Jona Harders, Jessica Neidigh, Ashtin Umstattd, Apollo Garner, Taylor Hartman, Lily Deck, Piper Selah, Ryan Sohrab, Elysa Wagner, Caroline Wolfe, Jazz Sistrunk, Adonis Negron, Xander Blackmon, Nicole Mayer


Ellipsis Calling Script.pdf