Dance Distinctive
April 12, 2025 3:00 PM &
April 13, 2025 3:00 PM
Voices from the Past (2024)
Gianni Di Marco’s striking choreography bridges classical and contemporary.
Choreography: Gianni Di Marco
Music: Lakmé: Act 1 “Flower Duet” by Léo Delibes, arranged by Howard Blake
Costumes: Gianni Di Marco
Lighting Design: Liz Ramey
Juliet Brown, Naoko Brown, Caroline Cooper, Nicole Dickson, Kendra Frank, Morgan Brown Sanborn, Avery Saulnier de Reyes,Rheya Shano, Amane Takaishi, Nicole Volpe
Lucky (2025)
Choreography: Tony Williams
Music: Kat Edmonson
Costumes: Erika Lambe
Lighting Design: Liz Ramey
Meliza Naves Suarez
with Mona Califano, Ciel Desai, Ali Lopes, Sanova Napoleon, Naima Ssembitto, Isla-May Theodore, Aubriella Tran-Diaz
Life: In Color (2017)
The personality of colors on the journey of life
Politics, race, hope & human nature converge in a vibrant ballet journey of emotion, set against a background of rock & jazz of the past 60 years. First performed at the Oberon in 2017, Life: in Color is reimagined for the Strand Theatre. With dynamic choreography and the witty jazz poetry of Ken Nordine, Life in Color celebrates the vibrancy and complexity of the human experience.
Original Concept: Tony Williams
Music: Ken Nordine, Donovan, David Bowie
Costumes: Erika Lambe
Lighting Design: Liz Ramey
Green
choreographed by Tony Williams
Kendra Frank, Margaret Holland, Katie McMahon, Ronnie Thomas
Turquoise
choreographed by Gianni Di Marco
Rheya Shano
Yellow
choreographed by Tony Williams
Juliet Brown, Ronnie Thomas, Tony Tucker
Mellow Yellow
choreographed by Tony Williams
Naoko Brown, Elvis Pietrzak, Nicole Volpe, Brian Washburn
with Sam Belknap, Mona Califano, Ciel Desai, Gabriella Diaz, Ellie Kamosa, Alayna Kristan, Ali Lopes, Sanova Napoleon, Michaela Percoco Mall, Naima Ssembitto, Isla-May Theodore, Aubriella Tran-Diaz
White
choreographed by Gianni Di Marco
Morgan Sanborn
Black
choreographed by Gianni Di Marco
Ronnie Thomas
Flesh
choreographed by Gianni Di Marco
Juliet Brown, Elvis Pietrzak, Amane Takaishi, Brian Washburn
Nutria
choreographed by Tony Williams
Nicole Dickson
with Caroline Cooper, Kendra Frank, Margaret Holland, Gabrielle Honoré, Zoe Arnold O’Grady, Amane Takaishi, Nicole Volpe
Let’s Dance
choreographed by Janelle Gilchrist
Caroline Cooper, Nicole Dickson, Margaret Holland, Meliza Naves Suarez, Zoe O’Grady, Rheya Shano, Ronnie Thomas. Tony Tucker, Nicole Volpe, Brian Washburn
Pause
Ginko Leaves (2025)
Choreographer Chu Ling unites Chinese Classical Dance with ballet to create an elegant exploration of classical movement. This piece is inspired by the ginkgo leaves. The Chinese associate the ginkgo with Zen, as its antiquity and golden splendor symbolize the wisdom and strength of the ancient East. Like the elegant and composed ginkgo leaf, one should savor the present moment and embrace the impermanence of life.
Choreography: Chu Ling
Music: Wu Li
Costumes: Erika Lambe
Lighting Design: Liz Ramey
Juliet Brown, Naoko Brown, Kendra Frank, Gabrielle Honoré, Katie McMahon, Morgan Brown Sanborn, Avery Saulnier de Reyes, Amane Takaishi
a string of successive variations (2025)
A world premiere created to Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane. Inspired by the rhapsodic nature of Ravel’s composition, Chapman’s choreography captures the tension between freedom and form. The rehearsal process was a close collaboration between Chapman and the three performers, whose individual artistry helped shape the choreography.
Choreography: Lorraine Chapman
Music: Maurice Ravel
Costumes: Erika Lambe
Lighting Design: Liz Ramey
Caroline Cooper, Nicole Dickson, Margaret Holland
Airs and Dances (1985)
Choreography: Tony Williams
Music: Ottorino Respighi
Costumes: Erika Lambe
Lighting Design: Liz Ramey
Haissan Booth, Juliet Brown, Nicole Dickson, Kendra Frank, Morgan Brown Sanborn, Rheya Shano, Amane Takaishi
Intermission
Ben’s Trumpet
Based on the Caldecott Honor Award book,
“Ben’s Trumpet” by Rachel Isadora
Premiered: 2009, Wheelock Family Theater
Principal Choreography: Tony Williams
aTisket, aTasket Choreography: Janelle Gilchrist
Additional Choreography: Erika Lambe, Betsy Khalil, Ronnie Thomas
Set Design: Charles G. Baldwin
Costumes: Erika Lambe
Lighting Design: Liz Ramey
Featuring the music of
Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, Bessie Smith, Hot Lips Page, The Mills Brothers, Gene Krupa, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, Louis Jordan, The Orioles, Ella Fitzgerald, Chick Webb, Lionel Hampton, and Billie Holiday
Ben: Kendric White
Trumpeter: Ronnie Thomas
Mother: Naoko Brown
Father: Tony Tucker
Grandmother: Erika Lambe
Waiter: Elvis Pietrzak
Cigarette Girl: Juliet Brown
Maître d’: Gianni Di Marco
Chef: Jim Ansart
“Hot Mallets” Trio: Margaret Holland, Nicole Volpe, Brian Washburn
Ensemble
Haissan Booth, Caroline Cooper, Nicole Dickson, Kendra Frank, Margaret Holland, Gabrielle Honoré, Katie McMahon, Zoe Arnold O’Grady, Avery Saulnier de Reyes, Rheya Shano, Nicole Volpe, Brian Washburn
Youth Ensemble
Sylvie Alperen, Sam Belknap, Mona Califano, Soleil Desai, Gabby Diaz, Ellie Kamosa, Alayna Kristan, Ava Kristan, Ali Lopes, Tess McAuliffe, Sanova Napoleon, Caroline Nelson, Michaela Percoco Mall, Eva Sawyer, Nicole Sillice, Leiya Silveira, Naima Ssembitto, Naomi Tarantino, Isla-May Theodore, Aubriella Tran-Diaz, Kendric White, Annalena Zhu
Ben’s Trumpet Synopsis
Scene 1: 1940’s City Street
Ben sits out on the fire escape in the evening. He hears the jazz floating up from the Zig Zag Club and a loud trumpet solo suddenly catches his attention. He begins imitating the silhouette of the trumpet player, holding an imaginary trumpet. He moves his fingers on the imaginary valves and puffs his cheeks, dreaming of the day he could play a real trumpet.
Scene II: Apartment
Mother finishes up the day’s laundry, while Grandmother listens to the radio. Mother calls Ben in from the fire escape. He comes in and dances around the apartment, still playing his imaginary trumpet. Father comes home and greets Mother. They are interrupted by Father’s friends knocking on the door for poker night.
Scene III: 1940’s City Street
The street is busy as Ben’s neighbors go about their day. The Waiter and Cigarette girl dance through the street on their way to work at the Zig Zag Club. Ben’s Mother and Father stop to talk with some friends. Kids dance and play on the sidewalks.
Scene IV: The Zig Zag Club
In the early evening, the maître d,’ waiter and cigarette girl and waiter prepare the club for the evening guests. As the guests arrive, they are greeted, and shown to their tables by the maître d.’
Scene V: 1940’s City Street
The next morning, Ben sits on the street playing his trumpet again. The neighborhood kids come along and tease him. They don’t understand Ben’s imaginary trumpet, and they ridicule him for pretending. Ben realizes that he doesn’t really have a trumpet. He stops playing and looks at his empty hands. The trumpeter comes along again, on his way to the club. He asks Ben what’s the matter, and Ben tells him that he doesn’t have a trumpet. The trumpeter recognizes Ben’s dream – he had the same one when he was a boy. The trumpeter puts his arm around Ben’s shoulder and leads him toward the club. He reaches into the darkness and brings out a gleaming trumpet and places it in Ben’s hands.
The Strand Theatre is a restored vaudeville house located in Uphams Corner in Dorchester, Massachusetts. It is owned by the City of Boston and managed by the Office of Arts and Culture. Building facility management is handled by the Department of Neighborhood Development. The Strand opened on November 11, 1918, in celebration of Armistice Day – the end of World War I. It originally presented live performances and silent films. The Strand features one of the first Wurlitzer theater organs in America, now on display in our lower lobby.
Please take a moment to observe the exit signs located on either side or the rear of the auditorium. In case of an emergency please walk to the nearest exit. During fire alarms the elevators automatically switch off and all wheelchair patrons will be assisted to the nearest safe exit. If you are accompanying someone who will need assistance in an emergency, please make this aware to an usher or security personnel. If you observe an emergency please notify a staff member immediately.
Please keep all aisles, stairs and walkways clear during the show. Please turn off all cell phones during the performance. As with all public buildings, there is no smoking or vaping devices allowed. There are no cameras or videotaping allowed, unless authorized. This includes cell phones. We thank you for your cooperation.
Please enjoy the show!
