2023 Celebrating our Constellation: UC Riverside + Riverside City College + AB Miller High School

UC Riverside Department Dance, Riverside City College Department of Dance and AB Miller High School Conservatory of Dance share a special connection of former, current and future students and faculty. Many graduates in Dance at UCR were first trained at AB Miller and/or RCC, and several alumni have either guest taught or are on faculty at AB Miller and/or RCC. By building an annual event -  a day of classes, performance and presentations - we are amplifying and celebrating this special constellation community, as well as our shared vision for dance education and the field, specific to the region.

Now in our second year, we are planning the “Constellation” event to coincide with the culmination of a week-long artistic residency (February 13-18, 2023) by Primera Generación Dance Collective (PGDC), a professional dance ensemble of four first-generation Mexican American UCR alums, each of whom received both their BA and either MFA or PhD from UCR’s Department of Dance, and each of whom has taught at or guest choreographed for AB Miller and/or RCC.  The members of PGDC, Alfonso Abraham Cervera, Rosa Rodriguez-Frazier, Irvin Manuel Gonzalez, and Patricia “Patty” Huerta, all currently hold faculty positions at different institutions: Cervera at University of Illinois, Rodriguez-Frazier at Riverside Community College, Gonzalez at Florida State University, and Huerta at the University of California, Riverside. PGDC focuses on the visibilization of Mexican American corporeality, joy, and loss through movement-based exploration, process, and performance. They are the recipients of a 2021 National Endowment of the Arts Grant through Show Box L.A. to support the production of “¡Chale Vale!” a piece that explores the stories of Pachucxs in Southern California.

“Constellation” will include the public performance of original choreography by AB Miller and RCC students and faculty, as well as work by PGDC, which will include the participation of UCR dance majors. 

Celebrating our Constellation is Co-Produced By:
Nicole Robinson, Director, Dance, AB Miller High School
Rosa Rodriguez-Frazier, Assistant Professor, Dance, Riverside City College
Joel Mejia Smith, Associate Professor and Faculty Undergraduate Advisor, Dance, UC Riverside

PROGRAM

Date: Saturday, February 18, 2023

9:30 a.m.
Check-In/Welcome - ARTS 100

10:00 a.m. - 11:20 a.m.
Movement Class (UCR Faculty)
Hula, Toni Pasion - ATHD 102
West African, Makeda Kumasi - Arts 100
Korean Dance, DaEun Jung - Arts 300

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Creative Workshop (Primera Generación Dance Collective)
Irvin Manuel Gonzalez & Pattricia "Patty" Huerta - PGDC Methodologies & Desmadre, ARTS 100
Alfonso Abraham Cervera & Rosa Rodriguez-Frazier - PGDC Methodologies & Desmadre, ARTS 300

1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Transition to Culver Center

2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
BYO Lunch and Open Rehearsal with PGDC and UCR is Dancing students (Open to AB Miller & RCC students only)

3:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.   
Spacing/Basic Tech for Performers
AB Miller High School (30 Minutes)
Riverside City College (30 Minutes)

5:30-7:00 p.m.
Public Performance
Culver Center of the Arts in downtown Riverside
Register to attend
followed by Q&A 7:00-7:45 p.m.
Doors open at 5:00 p.m. 

Program Order:

DOWNLOAD EVENING PROGRAM

Dance With Me
Choreographer: Rachel Hernandez, Guest Fall Resident Artist at A.B. Miller HS 

Dancers: Jocelyn Acosta, Samantha Avilez Lloyd, Marlene Calderon, Donalice Deigh, Melanie Cuevas Duarte, Yazira Espinoza, Leana Gonzalez, Savannah Goudeau, Naomi Grijalva Romero, Mia Jones, Astrid Matzar Sanchez, Jeniyah McCarty, Kaylin Montes, Angela Monzon, Raeleen Moran, Diyala Nasereddin, Hala Nasereddin, Arlette Sanchez Mungia

* This work was funded in part thanks to the support of Fontana Unified School District through Show Box LA, non-profit organization based in Los Angeles and managed by PGDC members.

Columna Rota (Broken Spine)
Choreographer: Jonathan Ramirez, RCC Dance Student Choreographer

Dancers: Anna Isela Ramos Cruz, Dulce Hernandez, Karla Sanchez, Dalia Popok Romero

Music: “Malagueña” by Lucas Imbiriba (Acoustic); “Bachianinha N.1” by Paulinho Nogieria & performed by Arash Ahmadi; “Mexico City Travel Vlog 4”; music edited by Jonathan Ramirez

“No estoy enferma. Estoy rota. Pero estoy feliz de vivir mientras pueda pintar” - Frida Kahlo

S H I N E
Choreography: Danzel Thompson-Stout, Guest Winter Resident Artist at A.B. Miller HS

Dancers: Jocelyn Acosta, Samantha Avilez Lloyd, Marlene Calderon, Donalice Deigh, Melanie Cuevas Duarte, Yazira Espinoza, Leana Gonzalez, Savannah Goudeau, Naomi Grijalva Romero, Mia Jones, Astrid Matzar Sanchez, Jeniyah McCarty, Kaylin Montes, Angela Monzon, Raeleen Moran, Diyala Nasereddin, Hala Nasereddin, Arlette Sanchez Mungia

Music: "Omo Du Du" / Black Motion

* This work was funded in part thanks to the support of Fontana Unified School District through Show Box LA, non-profit organization based in Los Angeles and managed by PGDC members.

femmeboi
Choreographer: Rosa Rodriguez-Frazier, RCC Asst. Prof. of Dance

Dancers + Collaborators: Antonio "Tony" Aguirre, Daniell Calderon, Jaime Carriedo, Kat Jones, Jonathan Ramirez Toledo, and Anthony Reyonso

Music: "Abcdefg," "Delirio de Grandeza," "CUUUUuuuuuute," "Motomami," and "Hentai" by Rosalia; edited by Rosa R Frazier

“Femininity” is a term that is historically attached to gendered social constructs trapped in descriptions like “gentle,” “emotional,” and “vulnerable,” while the term “femme” lives in a non-binary space where all forms of expression and being-nesses co-exist. Inspired by the dancers’ shared experiences of “self-identities” and driven by Spanish artist, Rosalía, and her provocative unapologetic music that is known for attracting BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, “femmeboi” is a dance where six individuals tap into their unique “femme” through a series of vignettes that wrestle with and rejoice in femininity.

10min Intermission (shift of seating arrangement)

Nepantla
Choreography by: Primera Generación Dance Collective

Q & A
Moderator
Nicole S. Robinson, Director of Dance, AB Miller

Panelists
Rosa Rodríguez-Frazier  | Miller, RCC, & UCR Alumna and Staff
Alfonso Abraham Cervera | UCR Alumna, RCC Alumna and Former Staff, Miller Arts Education Partnerships
Irvin Manuel Gonzalez | UCR Alumna, RCC + Miller Arts Education Partnerships
Patricia “Patty” Huerta | UCR Staff, RCC + Miller Arts Education Partnerships