PHOTOGRAPHY BY SILVIA SPROSS
- AFTER 25 YEARS VOICES CARRY IS ANNOUNCING IT’S FINAL PRODUCTION -
“Through The Eyes of My Feet”
A poetic tale of sweet crushed pomegranates, invisible cloaks and empowered wisdom, performed by an intergenerational cast of women.
October 14, 15, 16, 2022 - 8:00PM - ADMISSION FREE
at The Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club
IN GRATITUDE
Artistic Director Madeline Leavitt is delighted to share this poetic tale told in beautiful contemporary dance. Madeline and Voices Carry have been producing dance and theater productions for 25 years. Through the Eyes of My Feet is the last production and a capstone for Voices Carry; featuring a final performance by Madeline Leavitt.
As a thank you to our community of supporters, friends and family, Madeline is excited to announce Admission is Free. Everyone is welcome. Three nights only.
“Through the Eyes of My Feet is about the journey of where my feet have taken me throughout my life. This is a celebration of a woman’s grace at any age.
Dance has always been in my bones… I was born with focus, determination and commitment which gave me the opportunity to create my own future: to give myself an incredible life as a dancer, a choreographer and a director. I am so grateful.
This is my story.”
Please check out our wonderful cast and crew
Artistic Director - Madeline Leavitt
Direction & Movement, in collaboration with the Dancers - Annalee Traylor
Annalee Traylor is a freelance creator, choreographer, and director. Her choreographic storytelling is fraught with entanglements of theatre and dance that emphatically challenge and play with societal conventions. Collectively, her work has been presented nationally and abroad in Los Angeles, NYC, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Huntsville (TX), Seattle, Temecula, Brooklyn, Battle Lake, Durham, Houston, Rotterdam, NLD, and Rome, IT. Commissions include Kennesaw State University, Periapsis Music and Dance, Texture Contemporary Ballet, REED Dance, Point Park University's International Summer Dance, Dance Canvas, and Voices Carry Inc. She is a graduate of UNCSA, Point Park University, and currently an MFA candidate at California Institute of the Arts.
Annalee is honored to be a part of the Voices Carry legacy and working with visionary, Madeline Leavitt, on her final show. Thank you Madeline and the incredible cast for continually inspiring, uplifting, and supporting myself and each other. I am better because of you. www.annaleetraylor.com/@annalee_traylor
Composer - Anais Azul
Peruvian immigrant Anaís Azul (they/them) is a California-based singer-songwriter, composer, and teaching artist. Described as “stunningly honest and vulnerable,” their artistry engages with music as a tool for community building, cross-genre collaboration, and collective healing. Having composed and arranged for theater, orchestra, and dance, Azul composed the music for the award-winning Displaced: A Response to Qurban produced by the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Currently, Azul is releasing their debut solo EP “Vulnerable,” which will be out on October 7th, 2022 thanks to the support of the Yerba Buena Garden’s Festival 2022 Seed Commission. Their past releases can be found on all major streaming platforms except Amazon. Their past release, “Mi Piel,” was featured on the Spotify editorial playlist “Best Non-Binary+ Artists of 2020.” Aside from their composing and performing, they currently serve as Special Faculty at California Institute of the Arts in the School of Music. More info at anaisazul.com
DANCERS
Marie Bergenholtz - Marie Bergenholtz is a veteran of stage, screen and television covering three continents. She is a graduate of the Ballet Academy of Gothenburg and the Dance Academy of Stockholm. Marie started acting, singing and dancing professionally at the age of 14 and has enjoyed every minute of it. Some of the pinnacle points in her career were working with talented directors like Ingmar Bergman (Peer Gynt), Robert Wilson (Time Rocker), and Trevor Nunn (Cats). Marie has had the honor of working with Madeline Leavitt and "Voices Carry" previously in "The Bride and the Brothel", "Holding up the Sky" and "Eating Rocks for Hunger" and is happy to be a part of "Strings Attached." Marie also teaches to all ages. More info: www.missmaries.net and www.mariebergenholtz.com @mariebergenholtz
Carissa Songhorian - Carissa Songhorian, a BFA in Dance and Dance Composition graduate from California Institute of the Arts, began her training at Los Angeles Ballet Academy under the direction of Andrea Paris and Conny Mathot. Throughout her years as a dancer, she has performed professionally with Ate9 Dance Company, Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company (LACDC), Heidi Duckler Dance, String Theory Harp, Sarah Elgart | Arrogant Elbow, Strange & Elegant Dance, Voices Carry, Fabe Dance Company, Iris Company, and Dream Walker, as well as in works by choreographers and artists such as Danielle Agami, Christopher Bordenave, Gustavo Ramirez-Sansano, Troy Powell, Julie Bour, Ryan Mason, Laurence Blake, and Kira Blazek among many others. Carissa has also appeared in several short dance films, commercials and pilots for television, Solange Knowles’s “Metatronia,” and a movie that was produced by James Franco.
As a choreographer, Carissa has created multiple successful works for stage and film, including: Your Kingdom (2019, Iris Company + C3LA's Breath + Body), First Light (2019, Heidi Duckler Dance's Ebb & Flow Festival), Mixed Body (2019, "Best of" New Shoes, Highways Performance Space), Odes 1-2 (2019, Mashup Dance's Balance for Better - International Women's Day Festival, 2018, LAMusArt Winter Festival), Ghosts (2018, Hollywood Fringe Festival - in collaboration), Helmet | Goliath (2018, Highways Performance Space - in collaboration), Premiere (2017, Visual Artists Group), Ours is Malice (2017, Sharon Lund Theater), Habits (2014, Sharon Lund Theater), Dreamscape (2016, Valencia), Beneath the Tissue (2016 film), Dark Places (2016 film), and Ours (2016 film). Carissa has also received honorable mentions for some of her works, including her pre-professional work, Never Mess with Sunday (2013), and some of her work has even been described as “intriguing” (LA Dance Chronicle), and “twisted.” Currently, Carissa continues to create as a solo artist as well as in collaboration with other companies and artists, and runs her own dance studio, The Dance School LA. @carissasonghorian
Lisa McNeely - Lisa is a working performance artist, musician, and craft artist based in Los Angeles. Lisa grew up in Denver, CO where she studied dance, vocal performance, sculpting, life casting and theater. She recently moved from rural Northern California on a quest to continue writing, producing and performing her own music, as well as create and share magical original work. Lisa has a BA from Humboldt State University in Philosophy with a minor in Music. She is also a graduate of Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theater where she trained in Comedia, mask, acrobatics, clowning, and ensemble-based original work. Lisa currently works at the Natural History Museum and La Brea Tar Pits as a performing artists and a full suit puppeteer. There she can be found playing around as extinct creatures such as a triceratops and saber-toothed cat. You can also find Lisa singing, running, and playing in music videos, commercials, and always about town, striving… “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics’ – Ralph Waldo Emerson @wisa_woo
Paula Present - Ms. Present has worked with Madeline since 2003, choreographing the critically acclaimed “Holding Up the Sky” and co-choreographing and dancing in “Eating Rocks for Hunger" in 2009. Madeline has always been a muse, gardener, artist, sounding board, and friend for two decades, and Present is delighted to keep dancing with her in this new show! Artistic director, dancer, and choreographer of PTERO Dance Theatre from April 2004 -2015, an award-winning, critically acclaimed dance company. She has taught at Pasadena City College, Hollywood Dance Center, San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet, Anna Djanbazian Dance Academy, as well as masterclasses at performing arts centers. She performed with Helios Dance Theatre for five seasons and as well as many others. Ms. Present was selected as distinguished alumni by her college, UCSD, for a campus-wide banner campaign, for being a “dreamer, risk-taker and leader, achieving the extraordinary, while possessing the University’s spirit of innovation, discovery, and entrepreneurial drive." @paulapresent
Shaheen Sheik @shaheensheik - Shaheen Sheik-Sadhal is the Founder of Amala Collectiv, a Bharatanatyam dance school and performing arts collective committed to the South Asian Arts diaspora. She began studying Bharatanatyam at age 7 and for 16 years, studied the vintage Pandanallur/Tanjore style under Guru Malathi Iyengar. Shaheen has further explored Abhinaya (Bharatanatyam art of expression) and Nritta (pure rhythmic dance) under Bragha Bessell and Rukmini Vijayakumar. In 2005, 2006, and 2008, Shaheen was honored with Lestor Horton Dance Award nominations for her performances in “Ragamalika Varnam” and “Kodhai's Dream” with the Rangoli Dance Company. The Los Angeles Times has described Shaheen’s dancing as “commanding” and her performance “a breathtaking finale showcasing [her] dexterity in accelerating cycles of intricate footwork, swift turns and sweeping arm gestures.” When not dancing, Shaheen is a wife, mother, musician, writer, attorney, entrepreneur and activist - not always in that order.
Jordan Slaff - Jordan Slaffey an Orange County/ LA native has been dancing since the young age of five years old. As a young adult started to find a deep interest in modern dance under the great Karen McDonald. Then Shortly after that I fell in love with Hip-hop and other urban styles such as House dance. She was blessed with the connection of hearing music differently and being able to hear music in nonorthodox ways. With her classical training and hip-hop training she discovered her speciality to be improvisational movement. She strives to bring experimental hip-hop movement combined with a layer of contemporary and modern undertones to the frontier of the artistic community and even the mainstream world. @jayslaff
AND
Ruby Street & Evie Gill and a special appearance by Madeline Leavitt
DESIGNERS & PRODUCTION TEAM
Costume Designer - Michela Muratori @michelamuratori
Lighting Designer - Carol Doerhing
Sound Designer - Luisa Pinzon @luisafpinzonr
Executive Producer - Lisa D. Lechuga @lisalechugabartoletti
Creative Consultant - Nadine Kadey
MUSICIANS
Ppercussion - Emilia Borja
Saxophone/Flute - Amanda Campos
Mini Piano & Voice by - Anais Azul
Trombone - Levy Barlevy
Trumpet - Simone Summers
Stage Manager - Ambi Butler, Ambi Butler will be the Stage Manager for Through the Eyes of My Feet. She recently graduated from the University of Southern California with majors in Theatre: Acting Emphasis and English: Creative Writing Emphasis. She has stage managed and done lighting for a variety of productions, including plays, musicals, mayoral and governor debates, concerts, dance shows, cultural festivals, and even the LA Times Festival of Books. She is beyond excited to work with Voices Carry, Inc. and hopes you enjoy this wonderful, coming-of-age dance show. @ambirachelle
Photography - Silvia Spross, Silvia loves working on stage/sets and behind the stage/sets. Working as a Unit Photographer on film sets enables her to work besides talents such as Danny Glover, Martin Landau, Billy Zane, Paul Sorvino, Michael Rooker, Andy Dick … the list goes on. However as much as she loves taking Unit Stills and taking on the role of a “sharp-shooter” on set, there’s something very unique about photographing a stage performance. More freedom and less rules to go by. She certainly loves the process and being present at the dress rehearsal wondering around the stage capturing those once in a lifetime moments a performer may experience that specific day. For more info: Silvia Spross @headshot_still_photographer
Videographer @yukalypto
Editing - Hsuan-Kuang Hsieh - Hsuan is a multimedia artist and video designer born in Taipei, Taiwan. Currently lives and works in Los Angeles. She works in puppetry, art, film and performance. And constantly cooperates with theater director, choreographer and film director as a video designer. Her past work has been showed at both national and international venues include: REDCAT, 3LD Art and Technology Center, New York; New Hazlet Theater, Pittsburgh; New Taipei Gold Museum, Taiwan; K11 Art Mall, Hong Kong and Exhaleunlimited Gallery, L.A.; Mr Wu Art Space, Taiwan and others. Hsuan-Kuang is particularly intrigued by the ways in which the transformation of traditional techniques encounter with new technology. She likes to integrates new media, video installation, puppetry, film and hybrid forms of photography, sculpture and text to create live experience for her audience. Hsuan-Kuang often creates a collage visual picture, in which unfolds a subtle, yet mysterious world to her viewers. As a puppetry lover, her currently stage works include: Tungsten (workshop) by Janie Geiser (Getty Villa) and Fasting Girl (workshop) by Alexis Macnab (Automata) as a puppeteer. She also makes puppets and shadow play in H&G: an country out cry by Allison M Keating (Palma Street Studio). More info: www.HsuanKuang.com
Additional Creative Assistance:
Kenzo Lin, Emely Tario, Talia Benducci, Kate Patel, Isabella Morcote, Allyson Dworkin
Show Program
Voices Carry, INC is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to breaking down cultural barriers and embracing diversity through multidisciplinary dance, theater, and performance art. The organization is committed to creating original works and providing provocative storytelling. We explore personal, cultural, and global issues.