Meet the Artists: Get It Out There

GET IT OUT THERE is an annual concert of works in progress and finished works by emerging and established artists through the Danceworks DanceLAB. This Get It Out There‘s 2 distinct shows will feature 12 creators from various disciplines, ranging from Bollywood to Contemporary to Bharatanatyam. Each performance will be unique in its presentation and audience members are encouraged to attend both performances.

 

6pm (Show A)

Lavanyaa Surendar is a Bharathanatyam Dancer/ Curator/ Arts & Cultural Director/ committed to developing a happy community through Arts. Ultimately to contribute to shaping the future of arts + culture, creating space for new creative processes, new ways of storytelling, new voices and developing artistic talent in the community, Lavanyaa is committed to innovation and revolution of the arts sector for the benefit of all.

Having a certification in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University, Lavanyaa specializes in ‘Neuroaesthetics’. She has written several articles, among which,”” while-we-experience-art-sports-do-we-feel-connected-to-something-large-why?”” has been featured in Neo narthaki.

She also developed a dance based workout ‘Art & Anatomy’, that premiered in Lawrence University, Appleton. She was also an active member of ‘The Newyork Dance Talks’ and has presented ‘Abigyan Shakuntalum’ at the conference. She works closely with the American Mental Health Organization to use Arts as interventional treatment.

Lavanyaa (WI Arts Board Master artist) is the founding President of Ziksa-An Art Forum, which connects artists through professional channels and helps art thrive. She was an Educational Co-chair for the Sheboygan Theatre company wherein she proposed educational opportunities and career building focus for students of STC. She is also a Director on the board of Art Garage in Green Bay and Wisconsin Dance Council. She has also worked with Maker Faire to use arts (Dance) as a community engagement tool.

She holds a second Masters in Arts & Cultural Management from Colorado State University. Under the guidance of Dr. Sujatha Mohan she is currently working on Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts “Natya Shastra”.

 

Zoe Glise is a movement-based artist born in China and located in Milwaukee, WI. She is a company member with the Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, Madison Contemporary Dance, Wild Space Dance Company, and an apprentice with Nova Linea Contemporary Dance. Zoe received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Performance and Choreography at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Zoe worked with Daniel Burkholder, Mair Culbreth, Simone Ferro, Maria Gillespie, Dani Kuepper, Gina Laurenzi, and Dan Schuchart, training in Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Improvisation, African, Composition, and more. In 2019, with the help of the National Endowment for the Arts grant, Zoe collaborated with Joe Goode to create a dance film, which was presented at the North Central American College Dance Association. In 2022, Zoe was selected to attend the Camping Residency at the Centre National de la Danse, where she took classes, taught, and performed in Paris, France.

 

Shannon Stanczak is a creator, collaborator and artist from Milwaukee. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in 2021 with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Studio Art. During her time in at UWM she studied modern, ballet, African, yoga, Laban Movement analysis, and Aerial silks. She has performed in many works choreographed with Simone Ferro, Andrea Burkholder, Mair Culbreth, and Maria Gillespie. She has also had the opportunity to work with Widspace dance company in 2022. In March 2019, she attended the North Central Regional Conference of the American College Dance Association, and in June she participated in a study abroad program to Brazil with UWM Faculty member, Simone Ferro. On that trip she studied African dance from Ballet Folclorico, capoeira from Master Angola, and drumming from Olodum.

 

Black Cat Ensemble (BCE) is a mixed chamber ensemble consisting of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and trumpet. BCE’s mission offers accessible community performances and educational outreach opportunities both in-person and virtually.

Founded in 2019, BCE has served hundreds of students and counting in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin community, offering storybook presentations, “”Meet the Instrument”” demonstrations, and traditional chamber performances that engage with each audience. An advocate of supporting the local community, BCE has held “”Black Cat Gives Back”” fundraiser concerts, raising money for local organizations such as Street Angels of Milwaukee and Hope House Milwaukee.

Black Cat Ensemble aims to provide inclusive and representational repertoire selection, working with living composers and emphasizing repertoire by underrepresented composers. Efforts to fulfill these goals include utilizing storybooks focused on cultural diversity and education, as well as performing in non-traditional venues to defy the hierarchical stigma of elitism in classical music.

 

Katelyn Altmann (she/her) is a movement-based artist, choreographer, and improvisor currently residing in Milwaukee, WI. She received her BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts (2019). Altmann has performed in works of Joe Goode, Maria Gillespie, Esmé Boyce, Simone Ferro, Daniel Burkholder, Melanie George, Esther Baker-Tarpaga and worked with artists such as Ishmael Huston-Jones, Kathleen Hermesdorf, and Irene Dowd among others. She is a current performance and collaborative artist with Wild Space Dance Company, Hyperlocal MKE, Danceworks, and Li Chiao Ping Dance. Katelyn has presented both her solo and collaborative work throughout Milwaukee, at Seattle Festival for Dance Improvisation, Dance Masters of Wisconsin, Bates Dance Festival/Gibney Connect NYC, Chicago National Association of Dance Masters, MKE Fringe, Danceworks Get it Out There, and her work was selected by UW-Milwaukee to be presented at the American College Dance Association’s North Central Conference.

 

Danceworks Intergenerational Performance Company, formerly 50+ Performance Workshop, is a company of community dancers with a desire to explore movement and performance. The current group is made up of participants spanning several generations and a shared passion for movement. The ensemble explores dance-making, improvisation and performance concepts led by Studio Manager and DPMKE company member, Gina Laurenzi. Dances are performed in concert collaborations with resident dance companies, Danceworks Performance MKE and Danceworks Youth Performance Company.

 

8pm (Show B)

 

Ashley Ray Garcia is a dancer and choreographer from Michigan. She received her BFA in Dance-Performance and Choreography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. During her time at UWM, she has worked with Maria Gillespie, Simeone Ferro, Mair Culbreth, Daniel Burkholder, Melissa Anderson, and Dani Kuepper. Through her love of traveling, she has had the opportunity to perform in France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, and the Czech Republic. Her work, “Thinking of Mother,” premiered at the Milwaukee Fringe Festival in August 2021. In March of 2022, her dance for film “In This Hallway” premiered at RAD Fest in west Michigan. Her senior piece, “In These Skirts” was chosen by the faculty at her university to perform ACDA in the adjudication concert in 2022. “In These Skirts” was also performed at Central de la Danse in Paris, France in June of 2022. She is currently a dancer with Wildspace Dance Company.

 

Zoe Garnett is a choreographer and performing artist from Milwaukee, WI. She has trained at three dance schools across the country, including several years at a pre-professional ballet school. Zoe is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in contemporary performance and choreography, as well as Pilates certification from UW-Milwaukee. Driven by a passion to make dance more accessible, Zoe is currently exploring how dance and somatic practices can be applied in therapeutic settings through her work as a research and teaching assistant under Maria Gillespie and Parts of the Whole- The Body is Home.

 

Zoe Glise is a movement-based artist born in China and located in Milwaukee, WI. She is a company member with the Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, Madison Contemporary Dance, Wild Space Dance Company, and an apprentice with Nova Linea Contemporary Dance. Zoe received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Performance and Choreography at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Zoe worked with Daniel Burkholder, Mair Culbreth, Simone Ferro, Maria Gillespie, Dani Kuepper, Gina Laurenzi, and Dan Schuchart, training in Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Improvisation, African, Composition, and more. In 2019, with the help of the National Endowment for the Arts grant, Zoe collaborated with Joe Goode to create a dance film, which was presented at the North Central American College Dance Association. In 2022, Zoe was selected to attend the Camping Residency at the Centre National de la Danse, where she took classes, taught, and performed in Paris, France.

 

Microcosm Ensemble is a modular chamber ensemble working beyond the confines of standard instrumentation. Core members include Jennifer Burke (flute) and Alec Burke (trumpet). Our mission consists of commissioning works for flute and trumpet, and providing outreach opportunities for communities to experience chamber music performance in a variety of settings. By providing intimate music experiences, Microcosm creates a bridge between our community and the larger Classical Music world.

 

Catey Ott Dance Collective: Catey Ott Thompson, director of Catey Ott Dance Collective since 2005, has a BFA and MFA in dance from UWM. Catey resides in Milwaukee after dancing in NYC for 14 years with Soundance, Heidi Latsky, Allyson Green, Sean Curran, Bill Young, Li Chiao-Ping, Eun Jung Choi, Aviva Geismar, Chris Ferris, Mary Seidman, and others. She has performed at Danspace Project/St. Mark’s Church, 92Y, DNA, Gibney Dance, Green Space, BAX, Solar One, The Flea, Muller/The Works Studio, Danceworks, MKE Fringe, UW-Madison, UWM, Marquette University, Milwaukee Ballet and others. Locally, Catey has performed with Danceworks Performance Company, WIld Space, Dancecircus, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, and others. Catey has taught at Danceworks and Marquette University, and currently teaches at Milwaukee Ballet School and Academy.

 

Katie Edwards is a dance instructor/choreographer/performer who has been dancing for 17 years, training in nearly every major genre of dance, including ballet, contemporary, lyrical, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, musical theatre, ballroom, and more. Performances include the lead (Aurora) in the Sleeping Beauty ballet, for nursing homes, and recently at Dance Festival for a Cause in Madison, WI. She has taught at several well-known MN dance studios, including Creo Arts and Dance Conservatory, Dance Conservatory of Southern MN, and Metropolitan Ballet. She’s choreographed several musicals and other dance pieces and is best known for her visuals and powerful emotional portrayals through performance.