Welcome to AMP presents On The Verge: On Demand!
June 23rd - July 7th
Online Video Streaming of AMP's Return to Live Performance
Online Video Streaming of AMP's Return to Live Performance
On behalf of the AMP’s artists, personnel and board of directors, we are absolutely thrilled to welcome you to On The Verge: On Demand! The video you will stream is Alternative Motion Project’s first live, in-person event since canceling our 9th Season Performance in March 2020 due to COVID-19. While we have been able to create films, hold virtual events, and lead open classes online, there is nothing that replaces the shared kinesthetic experience of movement in real time. We hadn't performed together since March 2019 and we are so happy to share with you this special event.
We are lucky to showcase the work of Award-Winning Sound Artist and Special Guest, Dameun Strange. AMP and Dameun have a long history of working together, and it is especially wonderful to return to live performance with this collaborative work. This is also the first time Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors, Kristin Howe + Joanna Lees have collaborated fully on one work. This process has been unlike any other for so many reasons. We thought that if we were going to rehearse on Zoom and then outdoors for our first outdoor performance, we might as well try as many new things as possible!
Thank you to The Lab Brewery for hosting this very special performance event. Thank you to the movers for their flexibility, malleability, determination, dedication, vulnerability, and openness to new things. Thank you to our supporters for showing up when we needed you the most.
Without further ado, we hope you enjoy On The Verge with Special Guest, Dameun Strange.
We are lucky to showcase the work of Award-Winning Sound Artist and Special Guest, Dameun Strange. AMP and Dameun have a long history of working together, and it is especially wonderful to return to live performance with this collaborative work. This is also the first time Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors, Kristin Howe + Joanna Lees have collaborated fully on one work. This process has been unlike any other for so many reasons. We thought that if we were going to rehearse on Zoom and then outdoors for our first outdoor performance, we might as well try as many new things as possible!
Thank you to The Lab Brewery for hosting this very special performance event. Thank you to the movers for their flexibility, malleability, determination, dedication, vulnerability, and openness to new things. Thank you to our supporters for showing up when we needed you the most.
Without further ado, we hope you enjoy On The Verge with Special Guest, Dameun Strange.
PROGRAM
On The Verge
June 20th, 2021
June 20th, 2021
Choreography
Kristin Howe + Joanna Lees
in collaboration with the performers
Sound Composition + Design
Dameun Strange
Special Guest Artist
Movers
Stephanie Flanagan, Karin Jarvise, Laura K Johnson, Zoë Koenig, Brenna Mosser,
Jesse Schmitz-Boyd, Addie Smith, Bridgett Tegen, + Lauren Vanchina
Technical Director
Tony Stoeri
Videography
V. Paul Virtucio
Special Thanks to
Dameun Strange, Tony Stoeri, V. Paul Virtucio, Erinn Liebhard, Elliott Keller, Katy Ross + Joe Lees, Steve Miller,
Kathy + Gary LeLoup, The Lab Brewery, + all of AMP’s Artists, Board of Directors, Donors, + Supporters.
All movers had been fully vaccinated and had tested Negative for COVID-19.
Kristin Howe + Joanna Lees
in collaboration with the performers
Sound Composition + Design
Dameun Strange
Special Guest Artist
Movers
Stephanie Flanagan, Karin Jarvise, Laura K Johnson, Zoë Koenig, Brenna Mosser,
Jesse Schmitz-Boyd, Addie Smith, Bridgett Tegen, + Lauren Vanchina
Technical Director
Tony Stoeri
Videography
V. Paul Virtucio
Special Thanks to
Dameun Strange, Tony Stoeri, V. Paul Virtucio, Erinn Liebhard, Elliott Keller, Katy Ross + Joe Lees, Steve Miller,
Kathy + Gary LeLoup, The Lab Brewery, + all of AMP’s Artists, Board of Directors, Donors, + Supporters.
All movers had been fully vaccinated and had tested Negative for COVID-19.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS + RESOURCES
We want to acknowledge that we are performing on stolen land of the Wahpekute of the Dakota and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ peoples. Acknowledging this violent history, that often goes unrecognized, is a first step we are taking in understanding how we can better honor the land on which we create and perform. We are committed to continue expanding and deepening this work by developing relationships with local Indigenous people, whose communities and traditions are still active and alive today and are not simply relics of the past.
We also want to take the time to acknowledge the Juneteenth Holiday weekend.
As White Artists, we acknowledge our systemic and personal privileges within the United States of America, a country whose success and wealth has been built on the enslavement of Black people.
While July 4th 1776 is celebrated as the United States of America’s Independence Day, only White, property-owning men were given the freedom of full rights.
President Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation 87 years later on January 1st , 1863, but slaves in the state of Texas were not immediately freed. On June 19th, 1865, 2.5 years later, Union troops arrived to announce the freedom of 250,000 Texas slaves. This day, also called Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Emancipation Day, became known as Juneteenth and has been traditionally celebrated in Black communities. However, this monumental Independence Holiday has largely been unknown and unrecognized by many Americans and it is important to ask ourselves why that is? Every aspect of our society continues to perpetuate systemic inequities that persist today, including in education, healthcare, housing, government, and justice systems. These inequities are one reason why it is vital and important to state Black Lives Matter. We stand in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Queer, Disabled, and all those oppressed by the heteronormative, patriarchal, capitalist, white supremacist systems that persist.
These words are meant to be a call to action for us all to find ways to dismantle the racism and white supremacy in our own lives so that EVERY LIFE may be celebrated to live freely and justly. For no one in this country can truly be free until every single person is free.
In the spirit of our call to action and with permission, a portion our ticket sales for On The Verge will be donated to JUXTAPOSITION ARTS, in honor and in celebration of the Juneteenth Holiday.
Juxtaposition Arts is a black led arts organization serving the Northside of Minneapolis and “is a teen-staffed art and design center, gallery, retail shop, and artists’ studio space in North Minneapolis. Juxtaposition Arts develops community by engaging and employing young urban artists in hands-on education initiatives that create pathways to self-sufficiency while actualizing creative power."
"JXTA welcomes people to commit to long-term support which is essential to address the long-term funding inequalities that black led organizations face in Minnesota and the nation. JXTA values are centered on self-determination and youth empowerment encased within a social enterprise business model. We have worked with, educated, and trained emerging artists of color for 26 years through this lens." - Allison Wagstrom, JXTA
This contribution is one avenue of AMP's ongoing work recognizing and dismantling systemic racism and white supremacy. We encourage you to check out the valuable work JXTA is doing and join us in monetarily supporting their mission, if you are able. JXTA is beginning an Amplifiers Campaign where you can also make a recurring donation. Links to Juxtaposition Arts and additional Juneteenth resources have been made available in our digital program.
DONATE TO JXTA: https://juxtapositionarts.org/donate/
JUNETEENTH LINKS + RESOURCES
https://youtu.be/K3aQjTy328o
https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/historical-legacy-juneteenth
SELECTETD SOURCES
https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/historical-legacy-juneteenth
https://native-land.ca/
We also want to take the time to acknowledge the Juneteenth Holiday weekend.
As White Artists, we acknowledge our systemic and personal privileges within the United States of America, a country whose success and wealth has been built on the enslavement of Black people.
While July 4th 1776 is celebrated as the United States of America’s Independence Day, only White, property-owning men were given the freedom of full rights.
President Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation 87 years later on January 1st , 1863, but slaves in the state of Texas were not immediately freed. On June 19th, 1865, 2.5 years later, Union troops arrived to announce the freedom of 250,000 Texas slaves. This day, also called Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Emancipation Day, became known as Juneteenth and has been traditionally celebrated in Black communities. However, this monumental Independence Holiday has largely been unknown and unrecognized by many Americans and it is important to ask ourselves why that is? Every aspect of our society continues to perpetuate systemic inequities that persist today, including in education, healthcare, housing, government, and justice systems. These inequities are one reason why it is vital and important to state Black Lives Matter. We stand in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Queer, Disabled, and all those oppressed by the heteronormative, patriarchal, capitalist, white supremacist systems that persist.
These words are meant to be a call to action for us all to find ways to dismantle the racism and white supremacy in our own lives so that EVERY LIFE may be celebrated to live freely and justly. For no one in this country can truly be free until every single person is free.
In the spirit of our call to action and with permission, a portion our ticket sales for On The Verge will be donated to JUXTAPOSITION ARTS, in honor and in celebration of the Juneteenth Holiday.
Juxtaposition Arts is a black led arts organization serving the Northside of Minneapolis and “is a teen-staffed art and design center, gallery, retail shop, and artists’ studio space in North Minneapolis. Juxtaposition Arts develops community by engaging and employing young urban artists in hands-on education initiatives that create pathways to self-sufficiency while actualizing creative power."
"JXTA welcomes people to commit to long-term support which is essential to address the long-term funding inequalities that black led organizations face in Minnesota and the nation. JXTA values are centered on self-determination and youth empowerment encased within a social enterprise business model. We have worked with, educated, and trained emerging artists of color for 26 years through this lens." - Allison Wagstrom, JXTA
This contribution is one avenue of AMP's ongoing work recognizing and dismantling systemic racism and white supremacy. We encourage you to check out the valuable work JXTA is doing and join us in monetarily supporting their mission, if you are able. JXTA is beginning an Amplifiers Campaign where you can also make a recurring donation. Links to Juxtaposition Arts and additional Juneteenth resources have been made available in our digital program.
DONATE TO JXTA: https://juxtapositionarts.org/donate/
JUNETEENTH LINKS + RESOURCES
https://youtu.be/K3aQjTy328o
https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/historical-legacy-juneteenth
SELECTETD SOURCES
https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/historical-legacy-juneteenth
https://native-land.ca/
MORE ABOUT THE COLLABORATION WITH DAMEUN STRANGE
We asked Dameun some more questions on his perspective on our collaboration for On The Verge:
How is this process similar and/or different from your past collaborations with AMP?
This process is different because I am working with Joanna and Kristin together for the first time. I have composed music for both separately but not together. It's also a new experience write for an outdoor dance experience. You have to think about sound and space differently. I also, know myself a little better as a composer. When I was first working with AMP, I was still understanding my own voice as a composer AND working as a collaborator. Now, I think I know what questions to ask and perhaps I understand how to answer questions from my collaborators. So, altogether, it's been different but still as fun as always.
Why do you like working with AMP?
I like working with AMP because I love the big movement work that they do. They also give me a lot of freedom as a collaborating composer, they are very interested in my sound and my voice and now it's so easy because a lot of that has developed along side of them; already kind of have our language. A lot of the work I have done has had to do with space and time and love, these are all things that I think about in my work, so AMP always seems like a good fit.
What are you most looking forward to with the show?
I am looking forward to showing a different side of my music. The piece has a lot of house and techno elements taking me back to some of my deep influences from high school, things that I have shied away from in my more interpretive compositions. I am also looking forward to seeing the movers in this huge outdoor space that seems to be the perfect setting for AMP.
Learn more about Dameun on his website.
How is this process similar and/or different from your past collaborations with AMP?
This process is different because I am working with Joanna and Kristin together for the first time. I have composed music for both separately but not together. It's also a new experience write for an outdoor dance experience. You have to think about sound and space differently. I also, know myself a little better as a composer. When I was first working with AMP, I was still understanding my own voice as a composer AND working as a collaborator. Now, I think I know what questions to ask and perhaps I understand how to answer questions from my collaborators. So, altogether, it's been different but still as fun as always.
Why do you like working with AMP?
I like working with AMP because I love the big movement work that they do. They also give me a lot of freedom as a collaborating composer, they are very interested in my sound and my voice and now it's so easy because a lot of that has developed along side of them; already kind of have our language. A lot of the work I have done has had to do with space and time and love, these are all things that I think about in my work, so AMP always seems like a good fit.
What are you most looking forward to with the show?
I am looking forward to showing a different side of my music. The piece has a lot of house and techno elements taking me back to some of my deep influences from high school, things that I have shied away from in my more interpretive compositions. I am also looking forward to seeing the movers in this huge outdoor space that seems to be the perfect setting for AMP.
Learn more about Dameun on his website.
MEET THE PEOPLE...
Dameun Maurice Strange (Special Guest Artist, he/him) is a sound artist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer whose conceptual chamber works, electronic works, and operas are focused on stories of the African diaspora, often exploring Afrofuturism themes. Strange is compelled to express through sound, music, and poetry the beauty and resilience of the Black experience, digging into a pantheon of ancestors to tell stories of a triumph while connecting the past, present, and future. While his sound experiments have many dimensions, he uses West African polyrhythms, synthesizers, and other electronic tools, contemporary jazz harmonic explorations, along with founding sounds and historic recordings to create modern afro-futurist performances that disrupt the notion of genre.
Strange was raised in Washington, D.C., and got his start with music at age five as a member of the DC Youth Orchestra program and an interest that continued to be cultivated at Metropolitan AME Church where he was a featured saxophone soloist throughout his high school years. Strange currently lives in Saint Paul, MN, where he has been a featured lecturer and panelist on art in the community, Afrofuturism, and art in the 21st Century at Macalester College, the University of MN, Penumbra, and other Twin Cities institutions.
Strange is an award-winning composer, Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar, and a featured composer with Alternative Motion Project for six years. The Cedar Cultural Center, International renowned artist Seitu Jones via the McKnight Foundation, Ananya Dance Theatre, is among his most recent commissioners. In 2017, Strange premiered his first full-length opera, Mother King, inspired by the life and death of Alberta Williams King with his upstart opera collective, OperaRising 52. He has also been a featured writing contributor with Pollen Midwest and Nourrir Magazine. Aside from his creative pursuits, Strange is an arts advocate with anti-racism as a foundation and a creative consultant to leaders and organizations in the for-profit, nonprofit and public sectors. Dameun currently is Director of Community and Belonging for the American Composers Forum.
Strange graduated from Macalester College with a Bachelor’s of Art in music, focusing on African drumming and composition and English (poetry writing). He has worked with such artists as J. Otis Powell, Ananya Chatterjea, Sage Francis, Sha Cage, Leslie Parker and has been a featured performer on concerts celebrating the work of Thurston Moore and Henry Threadgill. Dameun is a 2018 recipient of the American Composers Forum Create Grant and the 2019 Jerome Hill Fellowship.
Strange was raised in Washington, D.C., and got his start with music at age five as a member of the DC Youth Orchestra program and an interest that continued to be cultivated at Metropolitan AME Church where he was a featured saxophone soloist throughout his high school years. Strange currently lives in Saint Paul, MN, where he has been a featured lecturer and panelist on art in the community, Afrofuturism, and art in the 21st Century at Macalester College, the University of MN, Penumbra, and other Twin Cities institutions.
Strange is an award-winning composer, Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar, and a featured composer with Alternative Motion Project for six years. The Cedar Cultural Center, International renowned artist Seitu Jones via the McKnight Foundation, Ananya Dance Theatre, is among his most recent commissioners. In 2017, Strange premiered his first full-length opera, Mother King, inspired by the life and death of Alberta Williams King with his upstart opera collective, OperaRising 52. He has also been a featured writing contributor with Pollen Midwest and Nourrir Magazine. Aside from his creative pursuits, Strange is an arts advocate with anti-racism as a foundation and a creative consultant to leaders and organizations in the for-profit, nonprofit and public sectors. Dameun currently is Director of Community and Belonging for the American Composers Forum.
Strange graduated from Macalester College with a Bachelor’s of Art in music, focusing on African drumming and composition and English (poetry writing). He has worked with such artists as J. Otis Powell, Ananya Chatterjea, Sage Francis, Sha Cage, Leslie Parker and has been a featured performer on concerts celebrating the work of Thurston Moore and Henry Threadgill. Dameun is a 2018 recipient of the American Composers Forum Create Grant and the 2019 Jerome Hill Fellowship.
Kristin Howe (Co-Founder, Co-Artistic Director, she/her) received her Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts, with an emphasis in Dance, from Colorado State University in 2005. During her time with CSU, she studied with Toronto Dance Theatre and at the American Dance Festival (Durham, NC). She has performed with Korzatkowski Contemporary Dance, Rebound Dance, The Sonic Inertia Performance Group, Labor Force Dances, Wicked Sister Dance Theatre, We Dance (Erin Drummond), Joanna Lees, Jennifer Mack, Kelly Radermacher, Strange and Liebhard New Music and Dance Ensemble, and Jesse Schmitz-Boyd. Kristin’s choreography has been shown at the American College Dance Festival (Long Beach, CA), New Visions Dance Festival (Fort Collins, CO) Rebound Dance Festival (Chicago, IL), The Dance Lab (Minneapolis, MN), Alaska Center for the Performing Arts (Anchorage, AK), Kinetic Kitchen (Minneapolis, MN), and with Moving Collective (Louisville, KY).
In 2011, she co-founded Alternative Motion Project (AMP) alongside Joanna Lees. Since AMP’s beginning, Kristin has choreographed 14 world premieres and co-produced 11 evening-length dance performances. As a choreographer, she enjoys collaborating with live musicians and visual artists that have included Steve Howe (beat boxer), Alyssa Anderson (vocalist), Dameun Strange (sound artist), Richard Haglund (composer/musician/percussionist), Ellen Gustafson (photographer), Jane Cords-O’Hara (cellist), and the Grand Symphonic Winds Ensemble. Kristin is filled with joy from her experiences co-choreographing On the Verge with this creative team of artists!
In 2011, she co-founded Alternative Motion Project (AMP) alongside Joanna Lees. Since AMP’s beginning, Kristin has choreographed 14 world premieres and co-produced 11 evening-length dance performances. As a choreographer, she enjoys collaborating with live musicians and visual artists that have included Steve Howe (beat boxer), Alyssa Anderson (vocalist), Dameun Strange (sound artist), Richard Haglund (composer/musician/percussionist), Ellen Gustafson (photographer), Jane Cords-O’Hara (cellist), and the Grand Symphonic Winds Ensemble. Kristin is filled with joy from her experiences co-choreographing On the Verge with this creative team of artists!
Joanna Lees (Co-Founder, Co-Artistic + Executive Director, she/her) is a choreographer based in Minneapolis, MN. Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, Joanna graduated cum laude with distinction in 2007 with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Business from The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH). At OSU, she was an Arts Scholar and the recipient of the Denman Undergraduate Research Forum Scholarship. Joanna studied with various artists including Bebe Miller, Susan Hadley, Karen Eliot, Abigail Yager and Ming-Lung Yang. She performed Doug Varone’s Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) in collaboration with BalletMet Columbus.
Since moving to the Twin Cities in 2008, Joanna has performed in works with and by several local dance artists including Penelope Freeh, Blake Nellis, Taja Will, Darrius Strong, Heather Klopchin, Jennifer Glaws, Erin Drummond, Laura Holway, Jennifer Mack, Erinn Liebhard, Kelly Radermacher, and Kristin Howe. Joanna also showcased her own choreography independently before co-founding the Minneapolis dance company, Alternative Motion Project alongside Kristin Howe in 2011. She has served as Co-Artistic Director and Executive Director since AMP’s inception, creating performing opportunities for Minneapolis artists, educational outreach programs for public school students and audience engagement initiatives.
Joanna’s work has been presented by the College of DuPage (Glen Ellyn, IL), The Moving Collective (Louisville, KY) and at the Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival (Kalamazoo, MI). Joanna enjoys the collaborative process including with COD professor/composer Lee Kesselman and Chicago visual artist René Romero Schuler. She also premiered her first multi-media dance work entitled #binge (2016) in Minneapolis.
In 2020, Joanna earned her Masters of Fine Arts degree in Dance at The University of Utah (Salt Lake City). Whilst there, she served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the School of Dance and received the L. Scott Marsh Mentorship Award & a University Teaching Assistantship. She performed works by Charles O. Anderson, Stephen Koester, Sara Pickett, Christine McMillan. She performed in work by Doug Varone in collaboration with Doug Varone and Dancers and was selected as a choreographer for Varone’s DEVICES mentorship program, showcasing her work, Spiral Into Control, in New York City in 2018. An excerpt of her MFA thesis, B E C O M I N G, was selected to represent University of Utah in performance for the American College Dance Association Northwest Regional Conference at Gonzaga University.
Joanna is immensely grateful for the community of artists, personnel, audiences and supporters who have contributed to On The Verge, especially her dear partner, Kristin Howe.
Since moving to the Twin Cities in 2008, Joanna has performed in works with and by several local dance artists including Penelope Freeh, Blake Nellis, Taja Will, Darrius Strong, Heather Klopchin, Jennifer Glaws, Erin Drummond, Laura Holway, Jennifer Mack, Erinn Liebhard, Kelly Radermacher, and Kristin Howe. Joanna also showcased her own choreography independently before co-founding the Minneapolis dance company, Alternative Motion Project alongside Kristin Howe in 2011. She has served as Co-Artistic Director and Executive Director since AMP’s inception, creating performing opportunities for Minneapolis artists, educational outreach programs for public school students and audience engagement initiatives.
Joanna’s work has been presented by the College of DuPage (Glen Ellyn, IL), The Moving Collective (Louisville, KY) and at the Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival (Kalamazoo, MI). Joanna enjoys the collaborative process including with COD professor/composer Lee Kesselman and Chicago visual artist René Romero Schuler. She also premiered her first multi-media dance work entitled #binge (2016) in Minneapolis.
In 2020, Joanna earned her Masters of Fine Arts degree in Dance at The University of Utah (Salt Lake City). Whilst there, she served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the School of Dance and received the L. Scott Marsh Mentorship Award & a University Teaching Assistantship. She performed works by Charles O. Anderson, Stephen Koester, Sara Pickett, Christine McMillan. She performed in work by Doug Varone in collaboration with Doug Varone and Dancers and was selected as a choreographer for Varone’s DEVICES mentorship program, showcasing her work, Spiral Into Control, in New York City in 2018. An excerpt of her MFA thesis, B E C O M I N G, was selected to represent University of Utah in performance for the American College Dance Association Northwest Regional Conference at Gonzaga University.
Joanna is immensely grateful for the community of artists, personnel, audiences and supporters who have contributed to On The Verge, especially her dear partner, Kristin Howe.
Laura K Johnson (Mover, she/her) is a performer, choreographer and instructor based in the Twin Cities. She is originally from Rosemount, MN where she was introduced to modern dance in high school and hasn’t looked back since. Laura is a 2016 graduate from Gustavus Adolphus College, where she received the Distinguished Dance Student Award and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Dance Honors. After graduation, Laura interned and studied at the American Dance Festival, performed her own work in Paula Mann’s Solo Composition Workshop, Hold This, and co-directed two MN Fringe productions titled Chapter 23 and Blackbirds on an Icicle. Laura is extremely passionate about dance because she believes it is essentially the art of being alive. Laura currently teaches modern technique at Ballet Royale Minnesota during the school year and is in her third season dancing with Alternative Motion Project. Laura is excited to see where her passion takes her in life.
Zoë Koenig (Mover, she/her) is a dancer and choreographer from Madison, WI. She has performed recently at DUMBO Dance Festival (New York City), Queerly Contemporary Festival (New York City), World Dance Alliance Global Summit (St. John’s, Newfoundland), Going Dutch Festival (Elgin, IL), Detroit Dance City Festival (Detroit, MI), and Milwaukee Fringe Festival (Milwaukee, WI). Zoë was a member of the Kanopy Dance Company II in Madison, WI from 2011-2014 before attending Beloit College where she worked with numerous choreographers and was awarded the 2017 Chavey Family Endowed Award in Dance for outstanding performance. In addition to AMP, she is a member of Analog Dance Works, a performer in Sarah Abdel Jelil's new work, Trab, and will be joining the cast of Gabriel Rodreick's A Cripple's Dance this summer. She has shown work in Minneapolis at Squirrel Haus Arts, Praxis Gallery, and the Off-Leash Art Box and was a 2019 Generating Room Artist at the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts.
Brenna Mosser (Mover, she/her) is a Minnesota native. She went to the Trinity Laban Conservatory of Music and Dance for her bachelor’s, and supplemented her degree with a level 3 license in Performance Dance and Arts Management from le Centre National de la Danse Contemporaine in Angers, France. On returning home, Brenna joined the Conservation Corps, an Americorps program that focuses on prairie restoration in Minnesota. Alongside AMP, Brenna dances for Threads Dance Project and Bernadette Knaeble. She is the Artistic Director of Analog Dance Works, a company that explores intersections between dance and science.
Jesse Schmitz-Boyd (Mover + Social Media Coordinator, he/him) is a Twin Cities based performer, choreographer and arts educator. This is Jesse's 10th year with Alternative Motion Project. Jesse also has performed locally with Off-Leash Area at the Cowles Center and throughout Minnesota as a part of the company’s Neighborhood Garage Tour. Additionally he has worked with RE|Dance & Erinn Liebhard.
Jesse’s choreography has been presented at The Minnesota Fringe Festival, Off-Leash Area ArtBox, Zenon Dance Zone, The Ritz Theatre, and Movement Arts Day (Eau Claire, WI). In 2017 he presented 35 Different Angles From Which to Hate Yourself at the Minnesota Fringe Festival with his newly formed performance group Rogue & Rabble Dance. The Start Tribune said it was one of the ten must see shows of that year’s Fringe.
Currently Jesse is on faculty at Children’s Theater Company Theater Arts Training, and Ballare Teatro Performing Arts Center.
Addie Smith (Mover, they/them) graduated with a BA in Theater Arts and Dance from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2017; collaborating, choreographing, and directing new works both professionally and within the university. Since moving to the Twin Cities in 2017, they have performed with Loom Lab, Crash Dance Productions, and Analog Dance Works. Aside from being a self-proclaimed "dance clown," Addie also works as a mentor and mental health advocate for younger artists. Although they've been dancing with AMP since 2019, this is Addie's first live performance with the company!
Bridgett Tegen (Mover, she/her) began her professional dance training at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she earned a BFA in Dance and a Minor in Women's Studies. In Milwaukee, she performed with Gerald Casel Company and Wild Space Dance Co. After moving back home to the Twin Cities, Bridgett auditioned for Alternative Motion Project and landed herself a company position in Minneapolis. Bridgett is now entering her eight-season with AMP and couldn’t be more grateful for the hard-working, talented, and overall swell directors of AMP, Joanna Lees and Kristin Howe. Since beginning with AMP, Bridgett is thankful to have had the opportunity to work with local forces like Jennifer Glaws, Erinn Liebhard, Nic Lincoln, Blake Nellis, Darrius Strong, and Taja Will. She couldn't be happier to be back on stage and hopes you enjoy the show!
Lauren Vanchina (Mover, she/her) received her BA in Dance and Psychology from the University of Iowa in 2014. While at Iowa, Lauren immersed herself in several aspects of dance study: she studied dance history and theory as an Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates Fellow under the guidance of dance scholar Rebekah Kowal, taught the kiddos how to shuffle with the University of Iowa Youth Ballet, and performed across Iowa as a member of Dancers in Company. She has performed in works by Charlotte Adams, Gabriel Anderson, Jennifer Kayle, Alan Sener, Lisa Gonzales, Ester Baker-Tarpaga, and Olivier Tarpaga. Lauren interned with Dance Magazine in the summer of 2013, and her contributions to the magazine appear in several issues from late that year. Since moving to Minneapolis, Lauren has performed work by Joanna Lees, Kristin Howe, Jesse Schimtz-Boyd, and Penny Freeh. Lauren also holds an MSW from the University of Minnesota, and she currently balances (or tries to balance) dance with work as a clinical social worker. She is thrilled to be a part of the wonderful cast of On The Verge!
Tony Stoeri (Technical Director, he/him) is a free-lance lighting designer based in Minneapolis.He is a graduate of Carleton College, and recently graduated with an MFA in lighting design from Indiana University. His work has most recently been seen with Walking Shadow Theatre Company, Collide Theatrical Dance Company, Cardinal Stage (Bloomington, IN), and Mission Theatre Company.