BUFFERING
February 16-18, 2024
SOMETHING GREAT - 2023
Created by Ashley Deran and Emily Loar in collaboration with dancers
Sound by Nicolas Jaar
Lighting Design by Smooch Medina
Performed by Stacy DeMorrow, Juli Farley, Kathryn Hetrick, Kate Laughlin, Haley Marcin, Sarah Morimoto
Faded Billboards (Relatable) - 2024
A work in progress created and performed by Emily Loar and Ali Lorenz
Sound by Khruangbin, Meitei, Pinegrove
Lighting Design by Smooch Medina
12 Unfinished Thoughts - 2024
Created by Ashley Deran and Emily Loar in collaboration with dancers
Sound by Sam Gendel & Sam Wilkes, Teebs
Lighting Design by Smooch Medina
Performed by Stacy DeMorrow, Juli Farley, Kathryn Hetrick, Kate Laughlin, Ali Lorenz, Haley Marcin, Sarah Morimoto
INTERMISSION
To and From - 2019
Original source material from Shirley Mordine’s solo “Letters to my Son” (1979)
Created and performed by Danielle Gilmore and Melissa Pillarella
Sound by The Chieftains
Lighting Design by Smooch Medina
Costumes from the Mordine and Company Costume vault
Edgemode - 1994
Part I: Travelers Warnings (excerpt)
Choreography by Shirley Mordine
Sound by Richard Woodbury, Amnon Wolman, Brave Combo
Original Lighting Design by Ken Bowen
Restaged By: Danielle Gilmore
Performed by Stacy DeMorrow, Juli Farley, Kathryn Hetrick, Kate Laughlin, Emily Loar, Ali Lorenz, Haley Marcin, Sarah Morimoto
ABOUT EDGEMODE
Original Cast: Krenly Guzman, Jenna Hunt, Dardi McGinley, Pam McNeil, Scott Putman, Tatiana Sanchez, Atalee Judy, Paul Cipponeri, and Colleen Halloran
When speaking with original cast members and music artists behind Shirley Mordine’s 1994 three-part evening-length piece “Edgemode”, all offered what they remembered Shirley herself saying regarding the subject matter of the work: the dance was about “being on the edge” in a more general sense, and beyond that it was largely up to the personal interpretation of the viewer to decide what ‘the edge’ meant for them. In Laura Molzahn’s 1995 review for Edgemode, she also states that she was puzzled by the work’s unspoken thematic intentions. With its “mysterious projections and costumes, two hostile camps of people–what did they all mean?” In her review Molzahn does allude to press materials describing the first section of the dance — titled “Travelers Warnings” as being about migration and social change.
It’s this explicit invitation to interpret Edgemode in addition to the challenge found in revisioning Shirley’s complex choreographic structures, dense visual elements and metaphor (some of which we’ve been unable to recreate in this space, such as the original projections) that connected us with the work as it approaches its 30 year anniversary. As a cast we took the time to discuss Edgemode’s individual parts and what we each found in them, some of us reflecting on our daunting reality that history cyclically repeats itself. Our conversations while recreating this initial excerpt covered a variety of urgent subjects both personal and global: geo-political shifts and a slide towards fascism; injustice and violence of multiple forms; refugee crises and resulting anti-refugee sentiments; parents’ hopes for their children and the distance that can grow between them; our private struggles that leave us most worried about what’s waiting just over the edge.
Special thank you to the original cast and to Atalee Judy and Pam McNeil in sharing notes, process and movement vocabulary. Thank you to Melissa Pillarella and Emily Stepleton in assisting in restaging.
ABOUT PROJECT BOUND DANCE
Under the direction of Ashley Deran and Emily Loar, Project Bound Dance is a Chicago-based modern dance group rooted in the practice of collaboration. Since its founding in 2013, Bound has created work that is both curious and accessible. Creating both live concert performance and dances for camera, Bound draws from both modern dance and somatic fundamentals. Incorporating vigor, athleticism, and intricate gesture exploration, Deran and Loar weave together the vision of two distinct artistic voices to create richly textured dance performance.
ABOUT SHIRLEY MORDINE
Shirley Mordine, born and raised in Oakland, California, received her early training at the San Francisco Ballet School and attended Mills College. Anna Halprin, Welland Lathrop, and Arch Lauderer are among Mordine’s most influential teachers and mentors. She danced with the Welland Lathrop Company for 10 years. Mordine settled in Chicago in the late 1960s and in 1969, founded her company The Dance Troupe, later called Mordine & Company Dance Theater. The same year, Mordine established the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, leading the department until 1999.
Under Mordine’s direction, the Dance Center evolved into a multifaceted institution at the national forefront of dance education. In 1974, she launched the Dance Presenting Series, creating the city’s only platform dedicated solely to dance and forged a partnership with Dance Africa, presenting the Chicago edition through the Dance Center from 1991-2005. A teaching, learning, and performing arts center, the Dance Center is Chicago’s leading training program for contemporary dance and its public programming has engaged companies from around the world.In light of her extensive and consistent contributions to the field of dance and to the student and professional life of Columbia College, Mordine was presented with Columbia College’s Presidential Medal for Distinguished Service in 1999. She has received extensive awards and accolades for her creative accomplishments and contributions to the Chicago Dance Community. Mordine is recognized as a master teacher who excels in integrating the skills of dance technique, choreography, and performance.
A 50th anniversary retrospective featured works from throughout Mordine & Company Dance Theater’s history: Three Women (1979), I Haven’t Heard From You (2001), and Collisions (2016), plus new works created by company members through the 20-year-old Mordine Mentoring Project. In May 2023, the extensive Mordine & Company Dance Theater archives were entrusted to the Newberry Library’s dance collection. Mordine currently lives in California.
DANIELLE GILMORE & MEILSSA PILLARELLA
Danielle and Melissa are Chicago based artists, trained, and mentored under the direction of Shirley Mordine since 2011. Gilmore is original from Yuma, AZ, attend the University of Arizona, receiving her BFA. Pillarella originally from Chicago, IL, received her BFA from the University Illinois. Gilmore and Pillarella have performed at the Chicago at Museum of Contemporary Art, Columbia College, Smart Museum, Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Link's Hall, Stage 773, Hamlin Park, and See Chicago Dance with Mordine and Company Dance Theater. Gilmore and Pillarella first premiered choreography in 2018 as part of Mordine’s Mentoring Project and have continued to create separately and collaboratively. In 2019, “To: and From:” a duet created by Gilmore and Pillarella in collaboration with Mordine, premiered for Mordine and Company Dance Theater’s 50th Season. Since then, Gilmore and Pillarella have toured in four different states and performed in Death’s Door Dance Festival, Cleveland Dance Festival, Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival, See Chicago Dance, and The Dance Center of Columbia College.
PROJECT BOUND DANCE COLLABORATORS
Stacy DeMorrow (she/her) earned her bachelor’s degree in dance from the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point. During her studies there she performed works by Billy Siegenfeld, Susan Marshall, Mary Anthony, as well as spending a month teaching dance in Thailand as part of the Thailand Project, a mission to use higher education as humanitarian aid. Living in Chicago the last ten years Stacy has performed for Perceptual Motion Dance Company, We Stand Sideways Dance, Mordine and Company Dance Theater, Montom Arts by Monica Thomas, Kelly Anderson Dance Theatre, and RE|dance Group. Stacy is thrilled to be in her third season with Project Bound!
Ashley Deran (she/her) is a Chicago-based dancemaker, teaching artist, and photographer who received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance from Western Michigan University. In 2013, she founded Project Bound Dance and her work with co-director Emily Loar was selected as one of the "Top 10 Performances of 2019" by SeeChicagoDance. Most recently Ashley’s choreography has been presented by Momenta, CPR Inhale Movement, COMMON conservatory, Chicago’s Dance in the Parks, Harvest Contemporary Dance Festival and Death’s Door Dance Festival in Door County. She is also a producer and collaborator with #The1HourProject - a collaborative endeavor that gives Chicago artists 60 minutes to create a 60 second dance film in unique spaces and places. Ashley is currently on staff at Rise Dance Center. She is endlessly thankful to family, friends, and the dance community that have continued to support Bound over the past decade.
Juli Farley (she/her) holds degrees in Dance and Anthropology from Northwestern University (2011) and an MBA from Pepperdine University (2018). In addition to Project Bound Dance, Juli performs with Same Planet Performance Project and works as a freelance artist. When not dancing, you can find Juli working to reduce single-use plastic waste and learning to play the drums.This is Juli's first season with Project Bound Dance and she's so excited to get to move with such beautiful dancers.
Kathryn Hetrick (she/her) is a Chicago-based performing artist. Graduating from the dance program at Western Michigan University, she had the opportunity to perform work by noted artists Alonzo King, Lori Eisenhower, John Lehrer, Michael Foely, and Ginger Thatcher. In her nine years living in Chicago, Kathryn has had the distinct pleasure of working with many artists in the area. Past collaborators include Esoteric Dance Project, Salty Lark Dance, and Niko8. Aside from her continued partnership with Project Bound Dance, Kathryn can also be seen performing the Same Planet Performance Project.
Kate Laughlin (she/they) is a movement collaborator based in Chicago. Her creative practice is deeply intertwined with movement research which is why she holds a Dance degree from Ball State University (2021). Further development of their practice has involved other mediums such as film, theatre, and ceramics. Continuing to study dance has allowed Kate to meet and collaborate with innovative giants such as Sidra Bell, Anouk Van Dijk, & Helen Lee. When not on the creative hustle, you can find Kate outside looking up.
Emily Loar (she/they) is a dance artist and improviser living in Chicago, IL. A BFA graduate from Columbia College Chicago, Loar has presented original and commissioned dance work across the midwest and has performed with dancemakers and choreographers including Peter Carpenter, Lydia Feuerhelm, Kasey Foster, Erin Kilmurray, Jonathan Meyer and Julia Rae Antonick of the dance company Khecari, and Kinnari Vora (Ishti Collective). Loar is among the first cohort of teachers certified as an Essential Level Teacher of Spiral Body Techniques™, the dance and movement framework developed by choreographer Molly Shanahan. Emily Loar is a founding member of Project Bound Dance and current Co-Artistic Director alongside collaborator Ashley Deran.
Ali Lorenz (they/she) is a cross-disciplinary artist working and living in the land of the Council of Three Fires; stolen land known today as Chicago. Ali holds a BFA from the University of Utah in Modern Dance where they had the pleasure of performing original works by Anouk Van Dijk and Stephen Koester. She has presented work through Queer Spectra Arts Festival, Deseret Experimental Opera, and Short Stack Film Festival. While in Chicago, Ali has performed with Amanda Maraist, Khecari, Common CANVAS, and has joined two Embodied Research Projects supported by Lucky Plush Productions. Alongside art-making, Ali works with local queer businesses, tries to keep 40+ houseplants alive, and cuddles her pets. This is Ali's second season with Project Bound Dance.
Haley Marcin (she/her) is a Chicago based artist, performer, and educator. In 2019, she graduated summa cum laude from The University of North Carolina Greensboro with a BFA in Dance. Haley had the opportunity to train intensively and perform in Calabria, Italy on a full tuition scholarship. Upon graduating, Haley apprenticed with the Michael Mao Dance Company in New York. She returned to Chicago and since has performed with Aerial Dance Chicago, Still Inspired, and has collaborated with many Chicago choreographers. Haley is currently dancing for Carrie Hanson in The Seldoms and is so excited to be returning to Project Bound Dance this season. She is a 200-hour certified yoga/aerial yoga instructor and teaches yoga and dance throughout the Chicagoland area.
Sarah Morimoto (she/her) is a Chicago performer. She graduated from Northwestern University in 2016 with degrees in dance and chemistry. Throughout her training, Sarah has worked with and performed works by several Chicago artists including Jeff Hancock, Lizzie Leopold, Laura Wade, Maray Gutierrez, Robyn Mineko Williams, Joseph Caruana, and Riccardo Battaglia. Professionally, Sarah has had the opportunity to work with Joel Hall and Hanna Brictson and Dancers. In addition to performing, Sarah has also choreographed and performed works at The iO Theater. She also has set works on several youth companies in the city and suburbs. Sarah is excited to be returning for another season.
THIS WORK WAS MADE POSSIBLE
through the developmental, inspirational, financial, and emotional support of:
Clean Air Club
Color Club
Rooted Space
Hexe Coffee
Bim Bom Studios
Ishti Dance Collective
COMMON Conservatory
As well as our many friends, donors, collaborators, and volunteers, especially Jay Cullen and Michael Banducci, Project Bound Dance’s most dedicated volunteers.
SUPPORTING BOUND
Project Bound Dance is able to continue creating and performing in large part because of the committed support of our collaborating artists, families and chosen families, and dedicated supporters like you. A generous support network is crucial to our sustainability as we continue to share our artistry with others.
Join our dedicated support network following this performance by visiting www.projectbound.dance and making a donation today. We couldn’t do this without you, thank you.