IGNITE DANCE
A CELEBRATION OF 35 YEARS OF DANCE IN ORANGE COUNTY
Friday, January 23, 2026 at 8pm
This performance will include a 15-minute intermission.
Performance Sponsor
The City of Irvine
Artist Sponsor
Gerrit & Amy Cole Foundation
In celebration of 35 years of extraordinary dance at Irvine Barclay Theatre, this landmark event brings together seven distinguished ensembles, each with deep ties to Orange County and a legacy of captivating performances on the Barclay stage.
Carefully curated to illuminate the depth and breadth of the art form, the evening showcases classical ballet, Chinese dance, Bharatanatyam, modern, and contemporary movement—offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience the power, grace, and innovation of dance in its many forms.
More than a performance, this gathering is a tribute to the enduring impact of dance—its ability to inspire, unite, and ignite a lifelong appreciation for its artistry.
PROGRAM
SMUIN contemporary BALLET
(In partnership with National Choreographers Initiative, where the piece was developed)
“SEXTETTE”
CHINESE DANCE COMPANY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
“PULSE OF THE LAND”
UCI CLAIRE TREVOR SCHOOL OF THE ARTS - DANCE
SOLO FROM “CRYPTOGLYPH”
FESTIVAL BALLET THEATRE
EXCERPTS FROM “THE SLEEPING BEAUTY”
-INTERMISSION-
BACKHAUSDANCE
“HIVE”
THE WOODEN FLOOR
Excerpts from “Pieces of Wood”
ARPANA DANCE COMPANY
"Surdas Bhajan"
“Thillana”
SMUIN CONTEMPORARY BALLET
Artistic Director: Amy Seiwert
Sextette (2021)
In partnership with National Choreographers Initiative (NCI), where the piece was developed
NCI World Premiere: July 24, 2021
Smuin Premiere: April 28, 2023
Choreography: Katarzyna Skarpetowska
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, BWV 1041
Costume Design: Susan Roemer
Lighting Design: Michael Oesch
Dancers: Tessa Barbour, Claire Buehler, Maggie Carey, Ricardo Dyer, Tess Lane, Yuri Rogers
Sextette was created during the global pandemic and it is meant to be experienced as a celebration of the resilience, perseverance and the creative spirit of artists everywhere.
Founded in San Francisco in 1994, Smuin Contemporary Ballet carries forward Michael Smuin’s vision to uplift the human spirit and challenge ballet conventions through bold, innovative artistry. Smuin, who blended classical ballet with pop culture and contemporary styles, believed ballet should speak to everyone—a philosophy central to the Company today. Smuin creates original, evocative, and entertaining work, embracing diverse perspectives and fostering artistic innovation. This mission extends beyond the stage through performances, classes, and community engagement. From 2007 to 2024, Artistic Director Emerita Celia Fushille expanded the Company’s reputation for compelling repertoire while honoring Smuin’s legacy. Since the 2024/25 season, former Choreographer in Residence Amy Seiwert has served as artistic director. smuinballet.org
National Choreographers Initiative (NCI)
Artistic Director: Molly Lynch
Founded in 2004 by Molly Lynch, the National Choreographers Initiative (NCI) has been a premier creative laboratory in Southern California, bringing together choreographers and professional dancers for an intensive 3-week summer residency.
For 35 years, Artistic Director Molly Lynch has championed choreographers and dancers, providing the time, space, and resources needed to create new works. Beginning as the Pacifica Choreographic Project and evolving into NCI, the program has supported 136 choreographers and 185 dancers representing 60 companies—many of whom have gone on to become leaders in the field.
Since its inception, Irvine Barclay Theatre has been the home of NCI performances. This July, audiences will witness the final performance of NCI, marking the culmination of more than two decades of groundbreaking creativity and artistic collaboration. nchoreographers.org
Chinese Dance Company of Southern California
Artistic Director: Cheer Pan
Pulse of the Land (2026)
Choreography: Xue (Snow) Han
Music: Rhymoi Music, Sa Dingding, Andagai Band, and Nair Band
Lighting Design: Xue (Snow) Han & Sean Yu
Visual Creation: Sean Yu
Dancers: Serena Chan, Isabella Chen, Emma Clendenen, Fiona Dai, Alina Gu, Ella Guo, Emma Guo, Beryl Hao, Kylie Liao, Sophia Liu, Mia Lu, Wenfei Ma, Angela Men, Noelle Mullarkey, Nagezha Nijiati, Grace Sun, Katherine Sun, Elina Tsai, Lorena Tsai, Aixi Wang, Grace Wang, Sarah Xiong, Annie Xiao, Nicole Xiao, Ziqian Yong, Claire Yi, Cristina Zhang, Amber Zheng, Sophia Zheng
Tracing the heartbeat of tradition through nature, Pulse of the Land features dances from the Dai, Zhuang, and Mongolian ethnic communities—each shaped by misty mountains, flowing rivers, and open grasslands. With distinct aesthetics and grounded movement, the piece honors ancestral spirit and cultural resilience. Here, movement becomes memory, rhythm becomes ritual, and difference becomes dialogue—a celebration of how we move forward, grounded in the wisdom of place and the power of cultural expression.
Co-founded by the Pan America Chinese Dance Alliance and the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center, the Chinese Dance Company of Southern California (CDCSC) is a performance-driven ensemble that pushes the boundaries of traditional Chinese dance while staying deeply rooted in its cultural essence. Under the direction of Cheer Pan, CDCSC blends the elegance of classical Chinese dance with the vibrancy of folk and ethnic styles, creating performances that are both visually stunning and emotionally compelling. More than just a dance company, CDCSC is a living, breathing expression of heritage and identity, bringing stories to life through intricate movement, dynamic formations, and the use of traditional props like fans, ribbons and drums. The company has graced prestigious stages, captivating audiences with its rich storytelling and innovative interpretations of Chinese dance. In every performance, CDCSC reaffirms its mission—to bridge the past and present, the East and West, unfolding a narrative that is as personal as it is universal. pandance.org
UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts – Dance
Kelli Sharp, Chair
Solo from Cryptoglyph (2006)
Choreography: Lar Lubovitch
Restaged by: Katarzyna Skarpetowska
Music: Meredith Monk “Do You Be”
Costume Design: L. Isaac
Lighting Design: Stacy Fireheart
Dancer: Zachary Medina
Composer/Performer Meredith Monk creates songs based on vowels, consonants, and a variety of vocal utterances inventing a cryptic language of her own that is pared down to the essential components of human speech and expressive tonalities. The choreography pictorializes the music through a series of glyphs intended to depict the abstract information nonverbally.
The UCI Department of Dance fosters collaboration, creativity, and connection, embracing diversity and inclusion while striving for artistic excellence. With a history spanning several decades, the department has become a hub for innovation, exploration, and performance. Its programs support dancers, choreographers, and scholars at every stage of their journey. Guided by a distinguished faculty of accomplished dancers, choreographers, composers, musicians, and scholars, students receive rigorous training, mentorship, and opportunities across ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop, and contemporary dance.
The department offers a comprehensive dance education designed to cultivate versatile, skilled, and innovative artists. With state-of-the-art facilities, interdisciplinary opportunities, and numerous performance experiences, students are prepared to make a meaningful impact on the field of dance and beyond. dance.arts.uci.edu
Festival Ballet Theatre
Artistic Director: Salwa Rizkalla
Excerpts from The Sleeping Beauty (1890)
Choreography: Salwa Rizkalla after Marius Petipa
Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Costume Design: Vita Teatrale
Lighting Design: Stacy Fireheart
Dancers: Toscane Acket, Clara Attlesey, Brielle Aucoin, Katarina Carney, Afina Gosla, Felicity Gundersen, Amelie Hoang, Mandy Hur, Sunhoo Kang, Aurora Kellogg, Keira Kuennemann, Adella Mehringer, Alec Mercado, Aya Nakagawa, Julia Prevost, Anya Rich, Ryan Robinson, Sami Santos, Cameron Schwanz, Silvia Snow
Excerpts from the full-length Sleeping Beauty include: the fairies of the kingdom who are bestowing their special gifts on the Princess Aurora - the Fairies of Serenity, Benevolence, Generosity, Happiness, Temperament and, the most powerful and beautiful of all, the Lilac Fairy; Princess Aurora's Friends celebrating Princess Aurora's 16th birthday; Fabled storybook characters celebrating Princess Aurora & Prince Florimund's wedding – The White Cat and Puss-in-Boots, the Enchanted Princess and Bluebird as well as Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf.
Festival Ballet Theatre (FBT) is Orange County’s premier professional ballet company, dedicated to inspiring a love for dance and enriching the region’s cultural landscape. Founded in 1988 by Artistic Director Salwa Rizkalla, FBT presents a season of exhilarating classical and contemporary performances, provides a nurturing environment for dancers and choreographers, and offers dynamic educational outreach programs. Honoring classical masterpieces while cultivating the next generation of artistic talent, FBT showcases rising Southern California dancers alongside internationally acclaimed guest artists. The company serves as both a home for exceptional professional dance and a platform for sending its artists as ambassadors across the nation. Festival Ballet Theatre’s commitment to artistic excellence and community impact has earned recognition from Arts Orange County, which named it Outstanding Arts Organization of the Year in 2001 and honored Salwa Rizkalla with the Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award in 2014. festivalballet.org
Backhausdance
Artistic Director: Jennifer Backhaus
Associate Artistic Director: Amanda Kay White
Hive (2017)
Premiere: Irvine Barclay Theatre, Irvine, CA
Choreography: Jennifer Backhaus
Music: White Man Sleeps by Kevin Volans performed by Kronos Quartet
Lighting Design: Stacy Fireheart
Costume Design: Jenny Clark
Dancers: Kira Bartoli, Samuel DeAngelo, Morgan Goodfellow, Zachary Medina, Katie Natwick, Kaitlin Regan, Kyle Schraeder, Samantha Waugh
A percussive and intricate repertory piece for the full company, Hive is a complex series of interactions. The unfolding and dissolving relationships are musically driven and create a strong, viscous group dynamic.
Backhausdance, formed in 2003 as a non-profit organization by award-winning choreographer Jennifer Backhaus, is Orange County's premier professional contemporary dance company. Annually, Backhausdance presents professional performances with original choreography and the work of guest choreographers at theatres and various venues throughout Southern California and beyond. The company’s repertory offers a body of original and innovative work appealing to all ages and backgrounds, performing and teaching an eclectic and dynamic dance vocabulary with a wonderful sense of fluidity and strength. Audiences experience the joy and artistry of Backhausdance’s powerful, athletic dances, featuring deeply human and emotional creations that are infused with a sense of humor and theatricality, reflecting on aspects of our common humanity and our place in the world. backhausdance.org
The Wooden Floor
Artistic Director: Jennifer Bassage Bonfil
Excerpts from Pieces of Wood (2011)
Choreography: John Heginbotham
Restaged by: Jocelyn Magaña Murillo
Lighting Design: Stacy Fireheart, based on the original lighting design by James F. Ingalls
Costume Design: Jennifer Vaughan
Music: Clapping Music and Music for Pieces of Wood by Steve Reich
Dancers: Esperanza Aguilar, Julian Almeida, Victoria Chavez, Alexa Delgado, Diego Dominguez, Genesis Fernandez, Danna Gaytan, Lucero Godinez, Cindy Ibarra, Eva Lambaren, Mia Marquez, Melanie Martinez, Sammy Mejia, Sebastian Miramontes, Emiliano Morales, Kuanari Morales, Emily Munoz, Aranza Nunez, Madison Ochoa, Isabella Pacheco, Destanie Ramirez, Kamilah Ramirez, Zurisadai Ramirez, Lexie Rivero, Kayla Santana, Olivia Torres, Kymberlee Valencia, Constanza Villa-Popoca
Each movement from Pieces of Wood is set to the music of the legendary American composer, Steve Reich. His percussive, elegant scores provide the backbone of the piece. In Music for Pieces of Wood, the dancers behave like a rigorously organized insect colony; each individual dances purposefully to realize the goal of the hive. This seven-minute excerpt includes ideas from the Swarm and Square Dance movements.
Founded in 1983, The Wooden Floor is one of the foremost creative youth development nonprofit organizations in the country. We inspire and transform the lives of young people through the power of dance and access to higher education. In Orange County and through national licensed partners, The Wooden Floor uses a long-term approach grounded in exploratory dance education to foster the confidence and gifts within each child to innovate, communicate, and collaborate – skills necessary for success in school and in life. 100 percent of students who graduate from The Wooden Floor enroll in higher education. Students of The Wooden Floor become change agents and beacons of hope within their own families, their neighborhoods, and our world. Since 1983, The Wooden Floor has touched the lives of over 100,000 young people. TheWoodenFloor.org
Arpana Dance Company
Artistic Director: Ramya Harishankar
Surdas Bhajan
Dancer: Ramya Harishankar
Roli Seaboard: Aaashray Harishankar
A 16th century composition by the blind poet Surdas, who vividly envisioned the many playful antics of young Krishna in his mind’s eye. This interpretive abhinaya is presented in a unique format.
Thillana
Choreography: Ramya Harishankar
Music: Violin Maestro Lalgudi G. Jayaraman; Vocals - G. Srikanth
Lighting Design: Stacy Fireheart
Dancers: Nandini Kannan, Nithya Joseph, Pragnya Ramkumar,
Purnima Suresh, Swara Pimple, Samana Nadig, Shruthika Kunta, Aditi Ramaraju & Avanika Prasad
A celebration of melody and rhythm – “sculpture in motion” – Thillana incorporates rhythmic, cross rhythmic patterns and graceful movements.
Ramya Harishankar is the Artistic Director of Arpana Dance Company (ADC), a leading Bharata Natyam school and company in California that celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2022. She was named a California Arts Council “Legacy Artist,” received an Individual Artist Fellowship in 2023, and was honored as a “Distinguished Citizen” by the City of Irvine in 2022. Her accolades also include India’s Kala Seva Bharathi Award (2012) and Arts Orange County’s Helene Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award (2007). Harishankar has performed around the world and teaches workshops and master classes throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, Australia, and India. Her short dance films, Bhumika and Aasha…Until We Meet Again, have been screened at international festivals, earning multiple awards. Harishankar co-founded a nonprofit that later became the Ektaa Center, which continues to advance Indian classical arts in Southern California. Under her leadership, Arpana Dance Company has toured internationally, created 20 full-length productions, and raised more than $150,000 for global charities. arpanadancecompany.org