Riot Report

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

What a delight it was to see you at the ball last Saturday evening! I enjoyed the masks, the costumes, the cocktail attire (especially Lady Riot’s dressed wig, she assured me no animals were harmed in the creation of her rooster regalia) and the general air of amusement and good fellowship. I promised you a few more details about the dances and here they are!

(Note: photos are coming soon.)

1. La Bretagne

Danced by Lady Rachel List and Lord Terence Duncan
Choreography: Guillaume Louis Pecour, published throughout the 18th century in Europe and its colonies. Music by André Campra

2. Le Prince George

Danced by the Assembled
Choreography by Raoul Auger Feuillet, first published in 1706

3. Kellom’s Minuet

Danced by Lady Caroline Copeland and Lord Jason Melms
Choreography by Kellom Tomlinson, first published in 1735
Music by Paisible

4. Le Menuet du Chevalier

Danced by the Assembled
Choreography by Raoul Auger Feuillet, first published in 1706

5. El Fandango

Danced by Lady Catherine Turocy and Lord Carlos Fittante
Music by Luigi Boccherini
Choreography based on original sources and arranged by Carlos Fittante with a little assistance from Lady Catherine

6. Lady Riot’s Spanish Can’tdanza

Danced by the Assembled
Choreography by Catherine Turocy in honor of Lady Riot
Music by Arcangelo Corelli


Biographies of the Performers:

Caroline Copeland received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Goucher College in Baltimore, M.D. Upon graduating she joined the New York Baroque Dance Company, with whom she continues to perform as a soloist. Her roles have included Euridice in Gluck’s Orphée, the Galant in Mozart’s Les Petits Riens, and Doris in Royer’s Le Pouvoir de l’Amour. She has also performed as a guest artist with the Boston Early Music Festival in their productions of Lully’s Thésée and Conradi’s Ariadne. In addition, Ms. Copeland has appeared with numerous other companies and contemporary choreographers in New York City, including The Metropolitan Opera, The Maffei Dance Company, Trebien Pollard, and Elke Rindfleisch. In addition to dancing, Ms. Copeland teaches and consults on 18th century movement, holding workshops for groups such as the Aquila Theatre, Manhattan School of Music, and Lincoln Center Theater.

Terence Duncan received his BFA in dance performance from Towson University where he worked with artists such as Mark Taylor, Lawrence Keigwin, Stephen Koplowitz and Mark Dendy. He was a principal dancer with New York Theatre Ballet for seven years and danced with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet for three seasons. Mr. Duncan has performed a wide range of both classical and contemporary repertory, including works by Tudor, Balanchine, and Lubovitch. He has been a guest dancer with companies including Connecticut Ballet, The Tallahassee Ballet, and David Parker and the Bang Group. Terence began dancing with The New York Baroque Dance Company in 2000 and continued until 2003, taking leave to attend graduate school. He was awarded the Suzanne Farrell Fellowship at Florida State University from 2003 through 2006 and received his MFA in dance in the spring of 2006.

Judson Griffin, violin, appears in New York as concertmaster of Concert Royal, Amor Artis, and the American Classical Orchestra, among others, and has been named concertmaster of a new classical-period orchestra, Sinfonia New York. He has been guest soloist and concertmaster with the Dallas Bach Society and New Trinity Baroque in Atlanta. He was associated with the Connecticut Early Music Festival for many years as concertmaster, soloist, conductor, and for six years as Music Director. He has been a principal player with Helicon, the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, the Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra, and Apollo's Fire of Cleveland; and concertmaster of the Philadelphia Classical Orchestra.

Carlos Fittante is a dance artist of remarkable diversity. He is a graduate of the School of American Ballet and currently specializes in Balinese and Baroque dance. He is the artistic director of BALAM Dance Theatre (BALAM), a contemporary dance company inspired by Balinese theatre founded in 1979 by Islene Pinder. Through his work with BALAM he has studied and performed extensively in Bali and has choreographed a multitude of East/West fusion works including “Sita Lost in the Forest ,” a story ballet inspired by the Hindu epic, “Ramayana.” “Sita Lost in the Forest ” received international critical acclaim in July 2000 when it was presented at the Bali Arts Festival hosted in Denpasar, Bali. He began his studies of Baroque dance with Catherine Turocy in 1988 and was a member of the NYBDC for 14 years. We are happy to have him join us again for Lady Riot’s Costume Ball.

Rachel List has been a member of the New York Baroque Dance Company since 1990, performing soloist roles at venues such as Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Handel Festival in Goettingen, Germany. Previously, she performed nationally and internationally with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, The Vanaver Caravan, and Partridge/ Benford/Dance/Music. Ms. List has taught ballet and Baroque dance in universities and conservatories across the U.S. and in Europe and is currently on the faculties of Hofstra University, Queens College, Barnard College, and Peridance. Ms. List created numerous works for her own company between 1985-'95 and also founded and directed Manchester Dance, a summer workshop in Vermont. She is frequently on the faculty of the Bates Dance Festival in Maine. Ms. List recently served as movement consultant for the Pearl Theater Company's production of Marivaux's Double Infidelities. She holds an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee.

Jason Melms began his training with the Tidewater Ballet Association and the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. In 1991 he moved to New York City to study at the Joffrey Ballet School, where he was selected to perform with its touring company, Joffrey II. Shortly after, Mr. Melms accepted a principal dancer position with the Eglevsky Ballet of New York City. He has also performed with Ballet Theatre Pennsylvania, The Virginia Ballet Theatre, Bravo Ballet, Tony Powell’s Music in Movement and The Virginia Opera. He has worked with such noted choreographers as Laura Alonso, Trinette Singleton, Glenn White, and Sally Wilson. In 2000, Mr. Melms accepted the position as the Artistic Director to the Harrisburg Dance Conservatory, and during his directorship was a chair member for the Regional Dance America’s northeast festivals, where his choreography was featured in the 2001 festival and received with much acclaim. Mr. Melms has also worked as a faculty member for the USDAN Center for the Creative and Performing Arts and is currently on faculty at Peridance in New York City.

Nina Stern is one of North America’s leading performers on the recorder and classical clarinet. She is also hailed as an innovator in teaching school-age children to be fine young musicians. Ms. Stern performs regularly as a principal player with The New York Philharmonic and New York City Opera as well as with many of North America’s major early music ensembles. Ms. Stern is on the faculty of the Mannes College of Music and has taught at Oberlin Conservatory and at the Five Colleges. For her work in education, she was awarded an Endicott Fellowship in 2003, and Early Music America’s “Early Music BringsHistory Alive” Award in 2005.Nina Stern’s latest projects include performances of traditional music of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. She recently released an album of world music entitled “East of the River”. Ms Stern is the author of “Recorders Without Borders.”

Catherine Turocy, Artistic Director and co-founder, with Ann Jacoby , of The New York Baroque Dance Company, is internationally recognized for her contribution to the current revival of 18th-century ballet. In 1995 she was decorated by the French government in the Order of Arts and Letters in recognition of her work in French Baroque ballets. In 2001 Ms. Turocy received the prestigious New York City BESSIE AWARD for Sustained Achievement in Choreography. She is also featured in Janet Roseman’s book, Dance Masters: Interviews with Legends of Dance. This last September she received the Natalie Skelton Award for Artistic Excellence from the Dance Council. She is a stage director, choreographer, performer, teacher and often lectures and writes on historical dance.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO:

Lady Riot played by Valerie Eads is far to complicated to describe in a paragraph. But, in an effort to do her some justice, she received her Ph.D. from the City University of New York Graduate Center in 2000 with a Major: Medieval History; Minor: Comparative Literature. Her dissertation: "Mighty in War: The Role of Matilda of Tuscany in the War between Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV." She earned a Distinguished Scholar Dissertation Fellowship: Helaine Newstead Bequest Award 1996-97. She also holds: M. Phil., History, CUNY Graduate Center, New York NY and B.A., English Literature, Temple University, Philadelphia PA . She was on faculty at State University of NY at New Paltz and the School of Visual Arts, SUNY-New Paltz, Manhattan College, Borough of Manhattan Community College, Queens College CUNY.

Lady Riot’s entourage: Austin McCormick, Yeva Glover and Laura Careless of Company XIV, a non-profit mixed media dance/theater company based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by Artistic Director, Austin McCormick in June of 2005, the company works in the mediums of live dance/theater and film. It is contemporary, yet baroque inspired. The mission is to create compelling theatrical dance productions that elicit a beautiful affecting experience for its audience. Company XIV also seeks to present unique historical and cultural dance perspectives through the exploration of various artistic partnerships.

And to the sponsors of the ball: The New York Baroque Dance Company and the Harkness Dance Center 92nd Street Y

Volunteers, thank you for all your help: Jay Brenneman, Peter Brown, Joy Havens, Ani Udovicki
Photographs: cwoltmann@yahoo.com

Costumes for the company were designed by Marie Anne Chiment and Marilyn Skow.

Suggestion for period clothing on line: http://www.smilingfoxforgellc.com/