The fall semester production season in the School of Theatre and Dance concludes with the Fall Dance Concert featuring the ballet Paquita and a pair of world premiere dances choreographed by NIU School of Theatre and Dance faculty members.
Paquita was originally staged in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1847 by the Imperial Ballet. It tells the story of Paquita, a young Romani girl who was abducted as an infant and is unaware of her noble parentage. She saves the life of a French military officer, Lucien d’Hervilly, they fall in love, and she finds a medallion with her father’s portrait and learns of her true heritage.
The world premiere dances are Michel Rodriguez-Cintra’s Te Sigo Queriendo and Sarita Smith Childs’ It’s All So Different Now Journeys Through Life. Rodriguez-Cintra is a visiting assistant professor specializing in modern dance and circus arts and Smith Childs is an assistant professor focused on ballet, modern dance, analysis and pedagogy of dance.
Performances open Thursday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the O’Connell Theatre in the NIU Stevens Building and continue on at 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 22 and Saturday, November 23, with 2 p.m. matinees Saturday, November 23 and Sunday, November 24.
Tickets are available at go.niu.edu/arts-tickets. NIU students are admitted free of charge with a reserved ticket.
Paquita and two world premieres
2024 Fall Dance Concert
Nov. 21-24
O’Connell Theatre
Choreographers: Joseph Mazilier (Salle Le Peletier, Paris 1846), Michel Rodríguez Cintra, Sarita Smith Childs
Scenic Designer: Alicia Margerum
Costume Designers: Randall Newsom, Deborah Fairchild, Elizabeth Forbes, and Lori Hartenhoff
Lighting Designers: Brandon Wardell and Ross Wheeler
Technical Director: Emery Foster
Stage Manager: Finn Stumpf
Cast
Alyssa Altadonna
Taneya Ball
Athei Chagai
Millicent Collins
Clara Coran
Cathering Cummings
Teresa Dingman
Alice Duncan-Abushalback
Antonio Houston
Irismichelle Martinez-Garcia
Darius Murray
Thomas Readling
Francesca Ryan
Naija Sherwood
Talia Sigismondi
Jai’Quan Simmons
Kyia White
Ariana Williams
Kendall Woodberry
Ra’Shiah Wright
Shariah Wright
For full cast bios, production team bios and production team credits visit the digital program for the 2024 Fall Dance Concert.
The spring season in the School of Theatre and Dance begins February 14 with Caridad Svich’s Holler River, directed by Kendra Holton.
