Conceptualized and Choreographed by Monica Ordoñez
The Sea Around Us
Music: Ólafur Arnalds
Dancers: Bayleigh Cragun, Cailyn O'Hara, Elyssa Fonicello, Josh Bell, Kendra Unique, Kristina Ganssle
Record of Time
Music: J. Ralph
Dancers: Aaron Wiggins, Cailyn O'Hara, Bayleigh Cragun, Kristina Ganssle
Missed Messages
Music: J. Ralph
Dancers: Aaron Wiggins, Alexa Erck, Bayleigh Cragun, Elle Jones, Josh Bell, Justice Hues, Kendra Unique, Kristina Ganssle, Lauren Saizan, Michelle Dinh
The Calm and the Storm
Music: Balmorhea
Dancers: Elle Jones, Alexa Erck
The Encroaching Sea
Music: Grand Isle Diaries, courtesy of Louisiana Sea Grant
Dancers: Aaron Wiggins, Bayleigh Cragun, Elyssa Fonicello, Justice Hues, Kristina Ganssle
Cascades
Music: J. Ralph; text from Ice on Fire documentary
Dancers: Aaron Wiggins, Alexa Erck, Bayleigh Cragun, Cailyn O'Hara, Elle Jones, Elyssa Fonicello, Josh Bell, Justice Hues, Kendra Unique, Kristina Ganssle, Lauren Saizan, Michelle Dinh
Blanket Effect
Music: Rebekka Karijord, Jon Ekstrand
Dancers: Alexa Erck, Elle Jones
Tick Tock
Music: Rebekka Karijord, Jon Ekstrand
Dancers: Elyssa Fonicello, Josh Bell, Kendra Unique, Michelle Dinh
Things we Lost (to the water)
Music: Rebekka Karijord, Jon Ekstrand / narration of novel by Eric Nguyen
Dancers: Michelle Dinh
Horizon
Music: J. Ralph, Grand Isle Diaries, courtesy of Louisiana Sea Grant
Dancers: Cailyn O'Hara, Elle Jones, Elyssa Fonicello, Josh Bell, Kristina Ganssle, Lauren Saizan, Michelle Dinh
The Day Turned Into Night
Music: Ólafur Arnalds
Dancers: Cailyn O'Hara, Josh Bell
in honor of the victims of Paradise Camp Fires
On Sacred Ground
Created in collaboration with Kendra Unique and the dancers
Music: Les Cenelles, text by Sharon Lavgine
Dancers: Josh Bell, Kendra Unique, Lauren Saizan
Resource: https://www.risestjames.org/
Chenier Plain
Music: J. Ralph, Grand Isle Diaries, courtesy of Louisiana Sea Grant
Dancers: Aaron Wiggins, Bayleigh Cragun, Elle Jones, Elyssa Fonicello, Kristina Ganssle
A Shrinking Web
Music: J. Ralph, Antony; the last call of the now extinct Kauaʻi ʻōʻō bird
Dancers: Aaron Wiggins, Cailyn O'Hara, Elyssa Fonicello, Josh Bell, Kendra Unique, Lauren Saizan
Resource: our threatened Eastern Blackrail Bird https://www.audubon.org/news/the-secretive-eastern-black-rail-officially-gets-classified-threatened#:~:text=Conservation-,The%20Secretive%20Eastern%20Black%20Rail%20Officially%20Gets%20Classified%20as%20'Threatened,under%20the%20Endangered%20Species%20Act.
2050
Music: J. Ralph
Dancers: Bayleigh Cragun, Elle Jones, Justice Hues, Kristina Ganssle, Michelle Dinh
Another World
Music: Antony and the Johnsons
Dancers: Elle Jones
-15 MINUTE INTERMISSION-
Once it’s Gone
Music: Grand Isle Diaries, courtesy of Louisiana Sea Grant
Dancers: Elle Jones
What Once Was
Music: Mary Lattimore
Dancers: Alexa Erck
Throwaway Living
Music: Anita Bryant
Dancers: Aaron Wiggins, Bayleigh Cragun, Lauren Saizan
Planet or Plastic
Music: Ólafur Arnalds
Dancers: Aaron Wiggins, Bayleigh Cragun, Cailyn O'Hara, Elyssa Fonicello, Josh Bell, Kendra Unique, Kristina Ganssle, Michelle Dinh
Water in the Womb
Music: Tarn Travers, Ben Russell, Yuki Numata Resnick, Clarice Jensen, Jóhann Jóhannsson, The Langley School Music Project
Dancers: Alexa Erck, Gianni Reid, Monica Ordoñez
Women in Climate
Music: Rebekka Karijord, Jon Ekstrand; text by Dr. Katharine K. Wilkson
Dancers: Bayleigh Cragun, Cailyn O'Hara, Elyssa Fonicello, Kendra Unique, Kristina Ganssle, Lauren Saizan, Michelle Dinh
Source: https://www.oneearth.org/why-women-are-key-to-solving-the-climate-crisis/
Waking Up
Music: Rebekka Karijord, Jon Ekstrand; text by Dr. Katharine K. Wilkson, Leah Thomas, Colette Pichon Battle
Dancers: Aaron Wiggins, Bayleigh Cragun, Cailyn O'Hara, Elle Jones, Elyssa Fonicello, Josh Bell, Kendra Unique, Kristina Ganssle, Lauren Saizan, Michelle Dinh
…and The Land Became the Sea
Music: Grand Isle Diaries, courtesy of Louisiana Sea Grant, featuring “Clouds of Time” French poem
Dancers: Aaron Wiggins, Cailyn O'Hara, Elyssa Fonicello, Kendra Unique, Kristina Ganssle, Lauren Saizan, Michelle Dinh
Resource: https://www.laseagrant.org/communications/voices/grand-isle-diaries/
Future Now
Music: Ólafur Arnalds
Dancers: Aaron Wiggins, Bayleigh Cragun, Cailyn O'Hara, Elyssa Fonicello, Josh Bell, Kristina Ganssle, Kendra Unique, Lauren Saizan, Michelle Dinh
*Cypress trees we plant, courtesy of Common group Relief, will go into our waters to help restore our wetlands.
Yarn art installation: With inspiration from climate scientist Ed Hawkins' warming stripes, local artist and dancer Keisha Calderon constructed intricate dresses made of yarn to represent a visualization of the global rise in temperatures over the last 170 years, with blue representing average temperatures and red being above average temperatures. Since the industrial revolution, our planet has already warmed by at least 1.1 degrees Celsius.
Dancer bios can be found at https://www.melangedanceofnola.com/dancers
Please consider completing our audience survey after the show. We want to hear from you!
RISE contains the difficult themes of displacement, fire, flood, and loss of life. We recognize that this can evoke a range of emotions and may have an impact on you. If you’d like to learn more, talk to the box office before the show.
Together, we can demand climate justice, together we can imagine the future we deserve. The Climate Clock will syncrhonize every city, every country, we will rise and we will win because we have to. Rise with us, meet the moment. Rise in time.
Nola Action Mobilization:https://climateclock.world/take-action-in-nola
Additional action Items and Resources:
https://statesatrisk.org/louisiana/all
https://gov.louisiana.gov/page/climate-initiatives-task-force
https://itsneworleans.com/2021/08/04/wind-design/
Book Inspirations: All We Can Save, The Intersectional Environmentalist, The Future We Choose, The Sea Around Us, Things We Lost to the Water
Production Credits
Artistic Director: Monica Ordoñez
Executive Director: Alexa Erck Lambert
Artistic Associate: Kendra Unique
Choreographer: Monica Ordoñez
Costume Designer: Baylee Robertson
Wardrobe Assistants: Justice Mosley, Meredith Landry
Lighting Design and Technical Production: Crescent Sound & Light, Inc.
A/V Technician: Rodriguez Nuñez
Set Design: Kendra Unique
Sound Designer: Monica Ordoñez
Film Editor: Monica Ordoñez
Box Office Manager: Jordan Lambert
Special Thanks
Kacie Thomassie, Loyola University, Climate Clock, Louisiana Sea Grant, RISE St. James, Sharon Lavigne, Common Ground, Gretchen Erickson, Hiram Mechling, Mélange Dance Company Board of Directors, and to you, the audience, without whom our mission and tonight’s performance would go unheard.
Supporters
The New Orleans Theater Association, The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, The Arts Council New Orleans, and Jones Walker LLP
If you like what you saw, please consider…
…Supporting us during GiveNOLA Day 2022
…Joining our Board of Directors - if you’re interested please email us at info@melange.dance!
