Unchosen
featuring guest choreography by Kristin Wagner/Bodies Moving
Generated from a collective sense of unfulfilled potential, "Unchosen" is a series of short choreographic projects shining a light on moments and lifetimes of being neglected. While each segment was choreographed separately and with different intentions, they come together in one emotional arc, showcasing various facets of being unchosen. In love, in friendships, at work, at home, and even with oneself, being unchosen is difficult. What you do with that feeling, however, can lead to great growth. Enjoy an evening of contemporary dance by women choreographers and fall into the journey of acceptance, self-discovery, intimacy, neglect and support.
Unchosen
by Carmen S. Rizzo & dancers
Intro
Dancer: Leah Misano
we were never lifeless dust
An excerpt of "For you, I dream of me" by Kristin Wagner/Bodies Moving
Created with: Cassie Wang
Performed by: Olivia Moon
Additional Creative Contributions: Aliza Franz
Music: Benjamin Cuba
Inspiration and Source Material: Genesis 2:4-3:24 The New International Bible, The Book of Eve by Carmen Boullosa
*Please note that the title of this piece is a quote from Boullosa’s novel
Tome um Tylenol pt.1
Dancers: Leah Misano & Carmen S. Rizzo
Music: Ólafur Arnalds
Reflexos Através de Mim
Dancers: Hannah Laski & Leah Misano
Creative Contributions: Claire Lane
Music: Yugo Sano Mani
Tome um Tylenol pt. 2
Dancers: Leah Misano & Carmen S. Rizzo
Music: Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Charlie xcx, Conan Gray, Ólafur Arnalds.
Edit: Carmen S. Rizzo
rose
An excerpt of "For you, I dream of me" by Kristin Wagner/Bodies Moving
Created with and Performed by: Aliza Franz
Additional Creative Contributions: Cassie Wang
Music: Benjamin Cuba
Inspiration and Source Material: Beauty and The Beast (Disney’s animated and live action adaptations), A Rose for Zemira by Fred Crump, Jr.
Tome um Tylenol pt. 2
Dancers: Leah Misano & Carmen S. Rizzo
A-braço
Dancers: Aliza Franz, Hannah Laski, Leah Misano, & Carmen S. Rizzo
Creative contributions: Gabriella Amy-Moreno
Music: Benjamin Cuba
Lighting design, sound & light operation: Rachael Harned
Costumes: Carmen S. Rizzo & dancers
The (Un)chosen Ones
Artist Bios
Carmen S. Rizzo
Choreographer, director, producer, dancer, etc.
Carmen S. Rizzo, from São Paulo, Brazil, is a dance artist who sees dance in all things non-dance. Recently exploring the neuroscience of dance and of emotion, Carmen choreographs collaboratively, showcasing dancers’ abilities and expressive voices, bridging the gap between science and art. With the goal of debunking that both science and dance are hard to understand, Carmen aims to bring more diversity into dance, making the work more relatable.
Carmen’s dance films have been featured in festivals such as Shut in Dance Festival, the DFA College Exchange (Lincoln Center) and OnStage Dance Co’s annual show.
Her live choreography has recently been performed at Salem Art Fest., TinyFest, NACHMO, Boston WiP, Dance for World Community and ArtBeat.
Kristin Wagner
Guest choreographer
Kristin Wagner is a dancer, maker and educator based in the Greater Boston and Worcester areas. She performs with a number of Boston-based companies and freelance choreographers, and creates her own work both independently and as part of The Click (@the.click.boston) and Decent Dance (@decentdance). Kristin shares her love of dance with students from youth to adult in pre-professional, professional and community-based environments across Massachusetts, and is an RYT-200 yoga teacher. A certified artist in the City of Boston, she has been supported through residencies and grants from prestigious institutions across New England. Learn more: bodiesmoving.com, @bodies_moving
Leah Misano
Dancer, collaborator, rehearsal director
As an artist, Leah strives to seamlessly blend movement vocabulary and ideas from several different styles. After first finding dance in classical ballet, she naturally found her training go towards more modern forms including modern, post-modern, and contemporary styles. Her most recent studies and personal explorations have taken her into street dance styles and circus work. As a performer, teacher, and creator, she brings this knowledge into every space and remains open to different perspectives and methodologies.
Learn more about Leah. https://www.leahmisano.com/
Aliza Franz
Dancer, collaborator
Aliza Franz is a Boston based dancer, educator, and arts manager. They graduated from Skidmore College in 2020, where they earned a double major in Psychology and Dance, with a minor in Gender Studies. They have worked with artists and organizations including VLA Dance, Boston Lyric Opera, Lorraine Chapman The Company, Chavi Bansal and Ilya Vidrin, among others. Aliza has been an artist in residence at Bearnstow in Maine, and is currently in the creation process of a new work.
They are a dance teacher who works with students ranging in age from 5-18 and have taught professional contemporary classes through VLA Dance. Aliza is an arts manager working for Zamana Art, a company that provides professional development through the lens of Art in Creativity. Aliza continues to seek and advocate for diversity in creative spaces.
Hannah Laski
Dancer
Hannah Laski is a dancer and artist from Los Angeles, California and is currently in their final year at the Boston Conservatory. They are extremely grateful to be a part of "Unchosen" and very excited to be performing in two pieces choreographed by Carmen S. Rizzo. Hannah is tremendously inspired by everyone involved in this show and feels very fortunate to have the opportunity to dance alongside all these artists.
"Unchosen" is equally fortunate to have Hannah onboard!
Olivia Moon
Dancer
While pole dance has become most of her identity, Olivia Moon (she/he/they) is also a photographer, sock-lover, boy, martini enthusiast, princess, and simp. Based in Boston, Olivia is curious about pushing boundaries and buttons of all sorts; WBUR named her as one of 15 artists of color making an impact in Boston. A recent recipient of the Next Steps for Boston Dance award, Olivia experiments with fusing the fluidity of contemporary dance with the sensuality and athleticism of pole dance. Their home is within the dynamism of performance and visual artistry; the possibility for range and contradiction of character and gender excite her.
You can find her grooving at @mooningeveryone and snapping pix at @halfasianlens on Instagram.
Thank you!
I couldn't have done it without you
Thank you to the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture for providing me with a grant that partially funded this project.
Thank you to Boston Moving Arts for the awarding me with the Creative Soul Residency, which allowed me to develop my choreographic voice and reflect on my need for movement in a whole new way. This show wouldn't have come to fruition without the opportunity and the commitment of getting myself into a dance studio for approximately 6h/week.
Thank you to Kristin Wagner, for not only trusting me to carry her vision forward in a generous offering of her work. She also was one of the first people (if not the absolute first) to believe I could carry this production forward. Thank you for always knowing what to say, always having a supportive answer, and for reminding me with words and actions that I am capable and that I have the support to do the thing.
Thank you to my dancers for trusting me, being patient with me, allowing me to make mistakes, offering insights, and (maybe) most importantly, giving me the greatest gift that is your time, energy and artistry. I hope you have felt chosen, every moment in this process.
Thank you to Jennifer Magnuson who so generously took the promotional photos and videos for "Unchosen".
Thank you to the generous ticket sponsors who provided free tickets to a group of dance professionals & students. Thank you for boosting the dance community on both the audience side and the production side.
Thank you to my family and friends who have shown me an incredible amount of unwavering support throughout the years. Whether you just recently came into my life or have been around since '97, thank you for being here. Thank you for getting me food when I had no time to or forgot to. Thank you for letting me take up some of your time and space. Thank you for listening to my endless podcasts. Thank you for dancing it out with me. Thank you for opening my mind to opportunities I wouldn't have seen on my own. I am only here because of you.