About the Curator

jess pretty is on a quest for pleasure that transcends time and the spaces she claims to reside in. her practices include writing, teaching, cooking, singing, conjuring, and dancing.

pretty received an MFA in Dance with a minor in Queer Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. she has shown her work at the Chocolate Factory Theater, La Mama Experimental Theater Club (2017 La Mama Moves Festival), New York Live Arts (as a 2016/17 Fresh Tracks artist), CATCH!, Gibney Dance Center, Brooklyn Studios for Dance, the CURRENT SESSIONS, panoply performing arts space, Green Street Studios, and three ACDA conferences. pretty has been an artist in residence at Kent State (2017), the Chocolate Factory Theatre, and the Center for Performance Research (2019-2020) and was a 2020 member of the Queer Art Fellowship. pretty has collaborated and been a part of the works of: Will Rawls, Claudia Rankine, Kevin Beasley, Okwui Okpokwasili, Peter Born, Catherine Gallasso, David Thomson, Katie Workum, Niall Jones, Jennifer Monson, Cynthia Oliver, Leslie Cuyjet and Dianne McIntyre. pretty is the Director of AUNTS; a punk/DIY performance series that hosts events/festivals/shows to highlight the works of experimental dance makers in NYC and beyond.

pretty currently lives in Minneapolis, MN where she is an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

---

About the Artists & Works

wednesday morning

choreography, dance, cinematography, practical effects, editing, sound design | Kayla Schiltgen
music | Dean Sibinski
production assistance | Eric Elefson

right now, but also memory. where am I? today? wandering. it doesn't know itself yet, not fully. figuring it out. a mood, a feeling...happysad? light? heavy? numb? watching self inside an inner world, through a window, nose pressed against glass fogged by your breath. who am I? today? unremarkable. how am I? today? unwinding. rewinding. just a moment. bread and mental health.

wednesday morning is a work in progress. Special thanks to my teacher Laleh Mehran, my Shakerag cohort, Sherisa Oie, jess pretty, and the Walker technical staff.

Kayla Schiltgen is an artist from rural Two Harbors, Minnesota blending dance, film, and improvisation. In her creative practice, she experiments with the conditions of her current state and the world she wishes for as a compassionate way of tending to, coping with, and communicating her personal truth. Approaching the intimacy of her work with mundanity she invites audiences into her process through screendance, installations, and live performances, nurturing connections that activate greater care for self, one another, and the earth.

Kayla’s work has been showcased at regional, national, and international venues and film festivals. This marks her fourth presentation at Walker Art Center’s Choreographers’ Evening. Her work is supported by multiple Minnesota State Arts Board and Arrowhead Regional Arts Council grants. She is a 2022 Upstream Artist Fellow and has been recognized as a creative leader in the Upper Midwest by Springboard for the Arts. Kayla is a passionate advocate for rural communities and art. You can learn more about her work on social media @kaylaschiltgen and at kaylaschiltgen.com

Interstice

Choreographed and Performed by Ella Kooyer and Vy Nguyen
sound credits: CHRIS10077
we want to thank jess pretty for her help in the process.

an exploration of the "null" or empty space found in transitional periods of life. Through tender and durationally transformative movement, we ask: what happens when we hold each other tighter, live and linger in these lulls? an active practice and discovery from two friends entering the undefined world of afters that become befores.

Vy Nguyen is a first generation Vietnamese-American dance artist based in Minneapolis, MN. They hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Minnesota. Their choreographies are informed by deep reflection of lived experiences, some of which they've shared with Ella Kooyer. Vy has been conjuring artistic endeavors with Kooyer since 2022. Most recently, performing with Kooyer in a gallery show directed by artist Vernon Vanderwood. In Vy's final year of undergrad, she choreographed and co-produced a multimedia screen dance film in collaboration with local dancers and multimedia artist Olivia Smith. Vy is in continued collaboration with dance artist Ella Kooyer for the Walker Art Center’s Choreographer’s Evening (2024). Vy is most interested in utilizing dance and the corporeal body as a language to strengthen their connection to others and deepen their understanding of the landscapes that surround them. She desires creation of soft and intimate moments.

 For Ella Kooyer, dancing is a path to warmth, healing, and joy. Currently a Saint Paul resident, they were born downriver in Mississippi and raised in North Dakota. Like the twisting river, Ella’s dance training changed, grew, and expanded through time. Although starting in Ballet-based styles, they studied modern and contemporary dance techniques at the University of Minnesota, where they earned a bachelor’s degree in dance and French Studies (oui!). Ella has been in process with Dr. Gaynell Sherrod, Shapiro and Smith Dance Company, and theatre companies throughout the Twin Cities. They are honored to be in collaboration with dance artist Vy Nguyen, with whom they share a passion for deeply investigating dance through choreography (and a love for scarves).  At the moment, Ella is interested in accessible dancemaking for not only the eyes to enjoy, and how our words cast spells from the inside out.

Southbound Acceptance (2024 edition)

Created and Performed by Gabriel Anderson

I have been performing iterations of Southbound Acceptance for over a decade. I consider it a living document, always evolving and reflecting upon the subject matter (old and new) that arises for me in revisiting the material, finding new and emerging relevance each time it is performed. Thank you to jess pretty for the opportunity to share this iteration of Southbound Acceptance. 

Gabriel Anderson is a freelance performing arts professional. As a performer, he has worked with numerous choreographers and companies, most recently performing as a guest artist and collaborator with ARENA DANCES in their Fall 2024 repertory season. His own work has been performed at venues such as The Southern Theater, The Ritz Theater, The Walker Art Center, Space Place Theater, and The Wellspring Theater/Regional Alternative Dance Festival. Gabriel maintains a practice of creating and performing solo, improvisational, and collaborative-based performance works. He holds graduate degrees in the performing arts and public health.

Excerpts from “From Tokyo to Brooklyn: A Jagged Journey”

Choreographed and Performed by Jinza Thayer
Rehearsal Direction by Laurie Van Wieren
Additional Rehearsal Direction by Erin Thompson

After spending the first six years in Japan and Southeast Asia, D. Jinza Thayer grew up in Brooklyn, New York.  She graduated from Johns Hopkins University and received an MFA in Dance at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.  She has created over 60 original works including eight full-length evening works.  She presents her work as Movement Architecture – a blend of dance and theater in structured environments.   She has been performing and choreographing for about three decades and has received some awards along the way.  Some include being a two-time semi-finalist for France’s Rencontres choregraphiques internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis (Bagnolet); a 2010 SAGE Award for Concept and Design; and two McKnight Artist Fellowships, among others. This is her first time being a part of Choreographer's Evening -- she is happy to share this space with some incredible artists.

Rumination

Choreographed and Performed by Davente Gilreath
Music: "If It's Magic" by Stevie Wonder

Gratitude and Desire 

Davente Gilreath was born and raised in Minneapolis. His dance training began at Perpich Center for Arts Education where he was exposed to styles of dance including modern, ballet, jazz, african, and contact improvisation. Gilreath furthered his dance training at the University of Minnesota where he worked with professors such as Ananya Chatterjea, Erin Thompson, and Toni Pierce‐Sands. During this time he was also able to perform and create work with Minnesota‐based companies such as Threads Dance Project and Contempo Physical Dance. Gilreath Joined Garth Fagan Dance in 2014 and during his 8 years with the company performed numerous key works from the Fagan cannon around the country including new works choreographed by PJ Pennewell the company director. He was promoted to senior company member and appointed the Director of the Garth Fagan Dance Student Ensemble. Gilreath is now a dance instructor at The University of Minnesota.

Warm Front

Performed by Maggie Bergeron and Nicholas Gaudette

This piece of music was written in response to a rain storm that cleared the hazardous air quality during the summer of 2022. Turbulence settles the air for something new.

Renegade bassist Nick Gaudette is a seasoned performer, educator, creator, and arts collaborator. His unique individualized sound is rooted in classical conservatory training but also embraces jazz, rock, folk, tango, and contemporary new sounds for the upright bass. Nick is a founding member and bassist with the Orange Mighty Trio (hybrid chamber-fiddle music), the Cherry Spoon Collective (multi-generational group of composers/musicians) and is a frequent collaborator /composer for modern dance. During the school year, Nick directs the advanced orchestras at Edina High School and is an active member in the field of music education. Nick is a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative recipient, a Cedar Commission Artist, an EdFund grant recipient, outdoors person, motorcyclist, and dad.

Maggie Bergeron dances, choreographs, curates, produces, teaches, improvises, and writes. She savors the messiness, frustration, and discovery that accompany creating and performing in collaboration with others. For 15 years Maggie has created and performed alongside musician and composer Nicholas Gaudette. Her work has been seen locally at Studio Z with Zeitgeist, the Southern Theater, Red Eye Theater, Walker Art Center and Bryant Lake Bowl and nationally at Interlochen Arts Academy, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and Keshet Dance Company. Maggie graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy and holds a BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota. She is a Licensed K-12 Dance Instructor, holds a Masters of Arts in Teaching, and currently works to make teaching visible and valued at the U of MN through faculty engagement. She is grateful to her two wild animals children, husband, and dog who keep her in a state of awe and wonder.

I’m not holding what you’re holding but I could be

Performed by Tamin Totzke, Leslie O’Neill, and Laura Osterhaus

This is an improvised trio.

Leslie O’Neill, Laura Osterhaus, and Tamin Totzke are an improvisation trio weaving together our collective research of improvisational practices and performance. Laura is currently a dance educator at St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists and the University of Minnesota and artistic associate to Shakia “The Key” Barron in addition to being a member of Kia the Key & Company. Tamin recently moved from Seattle where she danced for 10 years with AVID, an ensemble improvisation company and taught dance at the University of Washington. After 13 years of performing with Zenon Dance Company, Leslie is enjoying collaborations with Arena Dances, and regular gatherings in the studio with friends and fellow improvisation researchers. 

offr'n // unb'come (cont)

Performer: Juliet Irving
Sound Design: Juliet Irving
Costume: mama's yard work clothes
Props: Whitni and Juliet Irving

a glimpse into the ongoing series of work I am. We are.

witness the offering of the fahmah. an invitation to ancestral infinity. a story a time a space where we have been and not yet gone.

when we have gone and not yet been. fahmah unearths the whispers and dreams spoken to the stars.

Juliet Irving(she) aka Sonny Dee(they) is a Black, femme multimedia artist, choreographer, writer, and graphic designer from Monetta, South Carolina. Invested in cultivating radical imagination and practices of tenderness in rural BIPOC communities, her multidisciplinary practice originates from a childhood spent crafting performances with her sister for a dedicated audience of cows. This evolved into a collaborative practice of immersing audiences and performers into worlds of possibility integrating environmental installation, improvisation, and audience interaction. Juliet earned an MFA in Embodied-Interdisciplinary-Praxis and Master’s Certificate in African & African-American Studies (Duke University), and a BA in Dance Studies and BFA in Graphic Design (Appalachian State University). They presented work at Red Eye's NW4W, Schaefer Center, ADF, MOCO, and CADD, and performed alongside Douglas R. Ewart, Joanna Kotze, Thomas F. DeFrantz, and as a member of Ananya Dance Theatre. In 2025's NextGen Choreolab, Sonny premieres new work and invites curiosity/collaborations/collective imaginings at www.julietirving.com.

Xyl'em & Phlo'em

Performers: Dane Cree & Rachel Lieberman
Animation & Costume: Dane Cree
Choreography & Sound: Rachel Lieberman

Mixing original animation, movement, and sound, this work explores interconnectedness and shapeshifting of place and experience. Amidst imagery of trees and forests, dancers are imagined both in the woods, through the woods, and as the woods.

Growing up, Rachel Lieberman trained, performed, and taught primarily with Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. She moved to the Twin Cities to attend Macalester College, and graduated in Summa Cum Laude in 2018 with a BA in Geography. Rachel has since performed with Contempo Physical, Leila Awadallah, Off-Leash Area, A Cripple’s Dance, ARENA Dances, Javan Mngrezzo, Annika Johansson, and Analog Dance Works, and is currently performing with Black Label Movement and Zoë Koenig. Primarily a movement artist, Rachel also enjoys playing in textile arts, textual arts, sound, set, and costume design and construction, and visual arts. She has choreographed solo and group works presented by Alternative Motion Project, Franconia Sculpture Garden, Candy Box Dance Festival, Black Label Movement, and the Walker Art Center. Off-stage, Rachel works as a Program Director at Cow Tipping Press, teaching and publishing creative writing by adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities.

Dane Cree is a 2013 BFA graduate from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, specializing in experimental animation and mural painting. His dance journey began in high school theater and evolved through performances in Vanessa Voskuil’s ‘En Masse’ and explorations of contact improvisation, contemporary, and ecstatic dance. Dane's mural work, initiated with Elissa Cedarleaf-Dahl, includes five murals at the Square Lake Film and Music Festival, with the latest completed in September 2024. Since 2017, he has contributed animations to Hellavision Television Network's local project and collaborated with various musical projects in the Twin Cities, notably creating portraits for Drone Not Drones in 2017 and 2024. His animated films have received international recognition and awards, including for "Dragon," a notable piece created with Cow Tipping Press in 2020.

Bare with me...KRUMP RE.search

Choreographed and performed by Tumelo Khupe
Music: part 2 by Smooth

KRUMP: Kingdom Radically Uplifted Mighty Praise. A continuous investigation of my inner-man's language, through the lens of KRUMP. I am in awe of how the human captures our lived experiences, and in awe of the One who created us.

Tumelo Khupe (alias Melo) is a movement artist, krumper, and emerging choreographer currently based in the Twin Cities, originally from Botswana. Her artistry investigates and explores how the body manifests lived experiences through movement. KRUMP (Kingdom Radically Uplifted Mighty Praise) is foundational in her work as it offers endless possibilities for storytelling through its technique and language. She makes use of some elements of theater to reveal these moments through freestyle or improvisation. The four pillars of her artistry are rawness, discovery, individuality, and spirituality which are vital in her creative process. She graduated with a BA in Music Theater with a minor in Dance. She was a Naked Stages Fellow (2022), Generating Room Fellow (2023), Next Step Fund grantee (2023), and most recently, a Mcknight Dancer Fellow (2024), and has performed with Emmy award-winning company, Hip Hop Nutcracker (2023).