2025 CCBC Dance Company
Fall Concert

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Director's Note

The CCBC Dance Company welcomes you to our Fall Concert; it is wonderful to share our art with you. This concert features work by CCBC faculty, and our guest artist Tanya Chianese. Each piece in the performance comes from the unique viewpoint of the choreographer, and we hope that you take time to ponder and think about each of the works after the performance.

We are pleased to share Tanya Chianese’s new choreographic work that was created for the CCBC Dance Company during an intense residency in September. During this weeklong residency, the students worked with Tanya to discover more about their individual potential for movement and worked with her to create this work that we are pleased to share with you in the concert. The residency also included masterclasses for students from BCPS and CCBC.

As I have watched the dancers work throughout the past several weeks and continue to grow as artists and individuals, I am reminded we need to continue to find a way to share the exquisite wonder of movement and meaning. I hope that you discover something about yourself and the art of dance as you watch these works.

As CCBC Performing Arts is focused on “A Beautiful Mess” with the idea to promote freedom of expression without judgement and to challenge the concept of constantly striving for perfection, we continue to dance and create; we continue to find how art creates belonging in our lives. Enjoy the Concert!

Melinda Blomquist
Artistic Director, CCBC Dance Company
Professor and Dance Program Coordinator

The CCBC Dance Company

Ariel Batt-Martinez | Kenea Dorsey | Angel Farabee
Alexis Gibson | LeAnn Jones |Jarah Lyles
Chanel Marshall | Christa Morrison-Saulsbury
Andre Payne, Jr | Cheyenne Viereck |Anna Mae Webb

Program

Aquarius

(Premiere)
Choreography: Adrienne Kraus Latanishen
Dancers: Ariel Batt-Martinez, Kenea Dorsey, Angel Farabee, Alexis Gibson, LeAnn Jones, Chanel Marshall, Christa Morrison-Saulsbury, Cheyenne Viereck
Music: Move on Up by Curtis Mayfield
Music edited by: Adrienne Kraus Latanishen
Costume Design: Adrienne Kraus Latanishen
Rehearsal Assistant Director: Stephanie Rafferty

Crossworlds

(Premiere)
Choreography: Andre Payne
Dancer: Andre Payne
Music: Don’t Wake Me Up by Chris Brown
Costume Design: Andre Payne
Faculty Mentors: Melinda Blomquist and Kristi Schaffner

The Choice (re)Taken

(Premiere)
Choreography: Melinda Blomquist
Dancers: Ariel Batt-Martinez, Kenea Dorsey, Angel Farabee, LeAnn Jones, Chanel Marshall
Music: Bend by Peter Martin
Music edited by: Craig Blomquist
Costume Design: Melinda Blomquist

Lab Dance

(Premiere: 2024)
Choreography: Alice Howes
Dancers: LeAnn Jones, Christa Morrison-Saulsbury
Music: Lab Dance by Thomas Didier, Ritmo De Favela by Vermair
Costume Design: Alice Howes

Intermission – 10 minutes

Hard Things and Soft Things

(Premiere)
Choreography: Kristi Schaffner
Dancers: Kenea Dorsey, LeAnn Jones, Christa Morrison-Saulsbury, Cheyenne Viereck
Music: Elements: Air & Fire and Elements: Water composed by Katerina Gimon; performed by Sora; Choral Director: Birgitte Naeslund Madsen. Elements: Fire composed by Katerina Gimon; conducted by Lynda Hasseler; performed by Texas All-State Treble Choir 2019
Costume Design: Kristi Schaffner

Rekhyt

(Premiere)
Choreography: Tommy Parlon
Dancer: Chanel Marshall
Music: Delsjön by Carbon Based Lifeforms
Costume Design: Tommy Parlon and Chanel Marshall

The Line Between

(Premiere)

Choreography: Tanya Chianese
Dancers: Ariel Batt-Martinez, Kenea Dorsey, Angel Farabee, Alexis Gibson, LeAnn Jones, Jarah Lyles, Chanel Marshall, Christa Morrison-Saulsbury, Andre Payne, Cheyenne Viereck, Anna Webb
Music: War Machines by Michael Wall, Insight XIV by Julien Marchal, Cabaret Aspirateur by Benoit Charest, Grandma on the Roof by Alex Weston, and Closure by Alex Kozobolis
Costume Design: Tanya Chianese
This work is funded in part by the Virgina Cretella Mars Foundation and The MACHT Fund of THE ASSOCIATED

Creative Team

Meet the Company

Ariel Batt-Martinez

Dancer

Ariel is in her second year at CCBC and dancing with the CCBC Dance Company. She graduated from Rosedale Christian Academy and has studied dance at White Marsh Ballet Academy. Ariel is enjoying learning new styles of dance that she was not used to doing in her previous years of dance. She also enjoys meeting new people who also share a passion for dance. She shared: “After graduating high school, I didn't want to stop my love for dance. While going to school with a passion for nursing, I also wanted to keep my love for dance alive.”

Kenea Dorsey

Dancer

Kenea is in her second year as a dancer at CCBC and dancing with the CCBC Dance Company. She graduated from Centennial High School where she also was on a dance team at her high school. She previously studied at Jump, Move, Dance. She is enjoying making new friends and being able to experience new dances that she has never done before. Kenea shared: “I am dancing at CCBC because I want to be prepared for when I transfer to either UMBC or UMD and complete my four year degree and also because I want to keep my dance dream alive.”

Angel Farabee

Dancer

Angel is in her second year dancing with the CCBC Dance Company. Angel has been dancing since she was three years old. She is enjoying dancing with the CCBC Dance Company and working with all the choreographers and other dancers in the company.

Alexis Gibson

Dancer

Alexis has been dancing for 10 years, training at Danzations before joining the Dance Company at CCBC. A 2022 graduate of Hereford High School, they are currently pursuing a degree in journalism while continuing to explore their passion for dance. When not performing, they enjoy analyzing poetry and storytelling through movement.

LeAnn Jones

Dancer

LeAnn is in her second year dancing at CCBC. She went to Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts and danced in the dance magnet program. She has also danced at Morton Street Dance Center and White Marsh Ballet Academy. LeAnne shared: What I’m enjoying most about being in company is that this is my first year and I’m getting to experience everything.”

Jarah Lyles

Dancer

Jarah is in her first year dancing at CCBC. She graduated from Mercy High School. Jarah is happy to have the opportunity not just to dance, but to perform for the first time in a long time! Jarah shared: I am dancing at CCBC rediscovering my love for dance and what the creative form of expression can positively add to my life.

Chanel Marshall

Dancer

Chanel is in her second year dancing at CCBC. In October of 2014, she was awarded the opportunity to dance with the Ava Fields Dance Ministry. Since being a part of CCBC Dance Company, she has been meeting and working with many amazing choreographers and their preferred dance styles; which she enjoys. Chanel shared that “It is like a breath of fresh air to be able to dance alongside other creatives and dance majors who share the same passion. In our short time together, I’ve noticed the growth in confidence, skills, and relationships in my dance peers and within myself. It has been an encouraging and inspiring experience thus far.” Chanel shared the following story about what brought her to dance at CCBC: I would dare to say that I was led to choose CCBC for dance. It is a part of my faith walk. When praying about which community college to attend, I kept coming across the colors blue and orange. I discovered that the color blue, represents God’s Word; which He had given me a year or two prior. And orange, represents passionate praise and God's fire. CCBC had the colors that God kept showing me, and since my dance background is in liturgical/praise dance, I knew that this is where He was directing me. It is my hope and prayer, that every movement I make glorifies God and ministers the heart of God to someone.” *2025 recipient of the Carole Drake Cascio Dance Scholarship

Christa Morrison-Saulsbury

Dancer

Christa is in her second year dancing at CCBC and with the CCBC Dance Company. She graduated from Digital Harbor Learning Program (VLP) and has previously studied at Deve’s Christian School of Performing Arts and with the Philadelphia Christian Church Performing Arts Ministry, Baltimore, under the direction of Claudia Braithwaite. Christa is enjoying dancing at CCBC and the fact that she gets to meet new people, making friends, and being part of the CCBC Dance Company. She shared the following about why she is dancing at CCBC: “I feel that CCBC is providing a great start for completing my performing arts degree.” *2025 recipient of the McDonald Family Scholarship

Andre Payne Jr.

Dancer

Andre Breaks is in his third year dancing in the CCBC Dance Company. He graduated from New Town High School and has trained in with the Merrit Clubs Training Center and now continues his training at LA Fitness. Andre enjoys the learning process of building up a foundation for choreography and dance. He feels that the new challenges help him create new ideas and new pathways to improve his technique and develop as a dancer. Andre is learning more about the choreographic process and how to create and share dance as a form of communication. He feels that it is an art that expresses one’s emotion and feeling. *2025 recipient of the Carole Drake Cascio Dance Scholarship

Cheyenne Viereck

Dancer

Cheyenne is in her first year dancing with the CCBC Dance Company. She graduated from Pennsville Memorial High School and has danced with the Pennsville Community Performing Arts Troupe. Cheyenne is enjoying being able to meet new people, learning new technical skills, and feeling confident in herself. She is also able to push herself to become better than the day before. Cheyenne shared that she is dancing at CCBC “to learn new life experiences and become a better version of myself and not even as a dancer but overall, as a person plus getting a fresh start in life and start a career path eventually.”

Anna Mae Webb

Dancer

Anna Mae is in her first year dancing with the CCBC Dance Company. She began dancing at the age of 3, and her love for dance has been a constant in her life ever since. After studying at various studios, spending 7 years in competitive dance, and training in the John Carroll Preparatory Dance Program and at the University of Tampa, Anna decided to take a two-year break from dance. She rekindled her passion for dance after attending a 6-week summer intensive at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. That experience reignited a spark in her, and she returned to the dance world by joining the CCBC Dance Company. Anna's enjoying taking on a new perspective on dance and what it means to her while being on the company.

Melinda Blomquist

Artistic Director /Program Coordinator/Choreographer

Melinda holds an M.F.A. in Dance Choreography and Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Master of Arts in Dance Pedagogy from Brigham Young University. Melinda has presented her choreographic work at numerous venues nationally and internationally including the Mid-Atlantic and South-Central American College Dance Festival, Northwest Vista College, Towson University, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the Attakkalari Festival in Bangalore India. Melinda was names the 2024 Teacher of the Year in Higher Education by the Maryland Dance Education Association. Currently Melinda is a Professor of Dance at the Community College of Baltimore County, and she also serves as the Program Coordinator and the Artistic Director for the CCBC Dance Company. Melinda has also worked with Trajectory Dance Project and with the Theatre and Music departments as a choreographer for Musical Theatre productions in Arizona, Texas and Maryland including The Fantasticks, Fiddler on the Roof, Good News, and She Loves Me. Melinda is involved in community outreach, focusing on promoting the importance of dance as art form in public education. She has provided workshops and master classes in Texas, Alaska, and Maryland to students at the Elementary, Middle, and High School levels. She currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Deep Vision Dance Company and served as the President/Past-President of the Maryland Dance Education Association from 202-2024. To learn more about the Dance Program visit: www.ccbcmd.edu/dance

Alice Howes

Choreographer

Alice is a dance artist and educator who is director of Trajectory Dance Project, a Baltimore-based modern dance ensemble. She has held full-time faculty positions at universities including Coppin State University, UNC Charlotte, and Lamar University.  In addition, she served from 1995 to 2004 as artistic director and resident choreographer of Washington, D.C.’s Sister’s Trousers Dance Company, a modern dance ensemble based in the D.C. area. Sarah Kaufman of The Washington Post described Howes’ performance as “riveting, thrilling and deeply mysterious”.  Howes’ choreography has appeared in selective showcases at venues such as D.C.’s Dance Place, The Booth Theater in Charlotte, North Carolina and the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater and Millennium Stage. She holds an MA in dance from American University and an MFA in dance from Sam Houston State University. Howes also has earned a Certificate of Movement Analysis (CMA) from the Laban Institute of Movement Studies in New York City.

Adrienne Kraus Latanishen

Choreographer

Adrienne is proud to have graduated with honors from The Community College of Baltimore County with her A.A. in Dance.  She then transferred to The University of Maryland where she also graduated with honors with her B.A. in Dance.  Besides being an adjunct dance faculty member at CCBC, she dances professionally for Trajectory Dance Project and independently for herself.  Previously, she also danced for BlueShift Dance (principal dancer), The Collective (dancer, choreographer, educator), B3W of New York City, Andary Dance (soloist, principal dancer), and withhart.dance.projects (founding member, assistant director, soloist, principal dancer).  She was Director of Dance at St. Timothy's School, a private and boarding school for girls and she choreographed as Artist in Residence at Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts for numerous years.  Recently, Adrienne choreographed for The Salem Players Theatre Company, Northeast High School, and Baltimore Composers Forum. 

Tommy Parlon

Choreographer

Tommy a native of Washington, D.C., received his M.F.A. in Dance (Choreography and Technology) from Arizona State University and his B.F.A. in Dance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University. From 1998-2002 he was an Assistant Professor of Dance at Kent State University. While in New York City he danced with J. Fregalette Janson Dance, Centaur Dance Theatre, Beyondance Inc! and the Paris based multi-media performance art company FIASCO. Mr. Parlon has danced in pieces by Doug Varone, Stephen Petronio, Alvin Mayes, Laura Dean and Elizabeth Streb. In 1996-1998 he collaborated on Falling to Earth, an interactive multi-media performance piece created with the Institute for Studies in the Arts at Arizona State University. His choreography has been commissioned by Incidents Physical Theater of New York City, NEW ARTiculations in Tucson, Arizona, Lansing Chamber Dance in Michigan, and numerous colleges throughout the United States. He was awarded an Individual Artist Award in Solo Dance Performance from the Maryland State Arts Council in 2004 and an Artist Award in Choreography in 2007. Mr. Parlon is currently the Artistic Director of Tommy Parlon Dance Projects in Washington, D.C., and the Artistic Associate of Ground Zero Dance in Richmond.

Kristi Schaffner

Associate Director/Choreographer

Kristi attended the University of Oklahoma as a teaching fellow where she received her MFA in modern dance (2011). She also has BFA in dance education from Kent State University (2004).  Through a graduate student grant, she studied Laban Movement Analysis at the Laban Institute in NYC. Ms. Schaffner has performed with Jeslyn Dance Gallery, Clawson Dances, Junction Dance Theatre, and Tommy Parlon Dance Projects among others, and is a current dancer and Director of Education and Outreach for Dragonfly Dance Experiment. Her choreography has been presented across the country including Pittsburgh, Oklahoma City, Washington D.C., Annapolis, Baltimore, Salt Lake City and at the Howard County Dance Festival. A passion for education has inspired her to create and implement dance curricula for both preschools and charter school students diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. Ms. Schaffner is a current adjunct faculty member in the dance divisions of Anne Arundel Community College and the Community College of Baltimore County and is a frequent guest instructor and performer in schools and community events.

Tanya Chianese

Guest Choreographer

Named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" of 2019, Tanya Chianese is the Artistic Director of contemporary dance company ka·nei·see | collective (kaneisee.org and @kaneisee). Named after the phonetic combination of “can I see?” and Tanya’s Italian last name, the company creates vitalizing and accessible contemporary dance that promotes finding humor, appreciation, compassion, awareness, and most importantly perspective in our modern existence. Chianese's choreography has received fourteen festival invitations, eight commissions, five residencies, five tours, two awards, and endorsements by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Dianne Feinstein surrounding her social justice dance work addressing sexual harassment and assault. In addition to her work as a choreographer, Tanya has performed professionally throughout the United States and parts of China as a freelance dancer. Most recently in the Bay Area she has performed with Kristin Damrow & Company, Rogelio Lopez & Dancers, Garrett + Moulton Productions, and Paufve | Dance. She has taught at ODC/Dance, LINES Ballet, Shawl-Anderson Dance Center, Roco Dance, Berkeley Ballet Theater, San Francisco State University, and City College of San Francisco, among others. An advocator for dance outreach, Tanya traveled to Guatemala as guest choreographer with JUNTOS Collective in 2018 to perform and teach daily workshops across the country; she taught ballet to visually impaired adults and children in Oklahoma City, OK through a grant funded by Devon Energy in 2010; she directed the Kids on Track outreach program of the San Francisco Trolley Dances in 2012; and she co-taught free dance classes in low-income after school programs in Los Angeles, CA in 2006. In 2018 she was named by San Francisco magazine as "100 Artists Putting the East Bay on the Map," and was honored to be the guest speaker at San Francisco State University’s 2017 Graduation Ceremony. Formerly the Summer Program Director at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center, Tanya has worked as an administrator for Oklahoma City Ballet and multiple other non-profit organizations. Tanya holds a BFA in Modern Dance and BA in Art History from the University of Oklahoma. She is presently coming out of a six year semi-hiatus where she focused on birthing and raising her two small kiddos. "Whether her topic is hard-hitting or abstract, Chianese draws you along a story arc with a sense of theatrical composition that's rare among choreographers more than twice her age." -Dance Magazine, Jan 2019

Tammy Oppel, Madeline Baynard, Rebecca Rossello, Brittany Runk

Costume Support

Andrew Boeren, Kim O'Donnell

Shop Assistants/Stage Crew

Marc W. Smith

Technical Director/Lighting Designer

Amy Jones

Production Photographer

Lisa L. Boeren

Production Coordinator

Lisa has been the CCBC Box Office Manager for almost 25 years! Lisa brings over four decades of dedicated service to the Baltimore theatre community, marked by her extensive expertise in stage management and technical production. Throughout her career, she has overseen hundreds of productions across various esteemed venues including Cockpit in Court Summer Theatre, Dundalk Community Theatre, and Phoenix Festival Theatre, among others. Her roles have ranged from stage management and technical operations to props management, costume coordination, and more, demonstrating her versatility and commitment to ensuring flawless production execution. She has been the Administrative Manager for Cockpit in Court Summer Theatre for the last fifteen years. Lisa’s passion for theatre extends beyond technical proficiency; she has been instrumental in fostering collaborative environments, working closely with staff, administration, and boards of directors to enhance audience experiences and drive operational excellence. Lisa holds certifications in budgetary development, leadership management, and crowd management, as well as a Non-Profit Organization Management Workforce Certificate from CCBC, underscoring her proficiency in organizational management and operational oversight. Her dedication to theatre and community enrichment continues to inspire and elevate the arts scene in Baltimore.

Special Thanks

Dr. Sandra Kurtinitis
CCBC President
Dr. Joaquin Martinez
Provost & Vice President of Instruction
Dr. R. Michael Walsh
Dean, School of Arts & Communication
Irina Lapteva
Director of the Arts
Professor Nick VanHorn
Chair, Performing Arts and Humanities
Tommy Parlon
Arts Pathways Coordinator
Cathy Kratovil
Communications Assistant, School of Arts & Communication
Doug Heinle
Designer, CCBC Creative Services

CCBC School of Arts and Communication

Dr. R. Michael Walsh, Dean Professor
Professor Will Niebauer, Chair, Arts and Design
Professor Nick VanHorn, Chair, Performing Arts and Humanities
Professor Rebecca Minor, Chair, Communications
Irina Lapteva, Director of the Arts

The Arts at CCBC

Irina Lapteva, Director of the Arts
G. Maurice “Moe” Conn III, Technical Director
Jason Randolph, Technical Director
Marc Smith, Technical Director
David Martin, Assistant Technical Director
Lisa Boeren, Box Office Manager
Thom Purdy, Box Office Assistant
Cathy Kratovil, Communications Assistant
Lance Bankerd, Production Manager

Dance at CCBC

Professor Melinda Blomquist | Dance Company Artistic Director, Program Coordinator, Choreographer
Kristi Schaffner | Dance Company Associate Director, Choreographer
Adrienne Kraus Latanishen | Choreographer
Alice Howes | Choreographer
Tommy Parlon | Choreographer

Carole Cascio Fund for Mind Movement Dance Connections

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