In addition to Evans’ piece, this year’s “Master Choreographers” features an original work by guest choreographer Yoshito Sakuraba, as well as works by five Muhlenberg dance faculty: Heidi Cruz-Austin, alumna of the Pennsylvania Ballet; Karen Dearborn, founder and chair of Muhlenberg’s dance program; Megan Flynn, artistic director of Megan Flynn Dance Company; Shelley Oliver, director of Shelley Oliver Tap Dancers; and Randall Anthony Smith, former dancer with Armitage Gone!“This concert presents a spectacular evening of dance,” says Dearborn, the Muhlenberg dance program’s founder and the concert’s artistic director. “We are thrilled to showcase a restaging work from two world-class guest artists, as well as our talented faculty choreographers.”

A Guggenheim Fellow and internationally known performer and choreographer of modern dance and rhythm tap dance, Bill Evans has created more than 275 works for more than 65 professional companies throughout the world. “For Betty,” the piece he has restaged at Muhlenberg, is among his best-known pieces. A tribute to his teacher Elizabeth R. Hayes (1911-2007), the work premiered in 1970. In its Muhlenberg restaging, it maintains its original structure but includes movement contributions from the Muhlenberg dancers.

“I choreographed the work when I was 29,” Evans says, “and at the time I was deeply immersed in the classic modern dance styles. The piece requires musical precision — it requires lots of leaps, lots of jumps, and the dancers had to come into rehearsal conditioned and prepared for the physical challenges.

“It’s been a challenging experience and I would say an uplifting experience,” he says, “because I’ve loved seeing these dancers dig deep inside and find the best of themselves and really bring themselves to this challenge.”

Guest artist Yoshito Sakuraba has created an abstract contemporary piece he says is “infused with bits of ballet technique, with moments of break-dancing elements.”

Sakuraba is founding artistic director of New York City-based contemporary dance company Abarukas, and an award-winning choreographer. His works have been staged around the country and the world.

“Before I was a choreographer I studied visual arts,” he says. “I was a huge fan of (abstract painter) Jackson Pollock, and I’m a very visual person. I like to focus my attention on imagery and shapes, and leave the narrative to the audience. I think that’s the best way to describe my work: abstract and visual.”

Muhlenberg faculty member Heidi Cruz-Austin staged a new modern ballet titled “Tower 7,” inspired by the novel “The Book of Phoenix” by Nnedi Okorafor.

“The piece explores the colonization of mind and body and what it does to your psyche,” Cruz-Austin says. “I was interested in what happens when you gain the strength to transcend — and where you go from there.”

Tap choreographer Shelley Oliver will restage a work she premiered in 2013, “Cascades,” performed to live jazz music by the David Leonhardt Trio.

Other works premiering in the concert include the modern piece “Agape’s Touch: Beyond Earthly Attachment,” by Randall Anthony Smith; “shutter speed,” by Megan Flynn; and a ballet by Karen Dearborn.

Pattie Bostick, a longtime faculty member with Muhlenberg’s dance program, will receive the LVAIC Dance Consortium Award following the Feb. 7 performance. The award is presented annually by the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges Dance Consortium.

“Master Choreographers” runs Nov. 6-8 in the Empie Theatre, in the Baker Center for the Arts, Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown.

Performances are Thursday and Friday, Feb. 6-7, at 8 p.m.; and Saturday, Feb. 8, at 2 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for patrons 17 and under; and $8 for students, faculty and staff of all LVAIC colleges.  For groups of 15 or more, tickets are $13.

Tickets and information are available at 484-664-3333 or muhlenberg.edu/dance.

The Mainstage performance series is produced by Muhlenberg College’s acclaimed Theatre & Dance Department, The Princeton Review consistently ranks Muhlenberg’s production program in the top 20 in the nation, including a No. 7 ranking in its current college guide. The Fiske Guide to Colleges lists both the theatre and dance programs among the top small college programs in the United States.

Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is a highly selective, private, four-year residential college located in Allentown, Pa., approximately 90 miles west of New York City. With an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 2200 students, Muhlenberg College is dedicated to shaping creative, compassionate, collaborative leaders through rigorous academic programs in the arts, sciences, business, education and public health. A member of the Centennial Conference, Muhlenberg competes in 22 varsity sports. Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Choreographer Bios

Bill Evans is the founder and director of the Bill Evans Dance Company. BEDCO has appeared in all 50 states, throughout Mexico and Canada, and in 19 other countries. (Evans’ dance research has taken him to another ten.) He danced, choreographed and served as artistic coordinator with Repertory Dance Theatre from 1967 through 1974 and also served as artistic director of Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, Canada’s oldest modern dance company. He is visiting professor emeritus at SUNY College at Brockport and distinguished professor emeritus at the University of New Mexico. He was recently the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts’ Fellowship in choreography. Previous honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Dance Education Organization, Dance Teacher Magazine and the American Dance Guild, an honorary doctorate from the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, the Outstanding Service Award from the National High School Dance Festival, the Distinguished Dance Alumni Award from the University of Utah, an Honorary Membership from the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, and many other awards. He was named one of three favorite world tap dancers in the Dance Magazine Readers’ Poll. He served on the boards of American College Dance Association and the National Dance Education Organization and was Vice President for performance for the National Dance Association. On August 9, 2020, he will celebrate his 80th birthday with a performance at the McCurdy Pavilion in Port Townsend, Washington, his home since fall of 2018. The 24nd annual Bill Evans Teachers Institute and 8th annual Somatic Dance Conference and Performance Festival will be held at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY, July 6-12, 2020, at Fort Worden State Park, August 2-15, 2020. Visit www.billevansdance.orgfor more information.

Yoshito Sakuraba is founding artistic director of Abarukas and an award-winning choreographer. His work was seen in Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, Israel, Mexico, and the U.S. He won the International Choreographic Competition at NW Dance Project and Choreographic Shindig at Whim W’Him in the U.S. He was awarded for Best Choreography Award in Italy at FINI Dance Festival and Audience Award at Masdanza International Contemporary Dance Festival in Spain. He’s commissioned to create a work from Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, NW Dance Project, Whim W’Him, Ballet Des Moines, Ballet Arkansas, DAF Italy, Nimbus Dance, LITVAKdance, DanceLab NY, Graham II, Alvin Ailey/Fordham University, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Peabody/Johns Hopkins University, HSPVA, IAA, Making Moves Dance Festival, Dance Gallery Festival/Level Up, FINI Dance Festival, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Jamaica Performing Arts Center, Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, and more. Broadway Dance World describes his work as, “I witnessed a true work of art…Mr. Sakuraba’s brilliant mind for choreography has captivated me… extreme creativity, fine detail, and high level dancing.” He founded Abarukas in the fall of 2012, and the Company performed at BAM Fisher, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out Series in 2014 and 2016, Palm Desert Choreography Festival, Pan Asian Dance Festival, DanceNow at Joe’s Pub, Dance Gallery Festival/Level Up (Commission), Making Moves Dance Festival (Commission), LaMama Moves Dance Festival, WestFest, APAP Showcase at Peridance as well as a residency and performance at Kaatsbaan International Dance Center. He’s also presented his work for International Solo Tanz Theater Festival (Germany), Gdansk Dance Festival (Poland), Masdanza International Contemporary Dance Festival (Spain), Mash International Choreography Festival (Israel), and FIDCDMX (Mexico), Festival 10 Sentidos (Spain), and FINI Dance Festival (Italy). He was invited to present his work “Coming Home” for the Masdanza Extensions Tour in 2018 to perform in the seven islands of the Canary Islands. He’s been featured in NY1 as well as Bric TV on Spectrum Cable Channel. He has taught workshops at Amsterdam Dance Centre (Netherlands), DAF Dance Arts Faculty (Italy), The Playground (NYC), Dance Theater of Harlem (NYC), FINI Dance Festival (Italy), Open Dance Festival (Iowa), and more. He currently teaches at Peridance, GIBNEY, and the Martha Graham School. He will create a new production for 2020-2021 with a London-based composer with support from Rabbit Island Foundation and Rozsa Center at Michigan Technological University.

Heidi Cruz-Austin has studied at the School of American Ballet and The Pennsylvania Ballet, where she received an apprenticeship in 1994, and joined the Company as a member of the Corps de Ballet in 1995. Ms. Cruz-Austin has danced numerous featured roles for various choreographers, including Val Caniparoli, Ben Stevenson, Alvin Ailey, Margo Sappington, Christopher d’Amboise, and Matthew Neenan. She has also had featured roles in many George Balanchine ballets. Ms. Cruz-Austin has also danced with the Philadelphia-based company Ballet X and has performed as a guest artist through the United States and Europe. Ms. Cruz-Austin received her MFA in dance from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. As a choreographer, she was a winner in the 2003 Ballet Builders showcase in New York City and has been commissioned to create works for Muhlenberg College, Franklin and Marshall College, Bryn Mawr College, and Repertory Dance Theatre. She was a recipient of the 2004-2005 New Edge Residency at the Community Education Center of Philadelphia and a 2008 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. She is currently a co-director of a Trenton-based contemporary ballet company called, DanceSpora, which is the resident dance company of the Passage Theater Company in Trenton, NJ. In addition to our local performances, DanceSpora has been invited to perform at many prestigious festivals and events including; Jacob’s Pillow Festival in Massachusetts, NYC10 Festival, Koresh “Come Together” Festival in Philadelphia, The Outlet Dance Festival at the Grounds For Sculpture, and the Independence Seaport Museum’s Tides of Freedom: African Presence on the Delaware River exhibit opening.

Karen Dearborn has choreographed over 70 works in concert, theatre, and musical theatre, including national tours of the Tony Award-winning National Theatre of the Deaf, and for several Equity theatres. Recently, she has provided choreography for the Muhlenberg Mainstage productions of On the Town, The Pajama Game, The Other Shore, Oklahoma!, Urinetown, Cabaret, and West Side Story, and Summer Music Theatre productions of A Chorus Line, Hello Dolly, Crazy for You, Hairspray, The Music Man, The Mikado, The Sound of Music, The Who’s Tommy, Fiddler on the Roof, Carousel, Annie Get Your Gun, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Guys and Dolls, and Oliver! She also regularly choreographs dance works for Master Choreographers. Ms. Dearborn is the founding director of Muhlenberg’s Dance Program. Her scholarly research has been published in The Journal of Dance Education, and she contributed an essay to the book Performing Magic on the Western Stage. Ms. Dearborn is the recipient of the 2015 Arts Ovation Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Performing Arts, the 2015 Dance Serve Award from the LVAIC Dance Consortium, the 2010 Spira Award for Distinguished Teaching, the 2003 Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. She serves as treasurer of the American College Dance Association and chair of the Support and Mentoring Committee for the CORPS de Ballet International.

Megan Flynn is an assistant professor of dance at Muhlenberg College, and serves as a faculty mentor and co-artistic director for the Muhlenberg Community Dance Center. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree in dance from the University of California, Irvine, and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance, summa cum laude, from Newcomb College of Tulane University. Flynn studied at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London, England, where she earned a professional diploma in dance studies. She has danced professionally with David Parker & The Bang Group, Eliza Miller Dance, Kathy Westwater, and EgoArt, Inc. in New York City and Boston. Currently, Flynn is the artistic director of the Philadelphia-based Megan Flynn Dance Company, and is a performer/choreographer with The NADINE Project, a choreographic collective under the direction of Janet Soares and Libby Nye. Flynn’s choreography has been presented in Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, England and Spain. Performances abroad include: Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Scotland); Daghdha Mentoring Program (Ireland); Brighton Fringe (England); Resolution! Festival (England); The Russia Project (Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Ekaterinburg); and the Dance Improvisation & Choreography Festival (Andalucía, Spain). She previously taught at UC Irvine, MiraCosta College, and Milton Academy, and as a guest teacher for the Delaware Valley Dance Academy, Summer Stages Dance at Concord Academy and the Boston Ballet’s Summer Dance Program.

Shelley Oliver is a Canadian-born tap dancer, choreographer, and educator. She has appeared internationally with some of the legends of the tap world including Savion Glover, Gregory Hines, Steve Condos, Jimmy Slide, and Chuck Green. Ms. Oliver is a founding member of Manhattan Tap, touring concert halls and festivals worldwide.  She was the artistic director of the Shelley Oliver Tap Dancers for fifteen years, touring with the David Leonhardt Jazz Group throughout the northeast, as well as a guest soloist with The River City Brass in Pittsburgh and Le Sextet Clic-Clac-Cloc in Switzerland. Her television appearances include Tap Dance in America with Gregory Hines and the original Star Search.  She has conducted lecture demonstrations for Lincoln Center, New York City Public Schools and universities throughout the United States. On faculty at Muhlenberg College, she is currently a lecturer in JazzTap and directs The Muhlenberg JazzTap Ensemble. Ms. Oliver has choreographed various productions for Muhlenberg, most recently Summer Theater’s Anything Goes.

Randall Anthony Smith is an assistant professor of dance at Muhlenberg College. He is a former dancer of Armitage Gone! Dance and Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre, both located in New York City. He currently performs work with Megan Flynn Dance Company (Philadelphia) and has been seen in works by Jeffrey Peterson throughout upstate New York and Minneapolis. Smith serves as a répétiteur and assistant to legendary choreographer Donald McKayle, having performed with McKayle’s Etude Ensemble for four years. He maintains a practice of performing, restaging, and interpreting McKayle’s repertory, creating his own dance works and teaching dance nationally. Smith earned his MFA in dance from the University of California, Irvine. His most recent performance credits include dancing for acclaimed ballerina and choreographer Jodie Gates in Mein Zimmer (2012), work by Taiwanese choreographer Bulareyaung Pagarlava, Shen Wei (NYC), zoe|juniper (Seattle), as well as WOW, an experimental opera created in 2014 by Joe Diebes, Christian Hawkey, and Adam Levin. In 2015, Smith restaged McKayle’s “The Fight” (from the musical Golden Boy, starring Sammy Davis, Jr.) for The American Dance Machine for the 21st Century (NYC). In the summer of 2016, he performed in Philip Glass’s opera, Witches of Venice, commissioned by Opera Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, New York. Smith received a Distinguished Alumni Award at the 46th Annual Lauds and Laurels Awards Ceremony at the University of California, Irvine in 2016. In 2018, Smith restaged excerpts of Donald McKayle’s Rainbow Round My Shoulder for DeSales University (Center Valley). He is a current Pilates instructor and will be embarking on his Yoga certification in 2019. His latest choreographic credits include: SpringUP Dance Festival (Allentown), Swifts Shifts of Identity, co-choreographed and performed with Megan Flynn, for the Built on Stilts Dance Festival (Martha’s Vineyard), Koresh Artist Showcase and Come Together Dance Festival (Philadelphia). In 2019 Smith and Flynn performed Swift Shifts of Identity at the American College Dance Association Northeast Conference at The College at Brockport (SUNY), as well as premiered two new dance works, Fragments, for the Lehigh Valley Charter Arts High School (Bethlehem) and Rock ‘n Rhythm at Cedar Crest Community College (Allentown).