On the Water

Full Program

“Scuttle”

Performed and choreographed by Elliott Ludovic

Music: “Living in the Past” by Jethro Tull, written and composed by Ian Anderson and Lou Toby

Excerpt from “Earth Intruders” performed by Björk, written by Björk, Danja Hills, and Tim Mosley

“Scuttle” imagines someone trapped on a 4ft x 4ft raft in the middle of the ocean after accidentally falling asleep while relaxing. Like a ship “scuttled” offshore, we should accept what fate is in front of us. From this, a new presence will grow, marking the beginning of a new, thriving ecosystem.

“rip”

Performed and choreographed by Rai Barnard

Music: “You've Got To Learn" by Nina Simone.

“rip” is a solo inspired by memories of family trips and rip tides along the Gulf Coast. There, rolling waves quietly become deadly currents, exhausting those who fight against them. The only way to safety: accept the forces at hand and choose a new direction.

“Between Swells”

Performed and choreographed by Cole Vernon

Music: Fantasy-Impromptu in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 66, Frederic Chopin

Between Swells explores the moments of calm between life’s inevitable storms. Like the tide, waves rise and crash before slowly receding, leaving behind a period of stillness before the next swell begins to build. This work lives in that space—the time before and after one of life’s most challenging waves comes crashing down. It reflects on the moments we often take for granted, when life feels easy, when we are moving freely and effortlessly, unaware that somewhere beyond the horizon, another swell is forming.

“Almost, Again”

Performed and choreographed by Renuka Rajagpalan

Music: “The Departure”, composed by Max Richter

Have you ever loved something you can no longer fully enter?

Water does that to me. The way it moves, shimmers, and calls... yes, it calls... I stand at its edge, knowing all it is capable of. The longing never left. But neither did the fear.

Almost, Again lives in that space…of longing and fear, in the same body, at the same edge.

“The Call of the Deep”

Performed and choreographed by Elijah W. Lancaster

Music: mixed by DJ Sir.RenityArcher

Artist: Masaru Yokoyama, Christophe Filippi, Woodkid

The siren does not chase. It calls. From somewhere beneath the surface, a voice rises from the dark—beautiful, haunting, impossible to ignore.

"It All Arrives In Me"

Performed and choreographed by Meg Dodini

Music: "You'll Never Walk Alone" performed on piano by Nina Simone

Can a body carry histories it did not personally live, & what could it look like to embody an inherited past? Drawing from archival fragments, inherited stories, and traces of lives that came before my own, the work explores the body as a living archive: a place where memory, identity, and inheritance converge.

“The Thirsty Gondolier”

Performed and choreographed by Weaver Rhodes

Music: Esperanza by Ballaké Sissoko, Emile Parisien, Vincent Peirani, Vincent Segal

Composer: Marc Perrone

“The Thirsty Gondolier” is a short story about a parched gondolier trying to get to a glass of water just out of reach. When he finally gets to the glass, he discovers that the contents may not be what he was expecting. As with life, the things we want may not be what we were expecting them to be.

“Different Boats”

Performed by Grackle Dance Collective

Choreography: Jennifer Mabus in collaboration with the dancers (Timothy Amirault, Jenna Davis*, Jennifer Mabus, and Karson Milligan)

Music: William Labossiere

“Different Boats” takes on the idea that we all may be riding out the same waters and storms, but we are in different boats. We will examine how we can support and help each other through unstable times.