June Dance Program

Performances

  • “Cruzando Dimensiones”
    • Performed by Indira White and Kathy Lucas 
    • Choreographed by Indira White
    • Music: “Tangos Del Arco Bajo” By Vicente Amigo
  • “dog eat dog world”
    • Performed by G-Quan Booker
    • Music by Jean Grae
  • “Fall Apart”
    • Performed by G-Quan Booker
    • Music by Post Malone 
  • “Modifi(her)”
    • Choreographed and Performed by Aimee Rials
    • Music by Max Richter 
  • “Burlesque Intentions, a work in progress…”
    • Performed by Rik Daniels 
    • Music by Edith Piaf
    • Technical Assistance: Timothy G. Nichols
    • Choreography mentoring and collaboration: Tessa TrueHeart, Bees Knees Burlesque Academy 
  • Intermission
  • “Un-Building Blocks”
    • Created and performed by Jim Self and Marilyn Rivchin. 
    • Video and special effects by Marilyn Rivchin. 
  • “Mending Betreyals”
    • Performed and choreographed by Indira White 
    • Music: “Una Rosa” by Xenia Rubinos; “Cómo te Extraño mi Amor” by Leo Dan; “Ice Princess” by Xenia Rubinos. 
    • Soundscapes: “1 Train Subway Sounds” and “Morning Rain”
  • “Synapse” and “Return”
    • Choreographed and performed by Kathy Lucas 
    • “Wings of the Heart” (Heart Chakra) by Jonathan Goldman, Gwen Tuesday
    • “Return to me” by Dean Martin
    • Sound Editor: Lesley Lisa Greene

Bios

G-Quan Booker

G-Quan Booker is a dancer, poet, rapper and actor.  Through his work as a teacher of Hip Hop Arts, he has provided guidance to many youth in the upstate New York region as well as during his 6 months in Thailand. G-Quan is one of the founders of the Hip Hop group GCF (which stands for “Greatest Common Factor”). In the past few years, G-Quan has taught at the Community Unity Music Education Program, Jillian’s Drawers, The Finger Lakes Residential Center, as well at the Auburn Public Theater and Wells College. Most recently, he works with youth in the After School program at Southside Community Center, a historical center of the vibrant Black neighborhood that was part of the Underground Railroad in Ithaca, NY. 

Rik Daniels

Rik Daniels was born and raised in Bronx, NY. He was a poster child for the March of Dimes and later appeared on “Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt” and “Ripley’s Believe it or Not!” for his achievements as a NYC High School Champion Gymnast. He went on to become a 7-time NCAA All American on pommel horse, parallel bars, and still rings.

In 2012, for greater impact and self-actualization, beyond his “day jobs” and speaking engagements, Rik began dancing, modeling and performance art. He was a principle dancer in Michael Franti and Spearhead’s “Once a Day” music video and has worked on several projects funded by the New York State DanceForce.

Rik is honored to be a company member with Omnium Circus, which fosters enlightenment and inclusion with every production! 👏😍🎶🎪  Recent projects include “Nutcracker Twist, an Enchanted Journey”, a collaboration of CirqOvation and Symphoria, of Syracuse, NY; the work in progress showing at Triphammer Arts of “Tap Translations”, his learning to tap with his hands under the skillful heartening guidance of Sophie Trowbridge; as well as “Spankbox”, spearheaded by Georgia based Jessica Blinkhorn, created for the full sexual expressions of people with disabilities in advocating for representation, equity and justice! 

Rik lives with his loving and supportive husband, Marc, and their two pets, Rosey and Lillie, and is eternally grateful to God and his Mom for blessing him with such a remarkable life! He can be found and contacted at: RikDanielsPerformer.com

These performances are dedicated to my dear friend Natasha Tall, April 25, 1927-January 7, 2023; a being of light and inspiration! May I embrace and embody her fervor for life to her favorite song! 

Kathy Lucas

Kathy Lucas is a dancer who has also been serving the Ithaca community as a holistic movement coach for over 10 years. Seeking to fuse various styles of dance to strength training, she has pioneered a series of programs that include Steel Club Tango, Steel Club Cabaret (inspired by the choreography of Bob Fosse), and dance-inspired flow. Kathy’s approach is informed by her years spent living and studying movement and dance in the United States; Guinea and Senegal, West Africa; and Japan. A collaborator at heart, Kathy has had the great pleasure of co-producing and facilitating with local dancer, Megan Omohundro for the dance stories “Masters of Movement as told by we, us, them”, a series of performances by Black dancers exploring the racial trauma of iconic Black Americans and how that trauma affects the present day. She has co-produced and collaborated with dance artist, Jim Self for June Dance 2022 and 2023 as well as Speaking Dancewise 2023. Kathy is a co-founder and collaborator of 5 Sisters Performing Arts, Ithaca NY where she teaches several fusion-style dance classes and facilitates monthly meetups of movement and storytelling through grief and loss. She graduated with a theatre and dance focus from SUNY Brockport, and locally, Kathy has produced, choreographed, and performed in a variety of settings for dance projects.

Kathy offers her special thanks to Amy Cohen, Circus Culture staff, Jim Self, The Cherry Arts, Hospicare, Laura Ward, Rachel Lampert, Leslie Daniels, 5 Sisters, HTP, Markus, Sicily and Dad.

Aimee Rials

Aimee Rials received her Master’s of Fine Arts in dance from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Most recently she was a 2022 recipient of the Choreographers Initiative award through NYS DanceForce and NY Council on the Arts. Her choreographic work has been performed at The Kitchen Theatre, Gibney Center, 92Y’s Harkness Dance Center, Symphony Space, Dixon Place, Triskelion Arts, Merce Cunningham Studio, DUMBO Dance Festival, Cool New York Dance Festival, Washington University’s Edison Theater, Ithaca College, Huntingdon College, and the Depot Theater. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at the University of Buffalo, Huntingdon College, youarehere dance company in St. Louis, and We Are Artists in Virginia. As a performer, Aimee has worked with Trebien Pollard’s Residue Dance Theater, Lauren Hale Dance and Beliz Demircioglu while in residency at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Aimee is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at Ithaca College. 

Marilyn Rivchin

A long-time independent filmmaker and video maker, Ithaca-based Marilyn Rivchin has made numerous political and social documentaries as well as documentary and experimental projects, collaborating with a variety of artists including choreographers and dancers, theater directors, musicians and craftspeople.  While teaching media production at Cornell for 30 plus years, she worked on performances with many of her theater and dance colleagues, including choreographer/dancer Jim Self. Creating video projection for live stage performance is a favorite, if challenging, medium. This is the first time their collaboration puts her on stage with Jim as both camerawoman and performer.

Jim Self

Jim Self, described as a “post-modern bad boy” and a “uniquely eccentric artist,” by the Village Voice works in dance, painting, performance, writing, and installation. A New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) winner, and Cornell dance faculty from 1989- 2014, he has been a member of the New York State DanceForce since 2007. In 2021, as a response to the easing of COVID lockdowns, he instigated the creation of  June Dance at the Cherry featuring artists from Tompkins County and around NY State.

Indira White

Born in the Dominican Republic to a family of movers, Indira’s first language is dance. Indira is a modern-contemporary mover and choreographer and has produced pieces for collaborative local performances including the Infinity in a Box exhibit at the Tompkins County Public Library, and Visceral, hosted by the Cherry Arts Center. She is a 2022 NYS DanceForce Choreographers’ Initiative recipient, where, alongside mentor, Juana Cala of Flamenco Vivo, she explored ways of merging Modern and Flamenco dance styles. Most recently, Indira is a student and participant in Kathy Lucas’ Grief Project where she focused on processing grief through movement while building understanding, self-awareness, and healing. Indira is proudly one of five founding members of 5SISTERS Performing Arts, July 2022, Ithaca NY.

A special thanks to Juana Cala, of Flamenco Vivo, for her mentorship, encouragement, and unwavering support in my curiosity to combine Modern and Flamenco dance styles. Special thanks also to Kathy Lucas for her guidance, support, and dedication to self discovery, understanding, and healing.