FUSION - a Collaboration of Dance and Live Orchestra at CPAC: November 22|23

Performances of Fusion are in the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center located at 6200 Atherton Street. Tickets are $30 for general admission and $25 for seniors, students (with valid ID) and CSULB Faculty/Staff. 

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All tickets must be purchased online. Ticket sales are available until 30 minutes past the start of each show, or until sold out.

For groups of 10 or more, a discounted ticket price is available. Contact Concert Director Andrew Vaca at Andrew.vaca@csulb.edu.

Make a donation to the CSULB Department of Dance and their Scholarship program.

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For Bob Cole Conservatory of Music events, visit csulb.edu/music.

CSULB’s Bob Cole Conservatory of Music and Department of Dance present Fusion—a Collaboration of Dance and Live Orchestra featuring five premiere works created by Guest Artist Hannah Victoria Thomas and CSULB Dance Faculty Tsiambwom Akuchu, Lorin Johnson, Rebecca Lemme, and Andrew Vaca. This exciting concert is performed in collaboration with the Bob Cole Conservatory Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Johannes Müller Stosch. Performances are November 22 and 23 in the Carpenter Performing Arts Center

The Program

Guest Artist Hannah Victoria Thomas presents For Addie, Denise, Cynthia, and Carole, a moving tribute to four young girls whose lives were tragically taken in the 1963 bombing of Birmingham, Alabama’s 16th Street Baptist Church. Set to The Montgomery Variations by Margaret Bonds, one of the first Black composers and performers to gain recognition in the United States, Thomas’ piece reflects on the profound grief and resilience in community that emerged during a defining moment in the Civil Rights Movement. Through contemporary and balletic foundations, a diverse cast of dancers bring to life themes of mourning, strength, and hope.

Rubble Kingz, created by Tsiambwom Akuchu, is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, resetting the narrative and characters into the South Bronx, circa 1968. Using street dance vocabulary and set to an exhilarating excerpt of Stravinsky’s groundbreaking “Rite of Spring, this powerful dance/theater work reimagines Shakespeare’s story as historical fiction, a possible story that could have happened in the Bronx on the eve of Hip-Hop's birth.

Lorin Johnson’s Dance for Two is a dramatic and exuberant contemporary ballet, inspired by Arturo Márquez’ popular score, Danzón No. 2. A contemporary interpretation of communal salon dance, Dance for Two questions societal norms in the individual quest for identity. 

Laden Form, a premiere from Rebecca Lemme, is a contemporary dance work acknowledging and honoring the struggle for bloodily autonomy for all people. Set in contrast to a Romantic era score by early 20^th century composer Dora Pejačević, the piece is a depiction of the work of collective unburdening and a hope for the future made possible by this labor. Critical costume collaborations with Kelsey Vidic and Trinity Juarez bring to life the transformational nature of the world on stage.

Conquering the Chaotic Terrain, created by Andrew Vaca, utilizes imagery and deconstructed phrasework from his 2002 dance Landscape, as well as costumes originally designed by Liz Carpenter beautifully reimagined by Kelsey Vidic. Set to the 4_^th Movement of Dvořäk’s “New World Symphony,” this explosive work tells a new story reflecting the realities of a world often neglected and chaotic, in addition to a choreographer less idealistic…yet hopeful in the end.

No Fusion event is complete without the invaluable collaborative efforts of our production team. Technical Director Stephanie Losleben; Lighting Designer Stacy Fireheart; Costume Design Supervisor and Shop Manager Kelsey Vidic; Costume Technician Erika Hansen; Technology and Media Advisor Gregory R.R. Crosby; and Music Director Dr. Don Nichols all contribute in multiple ways to the artistic excellence of this exciting evening.

Contact Concert Director Andrew Vaca with any questions at Andrew.vaca@csulb.edu.

$15 campus parking is available in CSULB Parking Lot G12, directly in front of the Carpenter Center, via parking kiosk (cards only) and the ParkMobile App.

For parking information, visit carpenterarts.org/directions-and-parking.