Artists
Ivy Baldwin, Artistic Director
In 1999 Ivy Baldwin Dance was founded by choreographer, director and performer Ivy Baldwin. The NY Sunday Times described Ms. Baldwin as a choreographer who is helping to define an entire generation of choreographers in NYC. Ivy Baldwin Dance is a New York City based performance company dedicated to the creation of original dance-theater. Known for her vivid and wild imagination, Baldwin creates works that are part of an interdisciplinary art form that break the traditional boundaries and assumptions of theater. Thru a broad range of mediums, and by creating work that explores both the serious and humorous sides of the human condition, the Company creates dance that is emotionally engaging and can therefore provoke an awakening within an audience member.
Since its inception, the Company has been presented by many theaters, including Dance Theater Workshop, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Dixon Place, Danspace Project at St. Mark’s Church, Williamsburg Art nexus (WAX), Painted Bride in Philadelphia, PA, Movement Research at the Judson Church, Symphony Space’s Peter Jay Sharp and Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theaters, La MaMa, ETC. and P.S. 122. The Company has presented work in numerous festivals and performance series’ including Catch, Danceoff!, Dancenow, Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and Tanz im August in Berlin, Germany.
Ivy Baldwin has received a Bessie Schönberg/First Light Commission from Dance Theater Workshop with funds from the Jerome Foundation, a DNA Presents commission from Dance New Amsterdam, two Mondo Cane! commissions from Dixon Place, and four commissions for original student work from Barnard College, Iowa State University, North Carolina School of the Arts, and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Ms. Baldwin is a recipient of grants from the Puffin Foundation (1999 & 2001), the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation (1999 & 2006), and the Karen and William Tell Foundation (2007 & 2008). She has been supported by numerous creative residency’s including The Yard’s Bessie Schönberg Residency for Choreographers and Dancers, a Sugar Salon residency; a program of the Williamsburg Art nexus (WAX) in partnership with the Barnard College Dance Department of Columbia University, and annual residency’s at Dragon’s Egg in Mystic, CT. since 2004. Ms. Baldwin has also enjoyed performing with Impetuous Theater Group, Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, Jeanne Schickler, and Melissa Briggs Dance, in addition to performing in her own work.
Ivy grew up dancing and choreographing in the small town of Madison, Florida and went on to graduate from both the North Carolina School of the Arts and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts MFA program
Collaborators
Justin Jones (Sound Designer) spent his formative years in suburban Illinois, lived in New York City for a stint and recently settled in Minneapolis. Jones works as a sound designer for dance and theater. Recently he created sound design for RRRRrrrrrrrrrrKILLKILLKILL (to infinity) choreographed by Chris Yon for the Irish Modern Dance Theater in Dublin. In 2003 he received the NYFA Fellowship for Performance Art/Multidisciplinary Work for his work with long time collaborator and co-conspirator Chris Yon with whom he co-produced co-curated and co-hosted the Chris and Justin Medicine Show, a neo-vaudevillian cabaret from 2000-2003. He has also created sound design for Genevieve Bennett, Chris Schlicting and for his own choreography as well. Jones is the founder of TALK DANCE MPLS, a podcast dedicated to in-depth conversations with Minneapolis based dance artists. Jones is also a choreographer and dancer. His choreography has been seen at Bryant Lake Bowl, CBGBıs, Galpagos Arts Space, The Gershwin Hotel, The Knitting Factory, The Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater @ Symphony Space, LaMama Etc., Patrickıs Cabaret, The Theater at the Riverside Church and Ur . He has danced for Tere OıConnor, Nick Leichter, Kara Tatelbaum, Billy Siegenfeld and Robin Lakes among others. Listen to Justin at Talk Dance MPLS.
Karinne Keithley makes many things, including sound. She was the co-founder, with Chris Yon, of Ur, a dance palace in Brooklyn 2003-2005. Her current ventures include www.i-theatron.net, a fertilizer bomb for new performance and Lemur cum Laude, a cooperative production group for language driven plays. She is making lots of work for distribution on the internet which can be heard and seen at www.fancystitchmachine.org.
Joe Levasseur (Lighting Designer) has worked closely with New York-based dance artists such as John Jasperse, Jennifer Monson, Sarah Michelson, Chris Ferris, Kari Hoaas, Mei-Yin Ng, Anna Sperber and Pavel Zustiak. He has worked as Assistant Lighting Designer for Clifton Taylor, and as Stage Manager for Karole Armitage, JoAnna Mendel Shaw, and Elisa Monte. He is also the Production Manager at Summer Stages Dance at Concord Academy.
Carrie Lewis, soprano, has performed as a soloist with Ivy Baldwin Dance since 2003. Her performance experience has included operatic roles with the University of Kansas, where she received her Bachelor of Music and Manhattan School of Music, where she received her Master of Music. Ms. Lewis has been a young artist with DiCapo Opera Theater in NYC and a soloist at Centro Studi Italiani in Urbania, Italy. She is currently a voice instructor and student of Joan Caplan.
Franz Nicolay, Accordionist, is a composer, instrumentalist, and mustachioed man-about-town. He is a member of cabaret-punks the World/Inferno Friendship Society, faux-Balkan quartet Guignol, and is the founder of new-music collective Anti-Social Music. He has performed or recorded groups including the Hold Steady, the Dresden Dolls, Leftover Crack, Barbez, and more.
Joe Powell (Set designer) has designed sets in New York for Venezuela with the Impetuous Theater Group and Billy Sleepyhead with Developing Artists Theater Company. In Georgia he has designed sets for Seussical theMusical with Peach State Summer Theatre, and Flyin’ West and Ah, Wilderness! with Valdosta State University. He has also designed masks for 1000 Cranes, full body puppets and costumes for Children of Eden, both with Valdosta State, and wooden, mechanical puppets for the Jekyll Island Musical Theatre Festival’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. He has worked at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and Brevard Music Center and, locally, at McCarter Theatre Center, LAByrinth Theater Company, Urban Stages, and The Juilliard School. Joe is a co-founder of the Impetuous Theater Group in New York and The Immediate Theatre Project in Georgia.
Carrie Wood (Lighting Designer) recent design credits include: The Siege of Corinth (Baltimore Opera), The Money Show (Dance New Amsterdam), Wonder of the World (The Lion Theatre), Giant N Variation, Artist Descending Staircase (Center Stage), The Geranium on the Window Sill just Died (Urban Stages), VIA Dance Collaborative (Ailey Citigroup Theatre), Stones in his Pockets (Penguin Rep), Snake in Fridge (14th Street Y), Malestrom (Joyce Soho), Dr. Faustus and the 7 Deadly Sins (Chocolate Factory), Hamlet (Underground Opera), Beyond the Horizon, Burning the Old Man (Center Stage), Naked (Gene Frankel Theatre), VIA Dance Collaborative (Lincoln Center Clark studio), Stop Motion (University Settlement). Other select New York designs include: The Substance of John (Center Stage). Carrie has been the assistant lighting designer on various shows including Wicked (Pantages Theatre, LA), The Threepenny Opera (Studio 54), La Traviata, La Sonnambula, Le Nozze di Figaro (Baltimore Opera). Carrie is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts.
Photo Credits
Marc Lynn
Robert Baldwin
Alex Escalante
Stephen Schreiber
Andy Romer
Biographies
Lawrence Cassella has been dancing for Ivy Baldwin since 2004. He sometimes dances for Melissa Briggs, Daniel Charon, Netta Yerushalmy, and Jeremy Nelson. He has also done projects with Kraig Patterson, Melissa Chris, Zoltan Nagy, and Doug Varone. Lawrence was born into a big family in Herkimer, NY. One of six children, he now is an uncle ten times, and I honestly don't think they're done! That is alright though, since they are a fine bunch. The diamonds buried in the valley surrounding his hometown had a profound effect on him, they commanded him to dance. And, so, here he is, "dancing". He is enjoying his life, and wants you to enjoy it too. Not his, yours! So, he suggests a healthy dose of Tori Amos. She's got something important to tell you. "Scarlet's Walk", is especially terrific! Lastly, I think it wise to mention Biblo the dog at least once. He is doing well in his middle age, and happy with his daily walks and biscuits.
Mindy Nelson is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara where she studied dance and business/economics. She has danced and sewn in varied capacities for Ivy Baldwin Dance since the summer of 2003 when she first worked with Ivy as part of the Bessie Schönberg Residency at the Yard on Martha’s Vineyard. In her spare time, Nelson studies Kung Fu at the New York City Chinese Shao-Lin Center.
Erin Owen grew up in the Southern Appalachains of Western North Carolina. After graduating from Scripps College in Claremont, California with degrees in Dance and Biology, she settled in Brooklyn. She is currently enjoying dancing for some of her favorite choreographers, including this very Ivy Baldwin. Other great experiences include dancing with Doug Varone for his works at the Met Opera, Faye Driscoll, Netta Yerushalmy, Daniel Charon, Bill T. Jones in the Fall for Dance festival, Karinne Keithley, Geraldine Cardiel, and Melissa Briggs. Erin teaches Pilates and Gyrotonic to the fine folks of Chelsea, Soho, and the Upper West Side. She thanks the PTB for truly wonderful family and friends, and of course, her actual family and friends. Erin is the happy caretaker of a small frog and several lovely houseplants.
Katy Pyle is a performer. She's had many adventures in the dance and performance community working with Karinne Keithley, John Jasperse, Jennifer Monson, Ann Liv Young, Jennifer Allen, Maggie McBrien, Cynthia Madansky, Chris Yon, Melissa Briggs, and Jeff Larson. Pyle is one half of the visual music phenomenon asubtout with her co-star Eleanor Bronwen Hullihan.
Zach Steel has performed his and other people's original work in venues such as La mama, PS 122, Galapagos, The Upright Citizen's Brigade, The Gene Frankel, and others. He has worked proudly with colleagues Adam Carpenter, Jeff Larson, Chris Yon, Justin Jones on shows "A Brilliant Play by John McEnroe", "Pear Cowboy Planet", "i'm sorry you're sad", "The Mystery of Galgei." He is currently working on Adam Weiner's "Lapdog".
Jennifer Uzzi is an original member of Ivy Baldwin Dance, has danced with Baldwin since 1999. She received her BA in Dance and Theatre from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, VA and her MFA in Dance from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Uzzi has had the pleasure of dancing with the Von Howard Project, Tap Fusion, Umoja Dance Company, Nicole Berger, and Alexander Gish. A full time dance teacher at the Wyckoff School of Dance in New Jersey, Uzzi loves that she gets to dance all day long.
Katie Workum works as a dancer and choreographer in New York City. As a dancer, she has worked with David Neumann, Stacy Dawson, Ken Nintzel, Sharon Fogarty, Sarah East Johnson, Elizabeth Streb, Jenny Seastone Stern and Julia Jonas. Her choreography, using music, text and movement has been shown across the city including The Joyce, Joyce SOHO, PS 122, Joe’s Pub, The Kitchen, and Symphony Space. Most recently she presented ark from a country once forested with Will Rawls at Dance Theater Workshop. She and Terry Dean Bartlett curate DANCEOFF!, a dance variety show at Performance Space 122 and other venues.
Anna Carapetyan originally from Austin, Texas, earned her BFA from the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase. She has since performed and collaborated with Ivy Baldwin, Natalie Green, Michael Helland, Daniel Linehan, Juliette Mapp, Juliana May, Miriam Wolf, and Kayvon Pourazar.
Ivy Baldwin Dance Board Members
Jeanne Schickler
Kathleen Williams
Jay Twitchell