Tinder & Ash, Ephrat Asherie Dance, Kiebpoli and Shine, Claire Parsons Co., Brooklyn United Marching Band

Hailing from every corner of the U.S., five circus artists found themselves in the same place (the New England Center for Circus Arts) with the same vision (to create a show about personal loss and transformation using the virtuosity of circus and the artistry of theater). Amaya Alvarado, Anthony Oliva, Fe Fox, Lauren Feldman, and Megan Gendell had performed individually and together in festivals, shows, and cabarets from Philadelphia to San Francisco, Manhattan to Latvia. Through a residency with the circus-mecca TOHU in Montreal, these five diverse yet kindred-spirit artists created Tinder & Ash, a highly physical journey of losing and finding ourselves and each other. Through humor, fierceness, and tenderness, the theatrical craft of its storytelling, and the virtuosity of its circus arts (trapeze, hand-balancing, hoop diving, hand-to-hand, and partner acrobatics), Tinder & Ash illuminates the human experience - where it begins, where it ends, and the many arrivals and departures in between.


Founded in 2012, Ephrat Asherie Dance (EAD) has had their work presented at the Apollo Theater, the Ahmanson Theater, Jacob’s Pillow, New York Live Arts and Dixon Place, among other venues. Artistic Director, Ephrat "Bounce" Asherie is a NYFA artist and has received various grants and awards to support her work including a Mondo Cane! commission from Dixon Place, a Swing Space and Workspace residency from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and a Travel and Study grant from the Jerome Foundation. Ephrat has performed and taught throughout the U.S. and Europe, as well as in Peru, South Africa and Israel. She has appeared on NBC, MTV, Comedy Central and at City Center, Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden. Ephrat holds a B.A. in Italian language from Barnard College and is a MFA candidate at the University of Wisconsin: Milwaukee. She is on faculty at Broadway Dance Center and the Joffrey Jazz and Contemporary Program and dances with her crew MAWU, a house dance collective.


Kiebpoli Calnek (Kiebpoli) and Shawana Kemp (Shine) attended the High School for the performing Arts here in New York City. They are collaborating for the first time with this piece that will expand into a full production. They have come together to create a collage of sound and movement. Kiebpoli Calnek is an actress and aerialist. She is a graduate of CCNY, a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and of the Actors’ Equity Association. Her works have received generous funding and support from Elizabeth Streb, Astrea Foundation, Asian Arts Initiative, and The New York Foundation for the Arts. Kiebpoli is also founder and artistic director of Black*Acrobat, a social enterprise that seeks to empower fringe communities through the vertical world of aerial acrobatics with devised theatrical performances. Our shows tackle provocative dark subjects and re-imagine stories of the black diaspora. Fusing arts & activism by depicting what seems impossible, Black*Acrobat's work inspires and educates while curating spaces for community (r)evolution and sustainment. Shawana Kemp is a native New Yorker and the founder of Shine and the Moonbeams. Shawana has appeared at Symphony Space, Carnegie Hall Kids, and the Getty Museum in LA, among other venues, singing her smart and original tunes to diverse audiences. With retro R&B music that both kids and adults love, Shine and the Moonbeams sing about subjects kids can relate to: standing up to bullies, surviving harried morning routines, and celebrating individuality. A five-time winner of Amateur Nights at the legendary Apollo Theater, lead singer Shawana Kemp’s evocative delivery is heartfelt, insightful, and emotional.


Marmalade is a dance and circus production by Swedish company Claire Parsons Co. Aimed at young children 2-6 years old, Marmalade is a delicious, sensory performance about meeting, mixing and blending. Mira and Viktor taste and feel in poetic movements and circus actions in an exquisite and visual experience where the audience is invited to join. Marmalade looks at the world through body, eye, feeling and taste in a room with fluffy skirts, soft circus and Fellini music. Swedish choreographer Claire Parsons and her company have created innovative and high quality performances for young audiences since 2005. Marmalade premiered in September 2013 and has since been performed over 250 times in Sweden and internationally.


The Brooklyn United Marching Band is a community-based organization that serves New York City youth. As an art form, marching band combines the elements of musicianship and pageantry and allows each student to participate in an all-encompassing and life changing activity. Brooklyn United is focused on the development of youth through Academic Support, Character Development, Skills Building and Performance Opportunities. It is through these pillars that they strive to build strong, well rounded, healthy, confident and capable young people.