Contributions of Alumni Designers Essential to Zodiaque 50th Anniversary Shows

After years of preparation and work, the Zodiaque Dance Company (ZDC) 50^th Anniversary Fall concerts will finally take place this week at UB Center for the Arts, beginning Thursday, October 24! In keeping with ZDC’s mission, the fall program features a diverse array of dance styles, including modern, contemporary, jazz, African, tap, and other percussive forms. Performances are: Oct. 24 - 25, 2024 at 7:30 p.m., plus Oct. 27, 2024. (The Oct. 26 Gala is sold out.) https://www.ticketmaster.com/zodiaque-dance-tickets/artist/836688

The concert will include works by current and former dance faculty; a video and photo history of ZDC; and showcase collaborations with our Theatre Design and Technology program.

With evening rehearsals proceeding in earnest, we caught up with Teaching Professor Kerry Ring, Co-Artistic Director of Zodiaque, to get a preview of what audiences can expect from this landmark fall season.

Ring began by acknowledging the enormous impact of ZDC’s many professional guest alumni designers this year, including jojo a. franjoine, Andrew Garvis, Izumi Inaba, Collin Ranney, Nicholas J. Taboni, and Hannah S. Wolland, as well as Scott Laurentz, who contributed lighting technology. (See biographies below.)

“Just watching tech (rehearsals) over the last few days, you can sense the professional level of lighting and projection design. It’s a Zodiaque concert, meaning it’s got all the versatility and range and excellent dancing that’s always included, but Gala years are special because we elevate the design by bringing in alumni designers who work alongside current design students.

“The alumni and students collaborate with our fabulous roster of choreographers. There’s an enhanced level of collaboration with design alumni who are professionals in the field. It also applies to sets and costume design.

“For galas, it’s about bringing back alumni connections. Obviously dance (faculty and students) and design tech (personnel) have a strong connection because we’re always building shows together. Just as we’re bringing back Cesar Salinas (Associate Artistic Director, Giordano Dance Chicago) and Lindsay Guarino (Associate Professor & Department Chair, Music, Theatre and Dance, Salve Regina University) as choreographers and to receive Distinguished Alumni Awards, every five years we also make it a point to bring back designers who have had a strong relationship with ZDC.”

Galas also provide an opportunity to revisit historic, signature dance works while presenting new pieces. “This show is a blend (of old and new) because it’s also an (academic) course and we don’t want students to get stuck, but I brought back 'Forging' (Ring’s popular work from last season) because it’s been presented at several conferences and has had great feedback.

“ZDC Co-Artistic Director Michael Deeb Weaver is setting a work that most every dance alumni will have a connection to because it’s tied to our curriculum. His ‘Strike The Pose,’ which is our vogue study that students do as juniors and seniors as part of jazz curriculum, has been elevated to a piece of choreography. In some ways that’s special to the Gala.

“Cesar is creating a new work, as is (THD Professor Emeritus) Tom Ralabate, who will also receive a Directors Award, which is really a summary of his life work in a way, pulling so much of the jazz, social dance, and Africanist background into one piece. It’s a new work but it’s also an embodiment of his research, in a way.”

As frequent patrons of ZDC know, every performance since 2012 has concluded with another Ralabate work called “Z’Bows,” a playful variation on the traditional end-of-performance bows at curtain call. “’Z’Bows’ are so amped up for the end of this show!” Ring said. “They were established at a previous Gala, so it’s been over 10 years that we’ve been working with it and it continues to evolve.

“The momentum and enthusiasm for these signature bows is still there and seeing it in rehearsals I really feel that the alums will be very excited. There’s amped up design effects and a show portal that has more lights. Our fall program is everything that a Zodiaque show is, but up a notch!”

Associate Department Chair Lynne Koscielniak served as Production Design Coordinator for the ZDC fall concerts. “For over twenty years, I have had the privilege of working with emerging designers, technicians, and managers as they collaborate with the Zodiaque Dance Company,” Koscielniak said. 

“These technical production students have gone on to make their name in live event industries from coast to coast, and across the globe. Gala years hold space for these talented alums to share their artistry in the anniversary concert, and the opportunity for current students to learn from these alums.

“In the making of Celebration 50, UB alums with expertise in costume design, lighting design, lighting technology, technical direction, and graphic design have worked alongside current UB Theatre Design and Technology students, faculty and staff to add visual variety to the concert. Their collective efforts and dedication not only honor the legacy of the Zodiaque Dance Company but also inspire the next generation of artists and technicians.”

2024 Zodiaque Guest Alumni Designers

jojo a. franjoine (lighting designer) synchronizes energy to create visual landscapes. jojo is founder of elektralite.space - a collective of artists, designers, and problem solvers striving to discover potent expression. www.elektralite.space - @elektralite.space

Andrew Garvis (lighting/projection designer)  is a New York City-based video and lighting designer, where he has been able to work as an assistant and associate to Tony Award-winning Broadway Designers, which led him to his first Broadway show, Freestyle Love Supreme.

Izumi Inaba (costume designer) is beyond thrilled and honored to be designing for legendary Cesar G. Salinas in Zodiaque Dance Company’s 50th anniversary! She double majored in Dance and Theatre Design here at UB, dancing in the same studio with Cesar, as well as falling in love with the elements and principals of design in Cathy Norgren’s Introduction to Design class.

Scott Laurentz (lighting consultant) is a proud alumnus of the University at Buffalo's Department of Theatre and Dance, where he earned his BFA in 2007. Currently, Scott serves as a Product Resource Manager on the Product Development team at Chauvet Lighting, specializing in Kino Flo and CHAUVET Professional.

Collin Ranney’s (costume designer) scenic and costume design work can be seen at theatres throughout Buffalo. Collin won the 2023/24 Artie Award for Outstanding Scenic Design for Alleyway Theatre's production of Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Woolf. collinranneydesign.com. 

Nicholas J. Taboni (associate set designer/graphic artist) is pursuing his MFA in Scenic Design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He attended UB where he earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy, DPT, as well as a B.S. in Exercise Science, and a B.A. in Theatre. Nicholas has developed an extensive design portfolio in both educational theatre and professional theatre across Western NY and throughout Illinois.

Hannah S. Wolland (lighting supervisor/lighting designer) is a lighting and projection designer specializing in theatre and dance. A New York native, Hannah holds a BFA in Theatre Design and Technology from the University at Buffalo and an MFA in Entertainment Design from Southern Methodist University. www.hswolland.com