Juliet Irving / Sonny Dee 

unb'come

An immersion into the inherent truths, fiction, realities, and possibilities of Black existence through the lens of southern, Black Americans. We sink between worlds and float across realms as we transform into Something Else. An awakening. A reckoning. An Otherwise.

Juliet Irving (she) aka Sonny Dee (they) is a Black, femme multimedia artist, choreographer, writer, and graphic designer hailing from Monetta, South Carolina. She is invested in cultivating radical imagination and practices of tenderness in rural BIPOC communities with a multidisciplinary practice originating from a childhood spent crafting performances with her sister for a dedicated audience of cows. This evolved into a collaborative practice of immersing audiences and performers into worlds of possibility integrating environmental installation, improvisation, and audience interaction. Sonny earned an MFA in Embodied Interdisciplinary Praxis and a Master’s Certificate in African & African-American Studies from Duke University, along with a BA in Dance Studies and BFA in Graphic Design from Appalachian State University. Juliet has presented work at the Schaefer Center, HOW Space, Katherine Smith Gallery, Duke University, the American Dance Festival, the International Conference on Movement and Computing, and the Collegium of African Diaspora Dance. She has also performed alongside McKnight Distinguished Artist, Douglas R. Ewart, as well as Thomas F. DeFrantz and SLIPPAGE, and in work choreographed by Sherone Price, Joanna Kotze, and Dante Brown. In 2023, they joined Ananya Dance Theatre as a collaborative artist and ensemble member for the premiere of "Micchil Amra: We are the Procession." She invites collaborations, daydreams, and imaginings, and her work can be viewed at www.julietirving.com.

陳璐 / Lu 

目擊, 見證,Testigo / Witness Witness Witness

Collaborators: Ruby Rich, Emilia Garrido, Saulaman Schlegel, Alys Ayumi Ogura

In an attempt to find ease and connection, this work uses improvisational movement scores to investigate our connection with physical space, emotional states, and imaginary beings. In this process, we delve into themes such as impulses in the moment, relation to shame and self-forgiveness, and movement of trees. As a cohort, we witness the present moment, witness ourselves witnessing the space, energy, and each other.

陳璐 / Lu is a dancer, choreographer, theater artist, and technician residing in Mini Sota Makoce. Lu holds a Bachelor of Arts from Macalester College, where they double majored in Psychology and Theater and Dance. Lu has continued to study Yorchhā, the contemporary Indian dance technique founded by  Ananya Dance Theatre, since 2019. In September 2023, Lu joined the Xchange (work-study) program at Zenon Dance School as well as participating in Zenon’s Zone performance program. In September 2023 Lu graduated from the Transformational Creative Strategies Training (TRCSTR MN), as part of the 2023 artist cohort, under the mentorship of Marcela Michelle. In 2021, Lu began working with Kat Purcell on Castles III, a multi-year experimental performance and research project exploring the exploitation of laborers. As a theater artist, Lu has performed with Lightning Rod Theater, 20% Theatre Company, and Pillsbury House + Theater. Dance credits include projects with the Shawngram Institute of Social Justice, Macalester Mainstage Theater, Twin Cities public parks, Tek Box Theater, and the MODArts’ Move To Change Festival in New York. Lu has danced in works by choreographers Wynn Fricke, Ashwini Ramaswany, Vanessa Cruz, Tori Breen, and Amanda Sachs. Lu’s movement and academic interests include dance movement therapy, art history, and tree science. In October 2023, Lu began a year-long mentorship program with dancer-choreographer, Alanna Morris, as a part of the I A.M. Arts Mentorship/Coaching Program, funded by the Minnesota State Arts Board. Lu is enthusiastic about embarking on a journey to develop into a seasoned professional artist, dedicated to the ongoing exploration and refinement of their artistic voice and practices.

Parisha Rajbhandari 

In scarce

Performer/collaborator: Noelle Awadallah

Body in scarce. Rising from the depth of the ocean, breaking through uneven cracks. Eyes of the demon, reflecting humanity. 

Parisha Rajbhandari is a Nepali dance artist residing in Mni Sota. She explores movement through vibrations, sounds, rhythms, body memory and spinal articulation. Her choreographic process is grounded in collaboration and collective action. Parisha has been a dance artist with Ananya Dance Theatre since 2019. She trains, tours, and participates in community engagement with ADT. She has performed in three premieres in 2021, 2022 and 2023 with Ananya Dance Theatre. She also offers Yorchhā classes through Shawngram Institute for Performance & Social Justice. She performed ADT’s Nün Gherāo:Surrounded by Salt at Jacob’s Pillow in May 2023. She has performed at the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, Kennedy Center, O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, Cowles Center, American College Dance Association and Minnesota State University Productions. She received her BA in dance from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2020 and is furthering her academic career as an MFA candidate in Dance and Choreography at MSU, Mankato.

Katie Ka Vang

(UN)KNOWN Futures

Collaborators: Laurine Chang, Juanita Vang

What does one need to feel safe in community? What does the phrase "I am my ancestors's wildest dreams” invoke? How does one think about the future and making the world a better place, while moving themselves and their peoples towards a better place—but also staying present? (UN)KNOWN Futures is a transitory experiment about moving towards the future through the practice of noticing habits, and joy. It contains life-size collages from different mediums created in community with the collaborators and their environments. 

Katie Ka Vang is a Hmong American playwright and storyteller. Her work explores the complexity of cultures & communities, diaspora, dis-ease, and transformation. Her work includes AGAIN the musical, Fertile Grounds, WTF, Hmong Bollywood, 5:1 Meaning of Freedom; 6:2 Use of Sharpening, Fast FWD Motions, In Quarantine, FINAL ROUND, and Spirit Trust. Her work has been developed and presented at East West Players, Mixed Blood Theater, Pangea World Theater, Pillsbury House Theatre, Theater Mu, Leviathan Lab, Bushwick Starr, Brown University, The Royal Court Theatre, The Walker Art Center, Civic Ensemble, Out North Art House, and more. She is currently a 23/24 Constellation Fellow from the Center for Cultural Power working with Indigenous Roots. She received the 22/23 McKnight and 19/20 Many Voices fellowship at the Playwrights' Center.  She's received support from Jerome Foundation, NET, Knight Foundation, NPN, MRAC, MSAB, and Coalition of Asian American Leaders. She was a member of East West Players 21-23 Playwright's Group. She holds an MFA in Playwriting from Brown University.