Dayton Contemporary Dance Company
REFLECTIONS
Sat. OCT 25, 2025 7:30 PM
Sun. OCT 26, 2025 4:00 PM
Digital Program
DCDC presents an evening of stellar works that radiate our heritage, reflect our growth, and shimmer with our hope. Take a glimpse into the "REFLECTIONS" of our past, present, and future.
Please be advised:
Today's performance may include the use of STROBE LIGHTS and HAZE. Any persons with a pre-existing medical condition for which these elements may cause problems, please inform a staff member and take any necessary precautions before entering the theatre.
Show Order
Directly after the performance, there will be a post-show talk with DCDC dancers, artistic staff and the band.
On the Wings of Angels
World Premiere 1996 — Dayton, OH
This work was immediately hailed by audiences and critics alike as a fitting tribute to the wartime efforts of the Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen were African Americans who received their flight training at an airbase in Alabama as preparation for their service to their country in time of war. Although these men met hardships and obstacles placed in their paths by a racist military system, the “Red Tails,” their nickname, distinguished themselves with honor in WWII.
Sir Warren has crafted a work that follows the men from their early training to the time they become airborne. Along the way, he shows us the intense camaraderie that developed as these men faced enemies on two fronts – at home and overseas. Using gestures of saluting, pointing to the skies and pledging their hearts,
Sir Warren neatly sums up the tremendous dedication, patriotism and accomplishment of African Americans who were willing to make the supreme sacrifice to their country.
Choreographer Sir Warren Spears
Music..............................John Adams; Steve Reich
Original Lighting Design.....Collier Woods
Lighting Reconstruction ..... Matthew J. Evans
Costume Design...............Sir Warren Spears
Costume Execution .......... Ayn Kaethchen Swann
Prelude
Edgar Kawoq Aguirre, Devin Baker, Aaron J. Frisby, Donovan McFadden, Fabio Tello Muñoz, Jalen Williams
I.Training
The Ensemble
II. An Angel's Dream
Aaron J. Frisby
III. Comrades and Buddies
The Ensemble
IV. In Flight
Fabio Tello Muñoz and Ensemble
Intermission (10 min.)
Promised Land
World Premiere 2025 — Dayton, OH
Promised Land, drawing inspiration specifically from Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1964 University of Dayton speech, and more broadly from the racial, social, cultural and economic conditions of Black and Indigenous people in this country over time, encourages us to evaluate our relationships and responsibilities to democracy.
Promised Land challenges us to examine our biases, to face hard truths about the state of society, and to evaluate our role in moving society in the direction of a representative democracy that best serves the individual and society.. It is hoped the work will inspire commitment (or re-commitment) to being the change we want to see, while spotlighting those who are tasked with upholding the promise expressed in the words of the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness… And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Choreographers.............Qarrianne Blayr, Countess V. Winfrey
Music
How Long,Not Long
speech —Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Ants To You, Gods to Who? —André 3000
Moving Day — André 3000
Amazing Grace -
Live from Union Chapel —Gabriels
Glory — Gabriels
Tha Crossroads — Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Lightning Design. .............Matthew J. Evans
Sound Design...................Willie Lindsey
Costume Design...............Ayn Swann
Singer ..........Allyia Nelloms
Speakers...... Fabio Tello Muñoz, Allyia Nelloms
II. Strange Fruit
III. Above/Below
IV. Grace
V. Glory
VI. Ritual
ENSEMBLE
Edgar Kawoq Aguirre, Emily Bryan, Nicolay Dorsett, Aaron J. Frisby, Niarra Gooden-Clarke, Fabio Tello Muñoz, Elizabeth Ramsey, Allyia Nelloms, Jalen Wiliams
Intermission (10 min.)
Splendor
DCDC Premiere 2025 — Dayton, OH
Splendor was created for both Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and the Paul Taylor Dance Company as a complement to their joint appearance at the 2025 ADF summer dance festival. This unique event showcased DCDC and PTDC performing each other’s signature works on a shared program. The highlight of the show presented both companies in the World Premiere of Splendor.
Splendor celebrates the joy, the whimsy, and the love embodied in the human experience.
Commissioned by the American Dance Festival with support from the Doris Duke/SHS Foundations Award for New Works and The Reinhart Fund.
Choreographer....................Amy Hall Garner
Choreographic Associate........Natrea Blake
Music...................................Michael Torke, Roberto Prosseda
Costume Design.....................Rebecca Turk
Costume Execution.................Ayn Kaethchen Swann
Lighting Design..................Jennifer Tipton
Lighting Execution............... Matthew J. Evans
Saturday, October 25, 2025
I. Green
Edgar Kawoq Aquirre, Qarrianne Blayr, Emily Bryan, Alexandria “Peach” Flewellen, Aaron J. Frisby, Fabio Tello Muñoz , Jalen Williams, Countess V. Winfrey
II. Nave
Edgar Kawoq Aguirre & Countess V. Winfrey
III. War Silence
Full Company
Sunday, October 26, 2025
I. Green
Edgar Kawoq Aguirre ,Niarra Gooden-Clarke, Aaron J. Frisby, Nicolay Dorsett, Donovan McFadden, Fabio Tello Muñoz, Elizabeth Ramsey, Sadale Warner
II. Nave
Niarra Gooden Clarke & Fabio Tello Muñoz
III. War Silence
Full Company
DCDC
Artistic & Administrative Staff
Chief Executive & Artistic Director
Debbie Blunden-Diggs
DEBBIE BLUNDEN-DIGGS, daughter of company founder Jeraldyne Blunden, began training at the Schwarz School of the Dance at the age of five and joined Dayton Contemporary Dance Company at age twelve. At seventeen, she won national recognition from The Young Choreographers Showcase for her first piece, Variations in Blue, which was selected for inclusion in the National Choreographic Plan. Many of her works have become part of DCDC’s artistic blueprint, contributing to the long legacy of Jeraldyne’s vision for the company. Blunden-Diggs’ most notable works include Configurations, Kaleidoscope, Fragments, In My Father’s House, Traffic, and No Room, No Place, No Where, for which she received a Monticello Award in 1982. In May 2002, she adjudicated the Regional Dance America Northeast CompetitionsIn 2007, after over two decades of appearing in most of the company’s repertoire, including principal roles like the mother in Eleo Pomare’s Las Desenamoradas and the madame in Donald McKayle’s District Storyville, Blunden-Diggs became Artistic Director for Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.
Ms. Blunden-Diggs also served as Co-Director/Choreographer for The Human Race Theatre’s production of Crowns, as well as Director/Choreographer for Central State University’s original production of In The Pursuit of Wind, among others. She created ballets for and worked with students at University of Dayton, Sinclair Community College, Wright State University, Central State University, Stivers School for the Arts, South Dayton Dance Theatre and Canton Ballet.
In addition to her choreographic and artistic leadership, Ms. Blunden-Diggs is the Executive Director of Jeraldyne’s School of the Dance, the cornerstone to Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and works closely with DCDC’s pre-professional company, DCDC2. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for The International Association of Blacks in Dance, Dance/USA's Board of Trustees, the Seedling Foundation Board for Stivers School for the Arts, and is an adjunct professor at University of Dayton in the Theatre, Dance, and Performance Technology Program.
She has received numerous awards and accolades. Among them are honors from Regional Dance America, Monticello Choreographic Fellowships in 1979 and 1980, and two Individual Fellowship Awards from the Ohio Arts Council in 1981 and 1984. The Fisk University Alumni Association honored her with an Excellence in Artistry Award, and she was awarded a Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District Master Fellowship for artistic excellence and community outreach initiatives in 2000. In 2014, she received the Image of Hope Youth Advocacy Award for her contributions to improve the lives of youth in the Greater Dayton area.
Associate Artistic Director
Qarrianne Blayr
QARRIANNE BLAYR (Fayetteville, North Carolina) (Associate Artistic Director) earned her BFA degree at Howard University, studying under Sherrill Berryman Johnson, Pat Thomas, Sandra Fortune-Green, Katherine Smith, Akua Kouyate and Assane Konte. She also studied traditional Jamaican dance at University of West Indies at Mona. In 2004, Ms. Blayr founded the performing arts group Arts International. She joined DCDC’s first company in 2012 after having performed for two seasons in DCDC2, the company’s pre-professional ensemble. Of the choreographers she has worked with Sherrill Berryman-Johnson has been the most influential in helping her become a “moving/ thinking vessel.” Her favorite DCDC repertory piece to perform is “Amen Corner” of the dance concert “Body Talk"
Associate Artistic Director
Crystal Michelle
Crystal Michelle is a choreographer, dancer, and intermedia artist. She was appointed Associate Artistic Director of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company in 2014. Previous to her appointment, she was a dance artist with the company’s pre-professional ensemble, DCDC2. She then joined the first company for nine seasons, becoming Resident Choreographer, and appointed Arts Curriculum Coordinator in 2010 for DCDC’s education programs.
As coordinator, Ms. Michelle became integral to the design of Dancing to the Curriculum, a highly recognized arts-integration education dance residency for elementary and middle school students in Dayton Public Schools. Over the years, she has taught dance master classes and was a teaching artist for the company’s outreach services. As a choreographer, performer, and researcher, she has traveled nationally and internationally, including to Ougadougou, Burkina Faso, and Port of Spain, Trinidad, where she researched African Diaspora movement styles and began her newest venture: The Beautiful Archive Project.
Director of D2 & Arts Enrichment Programs
Shonna Hickman-Matlock
Business & Finance Manager
Shirlita Carson
Marketing Director & Graphic Designer
Michael Green
Production Director
Matt Evans
Senior Artistic Advisor & Touring Manager
Kevin Ward
Company Manager & Production Associate
Willie Lindsey
Grants Administrator
Shola Odumade
Stage Manager, Company Trainer, Restager
Sheri "Sparkle" Williams
Costuming & Wardrobe
Ayn Kaetchan Swann
2023-2024 DCDC Dance Artists
First Company
Rehearsal Directors
Indianapolis, IN
Devin Baker, was introduced to dance as a communal galvanizer first. His formal dance training began with the Iibada Dance Company followed by the Deeply Rooted Summer Intensive. He was invited to join Deeply Rooted Dance Theater 2 under the direction of Tracey Franklin and Cece Jones, laying the foundation for his professional performance career with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble (CPRDE), Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, and the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC). Mr. Baker has performed the works of notable choreographers including Ray Mercer, Abby Zbikowski, Crystal Michelle Perkins, Tommie Waheed-Evans, Katherine Dunham, Ron K. Brown, Gary Abbott and Kevin “Iega” Jeff.In 2016 he was featured in the Bessie Award winning revival of Donald Mckayle’s “Rainbow ‘Round My Shoulder” as The Captain. Following this triumphant performance, he traveled abroad to Russia and Kazakhstan with DCDC as a US state department Cultural Ambassador, living out a personal dream of performing on the Bolshoi Stage. Under the direction of Debbie Blunden-Diggs, he was appointed DCDC rehearsal director, where he is tasked with re-staging their robust catalog of works including Paul Taylor’s “Esplanade,” Donald Byrd’s “Geography of a Cotton Field,” and Rennie Harris’ “Jacob’s Ladder.” In addition to rehearsal director, he has been promoted to DCDC Touring Associate. Mr. Baker has been with DCDC since 2014. Baker is committed to sharing his vast knowledge of dance and lessons learned at the feet of veritable masters of dance. This has manifested engagements with the Regional Dance Association’s National Choreographic Institute, The Ohio State University Dance Program, CPRDE International Summer Dance Institute, the Shanghai Dance Stages Festival, the GVSU Dance Company, and the International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference. Mr. Baker has expanded his artistry to include the exploration of his own choreographic voice. He is currently in graduate school at Hollins University and is living proof that dance can enhance one’s quality of life by nurturing positive human interaction through movement practices that promote self-awareness, love, and communal appreciation.
Nashville, TN
Countess joined the company in 2014. She began her dance training at Dance with Stacy Dance Studio, where she danced more than five years. She also attended Wharton Arts Magnet School where she majored in dance and art. She later continued her training at Nashville School of the Arts. Attending college at the University of Memphis, Countess graduated magna cum laude with a BS degree in health and human performance and with a minor in dance in 2011.
She has also participated in a variety of dance festivals including the American High School Dance Festival, the American College Dance Festival (2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012), the American Dance Festival, and the David Dorfman Dance Winter Intensive.
After graduating, Countess joined DCDC2 in 2012, where she danced for two years while having the opportunity to perform with the first company in her second year. She has performed works by Paul Taylor, David Dorfman, Rodney A. Brown, Rob Priore, William B. McClellan Jr., and many other choreographers.
Dancer Artists
Edgar Aguirre is originally from Guatemala City, Guatemala and was raised in Redwood City, California. He graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 2019 with a BFA in Dance Performance. Edgar is most proud of having danced in Donald McKayle's Étude Ensemble and having been awarded the Donald McKayle Scholarship. Edgar has danced with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company, CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater and has been a Guest Artist with Robert Moses’ Kin, Bernard Brown BBMoves, David Herrera Performance Company and Heidi Duckler Dance.
Sunrise, FL
Nicolay Dorsett joined the company as a JB Fellow in 2020 and was promoted to a company member in 2021. She was born and raised in Sunrise, Florida, and began her dance training at the young age of 7 at Elegant School of Modern Dance. She graduated from the University of South Florida (USF) in the spring of 2020 with a BA in health sciences and a BFA in modern dance performance. During Nicolay’s time at USF, she studied under teachers Bliss Kolmyer, Michael Foley, Andrew Carrol, Andee Scott, and John Parks and performed in works by renowned choreographers, including Vespers by Ulysses Dove and Prowl by Claudia Lavista. In October of 2019, she was selected to be a part of the USF/China Exchange Program to participate in the International Creative Dance Seminar at Beijing Normal University. With her passion for dance, Nicolay hopes to continue performing and growing in her artistry.
Philadelphia, PA
Aaron joined the company in 2020. He started out dancing in hip-hop and acrobatics at the tender age of 7. By the age of 12, Aaron was training in ballet, jazz, and modern at The POINTE! Dance Studio. In 2010, he was accepted into the Philadelphia Creative and Performing Arts High School (CAPA). Aaron attended The Ailey School Summer Intensive; he was fortunate enough to be accepted into the scholarship program at The Ailey School as well. He spent two years as a scholarship student there and was also a part of the student performance group (ASPG). Mr. Frisby learned and performed works choreographed by Alvin Ailey, Kirven Boyd, Ray Mercer, Ronald K. Brown, and many more. Aaron is so grateful to have made it this far in his dance career and is excited to continue dancing with the DCDC family.
With a rich performance history, Donovan has graced prestigious stages, including the Kennedy Center for various shows for the DC College Access Program and Christmas at the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Museum, and a notable appearance on the television show, Turn It Up.
At 17, Donovan began his ballet training at Berrend Dance Centre under the guidance of former American Ballet Theatre dancer, Runqiao Du. His quest for excellence also led him to train at the Dance Theatre of Harlem summer intensive with Yinet Fernandez, Robert Garland, Sanford Placide, and Amanda Smith and at Brenau University summer intensive with Madia Cooper-Ashirifi, Xavier Lewis, Jessica Lynch, Bala Sarasvati, Jock Soto and John Streit.
Throughout his time at Alabama State University, Donovan has had the privilege of working with a distinguished array of choreographers, including James R. Atkinson, Jr., Sidra Bell, Lindsay R. Benton, Ronald K. Brown, Lenard Foust, Noibis Licea, Kara Mack, Lauren C. Smith, Jerome Stigler, Eddie Stockon, Jamal Story, Kevin Thomas, Rodni Williams, and Obediah Wright. He performed Trepak in Laquangela Littleton’s first annual Nutcracker with her company, Symphony Q Academy of Dance, and Zaria Smith and Tey’Vion Powell’s 2023 senior capstones. His dedication to the craft extends beyond performing, as he has garnered recognition for his choreographic work. He has choreographed numerous student pieces, choreographed to the Alabama State University College of Visual and Performing Arts production of Dreamgirls, curated showcases for two high schools, and presented his piece, "I Go To Prepare A Place For You," at the Alabama Dance Festival in Birmingham, Alabama in January 2023.
One of Donovan's notable accomplishments includes a performance at the 2022 World Games alongside renowned artists such as Yolanda Adams, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Sheila E., Sara Evans, Tony! Toni! Tone!, Yung Bleu, Nelly, Ruben Studdard and Lionel Richie. Furthermore, Donovan performed at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in the musical productions of "Blues in the Night" and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” This is Donovan’s first professional season with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) as a Jeraldyn Blunden Fellow (JB Fellow) and is excited to work with the company.
Cuernavaca, Moreles, Mexico
Fabio Tello Muñoz graduated from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. Previously, he graduated from the Boarding Arts High School Idyllwild Arts Academy in Idyllwild, California. He sings and dances, and has participated in several productions in the USA and Mexico. Among these dance productions he had the privilege to be part of residencies with the George Mason School of Dance like: Variation 10 by Rafael Bonachela, Drive by Kyle Abraham, Sunlight Song as well as Visions and Miracles by Susan Shields, amongst others ballet companies in California and Virginia. In his hometown Cuernavaca, Fabio is the Director and Founder of his own summer intensive focusing on different art forms.
He is excited and honored to be part of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company for his first season as a professional.
She has studied with the Joffrey Ballet, Complexions, and MIP.
Ms. Ramsey chose her career in dance because dance “creates beautiful minds and bodies and allows great connections and conversations between humans.”
She names Shonna Hickman-Matlock as a choreographer who influenced her because “she made me mentally sharper and she helped my body understand mature movement.”
Sadale Warner joined the company in 2020. Philadelphia native with Caribbean roots, Sadale discovered dance at the age of 3. She took her first dance class at Broadway Bound Dance Academy and trained with the same studio until moving on to college. She started out with tap. As time went on, she ventured on to ballet, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, pointe, and modern. The studio she trained at was a competition studio, so Sadale was able to travel to many competitions year after year, competing in about four different styles of dance.
During high school, Sadale majored in dance at The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. After graduating high school, she started her undergrad career at The University of the Arts under the directorship of Donna Faye Butchfield, where she was introduced to different ideas of dance.
Sadale is passionate about expressing herself through movement and sharing the experience with other dancers and the audience. She wants to broaden her creative aspirations with concert and commercial work
JB Fellows
Dayton, OH
Allyia Nelloms is a Dayton native whose training includes the University of the Arts (where she obtained a BFA in Dance Performance), Eleone Dance Theatre, and Stivers School for the Arts. She has danced original casted and/or restaged works by Sidra Bell, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Gary Jeter, Bill T. Jones, and Bobbi Jene Smith to name a few. Aside from her role as a performer, Allyia has felt most passionate about serving her community through teaching and choreography, which both allow her to cultivate spaces not only for learning - but healing and community. She’s enjoyed exploring these same passions through her own dialogue-based platform as well as facilitating her own learning programs and “Healing” movement workshops. She has had the opportunity to teach and have her choreography showcased at various dance programs throughout Ohio and beyond, including The International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference. Allyia is excited to further explore her artistic voice as a first year JB Fellow with the company this season.
Sponsors, Donors & Volunteers
Dayton Contemporary Dance Company's 57th Season
Dancing in Our Light
is sponsored in part by
/Culture%20Works.png?width=150&height=150&name=Culture%20Works.png "Culture Works")
The Virginia W. Kettering Foundation
Hospitality sponsor
The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company staff and dance artists thanks our sponsors for their continued investment in our mission. With their support, we are able to continue to bring high-quality and varied performances to the stage. Become a sponsor today!
OUR 2025/26 Season Radiant Donors
| Deirdre E Logan |
| Cheryl E. Bradley |
| CJ Francis III Foundation |
| Lisa Abel and Lynn Adams |
| Gayle Smith |
| John Wiltshire |
| Marion Blunden Johnson |
| John Emery |
| Judy D. McCormick |
| Charlotte M. Harris |
| Brie Hope |
| Deirdre E Logan |
| Cheryl E. Bradley |
| Lisa Abel and Lynn Adams |
| Gayle Smith |
| Terrel D. Washington |
| Toni Miles |
| William and Gwendolyn Pollard |
| Rosalee D. Bradley |
| Joe and Marilyn Mitchell |
| Dreamchaser Group, Inc |
| Cheryl E. Bradley |
| Francine M Cummings |
| Mathile Family Foundation |
| Lisa Abel and Lynn Adams |
| Gayle Smith |
| Edmund H. Moore |
| Judith and Michael Kreutzer |
| Kevin and Mary McDonald |
| Mike and Frieda Brigner |
| Rhine L McLin |
| St. Margaret's Episcopal Church |
Dayton Contemporary Dance Company would not be who we are without your generous donations. We want to thank the many individuals, corporations, government entities, and foundations who continuously invest in our company and help facilitate our work.
Come see us again at our next performance
Dayton Contemporary Dance Company presents
The Littlest Angel
Fri., Dec. 12, 7:30 PM | Sat., Dec 13, 7:30 PM
University of Dayton Boll Theatre
Get your treat for the season today!
