Welcome to To Touch the Earth
Thank you for coming tonight! The last time Perceptual Motion, Inc. gave a concert in a theater was April 2019. Covid cancelled our 2020 concert. We are so excited to perform for you tonight!
Nature feeds my soul. Climate change has been coming for decades and only now are people finally beginning to see how incredibly serious it is. It affects every single living being on the planet. Can you imagine the world without hearing the songs of birds, or seeing the delicate beauty of butterflies, or breathing crisp, clean air? According to Aldous Huxley, Consciousness is only possible through change; change is only possible through movement. Tonight we move!
We are fortunate to have speakers from the North Park Village Nature Center open the show. Their bios are below.
Thank you to Emily, Janis, Mary, Mary Iris, Natalie and Saydi for their hard work and dedication in making this evening possible. I feel blessed to share this journey with them. They come to rehearsals every week, unpaid, for which I am grateful. Special thanks as well to past PMI dancers Nik LaMaack, Natalja Aicardi and Hannah Ottenfeld for their contributions to The Earth Speaks and The Monarch. The ideas, unique perspectives and talent of the dancers is instrumental in creating the dances we’ll perform for you tonight. And thank you to Margaret Nelson, lighting designer extraordinaire-it’s an honor to work with you.
Thank you to guest performer Connie Foster, whom you’ll see in “Got Plastic?”. Bio below.
Thanks to The Edge Theater staff Amelia and Caitlin, our box office helpers and The Saints for ushering.
The cost of creating dances, putting on concerts and arts programs and administration is far more than that which is gained through ticket sales and tuition. Funding for the arts and arts in education is an ongoing challenge. Please consider making a donation to help defray the costs of tonight’s performance.
Perceptual Motion Inc. would not be here without the support from the Illinois Arts Council, the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the NorthCenter Chamber of Commerce and from individual donors. We deeply appreciate every one of you!
Enjoy the show!
Lin Shook
TECHNICAL PERSONNEL
Lighting Design: Margaret Nelson
Crew: Zach Dreelan and Kieran O’Connor
Postcard/flyer design: Donna Antkowiak
Video: Carl Weideman
Sound edits: Mary Iris Loncto
Amaris Alanis Ribeiro has almost twenty years of experience in conservation and environmental education in museums, nonprofits, and outdoor settings including the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and Chicago Botanic Garden. Amaris is currently the Center Director of the North Park Village Nature Center. There she directs the operation of a public facility with 46 acres of a nature preserve open 7-days a week, providing year-round programs throughout the year for over 75,000 visitors. Amaris is a leader in monarch conservation and engagement and has presented at the Wild Things conference on monarchs. Last year she participated in the multi-day North American Monarch Institute. Amaris has a bachelor in science degree in Ecology, Ethology, Evolution from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and is completing a master’s degree in science education from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Joel Luciano is originally from Puerto Rico. He moved to Chicago in 2016 to finish his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Environmental Science/Studies at DePaul University. Much of his career has centered around environmental education and experiential learning. My interests and passions are in urban agriculture, environmental justice, and ecology, and nature. He is program facilitator at the North Park Village Nature Center.
Guest Performer, Connie Foster, has been tap dancing since 5…touring theatre at 17…TV hostess at 21…NBC’s Chicago Story (5 episodes)..Chicago Med (2 episodes)…ACE spokeswoman…Unshackled! Actor since ’90…. and started 2 theaters.
Please join us for conversation and drinks in the lobby immediately after the performance.
Program
To Touch the Earth
Perceptual Motion, Inc. March 31 and April 1, 2023
Choreography: Lin Shook Lighting: Margaret Nelson
Talk: North Park Village Nature Center
Friday-Amaris Ribeiro Saturday- Joel Luciano
Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano
Dancers: Mary Iris Loncto, Saydi Ogden, Emily Pfriem
Music: Afro Celt Soundsystem
Serpents
Dancers: Mary Heyl, Lin Shook
Music: Brent Lewis
Got Plastic?
Dancers: Natalie Langmeir, Mary Iris Loncto, Lin Shook Models: Connie Foster, Janis Post, Mary Heyl
Music: Adam Shaikh
5 min pause
The Monarch
Dancers: Mary Heyl, Mary Iris Loncto, Saydi Ogden, Emily Pfriem
Props: Lin Shook
Music: Nils Frohm, Recap and Loscil
Intermission 15 min
The Earth Speaks
Dancers: Mary Heyl, Mary Iris Loncto, Saydi Ogden, Emily Pfriem, Lin Shook
Music: Einaudi, Motion Trio
5 min Pause
Time is a River
Dancers: Natalie Langmeir, Mary Iris Loncto, Janis Post, Lin Shook
Music: Original music by Fred Simon
When the Stars Dance
Dancers: Natalie Langmeir, Mary Iris Loncto, Saydi Ogden, Janis Post, Lin Shook
Music: K. Bager
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Individual Donors Donations received September 1, 2022 to March 28, 2023
Jane Bilger Anna Lasley
Ina Burd Maureen Owens
Elaine Collina Rochelle Sterline
Bob and Sue Chennel Wilma Stevens
Paulette Feeney Gary Swanson
Helene Gray Ruth Thiede
Jane Heron Terese Yee
Michael Hora Rick & Donna Yule
Lynn Hyndman Shirlene Ward
Christine Jindra Bill Webster
Anonymous Carol Weston
Jennifer Widmer