Steelstatue & Sheep Meadow Dance Present: KINANCER
Choreography by Billy Blanken
Music by Nick Virzi
Sculpture by Jack Howard-Potter
Costumes By Sabrina Pretto and Norma Kamali
A collaborative contemporary ballet with dancers interacting and activating a 750lb kinetic steel sculpture. This groundbreaking, site specific, high stakes performance will be on the cutting edge of ballet, art exhibition, music and performance blending an array of disparate artistic expressions into a truly once in a lifetime event in the incredible modern space that is Saint Peter’s Church.
PROGRAM NOTES
The inspiration for KINANCER (2026) surrounds you in this performance—from the historic sanctuary to the living composition and kinetic sculpture that inhabits the space. This sanctuary is a gathering place for the community; welcoming for all and a space to create. I choreographed this work during the gradual return of daylight in January of 2026.
KINANCER serves as a personal reminder that even through the longest and coldest moments, light inevitably returns. As we collectively begin to dream of warmth and renewal, this piece draws upon cultural narratives from around the world that speak to the birth and creation of the sun. Its primary inspiration comes from the mythology of the Lenape people, who are indigenous to this land.
I invite you to experience this convergence of contemporary ballet, sculpture, live music, and extraordinary architecture. I hope this work brings more warmth, connection and daylight into your life. Thank you for attending our performance.
-Billy Blanken
AD Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre
In 2004 I made a kinetic figurative steel sculpture called Flight, a life-size female figure facing the sky, in the shape of a rainbow, and balancing on her back. The sculpture spins around and dances in the wind. The moment I saw it move for the first time, I envisioned dancers swirling and spinning around it and partnering with the sculpture in a collaborative symphony. This vision has lived in my head for the past 20 years and I am so excited to see these performances and experience the reality of this fantasy. The centerpiece of this fantasy has changed but the interaction and coordination of human dancers, interacting and mimicking figurative steel body parts, remains.
Kinancer is acollaborative contemporary ballet with dancers interacting and activating a 750lb kinetic steel sculpture of the same name.This groundbreaking, site specific, high stakes performance will be on the cutting edge of ballet, art exhibition, music and performance blending an array of disparate artistic expressions into a truly once in a lifetime event in the incredible modern space that is Saint Peter’s Church. I want to thank Billy, Vince, Nick, the dancers and musicians for indulging this wild idea and truly working to create something singular and ephemeral in this epic sacred space.
-Jack Howard-Potter
Sculpture the dancers will be working with:
Kinancer, galvanized and powder coated steel, 80” x 144” x 144”, 2016
Usona is a piece of electronic music that I composed for a commission from Digital Ambiance, an interdisciplinary design company in Berkeley, CA. The piece is part of a larger collaboration with the Usona Institute, a medical research organization in Wisconsin dedicated to investigating the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics. The music composition and sound design were informed by research on the intersections between sound/music and the psychedelic experience conducted at Stanford University. Usona was created with the goal of providing a therapeutic experience for clinical patients under the influence of psilocybin.
The resulting project is an immersive piece that explores 5 distinct ambient soundscapes related to an ocean theme. Each soundscape track is designed to address a different emotional state based on research into patients’ responses to sound at various stages of a psychedelic experience. The music includes electric guitar sound masses that evoke the collective movement of a school of fish, a synthesizer based on sampled whale song recordings, and field recordings of birds and ocean waves from the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Pacific Coast in Big Sur, CA.
For Kinancer, I created an extended mix of these soundscapes in response to Jack Howard-Potter’s kinetic sculpture, Billy Blanken’s choreography for Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre, and the architecture/acoustics of Saint Peter’s Church in NYC. In live performance, musicians play along with this electronic music to create a new electroacoustic piece – Vince Carr (organ), Jeremy Wexler (drums/percussion), Molly von Gutzeit (cello), and Nick Virzi (myself - electric guitar).
-Nick Virzi
ARTIST BIOS
Billy Blanken is a distinguished professional in teaching dance and choreography, boasting an impressive track record of over two decades in the industry. He started his professional career as a principal with the Amy Marshall Dance Company before joining Les Ballets Grandiva. His credits include; Mobile Ballet, CoDa 21 of San Juan, Catherine Gallant Dance, Atlantic City Ballet, Northwest Florida Ballet, Ajkun Ballet Theatre, the East Village Dance Project, Northeastern Ballet Theatre, isadoraNOW, Ballet Mink Colbert, and many others. He is currently serving as ballet faculty at SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance and instructor at the Peridance Center.
He founded Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre in 2016 as a medium for exploring movement through a socially-engaged dance practice. The project creates repertoire with an emphasis on classical ballet. Mr. Blanken creates choreography that is theatrical, polished, and classically informed with a contemporary aesthetic. SMDT has been featured in Dance Magazine, Dance Informa, Dance Enthusiast, and Huffington Post. They have performed at Dixon Place, the Hudson Guild Theatre, Culture Lab LIC, the KnJ Theatre, Queensboro Dance Festival, Triskelion Arts, Dumbo Dance Festival, the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre and others. His mission is to provide the highest quality in dance performance for all, regardless of economic background. 80 percent of SMDT’s programming is specially planned for our home borough of Queens. We are the only professional ballet company in Queens, New York and we are proud to represent the world's borough.
Jack Howard-Potter was born on January 2, 1975, in New York City, and graduated from Union College in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts, where he wrote his thesis “Figurative Steel Sculpture”. After college, Jack worked for a blacksmith making furniture, was a teacher’s assistant at the Art Students League of New York City, and worked with the Tribeca Film Festival. He has permanent and long-term displays in sculpture parks, municipalities, and galleries across the country, including Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, Vermont, Maryland, and Illinois.
In 2021, Jack made the 1958 Championship Game sculpture for the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Standing 30 feet tall, the monumental figure of the diving football player, Raymond Berry, is gravity-defying. The six thousand pounds of steel, covered in a silver skin, took 8 months to complete and represents a major success in Jack’s career. He resides in New York City with his wife, Erica, daughter, Skylar, and son, Lyndon. He is a board member of The Art Students League and Scripps Howard Foundation, attends ballet and dance to inform his work, and most recently completed a commission for the city of Palm Springs, California. He has had his studio in Long Island City, Queens, since 2006.
Dr. Nick Virzi is a composer from New York City whose work includes acoustic, electronic, and electro-acoustic music, as well as film projects, intermedia pieces, and multichannel installations. His recent pieces explore the relationships between humans and the natural world, numerology and rhythmic structure, and autoethnography and identity. His practice includes field recording in national parks, orchestration of complex numerical systems, and collecting and adapting archival media. Nick’s music has been performed throughout the USA and internationally by leading artists such as the JACK Quartet, the TAK Ensemble, and Ensemble Dal Niente. He has been a featured composer at international festivals including Gaudeamus Muziekweek and the Impuls Academy and at venues such as the Juilliard School in NYC and the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark. Dr. Virzi completed his D.M.A. in Music Composition at Stanford University, where he was also a Lecturer in the Department of Music and the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). Virzi is currently Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music at Connecticut College, where he teaches courses in musical acoustics, electronic music, audio recording and engineering, and guitar performance. He is resident composer for NYC groups Ensemble Mycelium and Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre.
SMDT BIOS
Kayla Armgardt is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she began her dance training at an early age. She attended summer intensives at Boston Ballet, Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive, and Texas Ballet Theatre, and later continued her formal training in Butler University’s BFA program. She danced with New Mexico Ballet Company for six seasons, performing numerous principal and soloist roles in both classical and contemporary repertoire. Her credits include the Arabian soloist in The Nutcracker, Balanchine’s Serenade, and the Lead Poppy in Alice in Wonderland, among many others. She also appeared as a dancer in the feature film A Million Ways to Die in the West. After earning her MBA from Vanderbilt University, Kayla relocated to New York City in 2018, where she continued her career as a freelance dancer. She has performed with Dances Patrelle, Bodies Never Lie, Neville Dance Theatre, and American Liberty Ballet, where her principal roles included Odile in Swan Lake and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker.
Blake Brown is from Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she trained at the Colorado Youth Ballet under the guidance of Patricia Hoffman. She earned scholarships at the American Academy of Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet Academy, and State Street Ballet. Blake's professional career began with Ballet Idaho as a guest artist in "The Nutcracker" before joining State Street Ballet. In 2016 she joined the American Swiss Ballet and the Ravensquid Ballet Compagnie in Paris, France, for the Fall/Winter season of 2022. Blake has performed both classical ballet and contemporary works across the United States and Europe, taking part in multiple international tours and festivals in the US, France, Italy, and Switzerland. Some of these experiences include performances with Orsolina 28, City Dance NY, Metropolitan Ballet, Jersey City Ballet, CXID Opera Ukraine, and more. Her repertoire includes Myrtha in "Giselle,” soloist roles in "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker," and works by choreographers Jiri Kylian and William Forsythe.
Devon Darrow is a freelance dancer based in New York City. She trained with New Mexico Ballet Company, Texas Ballet Theater, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of the Arts in English Language and Literature. Devon has also lived and worked abroad in Paris. In her professional dance career, Devon has worked with Richmond Ballet, and in New York, Dances Patrelle, CityDanceNY, and Ballet Neo. Devon has performed roles in ballets including Romeo & Juliet, Cinderella, Dracula, the Nutcracker, George Balanchine’s Rubies, and various other works. Outside of dancing, she has also worked as a software engineer and project manager working with companies ranging from online media organizations to digital agencies with clients ranging from the luxury fashion sector to the art gallery world.
Andrew Demakakos is a native New Yorker who grew up in Astoria, Queens. A graduate of the Conservancy of Dance at Purchase College (2023), he holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Ballet. Andrew has danced numerous works with the Purchase Dance Company, including those composed by Eve Chan, Michelle Ulrich Thompson, and Christopher Rudd. He also performed in a staging of George Balanchine’s Serenade as a waltz couple. After graduating Purchase, Andrew joined Madison ballet under direction of Ja’ Malik for 2 seasons where he performed in productions such as The Nutcracker and A Mid~Summers Night Dream. As well as contemporary works Hallelujah Junction, Rhapsody in Blue, and Guitar Concerto and more. As a choreographer, Andrew was selected to be a part of Steps on Broadway Performance Lab, where he showcased his contemporary ballet, Rollercoaster of Love. Andrew is currently a company member with Thomas/Ortiz dance and continues to evolve his craft.
Sabrina Pretto (Costume Mistress) was born in Vicenza, Italy. After her initial training, she was admitted to the prestigious Académie de Danse Classique Princesse Grace in Monaco, Monte Carlo. Upon graduation, she earned third prize at the International Dance Competition in Spoleto, Italy. Her performance credits include the English National Ballet, Stadttheater Koblenz in Germany, and Les Ballets Grandiva. In 2011, Sabrina joined Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, where she danced lead roles such as Esmeralda, Giselle, and Swan Queen, performing internationally through 2019. She now focuses on teaching; after serving as a faculty member at the American Youth Dance Theatre for two years, she currently teaches at the New York Community Ballet. In addition to her work as a performer and teacher, Sabrina designs costumes for Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre, with her creations featured in productions including Sleeping Beauty (2021), Gershwin Preludes (2023), Goldberg Variations (2024), Riverdaughter, and Nutcracker Suite (2025).
José Rojas is a professional dancer, performer and teacher of traditional Argentine folklore originally from Paraná, Entre Ríos, Argentina. He ventured into folk dance when he was six years old. Since then they have participated in different contests and folkloric festivals of great renown in Argentina, such as the National Festival of Baradero 2010, and the National Festival of Cosquin 2011, consecrating themselves as finalists in dance ensemble, among others. His passion for dance encouraged José to train in other techniques such as ballet, jazz and contemporary; giving him the opportunity to take classes with world-renowned dancers and teachers such as Raquel Rossetti, Alejandro Totto and Iñaki Urlezaga, Julieta Paul, Margarita Fernández, among others. José also had the opportunity to participate in the Co-production between the Municipal School of Dances of Paraná and the Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires, on two occasions:: "Don Quixote" in 2010 and "Giselle" in 2011; in which he shared the stage with first dancers of the Teatro Colón such as Silvina Perillo, Edgardo Trabalón, Nadia Muzyca and Gerardo Wyss. In 2015, José received a full scholarship for the summer course at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, during which he was awarded a full scholarship.
He has worked with different companies and choreographers including: teacher artist at Ballet Hispanico, Arim Dance Company, Amalia Basanta Hernandez, American Swiss Ballet Company, D'Zul dance Company, Axelrod Contemporary Dance Company, and has participated in different festivals and renowned theaters such as: Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Dumbo Dance Festival, Queensboro Dance Festival, New York City Center, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, Victory Dance Theatre (Broadway), Town Hall Theatre (Broadway). Jose has danced on stages and festivals in different parts of the world, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, USA, Turkey, Switzerland, Italy, France, etc. He currently dances for: Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, Connecticut Ballet, D'Zul Dance Company, Independent Works of Argentine Folklore and Tango, and freelances.
Kristi Ann Schopfer, she/her, began her dance training in New Jersey at Dance World Academy and R.A.D. (Royal Academy of Dance), later touring the east coast and on Carnival Cruise Lines. Kristi Ann received her BFA in Dance at SUNY Brockport, where she met Rebecca Sproul Gushue, dancing for Gushue Moving Arts from 2007-2017. She worked with Barkin/Selissen Project (NYC) as a touring performing artist from 2012-2019. Kristi Ann has recently worked with Namn Dance Company, Janis Brenner, Kate Griffler, and at STREB Lab for Action Mechanics among others, as well as collaborates with Matheny Arts Access, providing individuals with disabilities access to creative expression. Kristi Ann has been an artist with The DynamitExperience (since 2019) and 3rd Law Dance/Theater (since 2021). She is delighted to be working with Sheep Meadow Dance Theater.
Originally from Michigan, Tanya Lynn Trombly holds a B.A. from Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA. She danced with several professional companies across the country before settling in New York City to work as a freelance artist where she has performed principal roles in Swan Lake, Beauty & the Beast, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, and many more classical ballets & original contemporary works. Tanya has experience as the Creative Director and Co-Founder/Producer of a touring company that performed in Denver & Vail, Colorado, and premiered its first full-length performance in NYC in June of 2024. She is also the founder and creator of the patented Bulletproof Ballerina cross-training system. Through fitness, nutrition, & lifestyle coaching, she works with dancers to help them reach their true potential as artists. She loves traveling to teach master classes and was an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University – Peabody Institute for a body conditioning course for the BFA Dance program. More information at BulletproofBallerina.com.
Tulia Marshall, (production assistant) born in Vietnam, grew up in New York, training at Laguardia High School, Manhattan Youth Ballet, and the Hubbard Street Professional Program. She holds a BFA in Dance and BA in Arts Management from SUNY Purchase College, receiving the Conservatory's Presidential Scholar Award. Following her graduation, Tulia became a freelance artist working with companies such as Athomas Project, Mayte Natalio, Peter Chu, and the New York Chinese Cultural Center performing both nationally and internationally. She also attended notable intensives including b12 research or die and Springboard Danse where she worked closely with renowned choreographers Bryan Arias, Johannes Wieland, and James Vu Anh Pham. In addition to her performance career, Tulia has been recognized as a passionate choreographer creating for Daniel Ulbricht’s Stars of American Ballet and has presented original works at festivals including: Battery Dance Festival, Bridge for Dance’s Uptown Rising, and Doug Varone’s Devices 8. In the Fall of 2025 she joined NW Dance Project under the direction of Sarah Slipper and has performed works by Caroline Finn and Ihsan Rustem while also choreographing for the company’s annual show “In Good Company.”
MUSICIAN BIOS
Vincent Carr is a musician and educator widely known for his versatility as a solo and collaborative performer. He currently serves as Director of Music, Liturgy and the Arts at Saint Peter’s Church in New York City as well as the Artistic Director of the Arts and Architecture Conservancy. The Conservancy presents a variety of public art offerings to the NYC area reaching more than 50,000 people per year.
He has served as musical director/conductor for the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in the United Kingdom, as well as the celebrity Irish singing group The Priests. His performance of Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb with the Richard Alston Dance Company (London) garnered critical acclaim in both the UK as well as New York City’s Fall for Dance Festival (2016). As a professional organist and choral conductor, Vince has held organist and choirmaster posts at some of the nation's most noteworthy churches and cathedrals. His university teaching career has included positions at Indiana University, Yale University, Montclair State University and William Paterson University.
After earning undergraduate degrees in Organ Performance and Spanish language from Indiana University, Vince continued his graduate music studies at Yale University, where he was the recipient of numerous prizes from the faculty and in national organ competitions. He holds a master’s certificate in business and personal finance from New York University and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists.
With a passion for collaboration and expansion, cellist Molly von Gutzeit (Aronson) looks to bring people together through the arts to discover innovative takes on presenting classical music. She enjoys a varied career, taking her across the U.S. and internationally as a soloist, chamber, orchestral musician, arranger, and educator. Molly is the founder and cellist of Ensemble Mycelium, and the Music in Words project with radio broadcaster Judith Krummeck, with whom she will be premiering her string trio and orator arrangement of Richard Strauss’ Enoch Arden this spring.
As a proponent of new music, Molly frequently performs contemporary music, including works by Pulitzer Prize, Guggenheim and Grammy-winning recipients, and has premiered over 50 chamber music and solo works. Additionally, Molly has performed with popular artists including the Eagles, Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, and Michael Bublé. She can be heard on albums on the Arabesque and Naxos Labels as well as movie soundtracks for Warner Brothers and Sundance films.
Using music as a vehicle for positive change, Molly has performed at the United Nations, in nursing homes, schools, prisons, and has organized multiple fundraisers for causes related to Autism. She believes that opportunity begins with exposure and accessibility, and aligns herself with organizations and patrons that support young musicians in need. Molly currently maintains a private studio of cellists, many of whom have been competition winners, and been admitted to major conservatories and music degree programs.
Jeremy D. Wexler is a composer/percussionist from New York. He is the recipient of an ASCAP/SEAMUS Commission, as well as Fulbright and Kosciuszko Foundation Research Fellowships to study composition at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, Poland. His work has been premiered by the Novalis Trio, Ukho Ensemble, Proton Bern, Divertimento Ensemble, Mivos, ECO Ensemble, among others. Completing his initial studies at SUNY Purchase College (B.M., M.M.), Jeremy received his Ph.D. in Music Composition from UC Berkeley in 2023. He currently works at D'Addario & Co. on the product management team for Evans Drumheads and ProMark Drumsticks & Mallets.
ACKNOWLEDMENTS
Thank you to Saint Peter’s Church for hosting this once in a lifetime dream performance. We would also like to thank in particular Pastor Jared Stalher, Vince Carr, Rebekah Thornhill and Jason Millare for your extraordinary dedication to this project and unwavering support.
Huge thanks go out to our fabulous performance artists for their talent, beauty and endless attention to detail, creativity and passion.
SMDT would like to thank Jack Howard-Potter and the PHFFoundation Inc, for their generous support.