The Wooden Floor 41st Annual Concert: Onward Celebrates a Tradition of Thought-Provoking Dance with an Inspiring Vision That Breaks the Cycle of Poverty in Youth
Students of The Wooden Floor will take the stage to premiere three new dance works for the organization’s 41st Annual Concert: Onward at Irvine Barclay Theatre from May 30-June 1, 2024, for four showings.
Irvine Barclay Theatre from May 30-June 1, 2024
This years’ acclaimed choreographers, Momar Ndiaye, Tristian Koepke, and The Wooden Floor Artistic Director Jennifer Bassage Bonfil will work alongside students to craft unique and transformative dances that claim national recognition and accolades due to their groundbreaking nature.
Momar Ndiaye, Tristian Koepke, Jennifer Bassage Bonfil will work alongside students to craft unique and transformative dances
Through our rigorous dance education program, students will dedicate hundreds of hours to the performance process, while evolving their intellectual capabilities through artistic collaboration.
By co-creating dance works with these renown choreographers, students drastically develop their Creativity, Confidence, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Character, and Courage, which helps them succeed both in school and in life.
“Those who have never attended The Wooden Floor’s Annual Concert
are usually surprised by what they experience.
It is an important artistic performance for our students,
co-created with artists and designers
working at the top of their fields.
It is about uplifting our student’s belief in themselves,
and in each other,
which permeates all that they strive to accomplish each day,”
Dawn S. Reese
CEO of The Wooden Floor
“The art-making that you will witness on stage is the embodiment of the creativity, focus, and determination which each child brings. It is these personal learnings which provide the confidence and courage in each child to pursue their bold visions for their lives,” she said.
Meet the Choreographers
Jenniffer Bassage Bonfil, MFA is a respected Southern California-based modern dancer, dance maker, and dance educator and serves as The Wooden Floor’s Artistic Director. Jennifer earned her BFA from Chapman University in Dance Performance and an MA in Dance Education through the University of Northern Colorado. Jennifer was a founding company member of Orange County’s critically acclaimed Backhausdance from 2003 to 2016 and performed in over 15 original works, touring nationally and internationally. Jennifer is an adjunct professor and lecturer who has taught at Chapman University, California State University Long Beach, Santa Ana College, and West Coast Conservatory of Ballet. Chapman University awarded Jennifer the Distinguished Alumni Award, and California State University, Fullerton recognized Jennifer at their annual Honor an Educator event, both in 2022.
Momar Ndiaye, MFA is an international performer, choreographer, and instructor from Senegal. Prior to earning his MFA in dance from the University of Illinois, he worked as a performer-collaborator with many well-known choreographers from Africa, Europe, Asia and America and has toured his work internationally since 2004. Momar has danced with the international dance company Premiere Temp and has his own dance company called Cadanses. Momar is a recipient of the Bruno Nettl Award for excellence in choreography. He is also on faculty at the American Dance Festival and is an Assistant Professor at Ohio State University.
Tristian Koepke, MFA is a dancer, educator, choreographer and Rolfer® based in Portland, Maine. Tristian holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is an Assistant Professor at Bates College and is Associate Director of the Young Dancers Intensive at the Bates Dance Festival. He has performed in contemporary and experimental dance works by numerous acclaimed choreographers, including Kendra Portier. Tristian was a member of Zenon Dance Company and has shared his choreography, expertise, and artistic insight all over the country.
Join The Wooden Floor in a night of elevating dance that will captivate the minds of the audience through fresh and inventive choreography and artistry, while supporting the future of children in our community.
Event Details
Name: The Wooden Floor’s 41st Annual Concert, Onward
When: 8:00pm May 30 – June 1, 2024, plus 2:30pm matinee June 1, 2024
Where: Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine, CA 92612
Tickets: $20 General Seating; $10 seating for children under 13 and students; $50 Benefit Seating, which includes a $30 tax-deductive contribution
Available: On sale beginning April 1 at TheWoodenFloor.org
About The Wooden Floor
Founded in 1983, The Wooden Floor is one of the foremost creative youth development nonprofit organizations in the country. We inspire and transform the lives of young people through the power of dance and access to higher education.
In Orange County and through national licensed partners, we use a long-term approach grounded in exploratory dance education to foster the confidence and gifts within each child to innovate, communicate, and collaborate – skills necessary for success in school and in life.
100 percent of students who graduate from The Wooden Floor enroll in higher education. Our students become change agents and beacons of hope within their own families, their neighborhoods, our community, and our world.
