Step This Way

BY

Co-Artistic Directors: Maura García (non-enrolled Cherokee/Mattamuskeet) and Mark Gabriel Little

WITH

Dance: Maura García

Music: Mark Gabriel Little 

Caller: Christina Theodorou (Lumbee)

AND

Light Board Operator: Maliah Compaore

Choreography:  Maura García 

Composer: Mark Gabriel Little 

Lighting Design: Benjamin Bosch, Electrics Director, PlayMakers Repertory Company

Ackland Technical Assistance: Joel Vanderkamp, Lead Preparator, Ackland Art Museum

Costumes: DeAnna Edwards

Ackland Public Engagement Assistants: Emily Cockman, Maliah Compaore, Mair Famet, and Leanna Fore.

Ackland Public Programs Assistant: Abigail Ilfeld

Ackland Head of Public Programs: Allison Portnow Lathrop

Ackland Terrace Installation: pARC by The Urban Conga, curated by Lauren Turner, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art and Special Projects, Ackland Art Museum

THANKS

“Step This Way” is supported by a Grassroots grant from the Orange County Arts Commission and a gift from Allen Anderson and Tama Hochbaum. Technical support has been given by PlayMakers Repertory Company. The program is presented as part of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro 2nd Friday ArtWalk.

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CAMPUS LIFE EXPERIENCE

UNC-Chapel Hill Students who have attended “Step This Way” may receive Campus Life Experience (CLE) credit by scanning or clicking the QR code below:

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ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

“Step This Way” is a site-specific performance featuring live music and dance by Mark Gabriel Little and Maura García. The performance takes place on and around the pARC, an interactive playful installation designed and created by The Urban Conga on the Ackland’s Terrace.

“Step This Way” transforms the seemingly unrelated elements of the Museum and the surrounding areas into a unifying performance experience, with music and choreography that change as the environment and the people within it change throughout the duration of the piece. “Step This Way” celebrates place, the arts, and the capacity that we have to listen to, relate to, and beautifully respond to one another.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Maura García (non-enrolled Cherokee/Mattamuskeet) is a dancer, dancemaker, entertainer, facilitator, thought leader and artistic director. From theater stages, to nightclubs, to museums, to conferences, to universities, to private events, to site-specific outdoor performances, Maura’s powerful work transforms time and space. At the root of all of her endeavors is the desire to heal and create more space for joy in the world.

As an artistic director, Maura collaborates with Indigenous and POC artists to realize multi-media performances, interactive dance experiences and community arts projects. Her narrative driven work uncovers stories hidden by colonialism and reflects the power they have to change our realities. As a human and as a creator, Maura works to uplift Indigenous cultural values, perpetuate ancestral knowledge and actively respect the living earth.

Maura is an international touring artist and shares her work with the world via specially-designed commissions, repertoire performances, multi-day residencies and longer-term community programs. Her performances have been presented throughout North America. Learn more on her website.

Mark Gabriel Little is a composer, singer, and musician based in Chapel Hill, NC. His work builds on a deep foundation in Negro musical traditions and incorporates elements from many other musical traditions including Indigenous southeastern woodlands of North America, Caribbean, West Africa, Classical European, and East Asia. Throughout his career, he has balanced producing boundary-breaking compositions with live performances as a solo act, in a band, or accompanying other performing artists. Commissions include a choral piece for the Maura Garcia Dance Company (Charleston, South Carolina) and an experimental symphony, “Fracking Music!” for the Ackland Art Museum (Chapel Hill, North Carolina). In his collaborations, MGL bridges visual and performing arts with an unconventional sound and music vocabulary. In addition to his portfolio of commissioned work, MGL writes and performs electric soul songs as MGL & The Rev. Hear some of Mark’s music on his website.

Christina Strickland Theodorou has worked as an advocate of equity and social balance for indigenous communities working to preserve traditional lifeways. She believes thriving communities steeped in history and culture are the greatest assets North Carolina possesses.