A Dance Adventure

May 2000

Commissioned by the Orange County
Performing Arts Center

CHOREOGRAPHY and CONCEPT: Loretta Livingston

MUSIC: Murielle Hamilton
COSTUME DESIGN: Martha Ferrara
SCENIC DESIGN: James P. Taylor
LIGHTING DESIGN: Stephen Bennett
TEXT: Loretta Livingston
DOLL DESIGN/ ASSISTANT TO THE COSTUME DESIGNER: Itsaso Petricorena

DANCERS
John Diaz, Alyson Little Jones, Kristi Keanuenuepiolaniku’uleialoha Kapahua, Michael Mizerany, Myshia Moten, Keena Smith, Johnny Tu, Sioux Wing, Erin Suzanne Carper (Understudy)

AUXILIARY CAST
Courtesy of Sylvia Turner, Dance Department Chair of Santa Ana College
Bobby Avalos, Rosa Garcia, Heather Gillette, Liz Lara, Carlos Rodriguez, Nikki Zialcita

Stage Manager for Loretta Livingston & Dancers:
Kristin Koop
Assistant to the Choreographer:
Michael Mizerany
Artistic Advisor: Diane Doyle (Courtesy of Orange County Performing Arts Center)

Two Thousand Steps was produced by
Loretta Livingston & Dancers
Executive Producer: David Plettner
Production Assistant: Dana Parker
Board of Directors: Marcia Gold, David Humiston, Loretta Livingston, Wilma Marshall, Jill Medlinsky, David Plettner, Arthur Rieman (President), Karen Schmidt

Choreographer Loretta Livingston was commissioned by The Orange County Performing Arts Center to create a new work specifically for the stage in Segerstrom Hall. The new work, titled “Two Thousand Steps” by Livingston, premiered Friday, May 12, 2000.

In addition to Livingston’s choreography, the work had an original musical score by composer Murielle Hamilton, scenic design by James Taylor, lighting design by Stephen Bennett and costumes by Martha Ferrara. Hamilton, Bennett and Ferrara have teamed with Livingston on past projects, and all have won awards for their collaborating designs and compositions.

Chosen as the first artist in OCPAC’s new commissioning program, Livingston created a work that looks lovingly and humorously at dance itself, inspired by the changes all the arts went through in the 20th Century. Fitting into the artist’s philosophy that art is for everyone, “Two Thousand Steps” was designed to be an “age-inclusive” work-an evening of dance accessible for a wide spectrum of audience members, regardless of age and knowledge of contemporary concert dance.

How to “see modern” has been perplexing 20th Century audiences for almost 100 years now, and Livingston hoped to find ways to key the audience into seeing what they already know---that the world is not always a linear story that we can follow, but rather a serendipitous adventure with countless juxtapositions and perspectives. Livingston also supports the belief that historic world events have always shaped how humans view themselves, their world, and therefore their art, so images from 20th Century history also figured into the work.

Intended to be imaginative, captivating and inviting,
“Two Thousand Steps” traced building blocks and bridges between the centuries, resting-and testing-the possibilities of the future on the steps of the past.

Dancers for the project were John Diaz, Alyson Jones, Kea Kapahua, Michael Mizerany, Myshia Moten, Keena Smith, Johnny Tu, Sioux Wing, and Erin Carper, understudy. There was also a special “auxiliary cast” of six dancers from Santa Ana College, representing a community participation.

The Artists

With a well-filled house, a standing ovation and press quips like “whimsical leaps of imagination” (Los Angeles Times), “another Orange County dance coup” (Orange County Metro), “Livingston steps lively into joyful audience appeal” (Orange County Register) and “a sound and immediate success” (Spanish language publication Tu Mundo), Two Thousand Steps was premiered on May 12, 2000 in Segerstrom Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. With the honor of having been chosen as the first artist commissioned by OCPAC, Livingston and her dancers and collaborators were happy to offer a work that was so well received.