A. Periplum

About the performance:

“Periplum” refers to a voyage, particularly from the point of view of someone in the middle of the journey. Ezra Pound describes it as “correct geography; not as you would find it if you had a geography book and a map, but as it would be in ‘periplum,’ that is, as a coasting sailor would find it.”

A. Periplum is a one-woman dance performance accompanied by live jazz music and film that takes the audience on a journey from the landscapes of our inner longings to the literal and figurative mountains we must climb on the way to becoming ourselves. Featuring trumpet and music compositions by Dominick Farinacci, Alice Blumenfeld’s dancing, Felise Bagley’s choreography and dramaturgy, and film by Joshua Lawhorn.

Sponsored in part by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, New Music USA, and the Ohio Arts Council.

Duration:

The performance lasts approximately 1-hour.

About the artists:

Dominick Farinacci

New York City-based trumpeter Dominick Farinacci served as ambassador to Jazz at Lincoln Center from 2013-2015 in Doha, Qatar, working to further integrate music into communities around the world in culturally collaborative ways. He is a 2022 recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize. Dominick graduated from The Juilliard School in 2005 launching his career in Japan with a prolific run of eight albums, later releasing four more globally. His 2016 recording “Short Stories” was produced by four-time Grammy Award winning producer Tommy LiPuma. Dominick’s latest double EP “Reflections” features a series of duo performances with acclaimed pianists and the lead track on “Reflections” has received more than 1 million streams on Spotify in recent months.

Dominick has been recognized by The New York Times as “a trumpeter of abundant poise.” He was a featured guest on ABC’s Good Morning America and is a TED Speaker. Dominick has been profiled in Vanity Fair, and music icon Quincy Jones says of Dominick’s accomplishments in performance, recording, education & advocacy, “This kid is 360 degrees!”

Dominick has been successful in his personal endeavors on bringing music into the community through Arts and Wellness & Education. He is co-founder of Modern Warrior LIVE, an immersive musical and narrative experience detailing a U.S. Veteran’s story of combat in Afghanistan, highlighting the mental trauma of war and potential growth that can come through experiencing trauma. Modern Warrior LIVE has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the 26th U.S. Secretary of Defense – General James Mattis – and has been showcased at Amazon Headquarters and at the National Council for Behavioral Health Conference opening for Brené Brown.

Dominick is also the director of the Tri-C JazzFest Academy, a year-round pre-college program of Cuyahoga Community College, housed at the Gill and Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts in Cleveland, Ohio.

Dominick will be accompanied by a Jazz Trio featuring: Patrick Graney

Felise Bagley

Felise Bagley, is a native New Yorker and a seasoned professional whose dance career spans more than three decades. Her longevity and excellence in dance were recently recognized with a Cleveland Arts Prize Mid Career Award in 2015. Her experiences have taken her across the globe, including to: New York City Center as a guest artist with The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; The Kennedy Center as a guest artist with The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago; The State Theatre in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square with Opera Cleveland; Madison Square Garden with The Knick’s City Dancers; L’Opera Comique in Paris, France for the annual Concours Le Danse; and The Nostos Festival at The Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center in Athens, Greece for the world premier of “Just Human” with Corningworks. Bagley was a regular on Club MTV, an 80’s music dance show filmed at The Palladium in NYC and as a featured dancer in two Hollywood films, Mannequin on the Move and Funsize. Felise has been a frequent guest on WCLV, Cleveland’s classical music station, and has appeared in Vanity Fair, Vogue, Kilgore Trout’s Forum, and was featured in the book The Joffrey Ballet School’s Ballet Fit.

Bagley’s dance training began with Willa Damien, former soloist with Bejart Ballet, and continued as a merit scholarship recipient to The Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and The Joffrey Ballet School, where she was a member of Joffrey II, second company to The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. Bagley went on to dance with The Joyce Trisler Dance Company, Philadanco, Elisa Monte Dance Co., Joffrey II, Festival Ballet of Rhode Island, Ohio Ballet and Groundworks Dance Theater.

Bagley is a choreographer in her own right and has created several works incorporating live music, unusual settings, and her keen sense of style. She recently collaborated and performed as a solo dancer in the dance film, Uncontained, by choreographer Angelica Burgos.

Bagley has extensive teaching experience in a wide range of disciplines. She is a certified Pilates mat instructor and has been a movement coach for fashion models and has taught makeup application to dancers for the stage. Currently, Felise is a senior instructor of the Gyrotonic Expansion System at the beautiful boutique movement studio Inspiralmotion in Cleveland, OH. She holds several certifications within the system such as for a Pre-Trainer, qualifying her to teach teachers the technique and movement syllabus.

Alice Blumenfeld

Alice Blumenfeld is known for a unique and “fierce presence (her movements seem to arise from several feet beneath the ground)” (Thinking Dance) and her “sharp and exhilarating” energy onstage (Philadelphia Inquirer). Blumenfeld is the founder and artistic director of ABREPASO flamenco. The company’s name reflects her vision for flamenco; Abrepaso means to break open space and forge new pathways. As Executive and Artistic Director, she guides the nonprofit organization in deepening community appreciation for flamenco and creating original choreographies, all the while creating new entry points into and new pathways within the art form, building cross-cultural understanding and community through flamenco education.

Blumenfeld is a well-rounded artist bridging her work as scholar, choreographer, educator, and performer. Her recognitions include: being a Fulbright Grant recipient in dance in Spain (2012), a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts (2008), and a two-time Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award recipient in choreography (FY20 & 22). She toured nationally with Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana for five seasons, and has been a guest artist with Nélida Tirado, the American Bolero Dance Company, Antonio Granjero, Jácome Flamenco, among other companies and she has performed in Berlin and Spain. She premiered an original evening of flamenco at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage in 2014 and has been a featured TedX Speaker. Her work has been featured on Buzzfeed, in Dance Magazine, and on television via Ideastream and the Emeril Lagasse Show.

Blumenfeld holds an MFA in Dance from Hollins University and a BA in Comparative Literature from New York University where she graduated summa cum laude, with highest departmental honors, and Phi Beta Kappa. She began her flamenco training with Benigna Sánchez and then at the National Institute of Flamenco in her hometown of Albuquerque, NM. Blumenfeld is currently an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Akron, an adjunct professor at Cuyahoga Community College, and a teaching artist for the Center for Arts-Inspired Learning.

Joshua Lawhorn

Joshua Lawhorn is a Cleveland-based Director and Editor. Most recently, his short documentary, Olympic Oaks: Continuing Jesse Owens’ Legacy, was given a featured slot at the Cleveland International Film Festival 2023. The work has been hailed as “powerful” and “revelatory” for its authentic storytelling. Olympic Oaks also won Best Local Short at the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival in 2022. Joshua previously served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2010-2014, where he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan and MCAS Miramar, CA. Joshua graduated from Cleveland State University in 2018 with a degree in Film & Interactive Media. His professional experience includes documentaries, live-broadcast sports, and animation. He is currently a director and the lead editor for Flex Media.

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