HUNTER COLLEGE DANCE DEPARTMENT PRESENTS AN MFA THESIS WORK
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Queering Blackness: Solo on a Theme of Reconciliation
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Choreographed and performed by Thomas Ford
Directed by Steven Atwater
Projection design by Thomas Ford
Sound design by Thomas Ford
Text by Thomas Ford
Lighting by Angela Lianzo
Additional technical support by Portia Wells
Music: "My Dog's Tail Is Longer Than Yours" by The London Experimental Jazz Quartet, "Postlude" by Freddie Hubbard, "My Way" by Frank Sinatra
Department Mission Statement
Hunter Dance is a radically diverse community cultivating an expansive dance education driven by persistent inquiry, to elevate dance as a vehicle for positive change in the world.
Dance Department Faculty
Paul Dennis, Professor, Chair of Dance Department
David Capps, Associate Professor
Maura Donohue, MFA Director and Associate Professor
Ana Nery Fragoso, AGDEP Director and Assistant Professor
Lori Brungard, Adjunct Lecturer
Alberto "Tito" Del Saz, Adjunct Lecturer
Thomas Ford, Adjunct Lecturer
Catherine Galant, Adjunct Lecturer
Catherine Green-Anthony, Adjunct Lecturer
Zakiya Harris, Adjunct Lecturer
Eve Jacobs, Adjunct Lecturer
Darvejon Jones, Adjunct Lecturer
Mai Lê Hô, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Austin Marquez, Adjunct Lecturer
Jessica Nicoll, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Nicole Pearce, Adjunct Lecturer
Muriel Peterson, Adjunct Lecturer
Maiya Redding, Adjunct Lecturer
Pedro Ruiz, Adjunct Lecturer
Randi Sloan, Adjunct Lecturer
Eleanor Smith, Adjunct Lecturer
Susan Thomasson, Adjunct Lecturer
Cory Villegas, Adjunct Lecturer
Blakeley White-McGuire, Adjunct Assistant Professor
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Staff
Angela Lianzo, Production Manager/Lighting Designer
Christina Cetoute, Administrative Coordinator
Ashlyn Williams, Administrative Assistant
Rachel Repinz, Assistant to AGDEP Director
Portia Wells, Technical Coordinator
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University and College Leadership
President Jennifer J. Raab
Dean Andrew Polsky
Special thanks to the Hunter College Dance Department faculty, staff, Hunter College’s Office of Facilities Management and Planning, the Performing Arts Office, and the hardworking production crew of this show.
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Thomas Ford (he/him)
Thomas Ford is a New York City-based dance artist and writer. He is the founding director of companyONE, a pre-professional training program—where students have been accepted to BFA dance programs at Fordham/Ailey, Marymount Manhattan College, New York University, SUNY/Purchase and PACE University, and summer programs at American Ballet Theatre and the Rock School—and year-round faculty at the Joffrey Ballet School (NY). His choreographic work has appeared at venues like the Joyce Theater, Symphony Space and the Ailey Citigroup Theater, and most recently been presented at Next@Graham, the Peridance APEX Showcase, the Capezio A.C.E. Awards and the STEPS Performance Lab. His writing has appeared in ELLE, Dance Magazine, the Brooklyn Rail, Dance Spirit, Dance Teacher, The Dance Enthusiast and CultureBot.
Thomas is an adjunct professor of dance and dance theory at Marymount Manhattan College and Hunter College/CUNY. The National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA/YoungArts) recognized him as a Presidential Scholar, and he serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Dance Education (JoDE).
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His performance credits include “The Kennedy Center Honors,” The Radio One Music Awards, Debbie Allen’s “Dreams,” PBS’ “A Capitol Fourth,” Laurie Ann Gibson’s “Addictive” music video and performances with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He has toured with Mike Minery’s “Tapaholics” and the renowned D.C.-based troupe, Tappers With Attitude.
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Thomas holds a BA in journalism from Marymount Manhattan College and a forthcoming MFA in dance (2023) from Hunter College/CUNY.
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Land Acknowledgment
I acknowledge that Hunter College/CUNY is situated upon the ancestral homeland and territory of the Munsee Lenape. I acknowledge the histories of dispossession that have allowed Hunter College to grow and thrive on this vibrant terrain. I endeavor to build in ways that lead toward justice, and am committed to working to dismantle the ongoing consequences of settler colonialism and to restore the whole people to the full enjoyment of their rights and heritage.
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THANK YOU
My infinite love to my beloved family. To my devoted husband and artistic partner, Steven: I love you. To my inner circle / cohort / co-conspirators—Eleanor Smith, Darvejon Jones and Eto'o Tsana—I am with you, always. My deepest gratitude to the MFA director (and my forever sensei), maura nguyá»…n donohue. Thank you, Tito del Saz, for your ongoing care. Thank you, Paul Dennis and the Hunter College Dance students, faculty and staff, for your support.
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