Photo by Mike Esperanza.
Sat, August 22 at 7PM Sun, August 23 at 7PM
Tickets $20 Artists/Students: $15 (limited availability)
Purchase Tickets
BARE Dance Company shares an evening with guest artist Annalee Traylor and dancers. The company will premiere a new creation entitled Nocturnal Animals featuring choreographic direction and original music by Mike Esperanza.
CREDITS
Mike Esperanza and Annalee Traylor.
Choreography:
Mike Esperanza in collaboration with dancers.
Annalee Traylor in collaboration with dancers.
Performers:
BARE Dance Company: Megan Anderson, Sam Assemany, Alaina D’orazio, Casey Kitazumi, Erin Love, Lauren Metz, Avery Miller, Graziella Murdocca.
Annalee Traylor: Andrea Soto, Ian Spring, Kendall Ramirez, James Barrett, reh assistant Sky Poole.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
BARE Dance Company, founded in 2005, is a collective of multifaceted artists who collaborate to create dimensional, boundary-pushing work while embracing diverse lives that sustain and enrich our artistry. We believe that a thriving creative practice is rooted in a balance of movement, exploration, and lived experience, allowing us to bring depth, authenticity, and innovation to the stage and beyond.
“It was a delightful romp that melded innovation and fun.” - Rachel Levin, Explore Dance
“This is smart, affecting, technically accomplished work.” - Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times
Mike Esperanza is a multifaceted creative force, celebrated for his transformative contributions to the world of dance and choreography. With an innate ability to merge contemporary aesthetics with authentic storytelling, Mike has captivated audiences worldwide. His journey began in Los Angeles and currently in New York City, where he honed his craft, drawing inspiration from urban culture and the human experience. As an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and artistic director, Mike has choreographed for renowned educational programs and companies such as WhimW’him, Noble Motion, LACDC, Urbanity, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, leaving an indelible mark on the dance landscape. Mike has presented on prestigious stages including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Sergerstrom Center for the Arts, McCalllum Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Salvatore Capezio Theater at Peridance, The Royal Conservatory in Cordoba, Spain, and the Australian Circus Festival. Mike’s work has been described as “bold, athletic movement and theatricality – the latter clearly the coming together of Esperanza’s many talents – the company epitomizes the dance of the new millennium: shape-shifting, vernacular-blending with a prescient focus on the brave new world in which we live.” ~ Jessica Abrams, Explore Dance. Mike recently danced for Ariana Grande at the 2024 Met Gala as well as her music video “Yes, and?”. Mike es currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at Western Michigan University.
Originally from Huntsville, Alabama, Annalee Traylor is the daughter of two artists — a musician and a dancer — who nurtured and supported her creative life from an early age. She attended the Alabama School of Fine Arts and received her high school diploma from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Traylor earned her BFA, cum laude, from Point Park University.
Following graduation, she joined Pittsburgh’s August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble for three years before freelancing with companies including Pennington Dance Group, Clairobscur Dance, and slowdanger, among others. She later received her MFA in Choreography from California Institute of the Arts as a recipient of the S. Disney Lund Scholarship in Dance. She holds a classical Pilates certification through Romana’s Pilates.
@mikeesperanza
@baredanceco
@annalee_traylor