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RESUS
C.Glass
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CITATE
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C.Glass Dance Co
CITATE
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PLEASE VIEW PROGRAM ON MOBILE VIEW!
Today, we invite you to experience RESUSCITATE — a performance born from the power of renewal, transformation, and the indomitable human spirit. Each piece you witness tonight is a heartbeat, a breath, a testament to resilience. Through movement, music, and connection, our dancers bring to life the moments when we find strength in the stillness, light in the shadows, and hope in the hardest places.
Thank you for joining us in this celebration of revival. Your presence here breathes life into our work, and we are honored to share this journey with you.
Let the story unfold, and let your spirit be lifted.
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LIKE A
CHAMP
WELCOME
Today, we invite you to experience RESUSCITATE — a performance born from the power of renewal, transformation, and the indomitable human spirit. Each piece you witness tonight is a heartbeat, a breath, a testament to resilience. Through movement, music, and connection, our dancers bring to life the moments when we find strength in the stillness, light in the shadows, and hope in the hardest places.
Thank you for joining us in this celebration of revival. Your presence here breathes life into our work, and we are honored to share this journey with you.
Let the story unfold, and let your spirit be lifted.
"I will breathe into you & you will have life."
Ezekiel 37:5
MEET THE DIRECTORS
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Ciara Glass, visionary founder of RESUSCITATE, breathes life into this dynamic production with bold creativity and deep storytelling. A blend of award-winning past works and powerful new pieces, RESUSCITATE is a heartfelt celebration of movement and meaning.
Ciara began her dance career at age 12, training and performing with companies like Black Rock Dance Company, Sierra Nevada Ballet, and Dysrhythmia Contemporary Dance. She earned national recognition through competitions and later refined her craft at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, training under world-renowned choreographers and continuing her studies in top studios across the U.S. and abroad.
With experience performing and teaching nationwide — and even dancing in Barcelona — Ciara’s passion lies in inspiring dancers of all ages and backgrounds. She believes in growth over perfection and collaboration over competition, encouraging each person to embrace their unique dance journey. Through her work at C.Glass Dance Co., Ciara continues to empower the next generation while inviting adults of all levels to discover the transformative power of dance.
Ciara Glass
Company Director & Choreographer
The Architect of Movement, The Keeper of Vision
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Rachel began dancing at age six and has performed with Company Dance Traverse in cities like Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Disneyland. She briefly studied Musical Theater at Columbia College Chicago before continuing her passion for performance at Grand Valley State University through the student-led dance club, Momentum. Now a choreographer and performer with C.Glass Dance Company, Rachel also creates work for studios across Michigan. In 2024, she made her musical theater debut in CATS at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. This production marks her first time co-directing, and she’s incredibly grateful to share the journey with such a talented group of women.
Her choreographic works this season dives into deep emotional terrain. Blackbird, inspired by a film about child trafficking, captures the fragile moment between captivity and rescue—a haunting reflection of hope and disbelief. Numb follows one’s journey through grief and isolation, facing the quiet truth that healing often happens alone. In Etan, Rachel explores how inner battles—depression, anxiety, love, or addiction—can overwhelm, yet serve as a reminder to choose breath over silence. Hold On is a quiet meditation on loneliness, forgiveness, and the unseen resilience it takes to keep going.
Rachel Gischia
Co-Director & Choreographer
Craftsman of Motion & Message
GUEST
CHOREOGRAPHERS
Camille
Ernst
Camille is a choreographer drawn to fluid, balletic movement that encourages dancers to feel deeply and move with authenticity. Her work centers on creating choreography that feels natural and healing in the body—movement that is both expressive and restorative. For Resuscitate, Camille explores emotionally heavy themes, crafting pieces that speak to those who have endured hardship. Through her choreography, she aims to create a space where individuals feel seen, understood, and emotionally connected.
Kelsey
Bowen
To me, choreography is storytelling in a new language. I created “Mad Woman” to be a piece that dramatizes the everyday experiences women face against the gaslighting and manipulation of so many patriarchal men (and complicit women). The piece, like much of our emotional experience, progresses from a simmering anger, to fury, to desperation. It culminates in a message of togetherness as a community of women, who can take our power back and lift each other up—resuscitated.
Alucard
Mendoza
Alucard Mendoza’s co-choreography is featured in Hit The Silk, is a raw and honest portrayal of domestic violence. The piece uses intense, emotive movement to reflect the pain, control, and fight for freedom survivors face. Alucard’s signature style—seen in Alpas—brings deep internal struggle to life through impactful choreography. Hit The Silk is both a story of survival and a call to awareness.
Valeriia Bevzenko-Green
My co-choreography piece, "Big God," incorporates pieces of fabric which represent pieces and parts of oneself, which represent an integral part of the personality. Something that is constant or inherent. Each of us is trying to change something in ourselves for improvement but people often forget that changing themselves is quite difficult and when on the verge of change they become disappointed and stop moving in the right direction. The direction they need to go. Only you can see this limit and move beyond it. Don't get lost in this struggle. Self development and discipline is the key to achieving self improvement.
Allison Rice
I choreographed Halyon with musicality as my main focus, letting the music lead the movement from start to finish. I’m always drawn to rhythms, textures, and dynamics in sound—and I use that as a foundation to build something unique. I love creating movement that feels fresh and unexpected, and I always challenge myself to include at least one move that no one has seen before.
My choreographic process is rooted in exploration. I’m constantly pushing past familiar patterns to discover new ways of expressing emotion and energy through the body. With Halyon, I wanted to craft a piece that not only resonates with the music but also surprises and connects with the audience in a meaningful way.
But wait
YOU STILL NEED TO MEET SOME
SPECIAL PEOPLE...
THE DANCERS
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THE BREATH OF THE SHOW
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Rachel Gischia
Anna Carlgren
Camille Ernst
Kelsey Bowen
Ema Ganguly
Sarah Nichols
Kat Piesz
Erin Craig
Jennifer Castro
Jenna Chase
Ellen Van Meter
Caroline Mulvaney
Are You Ready?
BREATHE DEEPLY.
WATCH CLOSELY.
FEEL INTENSELY.
RESUSCITATE
BEGINS NOW
A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR
“RESUSCITATE” has been one of the most personal and transformative works I’ve ever had the privilege to create. This show is a reflection of breath returned, of spirit stirred, of the quiet yet powerful choice to begin again.
To our audience — thank you. Thank you for showing up, for sitting with us in the rawness and beauty of this work, and for supporting live dance. Your presence gives our art purpose and your energy helps carry it forward. We don’t take your time or attention for granted.
To the dancers of C.Glass Dance Co. — you are the heartbeat of this piece. Thank you for your trust, your vulnerability, your relentless dedication, and for giving so much of yourselves to this process. I am in awe of your courage and artistry, and I couldn’t be more proud to walk beside you.
To the theater staff and crew — your professionalism and warmth have made this space feel like home. Thank you for creating an environment where our work could thrive and for helping bring this vision to life.
And to my family — your patience, love, and support. Thank you for holding space for me to follow this calling, even when it meant sacrifice.
I love you deeply.
Thank you all for breathing with us.
Ciara Glass
THANK YOU
Magic Makers Behind the Curtain
Directors
Ciara Glass: Director
Rachel Gischia: Co-Director
Theater Team
Elly DeGraaf
Stage Manager
Ross Peterson
Theater Director
Costume Design
Anna Carlgren
Costume Manager
Camille Ernst
Costume Manager
Growth Plan
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Media Production
Jenna Pewarchie Photography, Video & Program Design
Influencers Collab
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PSITHURISM
A noun that means the sound of wind blowing through tress.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ciara Glass
MUSIC: Shrine Tooth by Forest Swords
STILL LIFE
Meaning lies not only in what is seen but also in what is felt.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ciara Glass
MUSIC: Pink Soldiers by 23
SONDER
Describes the realization that each passerby you come across has a life as vivid and complex as your own.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ciara Glass
MUSIC: El Condor Pass by Simon & Garfunkel
KENOPSIA
the feeling you get when you are in this "forlorn" atmosphere, bringing a negative feeling of emptiness
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ciara Glass
MUSIC: Mad world Michael Andrews (feat. Gary Jules)
NODUS TOLLENS
The realization that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense to you anymore.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Rachel Gischia
MUSIC: Black Bird by The Beatles
LIBEROSIS
Feeling overwhelmed by your emotions, a term that describes the desire to care less about things.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Camille Ernst
MUSIC: Can Never Go Home by The Shangri-la's
ALPAS
To become free; to break loose
CHOREOGRAPHY: Alucard Mendoza
MUSIC: How To Be Me by Ren
ACT II
ACT I
“I promise I won’t forget you
Not the way your wrinkles smiled, when you laughed, All that radiant sun
Or the color of your hair, The shape of your eyebrows framing your still-compassionate eyes.
We are separated by miles now, chasing pavements and crossing chasms in our sleep
The lies we tell ourselves when we’re awake
I carry you still, in the center of my chest
Now caving in after all these years of shallow breath
Lungs limping, free, at the very memory of you.”
"It's Matter"
Rachel Marie Kang,
The Matter of Little Losses
Here is how to hold your bones, how not to leave the skin you live in.
How not to forsake the flesh that fails. How not to scorn the cells that kill.
Here’s how to dig yourself out of The deepest, darkest grounds and graves.
You the caged bird that you are will sing and sing and sing and sing.
A song, a knowing sound that calls your heart to hope.
You are not dead yet, breath still beckons, heart still beats.
Your feeble frame may give way to pain, to pills, to cobblestone paths too hard to stand upon.
Your hands, as cold as they are will cup the curves of your body.
And you will hold, as he holds in hope of glory
The bruised beloved bones of your body.”
"How to Hold Your Bones"
Rachel Marie Kang
The Matter of Little Losses
Here. A flower
For every little way your faith fractured
For every dream that died unseen
For every friendship failed and fallen
For every grief held in another’s disbelief
For you, a page, a place to pour out pain
Here’s columbine, for you, and you
Watch the way it bends, it moves
It dances, delicate, though it’s drowned
It holds, like hope. It lifts its head
Resilience makes a fool of death.
"A Poem of Dedication"
Rachel Marie Kang
The Matter of Little Losses
When she cannot sleep, does not feel brave enough to name it herself
Even as it pales in the first light. This month’s moons name is pink, so say the Potawatomi, and she wonders is that why today, as the sun rises on her sleeplessness, there is pink spread across the sky.
Rosy pools against a cold cloud bank.
Of these pink streaks were lakes scattered over land, she would never need to portage, to get from east to west.
If they were boulders in a creek, she could cross over on foot and stay dry
She rises to greet the sky, grateful.
"She Calls The Moon By It's Name"
Lonnie Hull DuPont
SILLAGE
The scent that lingers in the air, the trail left in the water, the impression made in space after something or someone has been and gone.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ciara Glass
MUSIC: Tomorrow Starts Without Me by David Romano
YONDERLY
Mentally or emotionally distance; absent - minded; vacant
CHOREOGRAPHY: Rachel Gischia
MUSIC: They Move On Tracks Of Never Ending Light by This Will Destroy You
ABHORRERE
To shrink back in horror.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Kelsey Bowen
MUSIC: Mad Woman by Taylor Swift
INHUMANITY
The breaking point when silence ends, and the will to fight back begins.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Collaborative
MUSIC: Hybrid by Elsiane
HIT THE SILK
Air Force slang for being forced to eject from aircraft. *Trigger Warning: touches on themes of domestic violence.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ciara Glass & Alucard Mendoza
MUSIC: Behind The Wall by Tracy Chapman
THE OCEAN WAS BEAUTIFUL
Spoken Word Poem
WRITTEN BY: Jenna Pewarchie
BIG GOD
A visceral cry for something greater—for presence, for purpose, for divinity in the emptiness. It moves through the silence of unanswered prayers and dares to demand to be seen by the sacred.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ciara Glass & Valeriia Bevzenko-Green
MUSIC: Big God by Florence and The Machine
FEMFORTITUDE
"You don't have to play masculine to be a strong woman." - Mary Elizabeth Winstead
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ciara Glass
MUSIC: Wow By Post Malone & Run Boy Run by Woodkid
LOST IN A RUSH
Feeling stuck in a rat race. Can't get off the "track." Never taking time to rest or focus on those around you.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ciara Glass
MUSIC: We Move Lightly by Dustin O'Halloran
TOO MUCH / NOT ENOUGH
“You are not too much. You have never been too much. You will never be too much. Your intensity is not a burden — it’s a gift.”
— Jacqueline Whitney
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ciara Glass
MUSIC: Threnody by Goldmund
AT ATTENTION
Standing in place, still and focused.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ciara Glass
MUSIC: Quiet by Diana Trout
BROKEN TOGETHER
A tender reflection on love that endures through imperfection — learning to hold each other gently, even when everything feels shattered.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ciara Glass & Rachel Gischia
MUSIC: Broken Together by Casting Crowns
A FAITH OF SEASONS
BY: Sarah Nichols
IRON RATIONS
A very small or meager amount of anything, implying a situation where resources are extremely limited. Essentially, "bare minimum sustenance."
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ciara Glass & Camille Ernst
MUSIC: Voila by Barbra Pravi
ETAN
Unceasing.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Rachel Gischia
MUSIC: REpeat Until Death by Cageless Birds
MT. ZION
The highest place.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ciara Glass
MUSIC: Mount Zion by Cageless Birds
HALCYON
Calm and peaceful, often used to describe an idyllic summer day.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Allison Rice
MUSIC: Summer by Hayden Calnin
KOSELIG
A feeling of coziness, contentment, or well being. It can be used to describe a cozy moment, a cozy atmosphere, or a welcoming person.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Rachel Gischia
MUSIC: Hold On by Adele
NOVUS INCIPE
To begin again or new beginning.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ciara Glass
MUSIC: The Coma by Kings Kaleidoscope & No Ordinary by Labrynth
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C.Glass Dance Co. productions are brought to life through the passion, dedication, and financial support of our dancers. From rehearsals to costumes to stage time, every element is made possible by their commitment to the art.
Your donation would help lighten this load—making it possible for more dancers to participate, and for us to continue offering powerful, community-rooted performances.
If you feel moved tonight, consider giving—we’d be deeply grateful.
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Thank you!
Thank you for viewing! If you have any questions and would like to get in touch with the director please contact:
616-284-1322
SUMMER SEASON BEGINS SOON!
Begins June 9th - August 29
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