SPIRITUALS FOR A SECULAR AGE
CHOREOGRAPHY
Spirituals for a Secular Age debuted in 2023 at the University of Tampa's Faculty Recital. The work is in conversation with Martha Graham's Appalachian Spring, Alvin Ailey's Revelations, and the long tradition of modern dances created to and about American Spiritual music. A s I wrote in the program:
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"In the dance history course I teach at the University, my students and I explore the ways that dance intersects with not only art, but also politics, economics, science and religion. In our unit on dance as religion we explore current research which shows dancing is one of the best ways to have a spiritual exprience. In Spirituals for a Secular Age, I pushed my dancers to explore moving as expression of and communion with spirit - whether spirit for them is human, personal, communal or theological."
Sylvie Mae Baldwin is a theater and film actress based in Chicago Illinois. She has been seen onstage at South Coast Repertory, Key City Public Theatre, Lexington Children's Theater, and Book It Repertory. Her specialties as a performer include children's theatre, Shakespeare, and devised theatre/new works. Sylvie received her MFA in Acting at Northern Illinois University and her BFA in Human Development from Pacific Oaks Teachers College. As a teacher Sylvie has taught at University of Tampa, The Northwest School, Seattle Children's Theatre, University of Washington Bothell, and Sing With Emily (Naperville). She is a respected audition coach - working with children on auditions for theatre, film, television, and commercials. She also coaches those applying to BFA and MFA programs for acting and musical theatre. Sylvie specializes in teaching movement for actors and has worked with high schoolers, college age students and professionals alike. Sylvie's other interests include actor musicianship (i.e., composition and performance for live theatre) and psychosomatic practices (i.e., yoga and Lucid Body Technique).