Intrare Forma

For his world premiere ballet Intrare Forma, Philadelphia-based choreographer Meredith Rainey collaborated with up-and-coming composer Miranda Scripp. Inspired by her new music for a string octet—four violins, two violas, and two cellos—eight dancers move structurally as a trio, a quartet, a duet, and finally, as an ensemble.

They slip in and out of formations and seams of connection. Individuals intersect and bisect and split, occasionally linking up with paralleled movement, becoming synonymous for a moment before peeling off on their own trajectories.

Rainey says of his work, it “leaves space for audiences to make connections to their own personal experience and draw their own conclusions.”

Choreographer | Meredith Rainey

Meredith Rainey began dancing at 15 in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale. In 1985, he became the first African American dancer of the Milwaukee Ballet. In 1987, he was invited to join the newly formed Pennsylvania-Milwaukee Ballet, when the collaboration ended, he remained with the Pennsylvania Ballet for 17 years—much of that time as a soloist—until his retirement in 2006. Among other awards and fellowships, Rainey has been the recipient of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship (1995 & 2002), the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Artist as Catalyst Grant (2001), the Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts (2002), a finalist for the Pew Fellowship in the Arts (2003), and a Pew Center for Arts and Heritage Grant (2010). He has been commissioned to create works for Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, BalletX, Delaware Ballet, Hubbard Street 2, National Ballet De Cali, Danse4Nia Repertory Ensemble, and institutions such as The University of the Arts, Drexel University, Stockton University, Georgian Court University, Goucher College, Swarthmore College, and Bryn Mawr College. His work has been performed in North and South America and throughout Spain. In 2009, Rainey founded and directed Carbon Dance Theatre, a contemporary ballet company in Philadelphia. In 2014 after deciding to concentrate on artistic projects, he closed the company and remained a sought-after teacher, mentor, and independent choreographer. In the fall of 2019, Rainey graduated with top honors as a member of the first cohort of candidates for the Master of Fine Arts in Dance from The University of the Arts. (Photo credit:  Portia Jones) 

Music | Miranda Scripp

Miranda Scripp is currently getting her Bachelor of Music at New York University, studying Music Theory and Composition with a concentration in Screen Scoring. Previously, she studied composition privately with John McDonald and Howard Frazin. She is also a multi-instrumentalist, having studied piano with Jonathan Bass and violin with Kelly Barr at the New England Conservatory Preparatory Division. Currently, she studies piano privately with Dr. Brandt Fredriksen. Scripp is an avid chamber musician and spent seven summers at Greenwood Music Camp, where she played piano, violin, and viola, and composed music for the camp. Equally dedicated to composing and performing, Miranda has been a member of the New York Youth Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Music Programs and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and has performed in Carnegie Hall, Symphony Hall, and New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall. In addition, Scripp has studied jazz piano and jazz composition, and she has transcribed and arranged many jazz standards. Miranda’s goal is to work collaboratively with artists in a wide variety of genres.

Costume Design | Janessa Cornell Urwin

Janessa Cornell Urwin began her career as a ballet dancer before transitioning into costuming. She has designed costumes for numerous classical ballets and contemporary dance pieces for American Repertory Ballet, Stockton University Dance Program, Traverse City Dance Project, The Nutmeg Ballet, Rutgers University, Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers, and Nacre Dance Company, among others. She has worked with esteemed choreographers Kirk Peterson, Starr Foster, Riccardo De Nigris, Michael Nickerson-Rossi, and Meredith Rainey. Urwin also has a short film design credit and has designed for Athena Theatre Company. She holds a certificate in Costume Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Most recently she designed Ethan Stiefel’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the costumes for Movin’ + Groovin’. Urwin is also ARB’s Wardrobe Supervisor.

Lighting Design | Jason Flamos

Jason Flamos’ credits include: (Mile Square Theatre) Pipeline, I and You, It’s a Wonderful Life, The 39 Steps, Betrayal; (Shakespeare Theater NJ) William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play; (10 Hairy Legs) Heist, Cruise Control, Brian, Quadrivium; (Thingamajig Theatre Company) The Pillowman, Cabaret, The Little Mermaid, A Few Good Men. Flamos was the Associate Lighting Design for the Off-Broadway productions of Clever Little Lies and The Other Josh Cohen at Westside Theater, F***ing A at Signature Theater, The Producers and Benny and Joon at Paper Mill Playhouse, and Rags at Goodspeed Opera. He was the lighting supervisor for 10 Hairy Legs and is the current lighting supervisor at American Repertory Ballet.

Photos by Rosalie O’Connor

Video editing by Michelle Quiner

Runtime

19 minutes, 45 seconds

Number of performers

8 dancers

Tech Rider

Available upon request

Link to full performance video

Available upon request