Performance: Endangered Species by Kelly Ashton Todd

ABOUT THE WORK
In the not-so-distant future, today’s most plentiful creatures are now endangered and fighting for financial aid to protect their kind. An extravagant pageant-styled competition gives the audience the power to make a life-altering decision for these species. 

SUGGESTED DONATION: $30 at checkout
All donations directly support Endangered Species Artists.

RUN TIME: 70 minutes

CREDITS
Kelly Ashton Todd (she/her) – Creator, Director, Story Developer, Choreographer
Ria Meer (she/they) – Story Developer
Truth Colon (she/they) – Performer, Choreographer
Stephanie Crousillat (she/they) – Performer, Choreographer
Ingrid Kapteyn (she/her) – Performer, Choreographer
Tori Sparks (she/her) – Performer, Choreographer
John Pete Hardy (he/him) – Costume and Mask Designer

SUPPORT FOR THIS PROJECT
Endangered Species is a Gibney Company Moving Toward Justice Fellowship  (MTJ) project developed and curated by Artistic Associate Kevin Pajarillaga. MTJ is supported by the Bay and Paul Foundations and the Mertz Gilmore Foundation.

Endangered Species is made possible by the Baryshnikov Arts Center’s BAC Open Residency 2023.

ABOUT GIBNEY’S MOVING TOWARD JUSTICE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Gibney Company Artistic Associates engage the community through individually-crafted Moving Toward Justice Fellowships (MTJ). Each Artistic Associate pinpoints a pressing issue in the dance field and leverages the resources and mentorship of the larger organization to develop, implement, and co-create new programs in response to the evolving needs of the field.

Gibney Company’s Moving Toward Justice Fellowship program is supported by the Bay and Paul Foundations and the Mertz Gilmore Foundation.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Kelly Ashton Todd is a director, choreographer, performing artist, and environmental activist who makes work for both live theater and film. Her work explores land and human exploitation, environmental politics, and surrealism. She received a BFA in Modern Dance from Texas Christian University and a Double Minor in Biology and Environmental Science (2011) along with a Master’s in Sustainability Leadership from Arizona State University (2021). Todd performed with the off-Broadway show Sleep No More from 2015-2022. Todd’s choreography has been showcased globally. She has presented work at Kaufman Hall at the 92nd st Y, Dixon Place, NOoSPHERE Arts, ‘T’ Space Rhinebeck, Usine C, and Meow Wolf Santa Fe. She has been awarded the Brooklyn Arts Council Grant, Jerome Hill Foundation Finalist, F21 NYSCA in Media Grant, LEIMAY Fellowship, Human Impacts Institute Environmental Health Fellowship, NYFA Fellowship in Choreography, Emerging Choreographer for Springboard Danse Montreal 2022, and the Baryshnikov Arts Center BAC Open Residency 2023. She was a panelist for the United Nations in 2023 where she spoke to the intersection of climate change, female empowerment, and technology. Her award-winning environmental dance film series, Under Review, has attended over 20 film festivals nationally and internationally.