
Open Stage is a new opportunity for local dance makers, presented by Indianapolis Movement Arts Collective and made possible by the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation. Open Stage is presented in partnership with the Indianapolis Opera & Indy Convergence.




Memory Through Rhythm - A James Brown Tribute
Conceived by Jelani Davis
Performed by Jelani Davis & Sujai Cobb
Music Credits: There Was a Time & I Got the Feeling by James Brown from James Brown's Boston Garden Concert - April 5th,1968
Audience participation is highly encouraged. You will be asked to call and respond.
Call: "I"
Respond: "I"
Call: "Got That Feeling!"
Respond: Got That Feeling!"
This performance features popular dances like The Mashed Potato and The Camel Walk. The Mashed Potato originated in African American communities in the 1950s, this dance gained national fame in the early 1960s. This dance was associated with Dee Dee Sharp's 1962 hit song "Mashed Potato Time" but was popularized earlier by James Brown in 1959-1960. The Camel Walk became popular in the 1950s and 1960s as a retro dance. James Brown often used this dance in his routines on stage.
Five Minute Pause
A Note from Andre Williams
Creative Director
Relevations Dance Theatre
Stained, Staining is a world created through stained glass—reflecting, refracting, and revealing what we leave on one another through interaction and relationship.
This was, admittedly, a difficult bill to produce. It required RDT to dig deep, using our bodies as archives of lived experience to make these works tangible and authentic. What you’ll witness tonight is raw, bringing forth the internal experience of emotional reckoning and self-discovery.
I find myself enamored with this cast and their commitment to telling these stories with conviction and honesty. Their inquiry in the studio brought laughter, tears, love, and clarity throughout the process, and I’m deeply grateful to work with artists who continue to push the work toward deeper meaning and connection. The depth of this work is simply not possible without their commitment.
Thank you for witnessing. May something meet you where you are—and move with you—when you leave.
Love Within (2024)
Choreography: André Williams
Dancers: Kylie Williams & Lexie Carlson
Musical Artist Credits: Love Within by James Tillman
Love Within was commissioned for Enigma in 2024.
Treason (2024)
Choreography: André Williams
Dancers: Corey Mc Kenzie, Kylie Williams, Lexie Carlson, Lauren Marshall, Amelia Kramer, Ainsley Glenn, Spencer Aneshansel, Katie Zheng, Jillian Hagerty, Yakira Rupenthal
Understudies: Ash Patel & Ava Benvenutti
Musical Artist Credits: Treason by Tinashe
A Naked Walk in the Woods (2026)
Choreography: André Williams
Dancers: Kylie Gerberding & Maggie Stephens
Musical Artist Credits: Said and Done by Nils Frahm
Crown (2019)
Choreography: André Williams
Dancers: Corey Mc Kenzie, André Williams, Maggie Black Stephans, Kylie Williams, Lexie Carlson, Kylie Gerberding, Lauren Marshall, Amelia Kramer, Ainsley Glenn, Ava Benvenutti, Spencer Aneshansel, Katie Zheng, Jillian Hagerty, Yakira Rupenthal
Understudy: Ash Patel
Musical Artist Credits: The Frozen Cathedral by John Mackey, peformed by John R. Locke & The Mclver Quartet
Crown was commissioned for Phoenix Rising Dance Company in 2019.
10 Minute Intermission
Stained/Staining (2026)
Movement I. Swipe
Movement II. Refract
Movement. Reveal
Choreography: André Williams
Dancers: Kylie Williams, André Williams, Lexie Carlson, Maggie Black Stephans, Kylie Gerberding, Lauren Marshall, Amelia Kramer, Ainsley Glenn, Ava Benvenutti, Katie Zheng, Spencer Aneshsansel, Yakira Rupenthal, Jillian Hagerty
Understudy: Ash Patel
Musical Artist Credits: Pentaptych by Ryan Lott
Set Design by Robert Negron of Indy Convergence
Sour Flour (2026)
Choreography: André Williams
Dancers: André Williams
Musical Artist Credit: Sour Flower by Lianne La Hava
Meet The Choreographers
Meet Relevations Dance Theatre
Creative Director
Andre Williams
Operations Director
Kylie Williams
Rehearsal Director & Social Media Manager
Lexie Carlson
Community Engagement Coordinator
Letitia Bailey
Resident Technical Director
Paully Crumpacker
Company Dancers
Maggie Stephens
Lexie Carlson
Kylie Williams
Kylie Gerberding
Andre Williams
Apprentice Dancers
Lauren Marshall
Yakira Rupenthal
Amelia Kramer
Jillian Hagerty
Ainsley Glenn
Ava Benvenutti
Katie Zheng
Spencer Anashansel
Corey McKenzie



