Sydney Donovan

Performed in February of 2025 in the Mandell Theater.

Commissioned by Drexel University// set on the Drexel Dance Ensemble

Choreographed by Sydney Donovan

Dancers: Grace Angyelof, Leila Bakilana-Ritz, Ella Best, Anna Cham,Morgan Cruise, Bella Dattilo, Summer Dilworth, Kaitlin Gwanmesia, Audrey Kingree, Hannah Kryman, Anna Lanfranchini, Rachel Lee, EllieMatus, Emma Polyak, Emma Riddell, Sasha Sapon

Music: Deathbed, Anna Von Hausswolff; Lucia di Lammermoor, Act III:IIdolce sunono, Maria Callas; Goodbye, Anna Von Hausswolff

Costumes: Asaki Kuruma

Lighting: Dom Chacon

Sets/Props: Chris Totora

Photography: Johanna Austin

TRINE is a study of what it means to be a coven.

We invite you to experience the love and light we carry through this performance, while holding space for the emotional spilling that must release as a result. In this work, we blend three energies into one unit and use the charge of our connection to lighten the space energetically. We welcome the lightness of the unknown while remaining grounded in the present moment. The piece consists of two sections. The first being The Ritual which is precisely choreographed and performed with uncompromising focus. In the performance of this ritual, we honor the group movement agreement just as highly as our personal needs inside of the incantation. Through this we hope to not just connect to each other physically but to the spirits we carry with us “from the wisdom of many lifetimes''. In the following section The Ceremony, we have freedom to spill and stir our individual energy with support from the woven energy of the group. We surrender to our higher selves and our subconscious minds in order to shine light on the shadows within. We play inside the lore of our own imagination, believing every claim as true. The movements and images we bring to this work are channeled through spiritual practices and durational movement improvisation. Conjuring TRINE into existence has been heavily inspired by artists like Hilma Af Klint, Sara Teasdale, and Blondell Cummings who trusted and believed in the universe's unique way of speaking to their deepest being and made art from that place. That's what we are trying to do here and now. Here and now you are invited to sink into the most known part of yourself. Here and now we invite you to release what no longer serves you and join us in this shared experience

Performed at the Deacon PHL March 15-17 2024

choreographed by Sydney Donovan

performed by Aleesha Polite, Lindsey Swyers, and Sydney Donovan

costume design by Megumi Oshikir

rehearsal what-if-er: Paul Matteson

event coordinator: Elise Ritzel Miller

Photography by Michael Pilla

music by Clara Rockmore, White Poppy, and Anna Von Hausswolff

Text: The Voice by Sara Teasdale 1919

Thy Spirit like They Flesh

Premier work performed in December of 2023 in the Annenburg Center For The Performing Arts.

Commissioned by The University of the Arts School of Dance and set on the junior and senior class.

Choreographer: Sydney Donovan

Rehearsal Assistant: Sarah Ingle

Performers: Nasia Boggan, Evie Bondon, Maria Defeo, Brianna Izquierdo, Abby Kielty, Skye Lewis, Kaia Martin, Kayleigh Morrison, Jolie Padilla, Arianna Polite, Amanda Rattigan, Abigail Scaggs, Paige Sheldon, Noah Sylvia, Angelina Torres, Madison Vendel, and Cassie Wheeler.

Music: Hugues Le Bars, Dorit Chrysler, CocoRosie, Gaetano Donizetti, Clara Rockmore

Text: Sara Teasdale’s “The Voice”

Lighting: David Ferri

Photography by Stephanie Berger

Research Questions & Description:

Can the intangible affect the physical with the right amount of pretending and believing? Where do our beliefs come from? How can the performance of a ritual act like a poem? Can we allow our subconscious mind, higher self, or intuition to lead our experience in performance?

With my background in reiki and movement I have conjured a world where each dancer is experiencing their power through belief and or imagination. In this world, we use movement to heal ourselves and each other. With enough focus and clear intention we hope the audience can believe our claims as true. All of the movement and images I have brought into this work have been channeled through spiritual practices and durational improvisation.

This work and process was inspired by artists such as Hilma Af Klint, Blondell Cummings, Georgiana Houghton, Anna Mary Howitt, and Andrea Zanatelli. I’m inspired by their use of spiritual practices to make work. These artist have deep belief in what they felt they were connecting with, as have I.

Whether we believe in magic or not, can we cast a spell?

Performed in Chi Movement Arts White box Theater on October 14th, 2023

Part of KYL/D’s Inhale Performance Series

Choreographed by Sydney Donovan

Performed by Sydney Donovan, Aleesha Polite, and Lindsey Swyers

Music: Solo Du Clerge by Hugues Le Bars, Swamp Behind My House by Dorit Chrysler, Girl and the Geese by CocoRosie

Photography by Michael Pilla

Sydney is currently making an evening length trio exploring the magical power of three energies. She is exploring how weaving energies can create and intangible charge in a room and performance. She hopes to create and environment that is other worldly yet vaguely familiar to viewers. A gaze into the subconscious the three performers share.

Performed in Chi Movement Arts White box Theater on March 5th, 2023

Part of KYL/D’s Inhale Performance Series

Choreographed by Sydney Donovan

Performed by Sydney Donovan, Aleesha Polite, and Lindsey Swyers

Music: Lucia di Lammermoor, Act 3: "Il dolce suono" by Maria Callas and Orchestra Suite No. 3 in D Minor by Clara Rockmore

Sydney is currently making an evening length trio exploring the magical power of three energies. She is exploring how weaving energies can create and intangible charge in a room and performance. She hopes to create and environment that is other worldly yet vaguely familiar to viewers. A gaze into the subconscious the three performers share.

photography by Mike Pilla

When my love is away

performed in December of 2022 in the Annenburg Center For The Performing Arts.

Sydney Donovan collaborated and Co-Directed with Paul Matteson to reimagine and re-stage What/ Do/I/Do/When/My/Love/Is/Away on the junior and senior dancer majors at the University of the Arts. Sydney was in the cast of the premiere work in 2018 and was thrilled to be a part of it again.

Choreographer: Paul Matteson in collaboration with Sydney Donovan and the performers.

Rehearsal Director: Sydney Donovan

Performers: Bella Crescenzi, Emma Decaprio, Kolin Everette, Aaron Foreman, Megan Hasou, Sarah Krarmer, maris, Willow Johns, Alessandra Martinez, Emma Olivier, Luci Parker, Aleesha Polite, Tati Romig, Lucy Sharpiro.

Music: Michael Wall

Text: With a Little Help From My Friends by The Beatles

Source Architecture is a surrealist sci-fi dance drama conceived by Katarina Poljak

In September of 2022 Sydney Donovan worked on the creative team as co-choreographer and choreographic consultant along side director Katarina Poljak

Work Description: Simulated bodies built for exploitation, brains engineered for gore.

A cyborg reflects on the tragedy of human history and the role capitalism has played in human disposability. Eating ourselves alive as we let capitalism destroy the good in us. As humans evolve to become robots, can we stay true to the source architecture of our body and spirit?

Performed at MOtiVE Brooklyn on July 22nd, 2022

presented by MOtiVE Brooklyn as one of their 2022 Artist in Residency showings titled…

Pre-Nostalgia: Sydney Donovan and Laura Witsken have been collaborating as dance makers since 2020 creating work and developing solo processes. They are bound by energetic impulses that speak to the idea of moving with the intangible, Sydney within lineage and Laura within memory. The evening, PRE-NOSTALGIA, was a time capsule of their work and friendship.

‘The Many in One are Mingled’

Through this movement ritual she dissolves in hopes of unlocking identities deep in her body.

Performer: Sydney Donovan

Choreographer: Sydney Donovan

Sound: sound clip from “Glory Box” by Portishhead, “The Miraculous”, “Epitaph of Theodor” by Anna von Hausswolff, “I’m Tickled Pink” by Jack Shaindlin

Sound Designer: Alex C. “bizzar”

dramaturge: Laura Witsken

Pre- Nostalgia

2022 MOtiVE Artists in Residency Showing

Held in MOtiVE Brooklyn on July 22nd, 2022

Sydney Donovan and Laura Witsken have been collaborating as dance makers since 2020 creating work and developing solo processes. They are bound by energetic impulses that speak to the idea of moving with the intangible, Sydney within lineage and Laura within memory. The evening, PRE-NOSTALGIA, was a time capsule of their work and friendship.

Before sharing their solo works the creative duo screened a short film titled…

Birch Creek House (film)

After supporting each other for a year and a half on Zoom, Sydney and Laura took a trip to the Catskills together and danced in one of the rooms of the AirBnB. At the time they were thinking about mycelium and connecting through energetic cords.

Filmed November 2021

Performed at the MAAS Building on April 3rd, 2022

Part of Cannonballs “About Ready” Series

Presented by Almanac

Choreographed by Sydney Donovan

Performed by Sydney Donovan

Music: Anna Von Hausswolff

Presented by Three Oaks Opera Company

Directed by Deidra Pilamore

Shepards Dance: Choreographed & Performed by Sydney Donovan and Barnel Anderson

Performed December 5th, 2021 at the Old Pine Street Church in Philadelphia, PA

Composer: Gian-Carlo Menotti

Accompanied by The Philadelphia Orchestra

Hosted/ Presented by MOtiVE Brooklyn

Film Screening on October 22nd 2021 on The Dumbo Archway in Brooklyn, NY

On October 23rd 2021 Creators Sydney and Brandon sold prints for the film at the MOtiVE Studio during their Grand Opening Gala

Founders of MOtiVE: Lilach Orenstein & Meredith Glisson

Hosted by Sydney Donovan and Brandon Graf at Fidget Space in Philadelphia, PA on September 17th

Film:

Conceived/ Choreographed/ Performed by Sydney Donovan and Brandon Graf

Composed by Michael Wall

Narrated and written poetry by Steven Antinoff

Cinematography by Angel Acuña

Event:

“This project for both of us has been a way of healing and processing past and present relations of many kinds. In the spirit of healing we are hosting this film premiere to center healers, wellness advocates, and movement practitioners of all kinds. We want to gather, mingle, eat, drink, dance, digest art, catch up with our community, while celebrating our strengths and offering ways of moving through grief.” -the makers

Healing/ Movement Practitioner Feature in Raffle:

Jessica Routhenstein https://starseedfrequency.space/

Crystal Collazo

Shannon Murphy https://www.shannonmurphydance.com/event-details-registration/franklin-method-moves

Dale Ratcliff- Astrology

Amy Novinski https://www.amynovinski.com/

Wally Carbonell- Gyrotonic

Tamara Murphy- Sound Healing

Laura Witsken https://www.laurawitsken.com/pilates

Sydney Donovan - Reiki

Brandon Graf- Illan Lev

DJ Set Dance Party Facilitated by Kris Lee// DJ Mellow Bastard

Space Donated by Katherine Desimine

Performed in Chi Movement Arts White box Theater on August 25th, 2021

Part of KYL/D’s Inhale Performance Series

Choreographed by Sydney Donovan

Performed by Sydney Donovan

Music: Chopin

Photography: Mike Hurwitz

“Sydney Donovan created a solo, Phase 1: in, with, through Maeve. Wearing a short-sleeved black dress, Donovan set up her own incandescent lamp, the only lighting for the piece. She stayed within the bounds of the light, performing a clear, gestural dance in which she gathered and wrung her hands and arms. As she turned and traced, Donovan leaned forward with her chest as if offering her heart. The gestures and the use of music by Chopin evoked a vintage tone. I wondered if Donovan used someone’s cursive handwriting as a template/inspiration. I would like to learn in future works who Maeve is.” -Olivia Wood for The Dance Journal

Spring Summer Campaign for Ardor Active “sophisticated and functional leotards and swimwear.”

Designer: Briana Hunt

Film/ Content Realization + Production: Hillary Pearson & Sydney Donovan

Director: Hillary Pearson

Movement Director/ Choreographer: Sydney Donovan

Movers: Sydney Donovan, Kennedy Kinsler, Nithya Borra

Cinematography: Elyse Mertz

Editor: Hillary Pearson

Make Up: Sophia V.

Assistant: Alicia Bulluck- Kinsler

Photography: Briana Hunt

Stylist: Briana Hunt and her company Ardor Active

Produced in June 2021

instagram: @ardoractive

www.ardoractive.com

The Poet’s Divination (film excerpt)

https://www.thepoetsdivination.art/

Filmed in November 2020

Shared in The Craft NY’s virtual showing on March 4th, 2021

Choreographers/ Performers: Sydney Donovan and Brandon Graf

filmed by Angel Acuña

Music: Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Dots

Considering liveness to be found even in the inanimate, we hope to create a duet in which neither us, nor a line, is more responsible for the work than the other. Juggling power between three entities unlocks the opportunity to fall in and out of secret worlds. The single line is an ultimate abstraction where, we find broken narratives, of characters, objects, and philosophical dualities. Always reimagining the stick to undergo metamorphosis with the help of our transitioning and framing, it has the capacity to become everything. The Poet’s Divination: Sees the spirit in the symbol.

In this modified excerpt of our larger film project, The Poet’s Divination, we amplify cliches of love and loss.

Entry 1: in the green

On going research with Jazmine Colón

filmed by Sydney Donovan

Edited by Sydney Donovan and Jazmine Colón

realized by Sydney Donovan and Jazmine Colón

I get lost there, we get lost there and then we blink. It comes in blinks doesn’t it?

Like two clocks.

If only I could reach out and touch what has always been there.

And just as often with you.

Wear Your Feelings Production for designer shoes by Daniella Shevel. As seen on VOGUE.

Dancers: Hillary Pearson, Sydney Donovan, Stacy Collado

Video Editor: Hillary Pearson

DP: Casey Brooks

Music: Powerwalkin’ by Future Joust, I Had A Dream by Stray Bandit, When It Feels Right by Chase White

Choreographed and performed by Sydney Donovan, Hillary Pearson, and Stacy Collado of ‘Wear your Feelings”

Part of Bok Bar’s live move series in support of the Womanist Working Collective

Photography by Kat Sullivan

Performed on July 16th, 2020

How do we behave in our skin? How do we start identifying with the HUMAN race as a whole? To honor our differences and embrace our cultural and ethnic backgrounds with love, kindness, and most importantly empathy! “Race is one millimeter deep. Intrepidly attending the dissection of a corpse", Bryson quotes the surgeon who pulled back a minute layer of skin and said: “That’s all that race is – a sliver of epidermis.” As we spread across the world, some people are thought to have evolved lighter skin in order to glean vitamin D from weaker sunlight. Throughout human history, people have “de-pigmented” and “re-pigmented” to suit their environment.”

-Bill Bryson “And yet look how many people have been enslaved or hated or lynched or deprived of fundamental rights through history because of the colour of their skin.”

-Nina Jablonski ”whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness… it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.” -Thomas Jefferson in the constitution!!! Keep protesting, keep speaking out, keep having the difficult conversations, keep casting spells, keep having uncomfortable thoughts. Change must and is coming! *I’m not preaching to anyone! I myself have LOTS to learn and research and DO! What I feel I’m doing is screaming to the void and dancing in the rain aware of my privilege.

Black Lives Matter

performers: Sydney Donovan & Niko Peralta

filmer/editor: Sydney Donovan

photographer: Sydney Donovan

June 2020

for your aMUSEment

a WYF production // artist series…featuring sculptor George Nista and muse Sydney Donovan as they take you to the theater

director: Stacy Collado

directory of photography: Katarina Poljak

production designer: Hillary Pearson

editor: Hillary Person

stylist: Stacy Collado

music: Patricia by Pérez Prado and His Orchestra

cellist: Stefan Kauriga

camera operator: Andjela Preradovic

hair/makeup: Lily Mello

clothing/jewelry:

@waywardcollection

@forgeandfinish

assistant: Marilyn Demers

A series of duets

Improv by Sydney Donovan and Hillary Pearson

made in the Ice Box Project space on March 20th, 2020

edited by Hilary Pearson

The Poets Divination: sees the spirit in the symbol

Performed in Chi Movement Arts White box Theater on Feb 29th, 2020

Part of KYL/D’s Inhale Performance Series

Choreographers/ Performers: Sydney Donovan and Brandon Graf

Music: Michael Wall

Photography: Mike Hurwitz

A Wear Your Feelings Production

https://www.wyfwearyourfeelings.com/

Realization:

Hillary Pearson

Sydney Donovan

Stacy Collado

Movers:

Hillary Pearson

Sydney Donovan

Stacy Collado

Director of Photography:

Wear Your Feelings

Editor:

Hillary Pearson

Stylist:

Laura Cerri and her company Shop Journal

“Wear your Feelings” performed on November 9th of 2019 at the opening day of Joan Shepp hosting Nino Brand’s fall collection

Live improv and choreography made in collaboration with Hillary Pearson

https://www.wyfwearyourfeelings.com/

Vocal Artist: Hannah Krupa

Garments: designed by Bela Shehu of Nino Brand

A Wear Your Feelings Production

https://www.wyfwearyourfeelings.com/

Realization:

Hillary Pearson 

Sydney Donovan 

Music:

Freelance by Toro y Moi

Movers:

Hillary Pearson 

Sydney Donovan 

Director of Photography: 

Courtney Kehr 

Editor: 

Courtney Kehr

Stylist: 

Sydney Donovan 

Laura Cerri and her company Shop Journal

Visual Design:

 Ryne Fuller

Choreographed and performed by Sydney Donovan and Hillary Pearson of ‘Wear your Feelings”

https://www.wyfwearyourfeelings.com/

Part of Bela Shehu’s live mood board for her clothing line Nino Brand

Performed on October 5th in the 2019 GREATPHL ideas festival for Philadelphians

Work made in collaboration with Sydney Donovan and Katherine Desimine

Performed in the Chi Movement Art Center “White Box” Theater on August 24th 2019 as part of the Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers (KYL/D) Inhale Performance Series

A container for self indulgence, a mosaic map of must haves. This piece came out of a need to nurture our habits after being classified and confined into boxes because of them in an institutional setting. We researched our movement and life habits, and the strong bonds we have to them. We made word banks, authentic movement practices, and movement phrases and movement loops, and then used improvisational methods to play with cohesiveness between our two very different aesthetics. Katherine is interested in big movement, play, and repetition while Sydney is interested in micro gestures, intense texture, and the magic of the intangible. Katherine flirts with subtlety while Sydney toes the line of melodrama. This creates an atmosphere of dissonance without making either dancer feel that they have to compromise their vision. This is a practice of saying yes to ourselves and to one another. This is a practice of trying on each other’s aesthetics. We explore habit banks of the playful and mundane. We tend to our emotional bonds to habit, separately but in the same space. Fine suspended particles that charge and shift throughout the duration of the piece beg the question: what does it mean to selfishly self indulge with another?

Senior Thesis work choreographed by Sydney Donovan in collaboration with dancers

Performed in the Gershamn Y-Gym Theater in 2018

Photography by j.pilk photography

OmenThrice is a code between the performers and myself. It is filled with mystery and clues that only the deepest third layer of the subconscious will be capable of reading. The cast consists of six dancers…Brandon Graf, Barnel Anderson, Canyon Carroll, Jazmine Colón, Kira Russ, and Miah Lapeyolerie along with a theatrical character, Steve Antinoff. This cast has very distinct forms I use to play with shape and pattern. Three members are tall and lanky which I refer to as the “Thrices” while the other three “Omens” are shorter with curves. I am approaching darkness with a sense of whimsy or quirkiness by touching on themes of witchcraft, omens, repetition in threes, sin, and dreams. In preparation for this work I’ve been studying Wiccan spells and beliefs, omens in astrology, the human condition, Greek philosophy, and Zen Buddhism. In the work I’m chasing the language that the body squeezes out that is never understood but instead only felt. I use the face as another limp of movement in hopes of distorting and enhancing the human form. The intent for my work is to bring audiences into the secret worlds my subconscious holds in hopes of reaching their own subconscious mind. This piece is a magical shovel to dig into and through the subconscious and then cast a spell.

A first encounter. A long journey to nowhere. A secret world in plain sight. A last attempt. Not sure if any of it is real.

Collaborator - Brandon Graf
Film and Editing - Courtney Kehr

Premiered in 2018

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Made in collaboration with Rachel Nietzke

Performed in the Koresh Black Box Theater in 2017

Performed at the Performance Garage as part of Philadelphia’s Fringe Festival in 2017

Solo performance choreographed by Sydney Donovan

Performed in the University of the Arts 1401 Studio Space in 2016

Inspired by a self written poem as part of the ‘Hath Tonge at Will : Before Utterance Show”