InSite: Everyone is Welcome
Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum
We acknowledge that in Milwaukee we live and dance on traditional Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, and Menominee homelands along the southwest shores of Michigami, part of North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes.
We honor those who came before us in our families, our lineage–those who sacrificed so that we could live, learn, and love. Thank you for joining us for this performance! We welcome your curiosity as we embark on an adventurous journey through memory, ritual, and surprise in Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum.
The land that is Forest Home was once called the Indian Fields by white settlers and had been used by native Americans for the cultivation of corn. Increase Lapham, who designed the cemetery, recorded several conical mounds and a rare panther intaglio carved into the ground on the property. Forest Home is working with Tribal Leaders and the Wisconsin Historical Society to determine the exact locations of the remaining burial mounds and forms.
Choreographers:
Sabrina Lina Conchi, Alisha Jihn, Dijon Michelle Kirkland, Tisiphani Mayfield, Yeng Vang-Strath
Performers:
Katelyn Altmann, Sabrina Lina Conchi, Lily Anna Conchi, Ashley Ray Garcia, Alisha Jihn, Dijon Michelle Kirkland, Jessica Lueck, Ida Lucchesi, Tisiphani Mayfield, Elisabeth Roskopf, Nicole Spence
Hmong Qeej Troupe - Lars Chang, Troy Chang, Sao Kistoukaisy
Program:
Site 1 - a former pond basin
Remembering
Choreography: Part 1 by Vang-Strath, Part 2 by Kirkland, Part 3 by Mayfield
Performed by Full Company
Site 2 - a small basin
Here
Choreography & Performance by Alisha Jihn
Spirals/Falling Forward
Choreography by Mayfield in collaboration with the dancers
Dancers: Altmann, Garcia, Kirkland, Lueck, Lucchesi, Spence
Site 3 - intersection along the way
Exchange Between
Choreography & Performance by Sabrina Lina Conchi & Lily Anna Conchi
Site 4 - one tree
Still/Spirit/Hold On
Choreography by Kirkland, Mayfield, Vang-Strath in collaboration with the dancers
Dancers: Altmann, Garcia, Kirkland, Lueck, Lucchesi, Mayfield, Spence
Embrace
Choreography by Vang-Strath in collaboration with the dancers
Dancers: Altmann, Garcia
Site 5 - sycamore shade and pond
Wind
Choreography by Nwcian Xiong, Hmong Qeej Troupe
Qeej Musicians: Lars Chang, Troy Chang, Sao Kistoukaisy
Exchange Between
Choreography & Performance by Dijon Michelle Kirkland
Bits and Pieces/Away
Choreography by Vang-Strath in collaboration with the dancers
Dancer: Elisabeth Roskopf
Undine
Choreography by Vang-Strath in collaboration with the dancers
Dancers: Altmann, Garcia, Kirkland, Lucchesi, Mayfield, Spence
Meet the Choreographers
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What an honor and privilege to be a part of the choreographic team and dancers of Wild Space Dance Company. Yeng Vang-Strath is an educator and dance advocate with the Milwaukee Public Schools. She has been involved with Wild Space Dance Company as a dancer and on the Board of Directors for many years. Yeng is also on the board of Wisconsin Dance Council promoting diversity in dance across Wisconsin.
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Lina is a first generation Mexican-American student at UW-Milwaukee. She is a dance major that specializes in Ballet Folklorico. He goal is to proudly pay homage to her culture through dance, while also merging modern ideas in her choreography alongside her sister, Lily Anna Conchi, a dancer at Ballet Folklorico Zanharati.
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Tisiphani Mayfield is a choreographer, dance educator, a seasoned performer, a journalist, writer, mentor coach and mother. Born and raised in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Ms. Mayfield holds a B.S. in journalism and an A.A. from Florida A&M University as well as a B.A. in Dance from UW-Milwaukee. Mayfield’s latest works include the world premiere of “Hoops” a stage play adapted from Nicole Acosta’s internationally acclaimed HOOPS Project comes to the stage. In 2022, Mayfield choreographed as a guest artist for Milwaukee Wild Space “InSites”. Mayfield has graced the stage through many companies such as Mahogany Dance Theater, Milwaukee Bucks Energee! Dance Team, Wild Space Dance Company, Hyperlocal, and Ko-Thi Dance Company. Mayfield is also passionate about teaching dance throughout Milwaukee, especially in the public school system. For more than a decade Mayfield worked in Broadcast Journalism. Mayfield believes that dance and journalism go hand in hand. In both there is passion, fire and responsibility. Through her journalistic and choreographic works Ms. Mayfield shares stories of her life and community that are commonly ignored in the mainstream.
“Art without fear”, is to move with power. My dance, like myself is black, a melting pot of beauty. Strong and focused in the African Diaspora, elegantly flowing through the Caribbean, as diverse as jazz, as rhythmical as tap, with a touch of hard-hitting hip hop all fused authentically into contemporary. To dance is to live life to the fullest. Through my choreography I reveal my truths to the world.
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靳書怡 (she/her) is a dancer, maker, and board-certified dance/movement therapist. She holds dual degrees in Dance and Asian Studies from St. Olaf College and an MA from Columbia College Chicago in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling. Alisha was a Fulbright Fellow to Taiwan focused on cross-cultural dialogue about dance/movement therapy. She has been a site-specific choreographic apprentice for Wild Space Dance Company InSite Dances and presented her work at Danceworks DanceLAB and the OhioDance Festival. Currently, Alisha is pursuing an MFA in Dance at The Ohio State University. Her research interests delve into the intersection of embodiment, memory, and imagined futures.
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“Honey Dee,” is a native of Washington D.C., and has been dancing for over 20 years. She attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts, The Ailey School, Princeton Ballet School, Maryland Youth Ballet, and Alonzo King's Lines Ballet. Dijon holds a B.A. in Dance from Point Park University. Upon graduation, She danced with The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company 2nd company (DCDC2) for two seasons. She then became a member of the Cleveland Cavalier Girl NBA dance team in 2015, and is a part of the 2015-16 NBA championship team! She’s been a part of various projects such as Mojuba Dance Collective, Soursop Stories, Blakk Jakk Dance Company, and some independent projects. In November 2020, Dijon was a part of the supporting cast of an independent film “Lovely Jackson” Recent film appearances include dancing in the 2022 release of “White Noise”. Dijon received a Masters of Fine Arts in dance studies at University of Wisconsin Milwaukee this spring. She has guest taught at Northern Kentucky University, The American College Dance Association, and Beloit College. Currently, Dijon teaches dance at Parker Arts Academy in Janesville, Wisconsin. Dijon is very excited to be joining Wild Space Dance Company for this wonderful collaboration at Forest Home Cemetery.
“Art is life, God is love.”
Historical Notes
Pre-show Talk by Milwaukee Historian John Gurda. Learn more about his work at johngurda.com
Site 1: On the west side of the hill is the gravesite of Judge Harold Jackson, Milwaukee's first African American Judge.
Site 2: Early cemeteries were created for both the living and the dead. In Lapham's design of Forest Home, the pathways curve around natural landforms creating sites and sights of beauty for those interred as well as shaded vistas for relatives and visitors.
Site 3: Clementina Rocha Castro worked for social justice and the rights of Wisconsin's migrant workers; her grave can be found in the Garden of Time.
Site 4: The lawn place features the beautiful Katsura Weeping Tree, one of over 100 species of trees in the cemetery and arboretum. In the South, African Americans have a tradition of hanging bottles on a tree as remembrance and celebration of the full circle of life.
Site 5: The island under the bridge was purchased for the Hmong Development Group for Hmong burials. Notable military leader, Colonel Xay Dang Xiong, a Hmong veteran from Laos, is buried in lot 37.
Gratitude/Appreciation:
Thank you to the Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum for their partnership. Many thanks to all the dancers and collaborators–thank you for sharing your artistry and embodying the wild ideas we have developed together.
Special thanks to Sara Tomilin, John Gurda, Paul Kosidowski, Wild Space Board & Staff.
Wild Space's InSite: Choreographic Exchange Program supports choreographers of color to create new works in underserved neighborhoods and learn from Wild Space's 35-year legacy of site-based dancemaking. Everyone is Welcome reflects the significance of Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum as a public cemetery, serving Milwaukee's diverse cultural community and neighborhood. We are grateful for the partnership with Forest Home as we celebrate the lives of those around us.
Funded in part with support from Bader Philanthropies and a grant from Wisconsin Humanities*, with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities, UPAF, Milwaukee County CAMPAC, the Milwaukee Arts Board and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
*Any Views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment of the Humanities. Wisconsin HumanIties strengthens our democracy through educational and cultural programs that build connections and understanding among people of all backgrounds and beliefs throughout the state.
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