FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CSN’S FALL DANCE FESTIVAL 2025
CSN Fine Arts Department Presents: THE FALL DANCE FESTIVAL 2025, November 21st and 22nd
CSN’s Dance Program presents The FALL DANCE FESTIVAL OF 2025, in celebration of the Fall season and our growing program. It is also a special event that celebrates our dancers in the Autumn of their growth as performers and artists.
Within the 75-minute performance, audience members will experience a range of diverse works ranging from Folklorico, Afro Fusion, Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop and Contemporary, all choreographed by our esteemed faculty, Carrie Miles, Pendu Malik, Liezel Marie Guzman, Mary La Croix and Jacquelyn Guzman, plus special guest Meraki Dance Theatre who came in and set their work “Adapt” on the CSN Concert Company.
Adapt, created in 2014, is a movement exploration that originated as a personal choreographic challenge which evolved into a lovely, solemn and self-reflective work. The collaborative dancing between choreographer and dancer and the delicate dialog will take audiences on a journey to find their surroundings and require them to adapt.
Meraki Dance Theatre, founded in 2014 by Carrie Lee Miles and Alicia Trump, who found support in one another, gained the strength and courage to pursue their dreams. This led to their first co-creation, Not Alone (2014), which was awarded 2nd Place Judges Choice Award at the 2015 Rocky Mountain Choreography Festival. Meraki Dance Theatre’s work is centered around relationships within society and deals with friendships, individuals, survival and social groupings. Both Alicia’s and Carrie’s movement is inspiring and flows on stage seamlessly, creating opportunities for the audience to experience their stories in a way that’s abstract enough that the audience members can insert themselves and their stories onto the canvas of the works on stage.
Kiss is 4Kidz came to us during CSN’s Dance Days to work with our dancers. The event included a Dance and Careers theme which presented an opportunity to have our students learn more about taking the “dis” out of ability with Tshelene Henried and Leslie Roth Kramer.
Kiss Is 4Kidz is a project of MoSaic Blue (Nevada based 501c3), an organization committed to enriching the lives of individuals in the (dis)ability community. We believe that every student and participant has unique strengths and talents that are simply waiting to be discovered and shared. Our Kiss Is 4Kidz program specializes in performing arts training and performances that include music, dance, and musical theatre! With the support of staff, community partners, mentors, performing arts specialists and sponsors, their inner voice will surely be heard, acknowledged, and appreciated on the universal stage. Our mission is to remove the (dis) out of disability, and focus on their SPECIAL ABILITIES!! For more information contact: (702) 937-4284, mosaicbluearts@gmail.com
Tshlene Henreid (Executive Director, Kiss Is 4Kidz) Constantly in motion, Tshlene was destined to be a dancer. Her God-given talent took her to Broadway, Hollywood and around the world. A diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis forced the music to stop, but only temporarily. While the debilitating form of arthritis slowed her roll, it didn’t force her to roll over and give up. With the help of physical therapy, a positive attitude, diet, divine intervention and sheer determination, she got back on her feet and started making moves on behalf of others who are often overlooked because they are differently-abled. In 2007 she arrived in Las Vegas and had an epiphany. She realized a burning desire to help others! So what was once a dream to dance around the world sharing her gifts, became a dream to share the gifts of others.
CSN’s Dance Program also welcomes Mary La Croix who joined us this year as our Ballet Instructor. She has set a lovely piece on our beginning and intermediate dancers.
Mary has danced professionally with Nevada Ballet Theatre, Nashville Ballet, Ballet Austin II, and the Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater (now known as Contemporary West Dance Theater). Mary has danced the title roles of Juliet, Aurora, Giselle, a Little Swan in Cynthia Gregory’s Swan Lake, Waltz Girl in Balanchine’s Serenade and the Principal in his Rubies. She has also performed in Alvin Ailey’s Night Creature and Ulysses Dove’s Vespers and Bad Blood. She has originated roles for many choreographers including James Canfield, Ann Marie DeAngelo, Thaddeus Davis, Bernard Gaddis, Gina Patterson, Nicholas Villenueve, Cayatano Soto, and Luca Vegetti. She has performed as a guest for the Career Transitions for Dancers Gala in NYC, NYC’s Summerstage, Capezio Dance Awards, Las Vegas Opera’s Carmen, the Stellar Music Awards, Ballet America, Nutcracker Ballet Theatre, and Santa Barbara Festival Ballet.
Mary founded Las Vegas Dance Academy in 2017, a studio with a strong ballet focus and a belief that a positive, structured, and inspiring environment will cultivate tremendous growth in the students. She has created a full length production of The Nutcracker and presents the performing ensemble throughout the Las Vegas valley. The studio has won numerous competition awards including Best Music, choreographic awards, and a National Title. She’s also a mom of 3!
This semester our Hip Hop class led by Liezel Marie, was part of the CSN Mascot reveal. Within this festival, audiences witnessed the high energy pump up of bringing in Cody the Coyote. Liezel Marie has set an exceptional jazz funk number on our CSN Concert Company.
We have some other fun surprises as in student works and more. We hope you will join us as we celebrate this beautiful Autumn season and all it brings.
The concert premieres Friday, November 21st, at 7:00 p.m. with a matinee performance Saturday, November 22nd at 2:00 p.m. in the Nicholas J. Horn Theatre at CSN’s Performing Arts Center at the North Las Vegas campus.
General Admission is $8.00 and $5.00 for students and seniors. For more information or to purchase tickets online, please visit: www.csn.edu/pac.
CSN’s Performing Arts Center, provides quality artistic, cultural, educational, and entertainment opportunities for the college and the community. It is located at 3200 East Cheyenne Avenue in North Las Vegas.
