Infinite Synapse presents original works by three Queens College choreographers.

Time: Performances start 11am and will repeat at 12pm (each performance will be approximately 25 minutes).
Location: Crabapple Grove
Admission: Included in Garden Admission*

*While the event is free, Garden admission is to be paid upon entry. Admission April through October: Members – FREE, Adults – $6, Seniors (age 62+) – $4, Students with ID – $4, Children (ages 4 to 12) – $2, Children (age 3 and under) – FREE.

Please review our Etiquette guidelines for the most up-to-date health & safety measures while visiting the Garden.

Performances

What Lies Beneath: The Afterlife by Alisha Anderson is about life after death. The work integrates West African and contemporary dance to explore what happens to a person after their spirit leaves their body, and the various people they meet as they journey towards the afterlife. Costumes by Taleah Cameron.

Cosmic Convergence by Dana Mongelli investigates the interconnectedness of humans and a search for meaning. We are all on this journey of life together which has been further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through contemporary dance Cosmic Convergence inquires: how can we make an impact in our short lives? How can we process what’s happening during this difficult time? And how can we connect, unite, and prevail? Original Music by Diego Guarnieri and Luca Longobardi; and costumes by Rosemarie Davi in collaboration with Dana Mongelli.

Don’t Always Believe Demons Answer by Anna Artinger is a contemporary dance about loss, grief, and the processing of these emotions that stems from personal and societal experiences of the choreographer and the cast relating to death and heartbreak as well as the distancing brought on by the pandemic. Original music by Kyle Miller and AnnaLynn; and costume designs by Courtney Johnson.

About the Choreographers

Alisha Anderson is a professional dancer who works every day to fulfill the highest expression of herself as a human being and an artist. Alisha has studied various genres of dance for over 20 years and specializes in tap, Afrobeat and African dance. She began her dance career at her family owned dance school, Dance Arts Repertory Theater, which had a well known company called Yori that specialized in African dance; and inspired her to become a professional African dancer. Alisha has studied under Randi Lloyd, Lancelot Theobald, Shandella Molly, Jewel Love, Chet and many more. She is currently attending Queens College where she is graduating with a Minor in Dance and a Major in Education. Alisha has traveled to Ghana, Senegal and other countries in West Africa to further her studies in African dance. Alisha has performed professionally with Salsa Ache which is a salsa and Afro Caribbean dance company, and currently performs with two of the top African dance companies in New York City, Harambee and Bambara. In 2014 Alisha joined Harambee which is directed by Shandella Molly and located in Bronx, NY. With Harambee Alisha has performed for the African American Museum, Nick Cannon, Vice the TV show and many more. In 2015 she joined Bambara which is directed by Jewel Love, and with the company she has performed for the Tira Banks show, Dance Africa (BAM), numerous African festivals, weddings and much more. Alisha began her teaching career at Layla Dance and Drum school where she has taught for the past three years and enjoys working with the students. Alisha is also the mom to a wonderful six year old, Chloe.

Dana Mongelli is a Rockaway Beach based dancer, choreographer and actress that has performed with Dances Patrelle, Nashville Ballet, and Rockaway Theatre Company. In 2020, she co-choreographed and performed in the dance film The Restless, directed by choreographer Yin Mei Critchell in collaboration with Marshall Davis and the theater group What Will The Neighbors Say? Dana received her classical ballet and modern dance training from LaGuardia High School, the School of Nashville Ballet, Ballet Academy East, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. She has a BA from Hunter College in Italian Language and Civilization and is a Substitute Teacher with the NYC Department of Education. She is taking dance classes at Queens College and Hunter College as she applies to Master’s programs in Dance Education. Dana blends her ballet and modern dance background with her theater experience to create dance works that promote healing and encourage the development of empathy in order to bring people together.

Anna Artinger is an NYC based dancer, choreographer, and musician. She began dancing at age three in College Point, NY at Strut Your Stuff dance studio. She later studied at Nadia’s Performing Arts Centre where she competed with the NPAC Company for twelve years, in addition to assisting and then teaching a range of classes from creative movement to teen jazz at NPAC for six years. Anna is a graduating senior and Dance major at Queens College, with a minor in Business and Liberal Arts. She choreographed for the 2019 student concert Synergy, and again for the 2020 student concert that was inevitably canceled due to the pandemic. She is delighted to revisit the work she started in 2020 and give it a new life. Anna began dabbling in music at a young age picking up and putting down various instruments until high school where she became serious and spent her high school career studying music theory and production. She released her debut EP Too Young to Know What Love Is in March 2020. As an artist, Anna strives to keep learning and creating. Outside of her art, Anna is an avid gamer and proud parent to a bearded dragon, a five-legged frog, two tanks of fish, and most recently, a rescue pup.