Arlington-based Jane Franklin Dance bids farewell at the Arlington black-box venue, Theatre on the Run.  Celebrate 28 years of artistic creativity with signature works by Jane Franklin, premiers by company artists Kelsey Rohr and Ryan Carlough, a Forty+ Project premier by Lauren DeVera and an award-winning duet by frequent JFD guest choreographer Robert J. Priore.

• Jane Franklin’s Stratum (2022) contrasts the desire to not-be-seen with the opposite urge to become larger than life. Spanish guitar by Manuel Granada, “Romance Anonimo” accompanies duets that accumulate and dissolve. Multilayered movement for the cast of 5 dancers is partnered with music by Astor Piazzolla.

• Robert J. Priore’s work Untitled (2022) highlights a dynamic partnership and is performed by Kevin White and Kelsey Rohr.  Music is "Why Hurt the One Who Loves You" by  Roy Orbison.  Untitled is performed on Saturday, Mar 15.

• Kelsey Rohr presents a new work for young dancers on Sunday, Mar 16.  JFD’s education projects through Move & Groove Kids has led to works that celebrate the spirited creativity of youth.  This new work is no exception.

• Inspired by country line dance and swing, Kelsey Rohr’s premier “Sally" plays with relationship dynamics. Music is by Lobo Loco (Wolf Schweizer-Gerth) and by Eric Clapton, “Lay Down Sally.”

• Ryan Carlough premiers “Together,” a new work for 4 dancers to “The Wilhelm Scream” by English musician James Blake.

• Forty+ Project, an ongoing program of Jane Franklin Dance, celebrates the collective creativity of people past the age of 40.  For this performance JFD is happy to present movement choreographed by Lauren DeVera, founder of The Lion’s Den (dance & wellness community), host of the Thrive + Thread Podcast, Creative Life Coach, Wellness Facilitator, and Choreographer.

• The connotation of “eyesore”, an unpleasant sight in a public place, spins in Jane Franklin’s  EyeSoar (2019). Layered audio statements and movement highlight the industrial neighborhood.  Space is getting tighter and longtime occupants nestle within change. Buildings have undergone multiple renovations, different ownership and stand today alongside gentrification and changing demographics.  EyeSoar is a tribute to the S Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington landscape and the neighbors who call it home. Music is by Don Zientara, founder of Inner Ear Studio, a recording studio, now demolished, that was a central part of the Washington DC Punk Rock music scene in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Interview participants include Inner Ear Studio founder Don Zientara,  Travis Hackney of Weenie Beenie, “The roadside carryout opened in the late 1950s with a short menu of hot dogs, fish sandwiches, hamburgers and beans. That menu has expanded over the years, but the idea has stayed the same: to serve everyday working people. "We all frequent McDonald's occasionally," says Hackney, "but our customers come here every day." Just off I-395, Weenie Beenie is a splash of color in an industrial area. Orange trim and yellow lettering brighten the lot where a steady stream of lunch customers pull in and make their own parking spots before placing their orders.” The Washington Post, Megan Carney, Arlington County Dept of Parks and Recreation and Jessica Ward of The Board Hound..

About Jane Franklin Dance
Jane Franklin Dance partners with music, media, visual artists, and community participants.  Jane Franklin Dance has been presented at multiple venues and festivals in the Mid-Atlantic region and internationally in Mexico. A recipient of the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region Creative Communities Award, Jane has developed innovative and collaborative projects combining dancers with the round wall skateboarding community, with a life-size kinetic sculpture, with the architecture of a specific site, with dogs & owners, and with interactive live video and sound for numerous public art projects.  Jane Franklin is a recipient of the American Association of University Women Elizabeth Campbell Award for the Advancement of the Arts in Arlington, Site See Residency, Special Opportunity Awards, Arts 275th Commemorative Program Award and Arts Enrichment Programs for Youth grants from the City of Alexandria as well as other commendations from regional festivals and government agencies.   Jane Franklin Dance repertory features works by a diverse range of choreographers, award-winning and emerging, who create works for professional artists who serve as company dancers and educators.  Educational programs take place at after-school programs and centers serving older adults.

About Ryan Carlough
Ryan Carlough is a native of North Potomac, Maryland. Mr. Carlough began his dance training with CityDance where he had the opportunity to work closely with and perform works by the Gallim and Koresh Dance Company, as well as original choreographies by William Smith, Maleek Washington, and Robert J. Priore. He graduated from SUNY Purchase with a B.F.A. in Dance and a minor in Arts Management.
While at SUNY Purchase, he had the pleasure to perform works by Jose Limon, George Balanchine, Doug Varone, Kimberly Bartosik, and original works by Gregory Dolbashian and Shannon Gillen. Since graduating he has worked and performed with Company E, Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company, Chamber Dance Project, State Street Ballet, PrioreDance, S.J.Ewing & Dancers, and I.C. Movement Project. When he’s not dancing Carlough enjoys swimming, cooking and watching movies.

About Lauren DeVera
In 2010, she received her Bachelor of Arts from the dance program at Old Dominion University. Since then, she has made incredible strides in her career as a performer, choreographer and educator. She is a distinguished thought leader in the dance community with performance and teaching credits including the Kennedy Center, The Howard Theatre, Dance Place DC, Culture Shock DC (alumni), World of Dance, Carnival, BET, and The CW Network. With a deep-rooted passion to bring people together, she began in 2010 as a leader, ambassador, and pioneer of KODACHROME VA, a community-based dance workshop series, by curating a selection of decorated teachers–locally and nationally. It was because of her infectiously warm personality and network, KODACHROME attendees of all experience levels kept coming back for more workshops. The quality of teachers Lauren hand-picked was an incredible need for the growing dance community. She expanded her reach through the DMV chapter of Diggs Deeper by serving as the Production Manager 2014-2017.


About Forty+ Project
Forty+ celebrates the collective creativity of people over 40. Each project features a different choreographer and results in a unique tapestry of collaboration. Forty+, an adjunct and ongoing project of Jane Franklin Dance, provides a platform for dancers and choreographers to create in a community of movement.

About Robert J. Priore
Robert J. Priore is a queer artist who is committed to exploring the ever-evolving issues that exist within the LGBTQIA+ community. Currently he is most interested in exploring movement generated as an exploration of the duality between queer joy and sadness and how they truly are two sides of the same coin. He founded his contemporary dance company PrioreDance in the fall of 2016. Additionally he is very proud to be a founding member of Washington-based Company | E. Robert also serves as the Choreographer-In-Residence for the CityDance Conservatory as well as an Ignite Artist. Robert studied dance at Point Park University. Since 2016, Robert has been named an outstanding fellow in the arts in the District of Columbia. Additionally he has been awarded a Projects, Events and Festivals Grant from the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities since 2018 to create original evening-length works. Robert was commissioned to create a work for the Mark Twain Prize Award Ceremony, which was nationally televised on PBS in mid-November 2018. Robert was awarded the Pola Nirenska Memorial Award in 2019 for outstanding contribution to art in the District of Columbia. In Fall of 2021, Robert became the Director of Dance at The Madeira School and adjunct faculty at George Mason University. Robert’s choreographic work has been seen in over twenty countries, and continues to hope to see his work throughout the US and the world!

About Kelsey Rohr (Assistant Artistic Director) studied dance at Richmond Ballet through their public outreach program. She later graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas with a BFA in Dance and minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. She went on to dance with Joshua L. Peugh’s Dark Circles Contemporary Dance and then worked in Geneva, Switzerland with Ballet Junior de Genève and Guilherme Botelho’s Alias Dance Company. She has performed works by Sharon Eyal, Barak Marshall, Angelin Preljocaj, and Roy Assaf. Currently, she enjoys dancing under Robert Priore’s PrioreDance in D.C. and Jane Franklin Dance in Arlington.