The Foundry
Resilience
Experience Alex Ketley’s renowned contemporary dance company as it makes its first stop on a national tour in Carmel Valley, bringing a powerful performance that promises to stir the soul.
An Approximation of Resilience is a movement meditation on liberation and the human spirit. Coinciding with Juneteenth, this deeply evocative work explores themes of dignity, perseverance, and the transformative power of art. At its heart is Bill Clark, an artist who has spent 33 years on Death Row while steadfastly maintaining his wrongful conviction. Yet, despite his circumstances, he continues to create, inspire, and embody an unbreakable sense of hope. His story is a testament to the indomitable resilience of the human spirit—and a poignant reminder never to take freedom for granted.
Friday, June 20 & Saturday, June 21
7:30 PM
Hidden Valley Music Seminars, Carmel Valley
A portion of Patron Tickets will be donated to both Bill Clark's Legal Defense Fund and Death Penalty Focus, one of the countries leading organizations trying to abolish both the Death Penalty and Life Without Parole (LWOP).
ABOUT THE CHOREOGRAPHER
Alex Ketley is a choreographer, filmmaker, and director of The Foundry. A former San Francisco Ballet dancer, he left in 1998 to explore alternative methods of performance-making. He has created works for major companies including BalletX, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and L.A. Dance Project. His accolades include the Princess Grace Award, Choo-San Goh Award, multiple Isadora Duncan Awards, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 2025, he received a National Dance Project Grant for An Approximation of Resilience. Ketley is an Advanced Lecturer at Stanford University and a Board Member of Death Penalty Focus, advocating for its abolition.
ABOUT THE PRINCIPAL COLLABORATOR
Bill Clark is a writer, artist, and educator who has spent 33 years on Death Row, maintaining his wrongful conviction. Before his incarceration, he founded Paradigm, a successful merchandising business representing Michael Jackson, Motown Records, Mattel, and more. Despite his circumstances, he has built an extensive body of work—including poetry, children’s books, and scripts—and mentors young artists, notably as a guest for Stanford’s Dance(A)cution class. A proud father and grandfather, Clark remains relentlessly optimistic about regaining his freedom and pursuing his passions.
ABOUT THE TEAM
DANCERS:
Ja'Moon Jones, William Brewton Fowler Jr., Eli Shi, Natalya Shoaf, Isabelle Edgar, Alice Svetic, Aline Wachsmuth, Ellie Daley
DRAMATURGY:
Carol Snow
LIGHTING DESIGN:
Ken Smith
SCENE & COSTUME DESIGN:
Ali Kendall
SUPPORT:
An Approximation of Resilience has been awarded a National Dance Project Grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and The Mellon Foundation. Additional funding has been provided by the Luger Family Trust and a year long residency at The Stapleton Ballet.
KETLEY'S PREVIOUS WORKS
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES
“A work of art does not answer questions, it provokes them; and its essential meaning is in the tension between the contradictory answers.”
~ Leonard Bernstein
“Transform your trembling into action. Move closer towards those whom you have averted your eyes. Gift your eyes, your voice, and your freedom of movement to those who need them most.” ~ Jackie Sumell, Artist and Activist
“The most powerful way to challenge the ethos of disposability underlying mass incarceration is to make the full humanity of incarcerated people more visible to the public.”
~ Jesse Krimes, Artist and Formally Incarcerated Individual