Jayne pays homage to her ancestors in the granite industry, many who died young from silicosis. My Grandfather's Hands uses spoken word, photographs, film and aerial dance to create a mixed media performance.  Ernesto Bernasconi (Jayne's great-grandfather) sculpted Ceres, a 30 foot tall Goddess of Agriculture and Fertility in the early 1900's and today this statue stands with 5 others on the facade of Union Station in Washington, D.C.  Jayne's family monument is captured in this piece as well as other granite monuments from the Hope Cemetary in Barre, VT, as well as old and current images of The Rock Of Ages granite quarries including Jayne flying on a crane over the quarries.

Note:  The title of this work My Grandfather's Hands was taken from a journal entry Jayne wrote back in 2013. It is in no way, shape or form a rip off from the book My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem.  Jayne wrote in her journal ideas about creating a dance based on her Italian ancestry.

Breath and Air uses the natural elements of Water, Air, Fire and Earth, Jayne brings awareness to these non-renewable resources.  Using performing arts is the best way she knows how to be an  advocate for our mother earth. This performance is a mixed-media collaboration of aerial dance, visuals effects, The sound score is by Elsa Langford and visual effects is by artist Lynn Tomlinson. Jayne performs the Water and Air solos, followed by a Fire duet with her daughter, Stacey Shapiro. The 4th section: Earth, is performed by Jayne's aerial repertory students from Towson University. The animated light-paintings throughout the choreography was created by Tomlinson's visual effects students.  Also, some of the collaged images have been sourced locally and around the world including video shots by members of Lynn’s family.  Other images were taken from Jayne's recent trip to India, including the goats and female goat herder.

Below The Above honors the Sacred Divine Feminine of Moon and Ocean. This dance is also inspired by world-renowned marine biologist, Sylvia Earle, who holds the record for deepest walk on the bottom of the ocean. The pink silk apparatus used in this performance represents a pink plant Earl discovered as well as movement references in the beginning of the piece. Choreography and performance: Jayne Bernasconi, visual effects by John Harris, and music by Zoe Keating.   

I am fascinated by the gravitational pull of the ocean's tide to the rhythm of the moon waxing and waning.  The moon causes the oceans to bulge out on both the side closest to the Moon and the side farthest from the Moon. These bulges create high tides. The low points are where low tides occur.  All of marine biology is effected by this connection and we are part of this interconnectedness.  The beauty of Sacred Divine Feminine is at work in this dance.

Remembering Her Beauty is in memory of Jayne's sister, Jan Bernasconi. This project description is being written on Jan's birthday (January 25) and she was born in 1962, so she'd be 62 years ago today. Creating this dance helped Jayne with the grieving process of losing her sister to ALS/Lou Gehrig's disease. "Remembering...." was premiered at the International Aerial Dance Festival in Colorado a month prior to Jan's death in 2012 and she was able to watch this dance on video before she passed away.  One of Jan's last sentiments to Jayne was to keep dancing no matter what.  The sound score in this dance has several pauses, starts and stops to symbolize a life put on hold and cut short with a terminal illness. 

Dear Terry.... Sincerely, Nancy & Jayne honors our mother of Aerial Dance, Terry Sendgraff, inventor low-flying trapeze in the early 1970's. Terry was inspirational for many aerial dancers who came from a modern dance background. Terry was a strong advocate for creating unique and original aerial works that included improvisation, spontaneity, as well as choreographed structure.  Jayne's mentor and dear friend, Nancy Smith, who introduced her to aerial dance in 1995, met Terry at the 1st Aerial Dance Festival in 1999 and they both became students of Terry. They also developed a deep and lasting friendship with Terry and sent this dance to her when she was ill to raise her spirits before she passed in 2019.  Dear Terry.... Sincerely, Nancy & Jayne is a play on words from one of Terry's original aerial dances called "Sincerely, Terry."   This dance is accompanied by a live sound score with beat boxer, Shodekeh. Lighting design by Rebecca Wolf.  This dance combines the elements of both choreography and improvisation, ground and air and a little contact improvisation, too.