2012-2013-2014 Repertory
...And Now Marvin (1994)
Choreographer: Darryl B. Sneed
This work pays tribute to the legendary artist Marvin Gaye. He was an extraordinary singer, composer and arranger. Through his music he expressed despondency over key issues of his generation: politics, the war in Vietnam, the ecology and human conditions.
A Boundless Journey (2007)
Choreographer: Dianne McIntyre
"A journey has no bounds...keeps on going...never stops." There's a freedom about the journey. A Boundless Journey is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.
Absolute Rule (DBDT Premiere 1994)
Choreographer: Elisa Monte and David A. Brown
Awassa Astrige/Ostrich (1932; DBDT Premiere 2002)
Choreographer: Asadata Dafora
The ostrich is not the comic bird, burying its head in the sand, as typically portrayed in cartoons, but it is a large, stately and potentially lethal bird should you suffer a blow from one of its powerful legs. The ostrich commands our respect, and in this portrayal, a warrior imitates the graceful but powerful movements of the King of the birds.
Beams from Heaven (2010)
Choreographer: Christopher L. Huggins
An uplifting suite of dances set to traditional & contemporary gospel music.
End of Time pas de deux (1984)
Choreographer: Ben Stevenson, O.B.E.
End of Time pas de deux was performed by Li Cunxin and Martha Butler at the 1984 International Ballet Competition in Tokyo, with both dancers receiving a silver medal for their performances and Ben Stevenson his third gold medal for choreographer.
Escapades
(World Premiere 1983, US Premiere 1993, DBDT Premiere 2012)
Choreographer: Alvin Ailey
When Escapades premiered in the United States in 1993, The New York Times called it "...breathtaking in its invention." This ballet was originally choreographed by Mr. Ailey for the Aterballetto — Centro Regionale Della Danza of Italy in 1983 and set to a score by jazz legend Max Roach. A suite of four dances, this piece tells a love story through a fluid combination of modern, jazz and ballet techniques. The central couple is continually surrounded by duets and quartets of dancers who effortlessly move in and out of earthy sensuality and graceful lyricism.
Instinct: 11.1 (2010)
Choreographer: Francesca Harper
Dedicated to my mother, Denise Jefferson.
Jazz Course 101 — Dallas Black University (2008)
Choreographer: Christopher L. Huggins
Jazz Course 101 embodies traditional and classic jazz dance with red, hot energy!
Lost in Memory (2006)
Choreographer: Nejla Y. Yatkin
A group work in two sections depicting playful childhood games. Performed with text inspired by Alan Lightman.
Mourner's Bench (1947)
Choreographer: Talley Beatty
This emotional solo portrays spiritual struggle through muscular interplay between a male dancer and a bench. The work was inspired by Howard Fast's novel Southern Landscape, and refers to the tragic influence of the Ku Klux Klan on a mixed-race community in the rural South after the Civil War. The soloist asserts himself within and against the themes of oppression and transcendence in the highly stylized, gestural vocabulary of the piece. The dancer, "sitting on the mourner's bench," reflects upon the end of his community and the horror of its slaughter. Set to the traditional spiritual There Is A Balm in Gilead.
Night Run (2003)
Choreographer: Christopher L. Huggins
Night Run is a look at the interaction of social forces and their transformation as night falls and the run for time. Night Run was made possible by a grant from The Allstate Foundation.
Phoenix (2008)
Choreographer: Zach Law Ingram
Phoenix is based on the different trials and tribulations of life; but one thing is for certain, the phoenix will come before it's too much to bear.
Reflections in D (1962; DBDT Premiere 1987)
Choreographer: Alvin Ailey
This strong yet serene solo is a stunning, masterful expression of Duke Ellington's music.
The Edge of My Life...So Far (2010)
Choreographer: Bruce Wood
I'm all things at all times, and always have been.
The Nina Simone Project (2011)
Choreographer: Dianne McIntyre
Choreographer, Dianne McIntyre and DBDT Founder/Artistic Director, Ann M. Williams collaborate to escort the audience through the life and times of American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger and civil rights activist Nina Simone. The ballet interprets the life and times of Ms. Simone from early childhood, through civil rights, to her later life through dance and movement of the entire company.
Testosterone (DBDT Premiere 2011)
Choreographer: Richard A. Freeman, Jr.
Testosterone is a powerful thing. Controlling it can take years of practice. Some embrace it and for some, it is an ongoing battle. Who will win?
Thinking of You (World Premiere 2012)
Choreographer: Rennie Harris
Variations I &II (2003)
Choreographer: Milton Myers
Variations has been a collaboration between choreographer, Milton Myers and composer, William Cantanzaro. The work is a structural composition of these and variation. The movements develop from beginning elements of walking and running.
Vespers (1986, DBDT Premiere 2011)
Choreographer: Ulysses Dove
Vespers captures the passion and spirituality of women who have a faith and belief in God that sustains and supports them all their lives. The work is a recreation of the spirit Ulysses Dove gained from watching these women in church and is dedicated to his grandmother.