By Chelsea Thomas.

At 17 years old, Ohio native Dwight Rhoden was playing the clarinet, flute and drums in his high school’s band. He had never taken a dance class and didn’t even know what the word “choreography” meant. He admits that while he was “good at social dancing” he was clueless to any real technique.

Rhoden even remembers the first time a friend suggested he take a dance class. “One day in high school I entered a dance contest at a local club. I didn’t have any formal training but I would just make up these elaborate steps and routines. My friend, who was actually a dancer, looked at me and said, ‘You know, you’re pretty good. Why don’t you take some real ballet and modern classes? See what you think. You really seem to love to dance.’” And as Rhoden explains, the rest is history.

Now the Co-Founding Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, a celebrated and internationally-touring company hitting its 20th anniversary next year, Rhoden has established a remarkable and wide-ranging career. After beginning dance training late at 18 years old, he went on to successfully perform with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Les Ballet Jazz De Montreal and as a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

As an accomplished dancer, Rhoden even appeared in numerous television specials, documentaries and commercials throughout the United States, Canada and Europe and was a featured performer on many PBS “Great Performances” specials.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet performs Rhoden’s ‘Mercy’. Photo by Sharen Bradford

Yet, Rhoden admits that those first few years as a young dancer were hard as many people thought it was impossible to begin training so late and make it as a professional. He recalls, “There were a lot of naysayers… even my family thought I had no chance. They told me not to get my heart set on it.”

However, that time of persistence, grit and determination only sharpened Rhoden. He would “eat, drink and sleep dance” and push himself harder. He says, “I never really thought about what I couldn’t do, only what I could. And I didn’t sit around listening to people tell me what I couldn’t do. I just didn’t set limits for myself, and I still don’t… That is why I am where I am now. It was 100 percent dedication and not looking back. I immersed myself in the art form.”

With that kind of perseverance, Rhoden blazed his career path to where he is now. Named “one of the most sought out choreographers of the day” by The New York Times, Rhoden has created works for numerous companies, including The Joffrey Ballet, Miami City Ballet, New York City Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Arizona Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Company, BalletMet, Dance Theater of Harlem, Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadanco, Marinsky Ballet (Kirov) and Washington Ballet, amongst many others. Rhoden has also directed and choreographed for TV, film, theater and live performances, including So You Think You Can Dance, E! Entertainment’s Tribute to Style and Cirque Du Soleil’s Zumanity. Plus, among many other famous entertainers, Rhoden has worked with high-profile artists such as Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Kelly Clarkson, Nina Simone, U2 and Patrick Swayze.

Yet even with the multitude of companies, dancers and performers he has worked with, Rhoden says his crowning joy is Complexions Contemporary Ballet.

Dancers of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Photos by Jae Man Joo.

“When Complexions came on the dance scene in 1994, I really feel like we changed the landscape of what contemporary ballet is. We were one of the first companies in both New York and the United States that was really trying to integrate on all levels,” says Rhoden.

The company got started almost by accident, Rhoden recalls. After leaving Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater with fellow company member Desmond Richardson, the two created a choreographic variety show that brought together a lot of their dance friends who were performing in assorted companies.

“For the initial project, we just wanted the dancers to come from all different aspects of dance. So we decided to call the project Complexions and get a theater… During the tech rehearsal Desmond and I sat down and watched what was happening on the stage and we looked at each other and said, ‘We’ve got to do something with this. This has to go beyond these performances.’ So right then and there Desmond and I decided to start a company. That was the beginning of the idea,” he remembers.

Nearly 20 years later, the company has become widely considered as “America’s Original Multicultural Dance Company” and is celebrated for its pioneering spirit. Rhoden says it feels a bit unbelievable to have come so far.

“I really feel nostalgic. I’m grateful that I’ve had the chance to have this opportunity with our company. It’s not an easy thing to start a company from scratch – it’s truly challenging. But I look back and there have been so many rewards along the way. I think I have learned so much.”

Dwight Rhoden working with Wendy Whelan and Desmond Richardson. Photo by Jae Man Joo.

And there truly is much to be proud of. In addition to helping to build a universal brand that continues to challenge traditional ideas, Rhoden has choreographed more than 80 original works for the company that have been presented on five continents and in over 20 countries – including the US, Canada, South America, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, The Baltic Region, Egypt, Israel and the Middle East.

As a choreographer, one of Rhoden biggest inspirations and passions is engaging and challenging dancers. He takes pride in being called “a dancer’s choreographer.”

“I am one of those choreographers who is 100 percent inspired by the dancers in front of me. I love taking the talents they already have and the talents they are discovering and building something for them to shine with,” he says.

Desmond Richardson says, “Dwight has trained so many amazing dancers and that’s his gift. In the industry many of the formidable dancers call him the ‘dancer’s choreographer’ because of the way he challenges your aesthetic, and because of his range. He can do anything from street dance to the classical. I don’t think there are many choreographers like him with his range. To work with Dwight is to let your passion flow, to be on edge, and to be educated in the unknown.” 

Rhoden is so passionate about working with dancers that he says: “If I was never able to choreograph another ballet, I would still want to work in the studios with the dancers.”

Complexions Contemporary Ballet presents Rhoden’s ‘The Curve’. Photo by Bill Hebert.

Still, Rhoden is looking to the future with new, big dreams. Even while taking the time to celebrate his career and recent 50th birthday, he is not slowing down. With many projects in the works he keeps plunging forward. One of his upcoming projects is creating his own full-length Rite of Spring.

“I’ve always wanted to tackle the Rite of Spring so for next season I will be working on a two-piano version for Complexions. It will be premiered in Seoul, South Korea as part of a festival with seven other companies from around the world, which are all doing different versions of Rite of Spring. I will really start working on it in late July and early August.”

Also for his company, Rhoden is going to premiere a new Stevie Wonder ballet next season, saying, “Everyone can connect with some Stevie Wonder song from sometime along his career.” Furthermore, he will continue to choreograph for SYTYCD and the North Carolina Dance Theatre (where he is resident choreographer), and be directing Richardson’s solo show, which will feature Richardson dancing with a few guest stars. “I think that will be very exciting. We are hoping that will kickoff by the top of 2014, at the latest,” he says.

Somewhat secretively, Rhoden also revealed that he is currently working on a “very exciting Broadway project.” It comes out of one of his previously choreographed ballets and is in the works to go to Broadway next year.

One goal Rhoden and Richardson have for this year is to find Complexions a permanent home. Rhoden said they are scouting locations in New York City and elsewhere. Ironically, the company has had offices but not an actual studio space to call their own.

“Our education programs are very strong components of what we do – with Summer Intensives in three cities now – NYC, Detroit and Dallas. The programs are extremely competitive to get into and we simply can’t do all that we want to because of the lack of our own space,” Rhoden explains.

Complexions dancers. Photo by James Houston

“We have our feelers out in various parts of the country and have made some inroads in a few places. We have been nomads for nearly 20 years without a space of our own [and] Desmond and I are hot and heavy on the pursuit to have a permanent space.”

He says that there seems to be desire for Complexions to offer dancers training in the style of the company year-round. For that reason he is excited about finding a home where the company and school can continue to evolve. Moreover, Rhoden mentioned that Richardson and he have developed their own contemporary ballet technique through Complexions that is actually in the process of being trademarked.

“It’s basically taken classical ballet and added the torso. It encourages the movement of the upper body and is a very physical and athletic way of training. It will prepare dancers for anything off center,” he says.

Overall, when dually reflecting back on his momentous career and his formidable future, Rhoden sees one trend – hard work and diligence. He says that while many dreams are outstanding – like perhaps working with American Ballet Theatre’s Misty Copeland, producing some film shorts, being an “on-camera host to talk about art, dance and the creative process,” amongst other possibilities – he knows that success  only comes if you refuse to give up.

“When I look back, I see that there was no guarantee that I could ever have a career as a dancer starting so late and having absolutely no training. There was certainly no guarantee that I would reach the level of some of the companies I danced with. I look at that and think of what a huge testament it is to hard work and diligence,” he says.

“It goes back to something I really believe – that if you have the passion for something that you really love and you stay true and focused to it, there is no way you will not be able to accomplish the things in your heart. That kind of belief and energy is powerful. “

For more information on Rhoden and his upcoming projects, visit www.dwightrhoden.com. For more information on Complexions Contemporary Ballet and its 2013-2014 season, visit www.complexionsdance.org.

Photo (top): Dwight Rhoden © Jae Man Joo Photography

By Stephanie Wolf.

With big dreams and big hearts, Travis Wall, Nick Lazzarini, Teddy Forance, and Kyle Robinson took on the greatest challenge of their careers last year when they decided to combine their artistic efforts and talents to create Shaping Sound—a new, Los Angeles-based contemporary dance company that melds together different aesthetics of movement and choreographic voices. The creation and debut performance of the company were chronicled in an Oxygen original series called “All the Right Moves” in 2012. Now, Shaping Sound is ramping things up with a thirteen-city national tour presented by Break the Floor Productions, LLC.

When the cameras stopped rolling

“Having our own company and a television show that followed our story was phenomenal,” says Forance about season one of All the Right Moves. He believes this platform exposed the company and their creative process to both the dance community and mainstream culture, opening them up to numerous opportunities they might not have had otherwise—such as this tour, which was buzzed about at the end of season one.

The four friends learned a lot from their experiences on the show, and Lazzarini commented they have all since grown as “competitors, teachers, students and friends.” After the television show’s finale, the four shifted their focus to this first tour, and initially, spent a lot of time developing its concept with their production company. “We had to think about what we wanted to do, where we wanted to go, when we would do it, and how we would pay for it,” says Wall about the obstacles they had to tackle before bringing dancers into the picture.

Nick Lazzarini, Kyle Robinson, Travis Wall and Teddy Forance of Shaping Sound. Photo by Rob Daly.

The show: what’s in a dream?

So, what can be expected this time from the creative minds of Shaping Sound?

Forance promises lots of fun and whimsy. The show’s concept is inspired by a quote from the original Peter Pan book—“You know that place between sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting. ”

Blurring the lines between dream and reality, it is an imaginative exploration of what happens in dreams—a seemingly fitting idea to evolve from four big dreamers. “This new creation is a wild roller coaster in a dream world of love and fantasy,” says Forance. “The music is powerful and I believe we will surprise our audiences with our range of music and movement styles.”

With a roster of fourteen dancers, fans of All the Right Moves will recognize some familiar names, including Jaimie Goodwin, Channing Cooke, Alexa Anderson, and Matthew Peacock, among others. But there are also several fresh faces joining the company on this tour, making for a diverse and dynamic cast.

“This is the most creative work environment I’ve ever been in,” says Lazzarini of the company dancers hitting the road with him later this month. Forance also notes that Shaping Sound is the first contemporary dance company to be comprised primarily of dancers from the competition circuit.

Move like the dancers of Shaping Sound

In each city, a workshop taught in the style of Shaping Sound will be held before every show. “The idea behind the workshops is that you get a chance to warm up and dance with the company members,” says Robinson. Wall, Lazzarini, Forance, and Robinson will be at each workshop, rotating who teaches the warm up and choreography section. Attendees learn actual choreography from the show, getting the rare opportunity to “experience our movement firsthand before viewing it that night,” says Robinson.

The workshops are available to advanced dancers ages thirteen and up. Robinson assures that the four of them won’t just dole out combinations robotically, but will be out in the crowd, dishing out tailored technical corrections and helping the attending dancers discover a deeper understanding of Shaping Sound’s movement concepts. These types of educational experiences are an integral part of the company’s mission. Robinson explains that the ultimate goal is about more than just putting on a great dance show and says, “to inspire young talent by doing what we love is the best job in the world.”

Shaping Sound. Photo by Rob Daly

The dreaming continues

Wall hopes this will be the first of many tours for Shaping Sound. He’d like to take the company on the road every year and hopes to eventually tour the company to Europe, exposing the world to its unique vision. And while they hope to some day provide full-season dancer contracts, for now, Shaping Sound remains a project-based company. This gives Wall, Forance, Lazzarini, Robinson, and the rest of the company members the flexibility to pursue their personal careers in conjunction with Shaping Sound’s progression—the beauty of the commercial dance world is a dancer’s freedom to chase a vast variety of professional avenues and Wall wants to maintain that for the present.

As more exciting ventures evolve for Shaping Sound, Wall continues to hone his choreographic skills by working in multiple mediums like movies and Broadway. “Sky’s the limit,” he says—and with this type of momentum the artistic possibilities are bountiful.

The details

The 13-city tour kicks off with two mid-May performances in Los Angeles and hits up cities across the continent, ending in New York City on June 17. Those interested in attending one of the workshops can register on the company’s website—spaces are limited.

For more information about the company, visit www.ShapingSoundCo.com or connect with them on Twitter, @ShapingSoundCo.

Photos by Rob Daly.

Interview with tap talent Joseph Wiggan

By Winston Morrison.

Would you like to tour in a world-class show? Winston Morrison catches up with tap dancer Joseph Wiggan to discover how he made it to the Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson Immortal tour, and his life behind the scenes.

What training and experiences did you have to become the dancer you are today?

I started when I was nine in Paul and Arlene Kennedy’s dancing school (LA). They had a kids performing group and after joining that company, we began to look for more information and who else we could also learn from. We performed at dance venues, random variety show jobs, on the morning news, at benefits and did stuff for the homeless. 

So you looked for opportunities yourself?

Yes, we sure did. Our teacher was quite ill when we began to learn with him so there was a point when the repertoire that we had already established wasn’t being added to. So my dad, who was our first manager, began to look around and see what was up in the Los Angeles area. If it weren’t for him we wouldn’t have made any progress. We would have kept doing shows, but he began to look elsewhere to make sure that we were continuously challenged.  

What was the next turning point?

When I was 16, I met Jason Samuels Smith who had moved down to LA. He started jam sessions and he started a company of his own. That was really the beginning of my professional work. Before I met Jason, my sister and I were improvising and were able to perform choreography, but Jason is a master and dances at a very, very masterful level – nothing like I’d ever experienced.  

My sister and I began to practice with a different focus after meeting Jason. He showed us that there was no limit to what you can practice. In his jam sessions he would take a 20-minute solo and be like “Okay, your turn. You do the same thing.” That really made you dig deep because at 10 minutes you are already tired and have exhausted all your steps!

Who are your mentors?

Dr. Harold Cromer really encourages us to not stick to one thing, as that limits us. He says, “Learn everything, do everything. Make sure you know how to sing, play instruments. Make sure you know how to act, speak languages. Make sure you know how to create a show, sell a show. Make sure you know how to dress.” I think it’s very valuable because I really appreciate the 1940s-1950s where the performance level was such a high standard. All of those elements were in every production.

Dr. Arthur Duncan said “You’ll never know when you get your break. Just be ready when you get it.” He said he got his break in his 50s on the Lawrence Welk show. He wasn’t sure if he was going to ‘make it’, but he just kept practicing and practicing.

Joseph Wiggan with his sister Josette Wiggan. Photo © Kristie Kahns.

How did you get into Cirque du Soleil?

They saw a clip of my sister and me and asked us to come in for a call as they were casting for a show back in 2008. The clip they saw was from the LA Tap Festival show; a piece my sister and I choreographed in four hours on a carpet in our living room the morning of the show because we said, “We gotta do something!” We ended up going to Los Angeles to audition and after a few months of corresponding through email, they booked us. The show (Banana Shpeel) was a lot of fun. It didn’t open but we performed a segment of it on TV. That show really changed my life because I’d never been a part of a production of that nature and with the circus arts. The dedication of the other artists in the show really inspired me. It was a great experience with so many different artists, jugglers, contortionists, singers, hip-hop dancers and ballerinas.

There was one entire tap dance act – a tap dance number that happened towards the end. My sister and I actually had a duo tap act, the rest was kind of Charleston, hip-hop dance.

Tell us about Derick Grant’s show Imagine Tap!?

That was amazing. I can’t wait for it to return. That was the most difficult show of my life actually, probably because of the amount of work. If there were eight dances in the first act, we’d be in six out of those eight. Derick would say “You really have to give your maximum – after a while your body will catch up with stamina.” It was so difficult, but it was so wonderful to be around six wonderful tap dancers from different generations, different styles and different cities.

Being one of the best visual tap dancers out there, what have you done to make your visual aspect strong?

I think most of the visual work came from my first teachers focusing on my posture. I try to make dancing easier for myself and I know that if I stand a certain way, it will allow me to dance better. My teachers were about being as polished as possible. I don’t dance in front of a mirror much these days at all, but I try to be as polished. I try to create a strict form (posture) for myself, even down to my toes. 

I enjoy using the floor. My teacher used to say, “You can’t fight the floor, because the floor will win.” If you really want to be able to dance for a long time, you have to find a way to bounce. Instead of jarring, find a way to place the foot just right and have a certain bounce, as little or as much as you need, to help you continue on to the next step. Jarring will only tire you out.

What are you thinking when you are dancing? What’s actually going through your mind?

I’m trying to be as clear as possible so the audience can hear exactly what I’m trying to share and also the band at the exact same time. Clarity is the most important thing. And I try not to do too much, to really find what areas the taps can fit into what’s happening. 

Joseph’s Top 4 Career Values:

1. Happiness. “Do what you like.”

2. Forgive yourself and forgive others.
“Rather than taking things personally, I do my best to forgive.”

3. Give what you can.

4. Work hard for your job.

Joseph’s Top 3 Life Values:

1. Relationship with God and Jesus Christ.
“With that relationship, other values come with that. I love the Lord and I really want to stay connected to him. God is really at the forefront of everything that I do. Whether I’m dancing, attempting to sing or attempting to play the sax, I try to do it unto him. I found the joy in dancing because of him so I do it for him.”

2. Sharing all that I have with everyone, my family and friends.
“Whether through the arts or conversation. Everything else is secondary.”

3. Everyone should take care of their parents and their family. 

By Kristy Johnson.

Lauren Gottlieb has gone from So You Think You Can Dance to the silver screen, and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon! Scoring a role in India’s first 3D dance film, Any Body Can Dance, Lauren is fulfilling her dreams of becoming an actress.

While in India at the premiere of the box office hit ABCD, Dance Informa caught up with the talented actress and dancer. Lauren filled us in on the difficulties in filming a Bollywood movie, career highlights such as working with Tom Cruise at the MTV Awards, and what the future may hold.

Congratulations on your role in Any Body Can Dance!

Thank you! I have been waiting for this moment my whole life. I started out my career in TV, but always had my heart set on film. The fact that my first lead role as an actress was also a dance film is just one of those things I call ‘fate’. As it’s India’s first 3D dance film it’s also a part of history, and I couldn’t be more thankful for such a wonderful life experience. The film released with smashing box office numbers and broke the record for being the highest grossing film-opening weekend with a non-star cast in the history of Indian cinema. A very proud moment in my life!

Can you tell us about the character you play?

I play ‘Rhea’, an Indian girl who comes from an upper class family and is a trained contemporary and ballet dancer. After an altercation with her teacher ‘Jehangir’ (Kay Kay Menon) she decides to follow her sir, ‘Vishnu’ (Prabhudeva), to a more underground urban dance crew in the slums. All in all, it’s a story about the underdogs rising to the top, and something I think the whole cast can relate to. Through hard work and dedication we all paved our way from nothing to seeing ourselves on the silver screen.

Lauren Gottlieb of Bollywood film ‘Any Body Can Dance’. Photos courtesy of Lauren Gottlieb and Anderson Group PR.

How was it working on an Indian film? Would you like to shoot again in India?

It was a huge risk taking this project on. I had to move from Hollywood to Bollywood and jump right into a new culture and lifestyle, and film my first movie not in my language. It was all so foreign to me and such a challenge to learn my Hindi dialogues so quickly, that at times I didn’t know if it was possible. I really turned to God to help keep me on track. I had an amazing Hindi coach, Kishor Sadhwani, and together we combined my Hindi script in my left hand and the English version in my right.

Now after having months of experience living in India and learning more and more of the language everyday, I could only imagine my next Hindi film being ten times easier than the first. A huge part of my heart is in India and now I have a big platform as an actress and dancer. I’m excited for my next project in Bollywood!

You must feel grateful to So You Think You Can Dance for providing you with amazing opportunities.

I have always been extremely grateful for all the opportunities the show has brought me. It did wonders for me, the other contestants, and dance in general. Instead of dancing behind artists, we were the solo artists and our names were in lights. From there it gave me a platform to pursue other passions I had with acting, choreographing and teaching. The show has also played in 100 plus countries around the world, which is exactly how Bollywood found me!

What was it like choreographing for Tom Cruise at the MTV Awards?

Working with Tom taught me a lot! He showed me you could be extremely talented and successful, and still treat everyone with respect. He’s a very gracious man. What was also unexpected was how open he was with learning from me. I was assisting Tyce Diorio on the project, but when Tyce couldn’t make it, Tom was still all ears and worked harder than most so he could give the best performance possible.

Congratulations on being featured in Glee. Is the show as much fun as it looks?

Glee is terribly fun to work on! The choreographer, Zach Woodlee, is a dream. The rehearsals are a mixture of extreme intensity and downright silliness. We are either sweating it out or laughing our butts off, but usually we are doing both at the same time. I was in the pilot episode and most of the first season dancing with the hit rival crew ‘Vocal Adrenaline’. It was exciting to see a show go from the first episode where no one knew about it, to being a hit that everyone couldn’t stop talking about.

What’s next for you?

I’m at a huge crossroad not only in my career, but also in my personal life. I have accomplished so much as a dancer performing on stage, film, TV and movies. I now have a great platform as an actress, which is a direction I had always hoped my career would take. The life crossroad is Hollywood or Bollywood? I always let my intuition guide me. You’ll have to wait and see what the next step will be!

By Leah Gerstenlauer.

Josh Beamish is on the move — again. The industrious young choreographer, who recently completed a triple-stop teaching tour in South Africa and India, has traveled the world with his work, and will likely circle the globe more than once again before he reaches the age of 30. But this spring, Beamish will stay stateside as he prepares for the premiere of two new pieces created in collaboration with some of North America’s most revered ballet dancers. The road from small-town Canada to a Manhattan rehearsal studio with New York City Ballet principal Wendy Whelan was certainly less than straight. But Beamish seems to embrace the unpredictability of a career that has been surprising much of the dance community — and the choreographer himself — since he was in his teens.

“I started off making almost urban hip-hop influenced contemporary dance pieces,” he relates. “I was young, and I figured this was just a temporary thing — I was going to go dance for Janet Jackson in Los Angeles. But I got my first commission on a ballet company when I was 19, and that work was, at the time, my most well-received piece. It peaked my interest in making more of a focus on ballet.”

Beamish formed MOVE: the company in Vancouver at the age of 17, establishing the perfect forum in which to experiment with different ideas and styles of movement. Though he developed most of his balletic work through external commissions from groups such as Canada’s Ballet Kelowna, the School of American Ballet (in conjunction with the New York Choreographic Institute), and the University of Missouri, Beamish has enjoyed recent opportunities to bring his creations back to MOVE: the company — and to bring the restructured company to its new home base, New York City.

“Originally, I wanted to have a full-time company in Vancouver, to have all the resources to train my dancers every day, and to give them health care and benefits… But I wasn’t given enough grants and support to build that there,” he laments. “So when two projects with Wendy [Whelan] came up, and I got my three-year 0-1 Visa, I elected to put having a full-time company on hold.”

Josh Beamish and Wendy Whelan work together in the studio. Photo courtesy of Josh Beamish.

Today, his group of dancers operates as a rotating collection of guest artists from other companies around the continent. This format allows Beamish to focus more on the creative process and less on the logistics of sustaining a year-round business. Difficult as it was for him to leave behind the city of his professional beginnings and his initial vision for MOVE: the company, he knew that he could not continue to challenge himself and grow as an artist while attempting to provide a consistent sense of stability for his dancers.

Beamish’s latest project, a new full-length ballet called Pierced, brought him into rehearsal studios throughout North America to work with top-tier artists such as Whelan, her fellow NYCB principal Robert Fairchild, Pacific Northwest Ballet principal Carla Korbes, and Royal Winnipeg Ballet principal Jo-Ann Sundermeier. “I’ve been developing this piece since August, 2011, and it’s turning out to be very interesting,” he says of Pierced, which is scheduled to debut at the American Dance Institute in Rockville, Maryland on May 18^th and 19^th. “It’s a full-length ballet with no narrative, and with a movement vocabulary that is juxtaposed against the classical technique of the dancers. In the past couple of years, I’ve figured out how to retain an aesthetic of classical technique while incorporating intricate limb coordination and rhythmic challenges that are usually only seen in contemporary dance.”

The pioneering dance-maker’s creative instincts have proven quite powerful so far, drawing the notice and praise of critics and other artists alike. Whelan showed her appreciation for Beamish’s ingenuity when she invited him to choreograph a pas de deux for her first self-produced show, Restless Creature, set to open at Jacob’s Pillow this August.  This yet to be named piece, which will preview at the Guggenheim on April 14^th and 15^th, will join the creations of three other male choreographers — each enlisted to craft a duet specifically for himself and Whelan — on an international tour to take place over the course of the next two years.

“It’s really exciting to be using her in two very different contexts — classical and contemporary — in my work. It’s quite fun,” he glows. “Of course, when you’re hiring dancers who are under contract with another company, you have to be their second priority. Sometimes, I don’t know if we’re going to rehearse until the day before, but it’s worth it to work with artists of such high caliber.”

For Beamish, it is this “work” — time spent in the studio imagining, experimenting, refining — rather than the presentation of a finished product that propels him through scheduling hurdles and the many other obstacles a freelance career in the arts world inevitably poses. A choreographer to the core, he declares that he “never wanted to be a dancer. It didn’t interest me at all. I like choreographing way more than I like dancing, and I like dancing in the studio a lot more than performing. Many dancers live for being on the stage, but for me, that’s a necessary byproduct of the process in order for people to see what I do.”

With his ever-growing all-star roster of dancers and his endless drive to create, Beamish will undoubtedly have plenty of eyes on his work for years to come.

Photo (top): Josh Beamish. Photo by David Cooper.

New York City Ballet has announced that award-winning singer and actress Queen Latifah and the legendary clarinetist Richard Stoltzman will appear as guest artists at the company’s 2013 Spring Gala on Wednesday, May 8 at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City.

A celebration of the 25th Anniversary of NYCB’s 1988 American Music Festival, and the centerpiece of NYCB’s six-week spring season (April 30 through June 9), the one-time only gala performance will feature Latifah performing George Gershwin’s The Man I Love with the New York City Ballet Orchestra as part of an excerpt from Who Cares?, George Balanchine’s 1970 classic ballet set to the music of Gershwin.

Stoltzman will perform the “Interlude” from André Previn’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, as well as Leonard Bernstein’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, both of which choreographer Christopher Wheeldon is using as the score for a world premiere pas de deux that will debut as part of the gala evening. The program will also include the NYCB premiere of a new version of Wheeldon’s Soirée Musicale, which is set to Samuel Barber’s Souvenirs, and was originally created for the School of American Ballet Workshop performance in 1998.

Clarinetist Richard Stoltzman. Photo by Lisa Marie Mazzuco. Courtesy of New York City Ballet.

In addition, the gala performance will also feature Cool from West Side Story Suite, and the third movement of Glass Pieces, both choreographed by Jerome Robbins, as well as the pas de deux and finale from Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes set to the music of John Philip Sousa.

Originally from Newark, New Jersey, Queen Latifah (born “Dana Elaine Owens”) is an actor, rapper, singer and producer whose work in a variety of disciplines has earned her a Golden Globe Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, a Grammy Award (plus six nominations), an Emmy nomination and a 2002 Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the prison matron Mama Morton in the award-winning film adaptation of the Broadway hit Chicago.

Richard Stoltzman, originally from Omaha, Nebraska, is widely regarded as the world’s foremost clarinetist, and was responsible for bringing the clarinet to the forefront as a solo instrument, giving the first-ever clarinet recitals in the histories of both the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall. During his acclaimed career he has appeared with more than 100 orchestras around the world, and has produced an extensive discography of recordings. Stoltzman is the recipient of two Grammy Awards for Best Chamber Music Performance, the Yale School of Music’s Sanford Medal, and in 1986, he was the first wind player to be awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize, which is bestowed upon American instrumentalists for outstanding achievement in classical music.

Benefit-priced tickets for the gala evening, which include the performance, a pre-performance reception and a black-tie supper ball following the performance, are available through the NYCB Special Events Office at 212-870-5585. Tickets to the performance only start at just $29 and are available at the David H. Koch Theater box office, online at nycballet.com, or by calling 212-496-0600.

New York City Ballet’s 2013 Spring Season will open on Tuesday, April 30 with a three-week American Music Festival featuring 25 ballets and the music of 18 American composers. The six-week season will continue through Sunday, June 9 with the final three weeks devoted to a retrospective of NYCB’s entire 2012-13 performance year with highlights from the Stravinsky, Tschaikovsky and American Music festivals, featuring performances of 33 different ballets with no two performances alike. For more information or to order tickets, visit nycballet.com.

Photo (top): Queen Latifah. Photo by Cover Girl. Courtesy of New York City Ballet.

By Kathleen Wessel.

After more than three decades with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, acclaimed dancer Renee Robinson will take her final bow this season. Robinson is the last remaining dancer to have been chosen by Ailey himself and the only company member to have worked under all three Artistic Directors – Alvin Ailey, Judith Jamison and now Robert Battle.

In 2012, Robinson officially retired, but the company and her many fans weren’t quite ready to say goodbye. After a series of farewell performances in New York City, Robinson is currently performing as a guest artist in a three-city tour that includes Atlanta, Boston and her hometown of Washington D.C.

As part of that tour, Robinson is teaching open classes – which included one at Spelman College in Atlanta on February 13th – aimed at spreading the message of Ailey and his 1960 iconic work Revelations. Now, more than 50 years after its debut, the classic work has been seen by an estimated 23 million people in 71 countries – more than any other modern dance piece in history. At Spelman, the nation’s top ranked Historically Black College/University, Robinson taught short sections of the classic work and deepened the experience with historical and personal connections.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Renee Robinson. Photo by Andrew Eccles.

“If she’ll teach me how to dance, I will give her my life!” said Michaela Johnson, a star struck Spelman student, as she watched Robinson prepare for the class at Spelman’s Baldwin Burroughs Theater. Robinson must be used to reactions like these, but humility, it seemed, is in her nature. “If I’m an inspiration, it’s because I have great examples,” she said in reference not just to famed directors Ailey, Jamison and Battle but also to the many students she has encountered over the years. “I’m an example because I’ve been influenced by them, through performance and outreach [experiences] like the one that’s going to happen this morning.”

Though she has been a professional dancer for most of her adult life, Robinson is also a natural-born teacher. “Who here has seen Revelations?” she asked a crowded stage of about 50 students, “What do you remember about it?” As they answered, Robinson wrote key words from their responses on a large, white notepad, then read them aloud. “Spirituals, struggle, praise, the elements, community. Did I hear somebody say ‘community’? No? Okay, that’s going to be my word,” she said with a laugh.

Alvin Ailey’s original mission, as he put it, was to “deliver dance back to the people,” and Robinson upholds that legacy in mind, body and spirit. After the brief discussion, she removed her outer layer of clothing to reveal a taut, muscular torso in a pink tank top. A murmur of amazement bubbled through the group as Robinson stretched her expertly-toned arms wide and began talking the students through some warm-up exercises.

“Long, long, long, long – you’ll hear me say this a lot,” she said, “Even your foot is long. Long supple muscles ready to move.” Her voice, rhythmic and expressive, was so musical I hardly noticed that it was the only sound in the room. Robinson didn’t need accompaniment for the warm-up, her rich voice was a song in itself.

Renee Robinson performs Alvin Ailey’s ‘Wade in the Water’ as part of ‘Revelations’. Photo by Andrew Eccles.

Entranced and inspired, a student later asked how Robinson has kept her body performance-ready for so many years. Her many answers included sleep, drinking lots of water and keeping yourself in good company. “I’m very serious about the way I eat,” she added, “But y’all, I will kill a diet for macaroni and cheese!”

It is this youthful energy, this easy connection with her students, which makes Robinson an ideal spokesperson for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and its affiliate school. When her official “retirement” sets in, she hopes to continue leading workshops and Revelations residencies in public schools. She’s also thinking about writing a children’s book aimed at giving aspiring dancers a behind-the-scenes look at the profession.

Near the end of the class at Spelman, Robinson taught parts of Wade in the Water and Rocka my Soul, two of the most lively and least technically-demanding sections in Revelations. As the students watched the detailed rippling of her arm, the practiced steps and piercing focus, it became clear that executing the movement was going to be harder than it looked. “Yes! I felt that!” she yelled when the group began to get it, “That’s when you start to feel the correct energy, the seriousness of it and we become involved in your journey.” She went on to explain the meaning behind these sections, the images of splashing water and the ceremony of a Baptism. “Revelations is part of humanity,” she said and paused, “I’m going to start crying.”

Robinson has performed these sections countless times, but she dances with such immediacy, as if every movement is as powerful to her now as it was 30 years ago. When she appeared on stage at the Fox Theatre the following night “holding that umbrella high” as Robert Battle said in his curtain speech, the audience erupted into applause. She led the company in Wade in the Water, stepping over the fluttering pieces of fabric with commanding grace.

Ailey’s works, especially Revelations, have “embraced people from all backgrounds,” says Robinson, and she continues to pass on that message, even off the stage. “I would like for everyone to know that’s what dance can be.”

Photo (top): Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Renee Robinson. Photo by Andrew Eccles.

By Stephanie Wolf.

Atlanta, home of the Braves, hotspot for experimental foodies, site of the 1996 Olympics – it’s a city known for many things and a deep melting pot of diversity. Over the past several years, it’s also become a destination for artists interested in bringing Atlanta to the forefront of the nation’s contemporary art scene.

Lauri Stallings came to Atlanta in 2006 as the resident choreographer for Atlanta Ballet. She had no particular expectations from the position. But Atlanta bowled her over with its deep sense of community and rich arts. Thus, in 2009 after three years with the Atlanta Ballet, she decided to make Atlanta her home and carve out her own choreographic space in the city.

With four months of down time in between commissions, Stallings started meeting with local artists. There was no particular intention other than to “generate material, create synergy, and keep laboratory-ing this language of movement [that was developing],” says Stallings. Yet, something significant emerged out of the collaboration, an artistic entity that would become gloATL.

gloATL performs ‘Act of Devotion’. Photo by Thom Baker

In a free public performance on July 24, 2009 at the Woodruff Art Center in Midtown Atlanta, gloATL debuted its vision to the world. The response was overwhelming.

“It caused a bit of a torque in the city…some were outraged and some were completely enthralled,” says Stallings. The evening “reoriented all of those preconceived notions about the experience of contemporary dance” in Atlanta. Stallings saw a chance to “give the public a role [within the city’s art] and the courage to conduct their own dialogue as the art is happening.”

“There are folks in our city who don’t know what to call it…is that dance? Is that performance art? Is that experience?” This is the conundrum of contemporary dance. So, perhaps it is indefinable and Stallings seems to prefer this. It’s constantly changing and Stallings is always on the hunt for new spaces and ways to challenge her artists, thus generating and motivating dialogue about the art form and how it affects Atlanta.

What is especially unique about gloATL is its accessibility and adaptability to space. No street, building, museum or historic landmark is off limits. “gloATL is a vehicle for conversation and for folks to not to have to come find us, or wonder what seat can I afford,” says Stallings.

She talks about her process in creating these often free, site-specific works, claiming she is “turned on by the architectural bones…or the mapping of a public space.” At the beginning of the creative process, Stallings spends a lot of time alone in the space as a pedestrian rather than a choreographer. Her body will respond to the building or space’s “skeletal system”. And she follows up these initial visits with research to discover the “architectural residue,” as she calls it.

gloATL performs ‘Float’ in Atlanta’s famous Piedmont Park.

After completing this preparatory work, Stallings brings her dancers to the site, observing their instinctual physical responses to the space. “After digesting it, I throw it all away and get into the studio to generate lots of material,” says Stallings of the next step.

As the movement evolves in the studio, Stallings gradually goes back to the space and re-embraces its magic and mystery. “It’s like I marry it, divorce it and come back to say this relationship is great.” She calls the process “fairly layered” and says it “comes very slowly.” But the resulting work inspires all five senses of the human body, bringing about a dance experience unlike any other.

For the first three years, Stallings focused on defining gloATL’s identity. She describes these initial years as a “rather dense level of work and endurance to find that undeniable identity.” Ultimately, gloATL’s vision thrives on collaboration, providing for what Stalling calls a “collective platform.” Her dancers react to their instincts, an inclination to “be in the studio moving, dissecting, and sharing.” Dance is something inherent in them, something they have to do. “I ask them to do courageous things,” says Stallings admirably.

Now that this identity has been secured within the Atlanta community, she’s ready to start bringing in more outside choreographers to share in the vision.

As the company’s artistic vision grows and expands, the business side of the company must adapt as well. Currently, glo has no full time administrators, pouring its financial resources in the company’s five full time dancing artists. But Stallings does attribute much of the company’s success to Richard Carvlin, who is the stage manager for the Atlanta Symphony and has served as glo’s acting General Manager since its inception. She’s also grateful for her dancers, whose commitment to their art ensures the future of gloATL.

After three years of passionate work, the burgeoning company has much to look forward to. Right now, Stallings is shaping the company’s first Southeastern tour to expose rural areas to contemporary art. “It’s time to create bridges with artists in other communities,” she expresses. She hopes to continue to network and bring more contemporary artists to Atlanta for gloATL’s experimental art platform, Tanz Farm: A Dance Anthropology— a contemporary dance festival that brings artists and companies from all over the country to Atlanta’s Goat Farm Arts Center for a collaborative performance experience. Past performers have included Sidra Bell Dance New York and Seattle’s zoe/juniper.

Down the road, Stallings hopes to add one full-time administrator and expand the company from five dancers to seven. She would also like to continue to grow gloATL’s international reputation. Above all though, she stresses, “we don’t want to get bigger, we just want to get better.”

Top photo: gloATL performs. Photo by Thom Baker.

By Chelsea Thomas.

Professional basketball players and prima ballerinas might have a lot of differences – height, build, training and skills being some – but they also have a lot of similarities, including acute grace and finesse, utmost strength and physical prowess, as well as drive and passion.

These parallels between basketball players and ballerinas have recently been the inspiration for a photo campaign between the Miami City Ballet and Miami HEAT.

Celebrating 25 years of mutual athleticism, the organizations came together for a series of studio-based photographs featuring MCB principal dancers Jeanette and Patricia Delgado with Miami Heat stars LeBron James and Dwayne Wade.

Jeanette Delgado of Miami City Ballet with LeBron James of Miami Heat. Photo by David Alvarez

MCB Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez said the campaign was an “incredibly important” way to recognize these neighboring organizations and to applaud the athletes that generate them. She also drew parallels between basketball and ballet.

“Ballet and basketball are both about grace under pressure and the pursuit of perfection,” Lopez explained. ”No Miami City Ballet dancer stands alone just as HEAT players can’t win alone. It requires teamwork—and that’s Miami!”

During the photo-shoot, Jeanette Delgado was paired with LeBron James while her sister Patricia Delgado was paired with Dwyane Wade. Jeanette, who was once heralded by The New York Times as “one of the world’s most marvelous ballerinas,” is pictured holding the basketball while James towers behind her. Likewise, Patricia, who The New York Times said “can catch the audience’s heart from her first entry and hold it,” expresses a playful nature with Wade – him standing with his arms crossed while she strikes a pose in the foreground.

While the final photos are basic, simple images lacking any complexity, they will now serve as an important centerpiece for a local and national campaign to promote the arts scene on Miami’s Biscayne Boulevard.

Patricia Delgado of Miami City Ballet with Dwyane Wade of Miami Heat. Photo by David Alvarez

MCB’s Public Relations Manager Roberto Santiago said the partnership between the company and the HEAT first took form last year. “Essentially, it is the city’s best sports team and the city’s best performing arts company joining together to celebrate the best that each has to offer in the city that made it possible,” he surmised.

Michael McCullough, HEAT Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, also pointed out that the campaign is a reflection of a past collaboration between the organizations. About 25 years ago, an image of HEAT basketball player Billy Thompson posed with a MCB ballerina was made into a poster. “We had the idea to replicate that,” McCullough said in a television news interview.

Miami HEAT superstars Dwayne Wade and LeBron James thought the idea was neat.

“What these ladies do, as far as being ballerinas, is unique,” James said. “It’s great to have a couple of pictures with them in their poses—poses I’d never be able to get into!”

Wade added, “It’s always good for our fans to see something different out of us; to see us interact in a different way. We feel at times we’re like graceful dancers in the air so it’s good to put the two worlds together.”

On Sunday, February 10, the HEAT welcomed Jeanette and Patricia to their game against the Los Angeles Lakers. There they participated in various activities.

Lopez believes this exposure is important for the company, and all dance companies, because many people dissociate dancers from being athletes. This tends to create a great divide between the physical worlds of sports and dance, and ballet in particular.

“I think it is incredibly important because for the most part people don’t think of dancers as athletes. Now you have these athletes which are graceful and these dancers that are athletic,” Lopez said.

For more information on the campaign, visit www.MiamiBalletandBasketball.com.

Photo (top): Patricia Delgado of Miami City Ballet with Dwyane Wade of Miami Heat. Photos by David Alvarez, courtesy of Miami City Ballet and Miami Heat.

By Stephanie Wolf.

The recent onslaught of commercial dance in mainstream media is bringing more awareness to the art form in general, but its portrayal of “contemporary dance” is vague and not always an accurate depiction of the current professional dance world. Audiences, choreographers and dancers alike pose the question, “What is contemporary dance?” Perhaps what defines the genre is within the question itself, a motto that choreographer Uri Sands uses to guide his Minneapolis/St. Paul-based company, Tu Dance, through its pursuit for artistic exploration and integrity.

“I can’t say we’re just a ballet company because we’re not that. And I can’t say we’re a modern company, because we’re not that,” Sands said when asked to describe the aesthetic of Tu Dance. “I’ve had to fight through a number of labels and categories to make it in the professional world, so I try to stay away from any categorization.” Drawing on his own training in classical ballet and modern dance, as well as interactive social dances, Sands, who was born during the break-dancing era and is still fascinated by its athleticism and grace, leads Tu Dance to present innovative performances that are bigger and more diversified than words alone can describe.

Toni Pierce-Sands of Tu Dance. Photo by Ed Bock.

For Sands, his wife and co-director, Toni Pierce-Sands, and his ensemble of dynamic dancers, movement is a conduit for human interaction. Everything about Tu Dance—how Sands and his wife find dancers, what he looks for in dancers, the creative process, even the business side—is about the power of connecting with one another and building relationships, whether these relationships are with the audience or within the organization.

Sands, a Miami native, met Pierce-Sands in 1995 when he joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It was Pierce-Sands’ personal ties to the Twin Cities that drove them to venture to the Midwest and build the company there. She grew up in St. Paul, receiving her formal training at what is now the Minnesota Dance Institute, and often spoke to Sands about being one of only two dancers of color in the school. Upon returning to Minnesota years later, Sands-Pierce discovered the Twin Cities had changed dramatically, yet the dance scene did not reflect the same cultural growth.

Curious why the dance scene was not as diversified as its cultural surroundings coupled with Sands’ own battles of racial inequality throughout his career, had the two feeling that it was time to generate a new dance experience in Minneapolis/St. Paul—one that was diversified and engaged with the community.

The company launched officially as Tu Dance in 2004, though it had begun a year earlier as a project-based summer company with the intention to provide employment and a means to stay in shape for friends during the off-season. It was “a vehicle to explore choreographically,” Sands reflected. Additionally, it allowed the two to contribute to an art form that had greatly enriched and shaped both of their lives.

Uri Sands of Tu Dance. Photo by V. Paul Virtucio.

Tu Dance debuted at the Barbara Barker Center for Dance on the University of Minnesota campus. During the final piece of the evening, tornado sirens sounded, forcing the entire audience and company to evacuate to the university stairwells for safety. Dumbfounded by the reality of the situation, Sands had to venture outside to confirm the weather status.

“The beautiful part of it was that the entire audience was in complete dialogue and interaction [about the performance],” Sands said about the time in the stairwell. When it was safe enough to return to the theater, everyone reclaimed their seats and the final piece resumed. If 100 people could overlook natural disaster to see dance then Sands knew the vision had longevity.

Now the company employs ten full-time dancers, who Sands describes as “vulnerable” artists willing to dive into “deep explorations physically, mentally and emotionally.” The company doesn’t currently hold formal auditions, but rather scouts out its dancers, preferring to follow young artists as they mature.

“We can help people get the actual step. We can give them the technique, but we need to know who we are working with,” Sands said.

Both directors believe dance is an exposing art form; there isn’t much to hide behind. So, Sands explains, “I’m interested in seeing how much of themselves I am able to see through their dancing.” He’s also looking at how they interact with the people around them: other dancers, himself and the audience. For him and Pierce-Sands, it always relates back to an interactive experience of mind and body.

Administratively, Tu Dance operates as efficiently as possible so “the majority of the budget can go to the art.” Sands said he is “very conscious about limited overhead,” outsourcing most of their administrative needs to contractors in order to optimize Tu Dance’s funds. “Art is the driver,” he explains. Luckily, Sands has a multitude of marketing, financial and legal resources available to him, enabling the company to function successfully as a business. He also attends conferences and seminars regularly. “I have to have a clear understanding of how to run an arts nonprofit organization or educate myself [on it],” Sands said.

Sands sees Tu Dance as a vital part of the Twin Cities dance community, which he thinks is “pretty great, generally speaking…very rich and diversified.” And, as the community grows, he envisions Tu Dance growing with it. “All we want to do as an arts organization in the Twin Cities is to be a part of supporting what people worked for 20/30 years before we came out here,” he said ardently. Bolstering the community by staying involved, present and pertinent is not an unobtainable feat for a company of such passionate and communicative artists.

So, what does growing in the years to come mean to Sands? More touring, more weeks of work and a more fulfilling contract for his dancers are all on Sands’ wish list. He understands these things will come in time. So, for now, he claims his greatest aspiration for Tu Dance is to “continue to be leaders in dance and advocates for dance.” He wants to pay it forward and inspire future generations of dancers and dance makers. “We have a voice and perspective,” he expressed. “We just want to keep dance alive.”

For more information on Tu Dance and its performance calendar, visit www.Tu Dance.org.

Photo (top) : Toni Pierce-Sands & Uri Sands of Tu Dance. Photo Ingrid Werthmann