Dallas, TX – Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) is thrilled to announce its 39th season: Vision Renewed. This season’s theme reflects the company’s commitment to honoring its rich history while looking to the future by featuring new works by up-and-coming choreographers.
The season includes two company premieres of masterworks by renowned dance makers Margo Sappington and Bruce Wood®, as well as world premieres by Bridget L. Moore and Kirven Douthit-Boyd. Past and current DBDT dancers Jamal Story, Nycole Ray, Edmond Giles, and Richard A. Freeman, Jr. will also create new works for the company. Guest artists for the season include Atlanta-based Giwayen Mata and the dance ensemble from Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea.
“DBDT’s 39th Season is evocative, innovative, and fresh,” said Associate Artistic Director Melissa M. Young, who has been with the company for over 20 years. “Above all, it’s stellar dance that bridges storytelling, culture, and current events. DBDT continues to evolve while paying homage to its nearly 40-year legacy in Dallas.”
The season includes three performance series in November, February, and May at DBDT’s home theatre, the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. “As a resident company of AT&T Performing Arts Center, we are honored to call the Wyly Theatre home for our Dallas season,” said Executive Director Zenetta S. Drew. “This intimate space creates an inclusive art experience for our patrons.”
Other performances include the season opener, DanceAfrica, held at Annette Strauss Square and City Performance Hall, and Dancing Beyond Borders, Metroplex performances in Richardson and Fort Worth in March. DBDT II, the company’s highly acclaimed, semi-professional second company, will again showcase its artistry with Spring Fiesta! in April at City Performance Hall.
DBDT will present its fifth season of Masterworks Redefined in New York in late April at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. The company will also travel to Maryland for a weeklong residency that includes masterclasses and performances at the Publick Playhouse in Cheverly, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.
DBDT has also been invited to headline the Dance X BZ Festival in Belize in November, and DBDT II will tour to Mexico in November for the Festival Internacional de Otoño and Chile in May for the Fintdaz – International Festival of Theater and Dance. This season marks the organization’s first booking in Chile.
Dallas performances will continue to feature DBDT All Access, a program launched last year of audience engagement activities after the evening performances. The Friday evening Talkback with the Choreographers lets patrons engage with the choreographers and dancers about the artistic process. An Onstage Dance Celebration follows Saturday evening performances with company dancers and a live DJ. Both events are complimentary with ticket purchase and include a cash bar.
Subscriptions went on sale August 19, 2015, and single tickets go on sale September 10, 2015. Flexible subscription packages give patrons a variety of ways to enjoy Dallas’ longest continuously operating dance company. Tickets can be purchased by calling the AT&T Performing Arts Center box office at (214) 880-0202 or www.attpac.org. For group sales, call (214) 871-2390.
2015-2016 | 39th Season
DanceAfrica October 2-3, 2015 City Performance Hall
Festival only October 3, 2015 at 10am-5pm Annette Strauss Square
Guest Artist Sponsored by NorthPark Center Supported by Union Bank
DBDT will hold DanceAfrica the first weekend of October. This cultural favorite features the only festival devoted to the African diaspora in the downtown Dallas Arts District. The free, outdoor festival features community and professional dance and drum ensembles. The ticketed evening performances feature all five performing ensembles of DBDT, festival founder and Director Dr. Baba Chuck Davis, Atlanta’s all-female powerhouse Giwayen Mata, local favorites Bandan Koro Drum and Dance Ensemble, and Booker T. Washington’s HSPVA’s World Ensemble.
Director’s Choice November 6-8, 2015 Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
Presented by Texas Instruments Choreography Sponsored by NorthPark Center
The company’s first performance series in its home theatre, the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, kicks off November 6-8, 2015, with the music of Prince. DBDT will perform the Company and Dallas premiere of Slide, originally choreographed by the Tony-nominated Margo Sappington for the Joffrey Ballet. What the LA Times called “bold, artful contrasts in dynamics and emotion,” this ballet is set to the musical genius of Prince and satirizes male machoism. The company will also revive works from its repertoire, including Booker T. Alum Christopher Vo’s touch(listen) and Ailey dancer Hope Boykin’s in•ter•pret.
Black on Black December 11-12, 2015 DBDT Studios
This Choreographer’s Challenge takes the performance back into the studios. Dancers from both the first and second companies collaborate to create and perform original dance works. In addition to the provocative in-studio performances, attendees will enjoy an after-hours dance party with live DJ and an open bar. Patrons 21 and over are welcome.
Cultural Awareness February 19-21, 2016 Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
Presented by Wells Fargo
February’s Wyly performance commemorates Black History Month. The Cultural Awareness series continues SMU alum Jamal Story’s aerial ballet that premiered to standing ovations last season. The ballet suite will feature numerous myths from classic lore. Other world premieres include ensemble works from the 2012 Princess Grace Award Recipient Bridget L. Moore and former Ailey dancer Kirven Douthit-Boyd. The company will also revive Francesca Harper’s Instinct 11.1.
Dancing Beyond Borders
North (Richardson) March 4, 2016 Eisemann Center
Supported by Texas Instruments
West (Fort Worth) March 10, 2016 W.E. Scott Theatre
Both companies perform for DBDT patrons in their hometowns. The first weekend of March features a performance in Richardson at the Eisemann Center for Performing Arts, followed the next weekend with a performance in Fort Worth at the W.E. Scott Theatre in the Fort Worth Community Arts Center. Both companies will feature the most acclaimed works of the current season.
DBDT II – Spring Fiesta! April 8-9, 2016 City Performance Hall
Presented by Macy’s
DBDT II is a semi-professional dance company featuring modern dance’s next generation of stars. Their annual concert, Spring Fiesta!, also highlights emerging choreographers. This year, DBDT II will present two world premieres, one by former DBDT dancer Edmond Giles and one by current DBDT dancer and resident choreographer Richard A. Freeman, Jr. The company will also revive Broadway choreographer Ray Mercer’s Inside the Absence of Fear. DBDT’s premier Academy performing ensemble, Allegro, will also perform.
Masterworks Redefined April 22-23, 2016 Ailey Citigroup Theater
DBDT presents its fifth New York Season at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. The company will feature classic works of the modern dance repertoire, as well as works premiering during the current season that have the potential to become classics.
Spring Celebration May 20-22, 2016 Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
Presented in partnership with the Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family SOLUNA International Music & Arts Festival
Choreography Sponsored by NorthPark Center
DBDT closes its 39th season with the company premiere of the late Bruce Wood’s® RED. Set to the music of Philip Glass, Mr. Wood’s iconic work explores American identity and perspective through explosive choreography. Former DBDT dancer and current DBDT II Director Nycole Ray will also create a world premiere for this performance. DBDT features a guest artist each year at Spring Celebration; this year’s guest artist will be the dance ensemble from Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea, under the direction of Bridget L. Moore.
Touring
Festival Internacional November 4-8, 2015 Matamoros, Mexico
de Otoño
DBDT II
Dance X BZ Festival November 24-27, 2015 Belize City, Belize
DBDT
International Association January 22-24, 2016 Denver, Colorado
of Blacks in Dance Conference
DBDT & DBDT II
Prairie View A&M University February 10-11, 2016 Prairie View, Texas
DBDT
Fintdaz – International Festival May 10-18, 2016 Iquique, Chile
of Theater and Dance
DBDT II
To book, contact Ann M. Williams, Founder, at (214) 871-2376 or a.williams@dbdt.com.
About Dallas Black Dance Theatre
Founded in 1976 by Ann Williams, the mission of Dallas Black Dance Theatre is to create and produce contemporary modern dance at its highest level of artistic excellence through performances and educational programs that bridge cultures and reach diverse communities. With an ever-expanding national and global audience, the company employs a diverse, multi-ethnic troupe of dancers performing for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
Located in the downtown Dallas Arts District, Dallas Black Dance Theatre is a nationally recognized professional modern dance company that engages the cross-cultural community through contemporary modern dance presented from the African-American experience. Over the course of its history, DBDT has performed worldwide for 3.5 million arts patrons and 2.5 million students, grades K-12, and annually serves more than 100,000 people, including more than 20,000 youth.