Beginning with a magical ABT Across America performance at The Citadel in July 2021, and followed by the stunning performances of The Hip Hop Nutcracker, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Mark Morris Dance Group’s Pepperland, and the Gaillard’s first dance commission Sounds of Hazel by Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Gaillard Center’s Dance Initiative brings some of the world’s best dance companies to the Lowcountry. The program includes free and paid performances, educational outreach to young dancers and their teachers, opportunities for adult education, and more.
Support for this program is made possible by generous donors who have committed time and resources to the Charleston Gaillard Center’s Dance Initiative.
GENEROUS DONORS TO THE DANCE INITIATIVE:
Dr. Renée Dobbins Anderson
Ballet Academy of Charleston
Blevins Family Properties, LLC
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
The Chalmers Fund – Lee Bell and Fotios Pantazis
Charleston Concert Association
The Constant Trust
Sally Davis
Ronda Dean
Oliver S. and Jennie R. Donaldson Trust
Explore Charleston
Courtenay Fain
Edith Fasano
Marsha and Neil Gewirtzman
Peter Glenville Foundation
Bradley Goddard – PNC Private Bank
Wayne & Alicia Gregory Family Foundation
Fran Griffiths
Penelope Hall and Eliza Ingle
Lynn Hanlin
Herzman-Fishman Charitable Fund
Wendi and Ray Huff
Mrs. Martha R. Ingram, Martha Rivers Ingram Advised Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
Louis and Susan Kaufman
Kennedy-Herterich Foundation
Tricia and Ted Legasey
Elizabeth Mack and Weston Rice
Wardell and Margie Morse
Marie and Brian Olasov
Celeste and Charles Patrick
Helene and Jim Rovito
David and Helen Savard
Dr. Daniel J. Smith and Dr. James F. Mellichamp
South Carolina Arts Commission
Susan and *Jim Sullivan
TCG & Associates
UBS Financial Services Inc
* Denotes donors who are deceased.
To learn more and support the Dance Initiative, please contact the Charleston Gaillard Center at (843) 579-6220 or amillar@gaillardcenter.org.
2026–2027 Dance Initiative Programs
Akram Dance Company
October 1–2, 2026 | 7:30pm
Trisha Brown Dance Company
November 7, 2026 | 7:30pm
The Surge: An Ode to Sinéad O’Connor
February 26, 2027 | 7:30pm
Dance Theatre of Harlem
April 30–May 1, 2027 | 7:30pm
Co-presented with the International African American Museum.
2025–2026 Dance Initiative Programs
Step Afrika! | The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence
Step Afrika! | The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence
October 2, 2025 | 7:30pm
Following their extraordinary presentation of Drumfolk in 2023, Step Afrika! returned with their signature work The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence which charts the story of African Americans moving from the rural South to the industrial North to escape Jim Crow, racial oppression, and lynchings in the early 1900s. Inspired by Jacob Lawrence’s iconic 60-panel “The Migration Series” (1940-41), this iconic work from the award-winning dance company uses the images, color palette, and motifs in the painting series to tell this story through pulsating rhythms and visually stunning movement. As part of its ongoing commitment to presenting Southern stories that have shaped the nation’s history and identity, the Gaillard has curated this work in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Living, Breathing, Stepping ‘Exhibition’ of Jacob Lawrence
New York Times
MOMIX: Alice
MOMIX: Alice
October 23, 2025 | 7:30pm
Seamlessly blending illusion, acrobatics, magic, and whimsy, MOMIX sends audiences flying down the rabbit hole in Moses Pendleton’s newest creation, Alice, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice in Wonderland. Join this dazzling company on a mind-bending adventure, as Alice encounters time-honored characters including the undulating Caterpillar, a lobster quadrille, frenzied White Rabbits, a mad Queen of Hearts, and a variety of other surprises.
MOMIX’s Alice fills the stage with a marvelously dizzying flow of physical activities and illusions amid expansive, artful projections
Wall Street Journal
Dark Water by Complexions Composed by Edward Hart | Choreographed by Dwight Rhoden
Dark Water by Complexions
Composed by Edward Hart | Choreographed by Dwight Rhoden
March 6-7, 2026 | 7:30pm
Presented by the Charleston Gaillard Center and Charleston Symphony
This program is supported in part by the Wayne & Alicia Gregory Family Foundation and the supporters of the Charleston Gaillard Center’s Dance Initiative.
Conducted by Ming Luke
The Charleston Gaillard Center and Charleston Symphony proudly present the world premiere of Dark Water, a bold new ballet by acclaimed choreographer and Complexions co-founding artistic director Dwight Rhoden with an original score by Charleston composer Edward Hart. Inspired by the Lowcountry’s most defining element—its dark, mysterious waters—Dark Water moves in mystery, tracing a choreographic journey through the harbors, swamps, tidal creeks, rice fields, and shoreline that shape the region. Hart’s sweeping composition provides a dense, ever-shifting soundscape that mirrors the power and beauty of these environments, and the ecological challenges they face. Rhoden’s choreography—fluid, physical, and emotionally resonant—emphasizes transformation, as a large ensemble of artists forms and re-forms like a flock, conjuring images that blur the line between abstraction and vivid realism. With Complexions’ signature athleticism and expressive artistry, the work evokes both the natural landscapes and layered histories of South Carolina’s coast, while exploring themes of time, memory, and the human impact on the environment. The evening’s program will also include a repertory work by Rhoden for Complexions, the boundary-pushing company he co-founded with the legendary Desmond Richardson.
Dance Me: The Music of Leonard Cohen by Ballets Jazz Montréala
Dance Me: The Music of Leonard Cohen by Ballets Jazz Montréal
April 17, 2026 | 7:30pm
Alexandra Damiani, Artistic Director
Sexy, explosive, and completely original—Ballets Jazz Montréal (BJM) arrives in Charleston with one of this season’s most anticipated tour de force in Dance Me. Developed with the personal blessing of Leonard Cohen, Dance Me is more than a tribute; it is a breathtaking translation of a legend’s soul into physical form.
BJM doesn’t just move to Cohen’s songs—they surrender to it. Through movement, they capture the mood and essence that made Cohen such an icon. From the depth of his voice to the sharp wit of his lyrics, these world-class dancers embody the very rhythm of his poetry. The result? A performance where impeccable technique meets raw, individual personality.
“Ballets Jazz Montréal shattered my preconceptions in the most impressive, original way.” — BalletcoForum
Tributes are often echoes but Dance Me is the roar. Don’t just watch the music. See it.
Ballets Jazz Montréal would like to thank the Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Foundation for the support given to the creation of the show.
Rarely is one given the privilege of witnessing such a demonstration of excellence. Ballets Jazz Montréal, said to have some of the best dancers in the world, lives up to its reputation.
MokaMag–France
2024–2025 Dance Initiative Programs
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
February 25–26, 2025 | 7:30pm
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will return to the Gaillard with performances celebrating lineage and legacy. AILEY’s extraordinary dancers will bring to life new works by choreographers for whom Mr. Ailey paved the way, as well as beloved classics including the masterpiece Revelations.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 2024-25 season celebrates the life and legacy of Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison.
“…how fabulously individual the dancers all are. Each is an immediately distinct character…”
New York Times
GRACE
Coral Dolphin, Hannah Alissa Richardson, Jacquelin Harris, Ashley Kaylynn Green, Samantha Figgins, Vernard J. Gilmore, Isaiah Day, Solomon Dumas, Xavier Mack, Patrick Coker, Chalvar Monteiro
—INTERMISSION—
FINDING FREE
Ashley Kaylynn Green, Coral Dolphin, Caroline T. Dartey, Miranda Quinn, Hannah Alissa Richardson, James Gilmer, Christopher R. Wilson, Solomon Dumas, Christopher Taylor, Isaiah Day
—INTERMISSION—
REVELATIONS
PILGRIM OF SORROW
I Been ‘Buked …………………………………………..The Company
Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel …………………..Patrick Coker, Dandara Veiga, Hannah Alissa Richardson
Fix Me, Jesus…………………………………………….Caroline T. Dartey, Michael Jackson, Jr.
TAKE ME TO THE WATER
Processional/Honor, Honor……………………….Xavier Mack, Miranda Quinn, Christopher Taylor, Leonardo Brito
Wade in the Water …………………………………….Jacquelin Harris, Renaldo Maurice, Fana Minea Tesfagiorgis
I Wanna Be Ready …………………………………….Christopher R. Wilson
MOVE, MEMBERS, MOVE
Sinner Man………………………………………………..Christopher Taylor, James Gilmer, De’Anthony Vaughan
The Day is Past and Gone…………………………….The Company
You May Run On ………………………………………..The Company
Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham………The Company
SACRED SONGS
Caroline T. Dartey, Christopher R. Wilson, James Gilmer, Kali Marie Oliver, Jacquelin Harris, Samantha Figgins, Jessica Amber Pinkett, Ashley Kaylynn Green, Hannah Alissa Richardson, Renaldo Maurice, Chalvar Monteiro, Solomon Dumas, Xavier Mack
—INTERMISSION—
ME, MYSELF AND YOU
Alisha Rena Peek, Leonardo Brito
—PAUSE—
TREADING
Ashley Kaylynn Green, Christopher Taylor
—INTERMISSION—
REVELATIONS
PILGRIM OF SORROW
I Been ‘Buked …………………………………………….The Company
Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel …………………….Christopher Taylor, Dandara Veiga, Fana Minea Tesfagiorgis
Fix Me, Jesus……………………………………………..Miranda Quinn, James Gilmer
TAKE ME TO THE WATER
Processional/Honor, Honor…………………………Shawn Cusseaux, Alisha Rena Peek, Jesse Obremski, Leonardo Brito
Wade in the Water ………………………………………Jacquelin Harris, Michael Jackson, Jr., Kali Marie Oliver
I Wanna Be Ready ……………………………………….Xavier Mack
MOVE, MEMBERS, MOVE
Sinner Man…………………………………………………..Christopher R. Wilson, Jesse Obremski, De’Anthony Vaughan
The Day is Past and Gone……………………………….The Company
You May Run On …………………………………………..The Company
Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham…………The Company
OPUS by Circa
OPUS by Circa
Featuring the Debussy Quartet
March 25, 2025 | 7:30pm
Created by Yaron Lifschitz with the Debussy Quartet and the Circa Ensemble
Ten acrobats and a string quartet celebrate the music of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich in a work of stunning power, virtuosity and physical poetry.
Shostakovich’s quartets are by turns intimate, passionate, lyrical, ironic and deeply moving personal testimonies by one of the twentieth century’s greatest composers. In Opus, three of his quartets form the musical and dramatic spine of a red-hot fusion of extreme acrobatics, lyrical movement and group choreography.
Beginning with a solo performer suspended on a rope serenaded by musicians, Opus then moves powerfully through rapidly alternating scenes of dislocated stillness and violent explosions into extreme physicality to arrive at exquisitely detailed and nuanced geometries of acrobats flying, balancing and landing.
Opus explores the complex relationships between the individual and the group, between the march of history and what dictates the heart, and between the tragic and the comic. Opus is a melding of music and bodies at the highest level producing a groundbreaking work of intense power.
Opus is cut-glass, caviar circus. It’s black tie and ball gown circus.
The Telegraph, UK
The Center Will Not Hold A Dorrance Dance Production
The Center Will Not Hold: A Dorrance Dance Production
Created by Ephrat Asherie and Michelle Dorrance
April 15, 2025 | 7:30pm
The Center Will Not Hold—born a short duet created and performed by Ephrat Asherie and Michelle Dorrance in December 2022—is an expanded and reimagined work that now includes a collective of 11 singular performers/choreographers deeply rooted in one or many of the following street, club, and vernacular dances: House, Breaking, Hip Hop, Tap Dance, Chicago Footwork, Detroit Jit, Litefeet, Memphis Jookin, Body Percussion, and more.
The work features original music composed by Donovan Dorrance with live percussion by drummer and percussionist, John Angeles. It premiered as a 30-minute piece at New York City Center’s 2023 Fall For Dance Festival, and is currently being developed into an evening-length work.
The work explores themes of isolation, community and solidarity. At one point, the whole cast lined up and performed a sequence of rhythmic pedestrian gestures. It seemed they were just humans, like us. But then they broke off into solos and dance-offs and we were reminded of their otherworldly talents. There was pain there, yes, but also so much joy.
The Observer
CARMEN.maquia by Ballet Hispánico
CARMEN.maquia by Ballet Hispánico
May 2, 2025 | 7:30pm
Embark on a journey through time and emotion as Ballet Hispánico commemorates 150 years of Carmen in a spellbinding dance performance. Choreographer Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s quintessential work breathes new life into Bizet’s timeless tale, infusing it with raw passion and visceral energy. Join us as the narrative of Carmen leaps off the stage and into your soul, amplified through Ballet Hispánico’s mesmerizing movement and evocative choreography.
Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s CARMEN.maquia is an electrifying reimagining of Bizet’s classic. This audacious production features costumes by visionary fashion designer David Delfin and evocative set design by Luis Crespo. Ramírez Sansano explains the title’s significance: “I saw many Carmens and didn’t want to call it just Carmen. The art of bullfighting is ‘tauromaquia,’ and Picasso said Carmen was like the untamable bull. So, we took ‘tauromaquia, ‘removed ‘tauro,’ and added ‘Carmen.’”
About Carmen: French composer Georges Bizet’s Carmen tells the story of a fiery and free-spirited woman whose allure and defiance captivate those around her. The narrative follows Carmen as she navigates the complexities of love, jealousy, and freedom—and the consequences they bring.
This Carmen has a spare, elegant, Modernist look.
New York Times
2023–2024 Dance Initiative Programs
Firebird presented by Nashville Ballet featuring the Charleston Symphony
Firebird presented by Nashville Ballet featuring the Charleston Symphony
Thursday, October 19 & Friday, October 20, 2023 | 7:30pm
“Thrilling. Poetic. Brilliant.”
–The New York Times
Experience exceptional dance with the Nashville Ballet. We are thrilled to have Nashville Ballet return to the Gaillard Center stage with their production of the iconic Firebird, a powerful performance reimagined from the classic ballet first written for the 1910 Ballets Russes performances in Paris. Based on the Russian fairytale of the same name, the balletexplores the blessing and curse the Firebird possesses for its owner, set to Igor Stravinsky’s majestic score. After incredible success at the premiere at the Opéra de Paris in June 1910, Stravinsky’s monumental popularity grew and spurred additional collaborations between Stravinsky and the Ballets Russes including The Rite of Spring three years later.
This stunning Firebird was choreographed by Nashville Ballet’s well regarded Artistic Director Emeritus Paul Vasterling, the same company and choreographer that brought Charleston the spectacular Carmina Burana in 2018. This production will be the second collaboration between the Gaillard Center, Nashville Ballet, and the Charleston Symphony.
A note from the choreographer, Paul Vasterling, about Firebird:
“I have re-imagined the ballet, setting it in a time close to now, not with a prince but a sort of everyman who has lost his way and is searching for meaning in his life. He encounters the Firebird, a creature from another world – perhaps an angel, certainly an alien to Earth. He also encounters the Firebird’s opposite, the evil Mr. K (based on the character of Katschei, an evil magician in the original ballet) and his two vile assistants, Miss P and Mr. D. The Firebird helps the Everyman to experience the many forms of love, helps him to conquer the temptation of evil and finally to achieve redemption, bringing him to a place of complete love beyond our world.”
Preceding Firebird, the Tony Award-winning choreographer behind Steven Spielberg’s 2021 West Side Story, Justin Peck’s Year of the Rabbit will make its Charleston debut. Hailed as “thrilling,” “poetic,” and “brilliant” by The New York Times, Year of the Rabbit blends the athleticism of classical ballet with boundary-breaking movement for a performance that is both visually stunning
FIREBIRD
Choreography: Paul Vasterling
Music: Igor Stravinsky
Music: Charleston Symphony
Costume Design: Holly Hynes
Original Lighting Design: Scott Leathers
YEAR OF THE RABBIT
Choreography: Justin Peck
Music: Sufjan Stevens
Costume Design: Justin Peck
Original Lighting Design: Brandon Stirling Baker
Step Afrika! Drumfolk
Step Afrika! Drumfolk
Thursday, November 2, 2023 | 7:30pm
“But most importantly in our story, they restricted the use of the drum…when that was taken away, the body became the drum.”
–Director Jakari Sherman
They took the drums away, but they could not stop the beat! Drumfolk will be taking its final bow this November at the Charleston Gaillard Center in Charleston, SC.
Inspired by the freedom movement known as the Stono Rebellion of 1739, Step Afrika!’s Drumfolk explores this little-known event in history that would forever transform African American life and culture. The largest slave insurrection in British North America, the Stono Rebellion resulted in the passing of the South Carolina Negro Act of 1740. The Negro Act prohibited enslaved Africans from growing their own food, earning money, and learning to read. It also prevented them from gathering and using drums, horns, or other loud instruments. The provisions of the Negro Act, including the ban on drums, quickly spread across the United States. When Africans lost the right to use their drums, the beats found their way into the body of the people, the Drumfolk. New percussive forms took root leading to the development of some of our country’s most distinct performance traditions like ring shout, tap, and stepping.
Drumfolk is a rhythmic storytelling of the development of African-American percussive dance and movement traditions. The performance, co-presented by the International African American Museum, will take place only 20 miles from where the rebellion began 284 years ago.
Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping—a polyrhythmic, percussive dance form that uses the body as an instrument. Under Mr. Williams’ leadership, stepping has evolved into one of America’s cultural exports, touring more than 50 countries across the globe. Step Afrika! is one of the top 10 African American dance companies in the world. Step Afrika! promotes stepping as a contemporary dance genre through critically acclaimed performances and arts education programs. Creatively engaging audiences in this nascent art form, the Company creates full-length productions that expand on stepping’s unique American history.
Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities; traditional West and Southern African dances; and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience. Performances are much more than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling, humor and audience participation. The blend of technique, agility, and pure energy makes each performance unique and leaves the audience with their hearts pounding.
Dorrance Dance The Nutcracker Suite
Dorrance Dance The Nutcracker Suite
Sunday, December 17, 2023 | 6:00pm
A recent rehearsal at Gibney studios in Manhattan was remarkable for several reasons, not least of which was the sense of inclusiveness and, well, joy in the room. It was filled with dancers of all types, body shapes and races. Their diversity was also reflected in their dancing; though all were obviously good tappers, each had his or her own way of moving— looser or more streamlined, lower to the ground or lighter on the feet. Chorus line-like uniformity was clearly not the goal. And yet somehow they became a coherent whole, at one with the music.”
–Marina Harss, The New York Times
In acclaimed tap dance company Dorrance Dance’s The Nutcracker Suite—created by Michelle Dorrance, Hannah Heller, and Josette Wiggan—pointe shoes are traded for tap shoes in a high-energy, large-ensemble reimagining of this seasonal classic. Set to Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s extraordinary interpretation of the Tchaikovsky score, “March of the Toy Soldiers” becomes the “Peanut Brittle Brigade” and “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” becomes “Sugar Rum Cherry.” Join Dorrance Dance for an unforgettable trip to the land of sweets filled with surprises, humor, and the rhythmic symphony of world-class tap dancers.
The Nutcracker Suite or, a rhythmaturgical evocation of the super-leviathonic enchantments of Duke and Billy’s supreme adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece that tells a tale of a misunderstood girl who kills a king and meets a queen and don’t forget oooo-gong-chi-gong-sh’-gon’make-itdaddy, and that it ain’t so bad after all
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (50th Anniversary)
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (50th Anniversary)
Tuesday, January 9, 2024 | 7:30pm
The funniest night you’ll ever have at the ballet!
–The Guardian
One of the most unusually gifted dance companies in existence.
-Neil Norman, The Stage
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo—celebrating their 50th anniversary season in 2024—brings its internationally beloved troupe of male dancers to Charleston to perform a brilliant combination of skillful pointe work and hilarious parodying of classical ballet favorites like Swan Lake. Founded in New York City in 1974, the company, affectionately known as the Trocks, began by appearing in late-late shows in off-off Broadway lofts for small audiences who appreciated the iconoclastic humor of it all. Since then, the company has grown to achieve great appeal among more mainstream audiences who, each season, flock to theaters throughout the world to see these prima ballerinas perform. The Trocks are “a guaranteed hoot for people who know nothing of ballet and an absolute must for those who think they know the originals” (Sydney Star Observer).
The Rite of Spring / common ground[s]
The Rite of Spring / common ground[s]
Friday, February 2 & Saturday, February 3, 2024 | 7:30pm
Gut-wrenching brilliance…[this cast] delivers Bausch’s shattering vision with devastating force.
–The Guardian (UK)
As the community of dancers build to a climax, a sense of foreboding in the air, the combination of grace and visceral fury in their movement is electrifying.
–The Times
Named a Critic’s Pick by The New York Times!
“How would you dance, if you knew you were going to die?” This is the central question asked by the late choreographer Pina Bausch of her dancers in 1975 when she created her seminal work The Rite of Spring, which examines unyielding ritual when the sacrifice of a “chosen one” changes the season from winter to spring. This pioneering work, establishing her iconic approach, has gone on to become one of the 20th century’s most significant and important bodies of dance theater.
Faithful to Stravinsky’s visceral score, Bausch’s monumental choreography is given a thrilling new life by a specially assembled company of more than 30 dancers from 14 African countries. Danced on a peat-covered stage, they clash and engage in a wild and poetic struggle of life, ritual, and sacrifice that pays tribute to her unparalleled genius.
Rite is paired with a new work created, performed, and inspired by the lives of two remarkable choreographers, professors, and grandmothers: Germaine Acogny, the founder of the Senegalese École des Sables who is widely considered to be “the mother of contemporary African dance,” and Malou Airaudo, who performed leading roles in many of Bausch’s early works as a member of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. This poetic and tender antidote to Rite reflects their shared histories, emotional experiences, and common ground.
presented with support from the College of Charleston Department of Theater and Dance
2022–2023 Dance Initiative Programs
Dance Theatre of Harlem Presented by the Charleston Gaillard Center and the International African American Museum
Charleston Gaillard Center and the International African American Museum Present
Dance Theatre of Harlem
With musicians from the Charleston Symphony
Friday, October 20 & Saturday, October 21 2022 | 7:30pm
Dance Theatre of Harlem’s newest ballet, co-commissioned by Charleston Gaillard Center and the International African American Museum! Punctuated by Dance Theatre of Harlem’s signature style fusing a modern interpretation of the classical art form, the two evening performances will feature live orchestral accompaniment as well as original and reimagined music inspired by the life and times of jazz luminary Hazel Scott.
Dance Theatre of Harlem is a leading dance institution of unparalleled global acclaim, encompassing a professional touring company, a leading studio school, and a national and international education and community outreach program. Each component of Dance Theatre of Harlem carries a solid commitment towards enriching the lives of young people and adults around the world through the arts. Founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook, Dance Theatre of Harlem is considered “one of ballet’s most exciting undertakings” (The New York Times). Shortly after the assassination of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mitchell was inspired to start a school that would offer children — especially those in Harlem, the community in which he was born — the opportunity to learn about dance and the allied arts. Now in its sixth decade, Dance Theatre of Harlem has grown into a multi-cultural dance institution with an extraordinary legacy of providing opportunities for creative expression and artistic excellence that continues to set standards in the performing arts. Dance Theatre of Harlem has achieved unprecedented success, bringing innovative and bold new forms of artistic expression to audiences in New York City, across the country and around the world.
A night at the ballet can turn into lifelong inspiration when Dance Theatre of Harlem comes to town. The excitement the company generates onstage has a way of radiating into every corner of the dance community…
The Miami Herald
Complexions Contemporary Ballet Star Dust: From Bach to Bowie
Complexions Contemporary Ballet Star Dust: From Bach to Bowie
Friday, January 27, 2023 | 7:30pm
“This was simply one of the most exciting performances I’ve seen on the dance series, less a rock ballet than a rock concert…”
– The Washington Post
“Companies like Complexions are game-changing: they’re forging a path for what ballet can be instead of what it historically has been.”
– The Guardian
Founders Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, armed with a rich Alvin Ailey lineage and a cadre of 18 spectacular dancers, have re-envisioned ballet through technical precision, athletic prowess, and sheer passion. Their blockbuster hit, STAR DUST: From Bach to David Bowie, honoring two musical icons, has rocked the dance world and will make your spirits soar!
About Complexions Contemporary Ballet
Complexions was founded in 1994 by Master Choreographer Dwight Rhoden and the legendary Desmond Richardson with a singular approach to reinventing dance through a groundbreaking mix of methods, styles, and cultures. Today, Complexions represents one of the most recognized and respected performing arts brands in the World. Having presented an entirely new and exciting vision of human movement on 5-continents, over 20-countries, to over 20-million television viewers, and to well over 300,000 people in live audiences, Complexions is poised to continue its mission of bringing unity to the world one dance at a time.
Circa: Humans 2.0
Circa: Humans 2.0
Saturday, February 25, 2023 | 7:30pm
“Jaw-dropping, seat-clawing and armchair-exhausting”
ArtsHub, Aus
“… spellbinding physical drama, with just the right amount of play, death-defying tricks and whimsical imagery”
The Conversation, Aus
Ten bodies appear in a flash of light. They move in harmony for a fleeting moment and then descend into a sinuous trance. Towers grow and decay, bodies leap and are caught, as physical limits are pushed to their extreme. Can we ever find a perfect balance or is adapting to constant change the only way forward?
This next chapter of Circa’s internationally acclaimed Humans is a tightly woven choreography of bodies, pulsing with music by composer Ori Lichtik and revealed in Paul Jackson’s dramatic lighting. Created by circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz, Humans 2.0 is intimate, primal and deeply engaged with the challenge of being human.
CAST AND CREATIVE
Director Yaron Lifschitz
Original Music Ori Lichtik
Lighting Designer Paul Jackson
Costume Design Libby McDonnell
Technical Director Jason Organ
International representation
Allen Moon / David Lieberman Artists’ Representatives USA, Canada, Central & South America
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Giselle
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Giselle
Friday, April 21 & Saturday, April 22, 2023 | 7:30pm
Principal Casting April 21, 2023
Christine Shevchenko
Calvin Royal III
Katherine Williams
Principal Casting April 22, 2023
Devon Teuscher
Aran Bell
Zhong-Jing Fang
Choreography after Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa
Staged by Kevin McKenzie
Libretto by Théophile Gautier, on a theme by Heinrich Heine
Music by Adolphe Adam
Orchestrated by John Lanchbery
Scenery by Gianni Quaranta
Costumes by Anna Anni
Lighting by Jennifer Tipton
Premiere
May 21, 1998
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, New York
Cast:
Amanda McKerrow (Giselle)
Vladimir Malakhov (Albrecht)
Irina Dvorovenko (Myrta)
World Premiere
(Original Production)
Ballet du Théâtre de l’Academie Royale de Musique
June 28, 1841
Théâtre de l’Academie Royale de Musique
Paris, France
Cast:
Carlotta Grisi (Giselle)
Lucien Petipa (Albrecht)
Adele Dumilatre (Myrtha)
2021–2022 Dance Initiative Programs
ABT Across America
ABT Across America
The Citadel’s Parade Ground, Summerall Field
Saturday, July 17, 2021 | 7:30pm
American Ballet Theatre will take to the road this summer, traveling by bus and truck to 8 U.S. cities including Charleston, South Carolina. The Charleston Gaillard Center will present ABT Across America for an outdoor performance at The Citadel’s parade ground, Summerall Field
Repertory for ABT Across America will feature Lauren Lovette’s La Follia Variations, a work for eight dancers set to music by Francesco Geminiani, Jessica Lang’s Let Me Sing Forevermore, a pas deux blending ballet and jazz vocabulary set to songs sung by Tony Bennett, Darrell Grand Moultrie’s Indestructible Light, a celebration of American jazz music, and a classical pas de deux from ABT’s extensive repertoire. Each show will be performed without an intermission.
The Hip Hop Nutcracker
THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER
Tuesday, December 7, 2021 | 7:30pm
The Hip Hop Nutcracker turns Tchaikovsky on his head, in the coolest possible way.
CBS
A holiday mash-up for the whole family, The Hip Hop Nutcracker returns to the stage for its seventh season on tour. Directed and choreographed by Jennifer Weber, this contemporary dance spectacle is a re-mixed and re-imagined version of the classic, smashing hip hop dance and Tchaikovksy’s timeless music together into a heart-stirring and inspirational holiday event. The Hip Hop Nutcracker is brought to life by a powerhouse cast of a dozen all-star dancers, a DJ, a violinist, and MC Kurtis Blow, one of hip hop’s founding fathers, who opens the show with a short set.
Just like the original, in The Hip Hop Nutcracker, Maria-Clara and the Nutcracker Prince go on a dream adventure battling a gang of mice, visiting the land of sweets and learning the lessons of the holiday season. Innovative digital graffiti and visuals transform the landscape of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s beloved story from traditional 19th Century Germany to the vibrant, diverse sights and sounds of contemporary New York City.
Grab your family and friends and let the dynamic performers of The Hip Hop Nutcracker take you on a journey that celebrates love, community and the magic of the holiday season.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Tuesday, February 15, 2022 | 7:30pm
Wednesday, February 16, 2022 | 7:30pm
Connecting with audiences is at the heart of the Ailey experience, so Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s much-anticipated return to the stage is a reason to rejoice. Revel in the passion these dancers bring to each program, the skill and artistry no pandemic can diminish, and the palpable joy of live performance. Using the universal language of dance as a medium for honoring the past, celebrating the present and fearlessly reaching into the future, the Ailey company has performed for an estimated 25 million people around the world. This mixed repertory program will feature new and classic works, including the beloved Ailey masterpiece Revelations. Using African American spirituals, song-sermons, gospel songs and holy blues, Revelations fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul. Whether you’ve seen Ailey before or this is your first experience, you’re sure to discover something new.
Mark Morris Dance Group Pepperland
Mark Morris Dance Group Pepperland
Sunday, April 10, 2022 | 7:30pm
Join the Charleston Gaillard Center for an incredible celebration of dance and music! On Sunday, April 10, we will present Mark Morris Dance Group’s Pepperland, a unique tribute to the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. This color, music, and dance explosion will fill the Martha & John M. Rivers Performance Hall and energize the entire Gaillard Center, including the stunning outdoor lawn and gardens. The Gaillard Center will host events throughout the day, including a free movement class for people with Parkinson’s and an open class for all ages led by a Mark Morris Dance Group Artistic Team member. Before the show, the Gaillard lawn will be alive with colorful cocktails and The Battery Brass Band performing Beatles hits. The evening will culminate with world-class dance from Mark Morris Dance Group.
Featuring an original score by Ethan Iverson, Mark Morris Dance Group’s Pepperland intersperses arrangements of
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
“With a Little Help From My Friends”
“A Day in the Life”
“When I’m Sixty-Four”
“Within You Without You”
“Penny Lane”
with six Pepper-inspired original pieces intended especially for Mark Morris’ profound understanding of classical forms: Allegro, Scherzo, Adagio, and the blues. This colorful piece resounds with the ingenuity, musicality, wit, and humanity for which the company is known.
Experience premier dance and create unforgettable memories at the Gaillard Center.