Chelsea Factory to Present RudduR Dance's TOMORROW This Month

RudduR Dance (led by 2023 Resident Artist Christopher Rudd) will make its Chelsea Factory debut this January 25-27 with Tomorrow. After a hiatus forced by the global pandemic, RudduR Dance returns to the stage in an electrifying program that includes the long-awaited conclusion to Rudd’s WITNESS trilogy. 

For nearly a decade, Christopher Rudd—the visionary choreographer and founder behind RudduR Dance—has been developing the trilogy WITNESS. Mixing the traditionally white styles of contemporary ballet and contemporary circus, WITNESS leads an ambitious dialogue in three parts—YESTERDAY, TODAY, and TOMORROW—focused on the challenging issues of race in America. As a whole, WITNESS aims to place America’s racial landscape within its historical context, combat systematically taught racial biases, and imagine hope for a more just and equitable future. 

WITNESS’s final installment, TOMORROW, world premieres during RudduR Dance’s January 25-27 performances at Chelsea Factory. Describing the creative process behind the trilogy’s final act, Christopher Rudd says, “The idea of depicting joy and liberation has been the hardest part of creating WITNESS, in terms of artistic exploration. I’m asking audiences and dancers to imagine a future that many don’t believe is possible and map a plan to get there.” Noting the process of incorporating trampolines into the show, Rudd says, “Right now we’re using the weights in the anchor of these trampolines to depict the weight and the horridness of white supremacy. Watching these dancers learn to maneuver these trampolines is akin to watching the African American community rise again and again and again.”

Christopher Rudd was a member of Chelsea Factory’s 2023 Resident Artist cohort. Throughout the year, Rudd used Chelsea Factory’s space to create, experiment, and rehearse WITNESS: Part III - TOMORROW.

Rudd will also present two moving pas de deux. To kick off the show, A Night in the Life of Us portrays an erotically charged encounter among strangers, demonstrating the fine line between sensual and sexual attraction. RudduR Dance will then perform Touché, a groundbreaking piece commissioned by American Ballet Theatre (ABT). In addition to being ABT’s first explicitly gay work, Touché marks the first gay kiss in ballet history. The piece is a testament to Rudd's dedication to diversity and inclusivity within the world of dance.

The following is a complete schedule of performances:

Opening Night Benefit Show and Reception

Thursday, January 25 at 7:30pm

Tickets $45-75 

A festive reception will follow the performance, featuring words from beloved dancers Calvin Royal III and Joao Menegussi. 

  

Performance

Friday, January 26 and Saturday, January 27 at 7:30pm

Tickets: $45

  

About Christopher Rudd

Christopher Rudd is a Jamaican-born dancemaker whose work is informed by his experience as a queer Black man in dance and transverse ballet, contemporary, and circus arts. He is a 2019 Guggenheim Choreography Fellow, the inaugural New Victory LabWorks Launch Artist, the creator of the groundbreaking works TOUCHÉ and LIFTED for American Ballet Theatre, a current resident artist for both BAM and Chelsea Factory, and was named one of 2023’s 6 to watch by American Theater Magazine.

About RudduR Dance

Founded in 2015 by Christopher Rudd, RudduR Dance was established as a platform to create works of high artistic merit and to better the world through dance. Based in New York City, RudduR Dance blends contemporary ballet, modern dance, and contemporary circus to speak to social issues.

Its mission is to use contemporary ballet and theatricality to create performances reflective of society. RudduR Dance investigates themes of the human condition and emphasizes that which unites us. The Company seeks to increase awareness and appreciation for American dance and culture by presenting original works both nationally and internationally and strives to provide access to dance in society broadly, and African diaspora communities particularly.

About Chelsea Factory 

Chelsea Factory exists to provide responsive partnership to NYC-based artists from historically excluded communities. Launched as a pop-up initiative in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Chelsea Factory has quickly become an essential resource for artists, of all creative disciplines, at inflection points in their careers. We provide a range of support customized to our partners, including subsidized rehearsal and performance space, production support and mentorship, and free community programming. In today’s rapidly changing world, we are committed to fueling an inclusive and sustainable arts sector that long outlasts Chelsea Factory’s physical infrastructure. To learn more, visit chelseafactory.org.

Chelseafactory.org @chelseafactory.nyc