Collage Dance Collective Performs At Kenan Auditorium At The University Of North Carolina Wilmington

Collage Dance – recently named one of the 50 largest ballet companies in the nation by Dance Data Project – makes its debut at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Wilmington, NC on Saturday, February 24, 2024 at 7:30 PM. Audience members can experience the captivating allure of Collage Dance Collective as it takes the spotlight at the Kenan Auditorium, presented by NC Project Lead, Inc.

The program features Collage Dance Artistic Director Kevin Thomas' hallmark ballet Rise, which is set to the iconic “I've Been to the Mountaintop Speech” given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, just one day before his assassination. Also featured are Luminescent by Durante Verzola and Bluff City Blues by Amy Hall Garner.

Kevin Thomas, Collage Dance Artistic Director, shares, “When I first moved to Memphis in 2007, I visited the National Civil Rights Museum and it was such a powerful moment for me, stepping into my history and feeling all these different emotions. That is where I got the idea to create this ballet, Rise, and to show Dr. King's powerful speech through movement. I thought it was also timely since there are hardly any works in the classical canon that have to do with the African-American experience. This piece was and still is a way to give that to our culture and be true to Collage's mission.”

Of Collage's performance at Kenan Auditorium, Thomas remarks, “We're looking forward to bringing exciting works to those beyond our Memphis community. Touring the nation is a thrilling journey for us and the Collage company artists, providing a special opportunity to share our collective love for the art form with avid dance lovers and new audiences alike. We're incredibly intentional with the repertoire we present each touring season and this one is no different. It's full of diverse, thoughtful programming that is sure to touch hearts and create incredibly memorable evenings in the community.”

Recently named a “Southern Cultural Treasure” (SouthArts and Ford Foundation), Collage Dance has presented thirteen seasons of emotionally evocative performances to local and international audiences, and cultivated a love of dance in thousands of students, promising an unforgettable evening of rhythmic artistry that transcends boundaries. Collage is proud to work with many contemporary choreographers in addition to presenting more traditional ballet pieces.

Collage Dance Collective is one of the largest performing arts organizations in the South and one of the few professional ballet companies in the world with a roster of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) dancers. In 2009, after moving to Memphis, Tennessee, Collage opened its dance conservatory to expand access to classical training to communities of color and prepare them for collegial and professional dance appointments. Through the growth of their arts education programming, their enthusiastic reception of the company performances, and their diversity advocacy, Memphis is now home to a thriving Black dance community.

Continuing the 2023-24 touring schedule are Collage's performances in Hilton Head, SC presented by Arts Center of Coastal Carolina on Friday, March 1, 2024, at 7:30 PM, and Norfolk, VA at the Virginia Arts Festival on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at 7:30 PM.

Collage Dance's fourteenth season is made possible through generous support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, James R. & Anita Horne Jenkins Family Foundation, SouthArts, Ford Foundation, Alice L. Walton Foundation, Tennessee Arts Commission, the International Association of Blacks in Dance, Hyde Family Foundation, Bank of America, ArtsMemphis, the Shubert Foundation, Orion Bank, and Buckman Laboratories.

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Event Information
Collage Dance Collective
Presented by NC Project Lead
Saturday, February 24, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Kenan Auditorium, University of North Carolina Wilmington
515 Wagoner Drive | Wilmington, NC 28403
Tickets: $45 - $125
Link: https://uncwarts.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1837 

Rise - Kevin Thomas
Luminescent - Durante Verzola
Bluff City Blues - Amy Hall Garner

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About Collage Dance 
Collage Dance, recently named a “Southern Cultural Treasure” by South Arts and the Ford Foundation, and listed among the 50 largest ballet companies in the nation by Dance Data Project, is one of the largest Black-led performing arts organizations in the South and one of just a few professional ballet companies in the world with a roster of BIPOC dancers.

Working to inspire the growth and diversity of ballet, Collage Dance Collective showcases a repertoire of relevant choreography and world-class dancers representative of the communities we serve. The professional company has presented thirteen full-length seasons in Memphis, plus national and international touring presenting a diverse range of classical and contemporary choreography from George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Ulysses Dove, Joshua Manculich, Amy Hall Garner, Kevin Iega Jeff, and more.

The work of Collage Dance Collective has been featured in media outlets including Huffington Post, Allure, Yahoo!, The Commercial Appeal, Afropunk, Dance Magazine and Pointe Magazine.

Learn more at https://collagedance.org/performances/

 

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