Interview: Theatre Life with Edwaard Liang And Dwight Rhoden

Today’s subjects Edwaard Liang and Dwight Rhoden make up two fourths of the choreographic team for The Washington Ballet’s program of Moving Forces. The production will be presented in the Eisenhower Theater at Kennedy Center on October 24th through 26th.

Edwaard Liang is The Washington Ballet’s current Artistic Director. He assumed the post in 2023 and is one of only four people to have led the organization, and the first person of color. He is also the first Asian American to lead a major American ballet company.

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, and raised in Marin County, California, Liang began his dance training at age five with Marin Ballet. After studying at the School of American Ballet, he joined New York City Ballet in 1993. That same year, he was a medal winner at the Prix de Lausanne International Ballet Competition and won the Mae L. Wien Award. By 1998, he was promoted to Soloist. In 2001, Liang joined the Tony Award–winning Broadway cast of Fosse. His performance in Fosse was later televised nationally on PBS’ Great Performances series (Dance in America: From Broadway: Fosse) and subsequently released on DVD.

By 2002, Liang was invited by Jiri Kylian to become a member of the acclaimed Nederlands Dans Theater 1.While dancing with that company, Liang discovered his passion and love for choreography. Since establishing himself as a choreographer, his works have been performed by dance companies around the world including the Mariinsky Ballet, New York City Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, Shanghai Ballet, Washington Ballet, Hubbard Street 2. Singapore Ballet, Dortmund Ballet, National Theatre in Beijing and many others.

In 2012, Edwaard Liang was named the 5th Artistic Director of BalletMet.

Mr. Liang was awarded 1st place in the 2006 National Choreographic Competition and was named “TOP 25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine for choreography and was subsequently invited to be a part of the 2007 National Choreographers Initiative. Mr. Liang was also one of the winners of the Prince Prize Grant for Choreography and the Choo San Goh Award for Choreography. In 2008 and 2010, he was nominated for the Golden Mask Award in Russia for best new production and best choreographer. In 2017, he received an Emmy Award® for his short dance film Vaulted. In 2018, he created a new ballet with Roberto Bolle for the opening of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. In addition to his artistic achievements, Edwaard was also featured in the New York City Ballet Workout book along with its accompanying video and Richard Corman’s book of photographs Glory.

Dwight Rhoden is the Founding Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Dwight Rhoden performed with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal and as a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He has choreographed for New York City Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, BalletMet, Colorado Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, The Joffrey Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadanco, The Washington Ballet, Ballet Nice Mediterranean, and Rome Opera Ballet, among others. Rhoden has directed and choreographed for television, film, and theatre, including So You Think You Can Dance, Cirque du Soleil, world tours for Prince and Lenny Kravitz, and the film One Last Dance.

His honors include a New York Foundation for the Arts award, a Benois de la Danse Award nomination for The Great Gatsby (the Mariinsky Ballet), induction into the NYFA Hall of Fame, the Choo-San Goh Award for Choreography, and an Honorary Doctorate from Boston Conservatory.

Besides featuring the fine work of Liang and Rhoden, Moving Forces also features the work of Justin Peck and Christopher Wheeldon who musical theatre types might know from their work on Carousel, Illinoise, An American in Paris and MJ the Musical respectively. With the make up of all four choreographers, The Washington Ballet’s Moving Forces is definitely going to be a don’t miss experience. Make it only about the art and grab your tickets to this one of a kind dance experience.

Edwaard Liang and Dwight Rhoden are definitely living their theatre and dance lives to the absolute fullest.

At what age was it apparent that you wanted to become involved in the world of dance?

E- It all came together for me during my first summer intensive when I was about twelve. I had been taking classes before that, but it wasn’t until I immersed myself in that environment that I realized this was more than a hobby for me. That summer gave me a glimpse into what it meant to live and breathe dance every day, and I was hooked. I felt like I belonged.  

D- I started dancing at eighteen when I was a senior in high school.

Where did you receive your training?

D- My training started in my hometown of Dayton Ohio at Dayton Contemporary Dance Company as well as The Dayton Ballet.  I also studied in NY, Montreal & Europe.

E- I started my formal training at Marin Ballet, in San Rafael, California in Marin County, where I studied from ages five to thirteen. I then moved to New York City at the age of thirteen and studied at the School of American Ballet in New York for about four years. It laid an important foundation for me - discipline, musicality, and my joy of moving. I started to understand what it takes to pursue a professional career.

What was your first professional job as a dancer and also as a choreographer?

E- My first professional job as a dancer was with the New York City Ballet and an extraordinary introduction to the professional world. Being on that stage and part of a company with such an important legacy and a high standard of excellence taught me a lot about artistry and endurance.
As a choreographer, my first piece was for Nederlands Dans Theater’s annual workshop performance, which also served as a fundraiser for cancer research. It was both personal and formative—an opportunity to create something meaningful while contributing to a larger cause than myself.

D- My first job as a dancer was with The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.

One of my first big professional opportunities came from Judith Jamison who gave me an opportunity to do my first work in 1991 on Ailey.

Can you please tell us about your piece in Moving Forces?

D- Ave Maria was a part of a very large work from 1995, called The Grapes of Wrath made in the 2nd year of Complexions.  Ave Maria is a pas de deux set to Caccini's version of Ave Maria that looks at faith and devotion and was inspired by the music & the iconic Dance Theater of Harlem ballerina Christina Johnson - an original member of Complexions.

E- My work, Tributary, is a large-scale celebration of classical ballet. It is lush, grand, and unapologetically bold. It’s a piece that honors tradition while also reflecting the energy of the dancers in The Washington Ballet and the now. I wanted to create something that was a nod to our artform—tutus, expansive movement, sweeping music—but also forward-looking, filled with emotion and strength and motivation.

How do the ideas for your pieces come to you? How do you decide on the which music etc?

E- For me, it almost always begins with the music. A particular musical phrase, rhythm, or the emotional tone of a score can drive the entire creative process. And once I find a piece of music that speaks to me, the movement and story follow naturally. I also think about who I’m creating for: the dancers, the company, the moment in time. That connection between the music, the movement, and the people in the room is where magic happens.

D- It’s always a process that can go so many ways.  I sometimes have things that I want to say about our world or the human condition, and my work is the platform.  At other times I’m inspired by a great piece of music I’ve discovered or art that I see and almost always the artist that I work with.

From first idea to first performance, how long was the process for your piece in Moving Forces?

D- This is a ballet from 1995 that is being re- staged.  The work was set within 2 weeks and rehearsed for a couple of months.

E- The idea for Tributary had been in my mind for quite a while, but the practical process—especially securing music rights—took time. From its first steps to its opening night was about a year-long process. But the idea had been brewing much longer. I’d always wanted to create something expansive and powerful, a true “closer” to a mixed repertory program, like Moving Forces, that felt both classical and cinematic. Seeing that vision come to life was incredibly rewarding.

The other two choreographers in Moving Forces Justin Peck and Christopher Wheeldon have crossed over on occasion to choreographing for musical theatre. Is this something you have a desire to do someday?

E- Absolutely. That would be a dream. I had a wonderful experience performing on Broadway in Fosse, and it gave me such an appreciation for the collaborative nature of theater—the way movement, music, design, and storytelling come together. I would love to return to that world, but from a different perspective now. To be part of a creative team building something new for the stage—that would be incredible.

D- I have worked on several musical theatre projects and currently have 3 projects in the making.

For audience members that think dance is too starchy and uppity for them, what would you say to convince them that Moving Forces is worth seeing?

D- Edwaard has constructed a beautiful eclectic evening of work.  Nothing is stuffy about this program. He has brought together some of the most important choreographic voices along with the amazing dancers of TWB - for a super dynamic night of dance.

E- This program is the perfect opportunity to change people’s perception. Moving Forces is an invitation to feel, to experience, and to see dance differently. It’s not about rules or formality; it’s about connection, energy, and human expression. The works in this program show the full range of what dance can be—visceral, cinematic, emotional, and alive. If you’ve ever thought ballet wasn’t for you, this evening might just prove you wrong.

Special thanks to Kennedy Center's Director of Public Relations Emily Flower for her assistance in coordinating this interview.