Dancing Through Rocky Times

Dancer Leslie Hale blogs about Texas Dance Theatre, which opens its season Saturday.

by Leslie Hale
published Friday, November 12, 2010

Texas Dance Theatre opens its second season on Saturday, with a performance of five works, including a premiere by local choreographer Bruce Wood. The concert also includes original dances and a popular, reminiscent piece by Artistic Director Wil McKnight, and Emily Hunter, assistant director of the company.

McKnight’s dance training began in New York’s School of American Ballet and continued at the Kirov Ballet Academy, Joffrey, Houston and San Francisco ballets, as well as North Carolina School of the Arts. He went on to dance professionally in Colorado, New York and Dallas, finally to return to the south and earn his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Texas Christian University.

A small troupe of only seven dancers, TDT expresses its goal of maintaining a close-knit company, unlike the typical civic dance group with performers who come and go. Like transient nomads, they find difficulty in fully committing themselves or refining one particular aesthetic capable of reaching an educated audience. The young, exceptionally talented dancers of TDT exude the undiluted passion and bright hopes of its directors.

McKnight asserts his hope of becoming distinguished as a local contemporary company with a classical flair. In order for this transformation to occur, the dancers must be malleable enough to adapt to new movement concepts, shapes and rhythms. The dancers are proving themselves, in classes and rehearsals, to be capable of embodying the angular, expressive movement inherent to the modern dance vernacular. It’s been a positive and reciprocal experience so far, as the dancers absorb the wisdom and diverse experience of McKnight, Hunter and renowned guest choreographers.

Since taking on the role of director, McKnight has readily accepted the duties implicit in his new job. As creator and executive decision-maker, he’s been initiated into a world of unfamiliar responsibilities, some incredibly rewarding and others a bit more unpredictable.

Only in its second season, TDT can closely identify with the risk-taking aspect and tangible feelings of vulnerability that accompany any burgeoning company. Still so new, TDT has already experienced several joys and setbacks. In our country’s current state of penny-pinching economics, environmental consciousness and a sharp focus on job creation, TDT is also attempting to practice energy efficiency by providing a small but exquisite dance company to the DFW area.

They are also contributing to the creation of jobs for those with nowhere to go and share their unique talents and perspectives. In tune both personally and artistically with his dancers, McKnight declares himself to be the “heart and soul” of the company, yet being only one person with little help on the management and financial side of his organization, he finds it difficult to be the “bread and butter” as well.

The opening concert in Fort Worth is symbolic of the plenitude of ideas and faith that this company possesses. Many of the pieces being performed share the common element of human emotion and self-reflection.

Originally composed in 2001, Emily Hunter’s Haven, with music by Samuel Barber bears the emblem of the ebb and flow of time. Through abstracted gestures, the dancers find support within their communities as they discover and identify similarities among one another.

Hunter’s solo, Self/Imposed, set to J.S. Bach, is inspired by the fusion aesthetic of dancers Jacoby & Pronk, and illustrates the contrast between standards we set for ourselves and expectations imposed upon us by our ever-changing environment. Honesty versus the vulnerability one feels in attempting to please others is communicated through athleticism and artistry, where strong technique meets surrender to manipulation and nonconformity.

McKnight will perform a previously performed work, titled New World, set to a composition by Philip Glass/Yo-Yo Ma, as well as a premiere that celebrates the American musical, called Let’s Fall in Love.

Finally, Surrender is an original, experimental piece created by accomplished choreographer Bruce Wood. A sense of releasing one’s ego and being mindfully present resonates implicitly through the solo’s simple movements. Accompanied by the exquisite voice of Maria Callas, dance and music appear autonomous to one another, finding points of connection in the solitary scene evoking a feeling that everything has fallen away but one’s consciousness of the instant.

This dance is distinctive in that its style is unanticipated by his audience, yet was manifest in a similar way―from his heart rather than his head. The freedom to work in a non-traditional way has influenced Wood’s creativity by expanding his perspective and ultimately, his artistic expression. The intention is that individuals will observe and be compelled to take a fresh look at their own personal relationships and experiences, possibly gaining some insight or even a new perspective.

The philosophy of Texas Dance Theatre echoes that of the evolving dancer of today: practicing and creating movement capable of expressing a strong modern aesthetic, but never losing our foundation of classical ballet, a connection that facilitates technical virtuosity and theatrical sensibility. Like the monarch butterfly that flies thousands of miles in its determined migration each year, these dedicated artists persevere through limited funds and harsh reality.

The company is grateful for the support and endowments it has received from established foundations known for contributions to non-profit arts organizations. However, TDT finds itself now in a critical situation, where a continued deficit of support could result in the dissolve of a troupe of exceptional performers and choreographers. Prosperity and abundance for this company is found primarily in the honest relationships that exist between the patient, generous dancers and directors.

The current situation is certainly not a position TDT had expected to be in, surrounded by a region so obviously enthusiastic about education in the arts and high quality entertainment. The promotion of the arts is pervasive, so then needs to be its confirmed support.

To help out Texas Dance Theatre, learn about its online auction here.

◊ Leslie Hale is a dancer-teacher-choreographer in the Dallas area who, upon returning from a professional career in NYC with the Martha Graham Ensemble and local contemporary companies, has received her MFA in Dance from Southern Methodist University.