Black-Led Ballet Group Performs At Chrysler Hall, March 7

Special to the New Journal and Guide
HAMPTON ROADS

What does ballet look like? What should it look like?

On March 7, 2024 at Norfolk’s Chrysler Hall, performances by the Collage Dance Collective will give its spin on the topic. This group, established in 2006, maintains a roster of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) dancers. It is one of the few professional ballet companies in the world to do so.

The public performance is part of the 2024 Virginia Arts Festival season.

Black ballet performances have not always been welcomed. Ballet’s dance  expression  evolved from 16th-century European tradition, and was for centuries the exclusive domain of white, European artists, both on stage and behind the curtain. In the 20th century, pioneers like Katherine Dunham, who created a dance style that incorporated Caribbean and African movement elements; Arthur Mitchell, who founded Dance Theatre of Harlem; Alvin Ailey, and other innovators pushed the boundaries, making room for Black artistic excellence on the dance stage.

Following in their footsteps, Memphis-based Collage Dance Collective has been instrumental in changing the landscape of dance. Through their performances, arts education programming, and diversity advocacy, the organization has become one of the largest Black-led performing arts organizations in the American South and a wellspring for future generations of performing artists and 21st-century creative leaders.

Through the Festival’s impactful education and outreach programs, 1,200 students – including hundreds who will travel to Norfolk for the Regional High School Dance Festival – will attend the performance and participate in master classes with artists from Collage Dance Collective. The week-long residency is in partnership with The Governor’s School for the Arts.

There are still plenty of seats for you to join in the excitement – and to see why critics are calling Collage Dance Collective “relevant, relatable and rooted … rich in variety and culture” (Pointe Magazine). Tickets can be ordered at vafest.org.