The name of TITAS/DANCE UNBOUND’s new season—its first full return to live performance since the pandemic—packs a punch. Titled “Determined: Grateful,” it encompasses both the company’s perseverance throughout the last year and a half and its joy in once again bringing some of the world’s most talented dance troupes to Dallas.
Though shorter than usual, the season is no less impressive. Of the seven companies descending on Dallas, two are international and three are making their area debut.
Other sorts of debuts are also on the schedule. MOMIX brings its U.S. premiere of the whimsical Alice to Dallas in September, as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations. New York-based Doug Varone and Dancers also tackle a cultural icon in October with Somewhere, using the famed Leonard Bernstein score from West Side Story as the jumping-off point for completely original choreography.
“Rubberband merges contemporary modern dance and hip hop more successfully than anyone else I’ve seen,” says Santos. “We had them booked to come in the 2019-20 season, but obviously that got postponed. We originally didn’t think we’d be able to bring them back because of Canada’s strict COVID restrictions, so we’re extra thrilled that it is indeed possible.”
Ballet Hispánico welcomes in the New Year with one show only on January 14, 2022, as part of its 50th anniversary tour. “I love how Eduardo [Vilaro, the company’s artistic director] celebrates Latinx culture,” Santos says, referencing how the show’s choreographers comprise a variety of nationalities including Venezuela, Cuba, Trinidad, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, and Columbia.
Soon after, on March 4 and 5, A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham returns as part of TITAS’ Unfiltered series, which sports the tagline “If you’re easily offended, don’t come.” Subscribers can opt out of the Unfiltered shows, but why would you want to when there’s the chance to catch Abraham’s newest work, An Unfiltered Love? Using music by Grammy Award-winning R&B legend D’Angelo, this highly entertaining and captivating work celebrates culture, family, and community. As Santos explains, it “centers around three couples: one straight, one gay, and one lesbian, but all celebrating Black love. I’m a huge fan of his talent.”
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Rubberband, photo by Mat Doyon.
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AIM, An Untitled Love, Catherine Ellis Kirk, photo by Carrie Schneider.
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Ballet X, dancer Francesca Forcella, photo by Gabriel Bienczycki.
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Compagnie Marie Chounard.
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Ballet Hispanico in Con Brazos Abiertos, photo by Paula Lobo.
“She is such an interesting choreographer,” says Santos, who explains that the three-act work includes two screens showing the details of the painting that the dancers are interpreting. “You get to tie in choreography with the visuals of a masterwork painting, and that’s so unique.”
BalletX concludes the season on June 3 and 4 with its Dallas debut. Co-founded in 2005 by artistic and executive director Christine Cox and choreographer Matthew Neenan, the company has produced over 100 ballets by 60 choreographers from across the globe.
Of course, with the return of live performances comes the return of the Command Performance, the “pyrotechnics of dance” where artists from leading companies light up the stage with spectacular and surprising performances. Command Performance also features TITAS-commissioned works created specifically for the gala performance, which is set for April 23, 2022.
“Determined and grateful are the buzzwords that speak to all of us in the field right now,” Santos says. “We’re grateful to be back and determined to make the new seasons happen.”
—LINDSEY WILSON
