Baili Goer Jayla Johnson Darien Jones Jemari Neal Brandon Palmer Anna Rotllant-Estelrich Javares Selby Anna Vazquez Azya Warrick
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
ALEX THA GREAT
Alex Tha Great (Given Real Encouragement Amongst Turmoil) is known for a plethora of achievements, but she most often answers to KK’s mom, child of God, poet, and one of the Gurley girls. She holds a Master’s Degree in Cultural Studies from Claremont Graduate University and has the outstanding student loans to prove it. Her work in poetry has afforded her residencies with Arts Mission Oak Cliff, Desoto Artist Lab, and BART Charter Public School in North Adams, MA. Known for being Executive Director of the Right 2 Write Poetry Slam Festival, a 2 x Women of the World Poetry Slam Finalist, and a decorated TedX speaker, Dallas is her home but East Palo Alto, CA will always have her heart. Fitting syllables together like a perfect game of Tetris, Alex has earned accolades of TexLou Poetry Jamboree Haiku Champion and Chicharra Poetry Slam Festival Haiku Champion.
She has performed countless features in colleges/universities, elementary schools, recreational centers, churches, non-profit organizations, bars, and bookstores since 2018. You can find her work published online on Button Poetry and Write About Now’s YouTube channels as well as in The Cookout, The Legendary, Linden Avenue, Illya’s Honey, and more. She is the author of Black Souls Dance on Beat (2015), Weeping in Public Spaces (2022), and the forthcoming title Recipes for Life.
Catch Alex on stage through 2026 touring her one-woman show Don’t Let the Sun Beat You Home. Find Alex on any given Saturday somewhere buying more books than she has time to read, trying to re-teach herself Spanish, and eating red velvet cake to her heart’s desire. Look for her where the clearance racks are. She lives by the motto: Whatever you do, let it be bold! Visit her website www.alexthagreat.com to connect – she wants to teach you poems or read you poems. IG@followthagreat
AVANT CHAMBER BALLET
Avant Chamber Ballet brings exceptional live dance and chamber music together for audiences in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Run by founding artistic director Katie Puder, the 12-member ensemble of dancers is unique in bringing together musicians and dancers to create new and exciting productions that are truly collaborative efforts. Since its founding in 2012, ACB has commissioned over 50 world premiere ballets, including four full-length works, all from female or minority choreographers. Through its First Steps program, ACB teaches dance to over 300 children for free each year. ACB commits its resources to pushing the limits of interdisciplinary arts collaboration, finding new ways to achieve equity in the dance field, and ensuring that free dance education is a part of the Dallas landscape for years to come.
BANDAN KORO AFRICAN DRUM AND DANCE ENSEMBLE
MISSION
To educate and inspire, through African art forms.
VISION
To study, and share experiences associated with African culture and history through the medium of dance, music, and specialized presentations, so that we may foster a greater awareness, understanding, appreciation, and respect for African and African Diaspora related music, dance, and culture.
HISTORY
Bandan Koro African Drum & Dance Ensemble was formed in Winter 2009 in an effort to provide quality African dance & drum classes, programs, performances and educational and cultural activities.
BANDAN KORO:
Creates EXPERIENCES for OUTREACH, EDUCATION & ENTERTAINMENT
BUILDS and CULTIVATES positive relationships
ENCOURAGES appreciation of African Dance, Music, and History
SHARES what we LOVE with the community at large
EMPOWERS individuals and communities towards GROWTH and EXCELLENCE
BALLET NORTH TEXAS
MISSION
Ballet North Texas is dedicated to enriching the North Texas community through exceptional performances, transformative dance training, and inclusive community education and outreach.
VISION Performance
Pushing the boundaries of artistic excellence and innovation, Ballet North Texas celebrates the timeless beauty of classical masterpieces while nurturing the creativity of emerging choreographers. Our commitment to professional excellence is unwavering
Community and Education
Engaging with the community through accessible programs and meaningful partnerships, Ballet North Texas strives for inclusivity and equality. We foster a love for dance among underserved and special needs children, emphasizing its significance in education and life. We are dedicated to nurturing both aspiring dance artists and enthusiasts alike.
Structure and Audience
Enthralling a devoted and diverse audience, Ballet North Texas attracts top-tier dancers, choreographers, musicians, collaborative artists, staff, and volunteers. By strengthening our financial and organizational foundations, we ensure sustainable growth and expand our reach to new heights.
BOMBSHELL DANCE PROJECT
Bombshell Dance Project is a contemporary dance theater company founded by Emily Bernet and Taylor Rodman in their hometown of Dallas, Texas. The company is driven by collaboration and committed to redefining the audience experience through fresh formats and familiar stories that bring you closer to dance. Learn more at bombshelldanceproject.com.
BRUCE WOOD DANCE DALLAS
MISSION
The mission of Bruce Wood Dance Dallas is to present high–caliber, contemporary choreography that harnesses the power of dance to entertain, enrich, and heal.
Nationally acclaimed Bruce Wood Dance Dallas is a contemporary dance company that harnesses the power of dance to entertain, enrich, and heal. Hailed as Dallas’ “shining star” by Arts and Culture Texas, Bruce Wood Dance Dallas is built on the prolific artistry of acclaimed Texas choreographer Bruce Wood (1960–2014). Artistic Director/Resident Choreographer Joy Bollinger, named one of the 78 Women Who Make Dallas Great by D Magazine, leads the company.
Recognized as Best Dance Company by D Magazine in 2023, 2021, 2019, 2017, 2014, and 2013, Bruce Wood Dance Dallas offers programming described as “emotionally charged and highly kinetic” ArtandSeek.org Repertoire features a range of innovative and diverse works including 35 commissions by acclaimed choreographers such as Omár Roman De Jesús, Yin Yue, Stephanie Martinez, and Norbert De La Cruz III, and masterworks by legendary artists like Lar Lubovitch and Twyla Tharp. Touring activities provide a variety of inspiring programs, including movement classes, lecture demonstrations, Q+As, films, repertory workshops, and performances for audiences of any size and age.
On the Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Roster since 2016, Bruce Wood Dance Dallas has performed across Texas and at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and The Joyce Theater’s American Dance Platform. In 2023–2024, the company was featured at the Palm Desert Choreography Festival in California, the Battery Dance Festival and Guggenheim Museum in Lar Lubovitch at 80: Art of the Duet in New York City, the 16th Annual Spring To Dance Festival in St. Louis, Missouri, Red Rock Dance Festival in St. George, Utah, and Oklahoma International Dance Festival in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
DALLAS BLACK DANCE THEATRE
Dallas Black Dance Theatre, since 1976, Dallas Black Dance Theatre has stood as a beacon of artistic excellence and cultural bridge-building. Founded by Ann Williams, we are Dallas’s oldest continuously operating professional dance company, bringing together contemporary modern dance with the rich traditions that shape our artistic vision.
Featuring full-time professional dancers who perform a diverse repertoire spanning classical, modern, jazz, African, and spiritual works, our mission is to create and produce contemporary modern dance at the highest level of artistic excellence through performances and educational programs that bridge cultures and reach diverse communities.
Notable Performances and Recognition:
Olympic Arts Festival (1992, 1996, 2012)
Broadway productions
The Kennedy Center
Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival
National Black Arts Festival
The Joyce Theatre
Sixth International Ballet Festival (Miami)
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival debut (2021) with the commissioned work Like Water by Darrell Grand Moultrie
Capital One City Parks Foundation Summer Stage (2022)
Battery Dance Festival (2022)
International Festival of Arts & Ideas (2022)
International festivals across Austria, Belize, Bermuda, England, Italy, Japan, Peru, South Africa, Spain, and Zimbabwe
Beyond our touring performances, Dallas Black Dance Theatre offers comprehensive residency programs including master classes, workshops, children and senior citizen matinees, lecture-demonstrations, and full evening performances. We have conducted week-long residencies across the United States in Maryland, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Indiana, Wisconsin, Mississippi, South Carolina and Arkansas, bringing dance education and cultural enrichment to communities nationwide.
ORCHESTRA OF NEW SPAIN
The Orchestra of New Spain is a versatile body of more than 40 instrumentalists and singers steeped in the performance of early music, with a specialty in Spanish and American Hispanic music. ONS’s principal repertory is drawn from manuscripts found in the court, public, and cathedral archives of Spain, whence ONS Music Director has edited, and the Orchestra has performed more than 100 little known works. ONS annually produces seven repertories played in some 12 concerts. The Orchestra’s theatrical, educational, and touring activities offer its public a fascinating experience of a little-known aspect of Spanish musical life.
MISSION
Introduction in concert of the neglected repertory of the Spanish and New World 17th and 18th centuries, and exploration of the Hispanic heritage of which it is a part; educating the public on the importance of the repertory and its broader cultural implications.
Performance of other Renaissance, baroque, classical, and romantic repertoires on period instruments.
Performance of alternative repertoires, from other periods and provenance.
The Orchestra of New Spain operates under the umbrella of the Pegasus Musical Society, a non profit 501(c) 3 corporation.
The tango itself emerged through a vibrant blending of cultural influences from South and Central America, Africa, and European immigrants from Spain and Italy. The visual beauty of tonight’s performance is richly enhanced by the mesmerizing artistry of Argentine tango dancers Nasrin Barmaki and Mark Hernandez. Through elegant movement and expressive storytelling, their choreography draws us more deeply into the mystery of the Mass Litany.
Nasrin Barmaki and Mark Hernandez are internationally recognized Argentine tango dancers, choreographers, teachers, and the founders of TangoAmor in Dallas, Texas. As interdisciplinary artists with eclectic dance backgrounds, they are known for blending Argentine tango with theater, philosophy, Persian poetry, and multicultural performance traditions, creating immersive productions that bridge Eastern and Western artistic traditions. For more than two decades, they have taught Argentine Tango at institutions including UT Southwestern Medical School, the University of Texas, and SMU in Dallas.
Together, they have taught, choreographed, and performed in cities around the world, earning acclaim for their musicality, elegance, and emotionally nuanced performances. Their collective professional resume includes
collaborations with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Music International, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of New Spain, and Pegasus Choral Society. Through performances, productions, and community engagement, they continue to expand the expressive possibilities of Argentine tango while fostering artistic dialogue across cultures.
PEGASUS CONTEMPORARY BALLET
Pegasus Contemporary Ballet, founded by Diana Crowder in 2021, has swiftly emerged as Dallas’s premier contemporary ballet company. Since its inception, the company has presented innovative performances and captivated the Dallas arts scene with both intimate, engaging events and traditional proscenium productions at the Moody Performance Hall.
PCB has celebrated sold-out performances and secured grants from prestigious organizations such as the Dallas Arts District Foundation, TACA, the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, the Moody Fund For The Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, the Harold Simmons Foundation, and the Eugene McDermott Foundation. Additionally, the company’s commitment to collaboration has resulted in 20 interdisciplinary partnerships with esteemed artists and musicians. Since 2021, the company has commissioned over 30 new works of choreography, including 11 original scores and 5 evening-length productions.
Pegasus Contemporary Ballet has received acclaim from local media outlets, including D Magazine, The Dallas Morning News, The Dallas Voice, Arts and Culture Texas, WRR, KTX, The Dallas Observer, Thrillist, and on NBC5 DFW and Good Morning Texas. Noteworthy productions such as Synergy and The Egg have demonstrated the company’s ability to push artistic boundaries and captivate audiences with impactful storytelling and innovative commissions.
During the 2023/2024 season, Pegasus Contemporary Ballet was invited as one of six organizations to participate in the inaugural cohort of the TACA Arts Accelerator. This nine-month program provided individualized mentorship and education in arts management, culminating in the development of a 3-year strategic plan.
PCB is the only professional company dedicated solely to contemporary ballet in Dallas. In only its fifth season, the company has become an emerging leader in the Dallas arts scene and is poised for continued growth. Pegasus Contemporary Ballet’s mission is to use the classical foundation of ballet to express contemporary perspectives, engage diverse communities, and enrich the human experience.
Follow the company at www.pegasusballet.org and on social media @pegasuscontemporaryballet. Pegasus Contemporary Ballet is a 501c3 non-profit and donations are tax-deductible.
VERDIGRIS ENSEMBLE
Verdigris Ensemble was founded in 2017 by Sam Brukhman, who saw untapped potential in immersive music experiences. Believing music could be more than concerts, Sam gathered forward-thinking artists to redefine vocal music as immersive, technology-driven, and deeply connected to contemporary life.
Verdigris set out to be a catalyst for cultural transformation in Dallas, commissioning bold new works and creating genre-blurring experiences. What began as a bold dream has evolved into a recognized movement, shaping Dallas as a center for artistic excellence and innovation.
Many thanks to Visual Artists:
LaShonda Cooks
Katherine Baronet
Juan Cruz
Johnson Price
Fred Villanueva
Xingon Xingnx
Executive Director/ Artistic Director Charles Santos
Director of Operations John Frazier
Director of Development and Education .................... Jessica Malek
Artistic Direction .................... Charles Santos
Production Coordination/ Lighting Design Amarante Lucero
Production Assistant Bill Peeler
Stage Manager...................... Donovan Carter
ArtFest at the Moody is a celebration of Dallas based artists and a collaboration between TITAS/DANCE UNBOUND and the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture.
