Collage Dance, one of the 50 largest ballet companies in the nation, will perform “Origins,” at Playhouse on the Square in Memphis, Oct 23-25, opening the 17th repertory season for the pre-eminent, Black-led performing arts organization.
Company artists will bring four contemporary ballets to the stage for three weekend performances that honor Black culture and history, featuring songs by music icons Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway and musicians with ties to Memphis.
“With ‘Origins,’ we have been very intentional about integrating Memphis music and the overall Black cultural experience,” said artistic director Kevin Thomas. “It’s a tribute to our own stories, our history, our community.”
Since founding Collage in 2006, Thomas and executive director Marcellus Harper have sought to create a dance center where students and professionals of color are embraced and celebrated.
Today, more than 1,000 students attend classes every week in one of five studios at the dance center’s campus in Binghamton at 505 Tillman St., along with 11 professional dancers who have found a home in Memphis — arriving from Florida, Brazil, Colombia and Uganda.
Others, including Maya Hawkins, are city natives.
Hawkins, who studied at the dance center in high school, joined the company six years ago before heading to Philadelphia and then Washington, D.C., for additional training. The best part about her job is getting to dance every day, she said.
“I joined the company in 2020 as a guest during a virtual season, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then in 2022 I auditioned and I’ve been here ever since,” Hawkins said. “I love being able to express myself and tell great stories. And working with such great choreographers to bring these stories to life through dance is really fun.”
People of color are central to every project and performance undertaken by the dance center’s leaders. One example is its 22,500-square-foot facility, developed at the height of the global pandemic, which features studio floors in varying shades of brown and ceilings dressed to convey a daytime sky for young dancers and a nighttime mood for adult students. And oversized windows that flood each room with natural light allow passersby to peer inside.
During recent rehearsals in front of a small audience, company dancers performed a synergistic pairing of contemporary and classical ballet styles that seemed natural — yet also groundbreaking — and anchored by Memphis culture and the Black experience.
“We know historically we’ve been left out of the classical art,” said Thomas, who hails from Canada. “When I started dancing, I was the only dancer of color until I joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem and was reminded of how beautiful I am. That’s why we created Collage.”
Following “Origins,” the dance center will produce a new holiday show, “Amazing Grace,” in December, its signature show, “Rise,” in February and other works in spring 2027.
“Kevin has a great vision and he sees something special in all of us,” Hawkins said. “He believes in us and we want to grow and achieve. It’s really special to have someone see you in that way.”
For more information, class schedules and tickets, visit https://collagedance.org/.
