Connexions

Connexions features guest dancers/choreographers Lloyd Knight and Jamar Roberts, who are recognized as premiere voices in shaping the future of American Modern Dance and important artists of color. 

Lloyd Knight presents his world-premiere “Commune”  - a new work commissioned by Kanopy and choreographed to an electronic mix by the Signal Band - that deeply resonates in our society today. How does each of us find a path to community and experience a sense of togetherness or unity? Knight, a principal dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company, is also a guest Principal artist for The Royal Ballet of Flanders.

Another highlight of the concert is “Born to Love”, a solo to be performed in a film production by the mesmerizing Knight and choreographed by Jamar Roberts, that explores the heightened emotions of love, indelible remembrances, and inevitable loss. It is set to Dianne Warwick’s hit “(There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me”. Roberts, whose choreographic voice has been described as an “uncommon force and originality” by Dance Magazine, is the Resident Choreographer of the internationally renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in NYC.

Also on the Connexions program is Lisa Thurrell’s, “For Persephone ate the Pomegranate”, a solo inspired by the Greek myth of Persephone- the ancient Greek Goddess of Spring and Innocence who was spirited away by Hades to become Queen of the Underworld. The poignant work is set to music composed by the late Vicky Tzoumerka Knoedler - a composer and founder of the Mesoghios Dance Troupe and honors her art and her memory. Finally, Robert Cleary presents his “Fear is the Enemy”, a political dance about the loss of trust and silencing the voice of protest.