ST. LOUIS — What was once known as The Big Muddy Dance Company in St. Louis has a new identity that hopes to add more pride to the city's vibrant performing arts scene.
Next week, the reinvented "St. Louis Dance Theatre" will debut a fresh season of contemporary repertory dance at its fall opening performance on Thursday, Oct. 24th and Friday, Oct. 25 at the Catherine B. Berges Theatre (at COCA).
16 dancers from across the world and St. Louis will grace the stage with a collection of works by artists of varied generations.
That includes Robert Battle, the Artistic Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and the 1942 solo Chaconne by dance pioneer José Limón (Culiacán, MX), which blends "the formal austerity of the traditional Mexican dance with the powerful emotion of the music."
The weekend will also feature two world premiere works, by artistic director Kirven Douthit-Boyd and renowned guest artist Jamar Roberts.
Douthit-Boyd, who trained and performed with the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 2004-2015, stopped by Today in St. Louis to talk about the company's fresh identity and name.
"As I was continuing to evolve and to grow this artistic work and this beautiful journey that we are on. I wanted to make sure everything aligned. It was important for me to bring the name of St. Louis into the name and also dance theatre. That is what we do," the star dancer said. "Ironically the organization was coined as St. Louis Dance Theatre in the beginning so literally bringing it back to its roots."
The company will partner with St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in an upcoming performance, and with Jazz St. Louis to put an exciting new spin on Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker.