Collage Dance Collective (Virtual Performance)

Now performing nationally and internationally, Collage has matured into an amazing ensemble of 11 dance artists and gifted performers who are also dance educators.  Its repertoire includes a diverse range of classical and contemporary choreography—ballets by Frederick Ashton, Camille A. Brown, Nicolo Fonte, Gemma Bond as well as original works by Artistic Director Kevin Thomas, Dwight Rhoden, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Christopher Huggins, Arturo Fernandez, Joshua Manculich, Amy Hall Garner, and Endalyn Taylor.

History: After presenting eleven seasons of emotionally evocative performances to local and international audiences and cultivating a love of dance in thousands of students, Collage Dance remains at the national forefront of inspiring the growth and diversity of ballet. Collage Dance’s founders established the professional dance company in New York City in 2006 in response to the ballet industry’s lack of racial diversity on stage. In 2009, after moving to Memphis, Tennessee, Collage opened its dance conservatory to expand access to classical training to communities of color and prepare them for collegial and professional dance appointments. Collage’s professional dancers serve as role models and cultural ambassadors for the city of Memphis while Collage’s conservatory programs provide a multitude of ways for our community to engage with the fine arts.

Mission: Thanks to the supporters and friends of Collage Dance, we have been instrumental in dramatically changing the landscape of dance in the American South. Through the growth of our arts education programming, the enthusiastic reception of our company performances, and our diversity advocacy, Memphis is now home to a thriving Black dance community. Collage Dance Collective is one of the largest Black-led performing arts organizations in the South and one of a few professional ballet companies in the world with a roster of BIPOC dancers. Our expanding programming and new, state-of-the-art facility positions Collage to be an anchor cultural institution in Memphis and a wellspring for future generations of Southern performing artists and 21st century creative leaders.