The Choreographers

Jane Comfort creates dance theater works, as artistic director of Jane Comfort and Company, that push the intersection of movement and language to a new form of theater. Called by The New York Times "a postmodernist pioneer in the use of verbal material in dance," Jane addresses contemporary social and cultural issues with compassion and wit. And that's exactly what she brings to us: an examination of the ties that bind us, the connections of mothers to their children, and of all of us to the forces that keep us moving each day. Jane has received 13 choreography fellowships and company grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Doris Duke Award for New Work. 

She also has received support from Creative Capital, the Rockefeller Foundation, NPN Creation Fund, the New York State Council on the Arts, Performing Americas, Arts International, Altria Group, New England Foundation for the Arts, The Mary Flagler Cary Foundation, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, The New York Foundation for the Arts, The Joyce Mertz-Gilmore Foundation, and others.

Jane is working with Grammy-nominated jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum to create an original piece of music set to a background of her choreography. The finished piece, which premieres in this AbunDANCE showcase, is funded by New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project (NDP) with generous support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the MetLife Community Connections Fund of the MetLife Foundation.

Petr Zahradnícek joins us again after his premiere with us for this season's Connections: Food. Petr dances for Milwaukee Ballet but is equally at home as a choreographer. In 2007, Petr received the Choreographic Fellowship Award from the New York Choreographic Institute to create a new piece for Milwaukee Ballet; he has choreographed pieces for Milwaukee Ballet’s Pabst Theater series, Gathering on the Green and Milwaukee Ballet School. His Connections: Food piece is his first work for Ballet Memphis. Petr was born in the Moravian capital of Brno, in the Czech Republic. He graduated in 1993 from the Brno Dance Conservatoire and joined the National Theater in Prague. In 1996, Petr moved to Germany where he danced with such companies as Theater Vorpommern, Salzburg Ballet and Stadtheater Würzburg. In the U.S., he has performed with Gleich Dances Contemporary Ballet in New York City and the Colorado Ballet.

Robert Battle founded Battleworks Dance Company in 2001 and premiered the company in 2002 at the World Dance Alliance’s Global Assembly in Düsseldorf, Germany. He has performed extensively in New York City and nationwide at such venues as The Joyce Theater, Dance Theater Workshop, American Dance Festival and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Also an independent choreographer, Robert has created works for Alvin Ailey, River North Dance Company, The Hubbard Street Repertory Ensemble and PARADIGM, among other notable companies. His work also has been performed internationally and featured in several New York City seasons. In 2005, Robert was honored at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with a medal, proclaiming him one of the Masters of African-American Choreography. He also was honored with the coveted Princess Grace Statue Award for achievements in choreography. Robert is from Miami, Fla., and is a graduate of the New World School of the Arts and The Juilliard School.

Trey McIntyre has created several works for Ballet Memphis, including In Dreams, The Barramundi, Grace and The Naughty Boy. As an internationally acclaimed choreographer, Trey has created more than 80 ballets for companies such as American Ballet Theatre, Stuttgart Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, New York City Ballet and the Trey McIntyre Project. He has received many grants and awards, including two choreographic fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Choo-San Goh Award for Choreography, and he was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2001. In the summer of 2008, Trey launched the Trey McIntyre Project in Boise, Idaho. In its first full-time year, the company toured more than 25 cities nationally and internationally.

Tickets

Abundance: Joyful Noise will be performed at Playhouse on the Square, where seats start at just $10. This performance is included in your season-ticket package, where you will receive free parking for the event. You may purchase tickets online or by calling the Ballet Memphis Box Office at 901-737-7322.