RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com
Bruce Wood Dance Dallas returns to the stage this month with GLOW, which features three works of contemporary dance. BWDD will present pieces by Lars Lubovitch and Bruce Wood, but new to this show is one world premiere. BWDD has also commissioned “Bad Dog No Biscuits” by Robert Battle, former artistic director of the acclaimed company Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, for this show.
At the time of this interview, there were no biscuits in Battle’s mind yet.
“I don’t have a title yet. I’m working on that,” he said back in mid-October. “Titles are the hardest thing. But we just finished and something will come once I see it all together.”
The piece incorporates jazz with high-spirited movement for Battle’s world premiere. With a score that includes Chet Baker, Sean Jones, Dizzy Gillespie and more, the concept of “Bad Dog” began on a plane.
The first piece of music Battle found on the flight to Dallas. That seemed to open the door for the rest.
“Bad Dog No Biscuit” rehearsals (Photo by Natalie Bracken)
“Once it’s on your mind, it becomes fairly organic. I picked this first jazz piece, and the rest sort of revealed themselves to me,” he said.
Along with “Bad Dog No Biscuits,” GLOW will feature “Concerto Six Twenty-Two” by choreographer Lar Lubovitch and “No Sea To Sail In” by the company’s founder, the late Bruce Wood. Performances run Nov. 21-23 at Moody Performance Hall.
Battle described “Bad Dog” as a celebration of dance and dancers — which makes sense for the longtime artist. His own work and career have been celebrations of the same.
Battle is the founder of Battleworks Dance Company. Perhaps his most notable appointment was being hand-selected by Judith Jamison in 2011 to become the third artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
During his 13-year tenure at Ailey, Battle discovered the relationship dance can have with the trying times of the day.
“Diving into Alvin’s trajectory, I had this revelation that when he started in 1958, it was on the cusp of civil rights, and he was celebrating the human spirit. But also, there’s some touchpoint in healing,” he explained. “As creatives, then and now, we have this pressure of speaking to those intense moments.
“Resistance can come in many forms,” he continued. “For him then and me now, it comes in the form of creating joy and hope in a time where we feel hopeless, angry and disconnected.”
That perspective and vision would manifest into extensive accolades that included Battle being named a Master of African American Choreography by the Kennedy Center, an Art of Change Fellow by the Ford Foundation and a Princess Grace Foundation Statue awardee.
Battle currently serves as the Paul Taylor Dance Company resident choreographer in New York City. But he’s also had an extensive relationship with Dallas.
“Dallas has always been in orbit for a while,” he said. “When I had Battleworks, three of those dancers were from SMU. So I created work there as well and became aware of Bruce Wood.
“After leaving Ailey, I was teaching at a festival in Oklahoma where the company performed, and I met Joy who had seen works of mine.”
“Joy” is Joy Halperin, the executive director of BWDD.
“We are incredibly excited to share his new work with our North Texas audience,” she said of Battle’s premiere.
When Battle visited with her and the company and taught a masterclass, he was excited about this opportunity to create a new piece.
“This is a really special company, and the level of talent is really high — on par with some of the larger New York companies,” he said. “There’s this quiet strength about this company that is easy to appreciate.”
For tickets, visit BruceWoodDance.org.
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