DDP Talks To
"The Devil Ties My Tongue" by Amy Seiwert performed for the SKETCH Series, 2013. Photo by David DeSilva. Courtesy of Amy Seiwert's Imagery
December 31st: New England Presenter Travel Fund, December 31st: Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet Scholarship, December 31st: 24 Seven Dance Convention, December 31st: National Theater Project Presenter Travel Grant, December 31st: Breck Creek Artist-in-Residence Program
×"The Devil Ties My Tongue" by Amy Seiwert performed for the SKETCH Series, 2013. Photo by David DeSilva. Courtesy of Amy Seiwert's Imagery
The absolute first thing to know about Christine Cox is that she is incredibly kind, and the second that she has huge reserves of energy. The enthusiasm, optimism and genuine joy she brings to even the smallest detail or the briefest encounter, do much to explain the extraordinary success and outsized impact of her influential company, BalletX, which over the last 13 years has survived and prospered as the second, smaller company in Philadelphia, growing a fantastically loyal and energized audience base.
Cox has managed to create a legacy of groundbreaking work: by the end of the 2018-2019 season, BalletX will have premiered 75 new works, while also keeping the Company consistently in the black. This extraordinary combination of business acumen and artistic fearlessness, has resulted in a new $850,000 Ballet Center for World Premiere Choreography: a 5,000 square foot light filled studio, as well as for the first time this season, the ability to pay health care costs for dancers who are on a 37 week contract and her full time staff.
Founded in 2005 with Matthew Neenan, and now lead by Cox who is Artistic and Executive Director BalletX consistently pushes to the cutting edge by producing new works by choreographers who are at many stages of their development and from all over the world.. From Annabelle Lopez Ochoa to Penny Saunders, the Company under Cox’s steady hand, has provided a platform for some of the best and most innovative modern ballet choreographers, many of whom are women, including Gabrielle Lamb, Helen Pickett and many years ago her own work.
Oh, and yes, she also finds time to be a mom of 2 young boys.
Liza Yntema sat down with Christine Cox in early December:
LY: You mentioned in passing that you are dyslexic. It doesn’t seem to have slowed you down at all?
CC: I am absolutely a do-er, not a dreamer. Because school was a such a challenge for me, I learned that hard work is the only way to accomplish anything. For me moving felt like I was home and dance became a safe haven. What I gained from being a little slower in school was how to navigate in society, How to communicate with people and to to team build.”
LY: You mention that it was challenging for you to fit into the ballet world, please explain?
CC: I started developing at age 10 and was a mature teenager. I was also a strong willed young lady who’s character and personality was much different than other dancers. I looked like a women and that did not serve me well as a professional ballet dancers. Directors wanted me to not have curves and as thin as possible.
LY: You seem to be able to do it all, yet you made the decision not to choreograph any more?
CC: In 2008 I was 9 months pregnant and choreographing, while also developing a company. My gut instincts told me to stop dancing and choreographing and focus on being a new Mom and growing BalletX. The first step was formalizing a company that offered annual contracts instead of gigs.I knew we needed to establish a home theater and our residency at The Wilma Theater was and is a great partnership. I wanted to build a passionate audience that fell in love with new ballets
LY: You have assembled an incredible roster of talent over the years. How do you find choreographers?
CC: I find choreographers in all sorts of ways. Many pass along their work through emails and sometimes I get to see it live when time permits.I love work that ignites my soul and touches my heart. I love work that surprises me and gets my brain flowing. I know quickly if a choreographer has something I am curious about. I am also looking for the dancers to grow and learn from the process. New ballets are in important and help the field stay relevant.
LY: Do you see a difference in how women and men approach choreography?
CC: Well, one very basic differences is that more men seem comfortable promoting themselves. They will reach out multiple times while I do not get a lot of submissions from women. Maybe they are just not as many out there? Haha – isn’t that part of the problem?
It’s hard for me to compare men and women because everyone is different. As I women I know I like to view work that has some meaning or purpose behind its development. I get tired of movement for movement’s sake unless it has a real intention.
LY: In 2008, you hosted a panel with Helen Pickett and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa on the state of the dance industry and being a female choreographer. If I asked you for an update today, what would you say?
CC: It really doesn’t feel much different. I have to seek out female choreographers and am making an effort to support their work at BalletX. This season I am commissioning 4 world Premieres by Women out of 7.
LY: Finally, I was interested in where you see BalletX headed, back to the model of dancers in socks streaking across the stage at a dead run.
CC: I am tired of socks! I often ask choreographers to make work en pointe company because I am curious about what the shoe can do to help or hinder the dance vocabulary.
LY: And to that point, I am incredibly excited you are working with Annabelle Lopez Ochoa again, on a beautiful uplifting story?
CC: Yes, this summer Annabelle will be back working with us on a new full length ballet of The Little Prince by Saint-Exupéry.
LY: I cannot wait! So much would rather see that than another Nutcracker.
CC: And we have another super talented choreographer working with the Company now, Katarzyna Skarpetowska is BalletX’s 2019 Choreographic Fellow. [See video below.]
LY: Ok, big picture, talk to me about the future of ballet..
CC: I can have a dream for the company to grow but everything comes down to having the support. That is a challenge for all non profits. My goal is to continue to push our capabilities at BalletX, support the creation of new work with a minimum of 7 world premieres a year, making BalletX a hub/lab of dance creation. Focus on the development of artist and open our home for the community to experience dance in a whole new way. Continue and expand our Dance eXchange program for 3rd and 4th grade students in Philadelphia Public schools, while training and supporting teaching artist. Continue to tour and bring programs that inspire new audiences to fall in love with contemporary ballet staff.
Bigger picture for the future of ballet is unclear. I think we have a lot of potential to touch and inspire people if we create opportunities to support new works.
Pictured from right to left: Patricia Barretto, CEO of Harris Theater Chicago, Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director of the English National Ballet, DDP Founder Liza Yntema, and New York Times dance writer Marina Harss at the Guggenheim’s Works & Process.
DDP is interested in dialogue with artistic and executive leadership promoting women and their interests. Our founder, Liza Yntema, has begun a listening tour, visiting on behalf of Dance Data Project at leading domestic companies. Previously, Ms. Yntema visited the ABT for its inaugural choreographic Incubator, as well as attending the Guggenheim’s Works & Process featuring Marina Harss, Patricia Barretto and Tamara Rojo discussing the English National Ballet’s new Giselle by Akram Khan. After a stop at BalletX in Philadelphia, Liza has learned more about their Choreographic Fellowship, and her interview with Artistic Director Christine Cox will appears in a feature for the DDP News page. She intends to familiarize herself with each major company’s culture, while working to advance those companies with DDP’s mission of gender equity in all aspects of classical dance.
By Isabelle Vail
25 January 2019
Creator of Jane Eyre for Northern Ballet, Cathy Marston has choreographed a new co-production for the National Ballet of Canada and Northern Ballet. The production is a biopic on the life of Queen Victoria, as recorded in the Queen’s diaries and retold by her daughter following the Queen’s death. The work will premier on March 9th, 2019 in the Leeds Grand Theatre.
Watch a video below and buy tickets here.
By Isabelle Vaik
25 January 2019
Check out a sneak peek of BalletX in the studio with 2019 Choreographic Fellow Katarzyna Skarpetowska. Plus hear from Kate about the inspiration behind her ballet, and excerpts of the music. Catch the World Premiere of Kate’s work at Spring Series 2019!
By Diane Dorrans Saeks
24 January 2019
Though centered around fashion, Saeks’ recent article highlights feminism and female choreographers highlighted at the San Francisco Ballet gala:
Fashion and dance were the focus for the evening’s glittery crowd, but feminist issues were a major topic of discussion. Komal Shah ran into Larissa Roesch (wearing an Andrew Gn gown), with whom she founded the Center for Gender Equity and Leadership at University of California Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
“We are planning to highlight and celebrate next year’s centennial of the women’s suffragette movement,” said Shah. “Women have come so far and there is still a lot to do for women in the business sphere. Equity is more urgent than ever.”
…
The evening’s program included two world premieres with a pas de deux by Bay Area choreographer Danielle Rowe featuring principal dancers Aaron Robison and Sofiane Sylve. It was followed by a new pas de deux by choreographer in residence Yuri Possokhov, with music by Arvo Pärt and featuring principal dancers Yuan Yuan Tan and Carlo Di Lanno.
Ballet fan Coralie Langston-Jones loved the new work by Rowe, who also designed the dancers’ costumes. “It’s great to see more female choreographers on the program,” said Langston-Jones, who was accompanied by her daughter, Sophia Wickens, a ballet student, who recently auditioned for San Francisco Ballet’s summer intensive program. “Women’s choreographers are somewhat rare in classical ballet, and Rowe is exceptionally talented.”
Read the full article on WWD.
By Steve Sucato
Awareness of the dearth of female choreographers in dance (especially ballet) has become more widespread in recent years. Dance companies and presenters have lined up to showcase programming exhibiting more inclusion on that front and celebrating female dance makers.
For veteran choreographer Jessica Lang, this current climate of female empowerment represents a bit of a double-edged sword. Lang says that in her eyes, the lack of opportunities for female choreographers has been a problem for a long time, but the sudden rush by dance organizations to create all-female choreographer programs has in some ways exploited the issue.
“It is slightly insulting to the female choreographers that have been working all along,” says Lang. And while she is all for the wider recognition of the issue, she says “If you like my work, I hope you select it because the work is good and not because I am a woman.”
Read the full article in Pittsburgh City Paper.
24 January 2019
Charlotte Ballet, under the direction of Hope Muir, begins its Innovative Works this weekend, beginning on the 25th. The company details the program:
In a daring experiment, the works of William Shakespeare come to life at Innovative Works through a creative collaboration with UNC Charlotte. Artistic Director Hope Muir has paired renowned choreographers with Charlotte-area Shakespeare experts to explore his works from a fresh perspective. Acclaimed choreographer Peter Chu joins Robinson Distinguished Professor of Shakespeare Dr. Andrew Hartley, while award-winning choreographer Stephanie Martinez pairs with the playwright, theatre and dance historian Dr. Lynne Conner. Join us to witness the culmination of this innovative collaboration and experience Shakespeare’s enduring tales in a fresh, provocative way.
This exciting performance explores female characters and is an exemplary example of regional companies prioritizing strong female work and subject matters.
Learn more about, buy tickets for, and watch videos featuring Charlotte Ballet’s Innovative Works here.
By Lawrence Toppman
23 January 2019
Biology and psychology. Gender-bending and mind-bending. Innocent love and violent love and sparring love and interspecies love and anxiety so paralyzing it saps a philosopher’s will.
That’s what you’ll get when Charlotte Ballet unveils a new approach to Innovative Works this month.
In the old model, many choreographers — most of them already associated with the company — designed short pieces that filled up winter programs at McBride-Bonnefoux Center for Dance. This time, artistic director Hope Muir has paired two out-of-town dancemakers with two UNC Charlotte professors to create “Shakespeare Reinvented,” which runs Jan. 25-Feb. 16.
Muir mounted her first heavyweight collaboration last season, teaming with the Charlotte Symphony to present a gentler “Rite of Spring” that used dancers from Charlotte Ballet II, Charlotte Ballet’s apprentice program and young Reach trainees from three local recreation centers.
Read the full article in the Charlotte Observer.
By Isabelle Vail
24 January 2019
From the Annenberg Center’s description:
“One of the great companies of the world” (The New York Times), the Martha Graham Dance Company is one of the oldest and most celebrated contemporary dance companies on the planet. In the EVE Project, this iconic troupe stays true to Graham’s tradition of social activism with a program by all female choreographers commemorating the upcoming centennial of the 19th Amendment. Featuring the powerful Philadelphia premiere of Chronicle by Graham, as well as the first preview performance of a new work by contemporary superstars Maxine Doyle and Bobbi Jene Smith, this amazing company continues to inspire and impress the generations worldwide.
Program includes:Diversion of Angels by Martha Graham
Ekstasis by Martha Graham, Reimagined by Virginie MeceneDeo (first preview) by Maxine Doyle and Bobbi Jene SmithChronicle by Martha Graham
Read about the program on the Annenberg Center’s website.
By Isabelle Vail
23 January 2019
Pointe has posted a recent article about Cincinnati Ballet and its fearless woman leader, Victoria Morgan. The article directly praises Morgan’s use of female talent behind-the-scenes at the company. Read below an excerpt of the beginning:
Victoria Morgan‘s normally bright smile is even brighter entering her 22nd season as Cincinnati Ballet’s artistic director. That’s because the 55-year-old company is in the best shape it has ever been: Attendance, ticket sales and the company’s annual operating budget are at all-time highs. But the road to Cincinnati Ballet’s current successes required an early revamp in Morgan’s thinking about programming. When she took over leadership in 1997, the former San Francisco Ballet dancer had trouble accepting that the company simply didn’t have the budget for her ideas about duplicating the repertoire she was used to.
“I finally realized that part of my reason for being was to find and grow young choreographic talent and to be in the conversation around today’s ideas,” says Morgan. That focus on rising choreographers and work from in-demand dancemakers, including Justin Peck, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Adam Hougland, has come to define Cincinnati Ballet. So has Morgan’s commitment to highlighting female choreographers. Ballets by Heather Britt, Jessica Lang and Amy Seiwert and several all-female-choreographer programs have solidified that reputation.
Read the full article in Pointe Magazine.
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"The Devil Ties My Tongue" by Amy Seiwert performed for the SKETCH Series, 2013. Photo by David DeSilva. Courtesy of Amy Seiwert's Imagery