Dallas Black Dance Theatre Performs at Skopje Dance Festival In North Macedonia

Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) is heading to North Macedonia to perform in the Skopje Dance Festival on April 12, 2023. DBDT will present a full performance of five works, including pieces choreographed by Darrell Grand Moultrie, Gregory Dolbashian, and My'Kal Stromile. This is the second time that Dallas Black Dance Theatre has traveled to North Macedonia.

The Boston Globe described LIKE WATER by award-winning choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie as "the ensemble's spectacular, virtuosic style of contemporary movement..." as it ebbed from "waves of grief" to "bubbles with joy." LIKE WATER was commissioned by Jacob's Pillow as the inaugural recipient of the Joan B. Hunter New Work Commission, making its world premiere at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival on August 4, 2021. Grand Moultrie explains, "This work is created in celebration of our resilience. LIKE WATER, we can't survive without love, compassion, and human connection. Moultrie added, "I want the audience to walk away feeling there is more hope, that there is love, that there is vitality. I wanted them to feel the energy of these dancers."

DBDT will also perform two other works by Darrell Grand Moultrie. Execution of a Sentiment is a high-powered finale for the program. Moultrie created the work for DBDT in 2019. He describes the work as "exploring the beauty of both Classical Ballet technique and Modern Dance molded into one" by moving people in unexpected ways. Moultrie is known for his ability to choreograph in all genres, including ballet, theater, and commercial dance.

Moultrie's Road to One embraces the road we take to leave a legacy in our lives. Moultrie was inspired to choreograph the high-energy ensemble to honor a mentor who introduced him to arts at a young age. Moultrie is a graduate of the prestigious The Juilliard School. Some of his credits include commissioned works for the Colorado Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Ailey 2, Smuin Ballet, Ballet X, Dance Theatre of Harlem, The Boston Conservatory, and The Juilliard School, among others. Moultrie is a proud recipient of the 2007 Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship Award.

Described by The New York Times as a "fluid and inventive" choreographer, Gregory Dolbashian created Shatter for Dallas Black Dance Theatre in 2023. The work creates a unique movement language that strives to uncover the body's inherent wisdom and its affinity for expression in the work. Dolbashian's work explores human behavior and connection in audacious and vibrant ways.

Boston Ballet company member and DBDT alum My'Kal Stromile choreographed Baile del Corazon for DBDT in 2022. Stromile created the new work to inspire movement and dance flowing from the heart. He describes the solo as a heart dance expressing all the beautiful things about dance. Stromile was once a rapidly rising teenage phenom at Dallas Black Dance Academy who, at age 14, earned an invitation to dance with the Second Company of Dallas Black Dance Theatre. He remained a company member until he graduated from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and went on to graduate from The Juilliard School on a full scholarship.

In 2019, DBDT did an eight-month cultural exchange with Association MakeDox, a filmmaking nonprofit in the Republic of North Macedonia. The dancers collaborated with Romani musicians. The result was The Way of Clave, a documentary about African American history through dance and Romani heritage through music. The documentary made its world premiere in July 2019 with a live synchronous Q&A of participants in Dallas and North Macedonia.

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