Repertory Dance Theatre Announces REGALIA

Repertory Dance Theatre celebrates 55 years of revolutionary modern dance with their annual fundraiser and choreographer competition, REGALIA, in a whole new way this February. Moving to a virtual experience this season, the competition brings four talented and aspiring choreographers the chance to win a commission for RDT.

This year, RDT is thrilled to have Ruby Cabbell, Anne Marie Robson Smock, Kaley Pruitt, and Lauren Simpson competing for votes from audience members to be awarded a chance to create a new commission for RDT's 2021-2022 season. The choreographers will each be given four hours to work with RDT dancers via Zoom to create a new work.

Ruby Cabbell graduated with a BFA in Ballet Pedagogy from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford in 2019. She began her journey with dance at LA County High School for the Arts in her hometown of Los Angeles. She currently dances with Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company and is thrilled to be a part of RDT's Regalia 2021.

Kaley Pruitt established Kaley Pruitt Dance in New York City in 2011. Her work spans from comedic dance theater to site-specific and abstract concert aesthetic. KPD's been presented at Austin Dance Festival, WIM Festival, Dixon Place, ACDA, UW Milwaukee, Illinois State University, MMAC, Triskelion Arts, CPR, Movement Research, and others. She holds an MFA from UW Milwaukee and BFA from Florida State University.

Anne Marie Robson Smock is a Brooklyn-based dance educator, choreographer, and performer. She received her MFA in Dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts while simultaneously earning her MA in Dance Education from NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Originally from Salt Lake City, she holds a BFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah.

Lauren Simpson is an Omaha-based choreographer. In 2020 she started an experimental outdoor performance project, Moving Truck, which was featured as part of The Kennedy Center's Arts Across America series. She is currently an artist in residence at ODC Theater in San Francisco through 2021. M.F.A. University of Colorado-Boulder, Ed.M. Harvard University.

The filmed pieces will be available to view beginning February 22, 2021. Audience members will be invited to watch the performances throughout the week, while also bidding on silent auction items online. Anyone can view the newly-created pieces on RDT's website, free of charge. Audience members are encouraged to "vote by donating" to the choreographer they would like to see win a commission for next season.

The week-long fundraiser will culminate with a live-streamed party on February 27, where the winner will be announced, the RDT dancers will perform, and more surprises are in store.

Viewing for the entire event is free of charge, but VIP tickets are available and include an optional pre-show virtual sushi-making class with Eddeesan from Yoshi's, snacks delivered to your home for the viewing party, special recognition throughout the show, and more.

www.rdtutah.org

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