Phoenix Danse

Better To Have Loved (6 dancers)
Choreographer: A.C. Gilmore
A tribute to mothers who have lost children during the miracle of childbirth or shortly thereafter.  Though it is always painful to lose a child during the beginning stages of life, it is the comfort and joy in knowing that for a short moment in time it was better to have known that special bond and love.
 
hOMe (6 dancers)
Choreographer: Johari Mayfield
Borrowing from the lessons learned in The Wizard of Oz and ads from many popular anti-aging crèmes, potions, and surgical procedures, hOMe, is a satirical exploration of society’s urging for women to look outside of themselves for an airbrushed standard of beauty. 
 
Falsely Accused (7 dancers)
Choreographer: Itola Byrd
Falsely Accused is a tribute to women who have been falsely incarcerated for crimes they did not commit and this work gives a voice to the injustice placed upon the wrongfully accused. 
 
Billie Jean (6 to 9 dancers)
Choreographer: Wayne St. David
Through polyrhythmic hips, sassy walks, high kicks, and diva attitudes, Billie Jean recalls the finger poppin’, hip-shaking, and moonwalking time of MJ. 
 
I AM The EMCEE (6 to 9 dancers)
Choreographer: Nia Eubanks-Dixon
Bob your head, see some swag, and pump your fist while watching this work full of hip-hop flair and Afrocentric overtones.  Reminisce about the days when true hip-hop hit the scene through spoken word and the sounds of Biggie Smalls.  Take a journey to that time where the rhythms of the streets were the method to pay the ultimate homage to the real spitters of Hip-Hop, the EMCEE.
 
The Many Shades of Me (5 dancers)
Choreographer: A.C. Gilmore
A sensual proclamation of I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar, Many Shades of Me is a bold statement that women are and can be everything through fast turns, quick falls, high  jumps and the breaking of the 4th wall to captivate the audience with a little help from the sounds of Ms. Houston
 
Glory (combined work with Danse4Nia Repertory Ensemble & Nia-Next)
Choreographer: A.C. Gilmore
Commissioned by the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia, PA., appearing during the Three Kings Artist Series in tribute to Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Fredrick Douglas, Glory pays homage to the Civil Rights Leaders that marched in Selma, Alabama for the African-American right to vote.  Through modern and hip-hop dance, this work depicts the civil unity that is needed among our various races and cultures to make change work and become our living reality. 
 
These 4 For
Choreographer: Meredith Rainey
 4 women (a beauty queen, an introvert, a churchgoer and a lady of the evening) of various backgrounds and obstacles share a common bond of wanting to be seen and accepted beyond the known social stereotypes that society places upon their character.  Using an abstract lens of contemporary ballet, we see their struggles, their commonality and their inner self struggle to be re-defined.
 
Somebodiness
Choreographer: Nia Eubanks-Dixon
A tribute to Afghan women and all women whose lives have been immediately silenced in pursuit of their fight to have a political voice and power.  Through spoken word, silence, and gritty movement, Somebodiness is a visual display of feminine power for equal rights. 
 
  
4 Woman Only
Choreographer: Walter Rutledge
A tribute to the girl groups of the 50’s and 60’s that takes the audience back in time with the Pony, the Swim, and the Mash Potato.  This fun, sassy, light-hearted work keeps the audience finger poppin’ and toes tappin’ while the undertone challenges of that generation are gently revealed.