In AbunDANCE: Ballet Memphis continues to grow, evolve

Photo by Basil Childers

Ballet Memphis performs Mark Godden's "Angels in the Architecture."

The birth of Ballet Memphis, 25 years ago, occurred just as two other professional dance organizations in the city were folding due to lack of funding and mismanagement.

Then, as now, questions of how much and what kind of dance the community will support were the constant concern of the company's founder and artistic director Dorothy Gunther Pugh.

"Memphis is a much different city than it was 25 years ago," Pugh said. "I do still think that a lot of people don't understand the caliber of the arts in this city."

This weekend, Pugh tries to show just what kind of art her company is capable of in a program called "AbunDANCE: Reflections."

"The four works are a reflection of things we have done well in the past," Pugh said. "It's hard to show all the aspects of who we are in just four pieces. I'm not saying that these are the best we've done in 25 years. But they are among the best."

In terms of budget and attendance, Ballet Memphis remains the only major dance company in town, even while other art forms such as classical music and theater have expanded significantly.

Last year, the company received a $222,589 grant from ArtsMemphis, making it the third-highest funded arts group, after the Memphis Symphony and the Brooks Museum of Art. The 10-year-old New Ballet Ensemble, by comparison, received $10,500.

Pugh founded the company (then called Memphis Concert Ballet) in 1986 with just two professional dancers. The company peaked in 2001 with 24 dancers, though the annual budget, $3.2 million, is larger now.

Though the dancers are classically trained, the company has moved away from the classical repertoire. One exception is the annual production of "The Nutcracker" at the Orpheum theater, which resulted in sold-out performances this year after the company hired the Memphis Symphony Orchestra to perform live.

Nationally and on tour, the company is known for its eclectic range of works and styles.

Two of this weekend's works were Ballet Memphis premieres. "Soul Selects Her Own Society" was created in 2010 by associate choreographer and company dancer Steven McMahon.

Washington D.C.-based choreographer Dana Tai Soon Burgess created "Venetian Reflections" for the 2009 installment of "AbunDANCE." It is based on a painting he saw at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens.

Two pieces were made for other companies, but were taught to Ballet Memphis dancers by the choreographers.

"Takademe" is an intense male dance solo within a single pool of light. Robert Battle, who recently became artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, created the piece in 1999.

Mark Godden's "Angels in the Architecture" (1992) was inspired by the ritual dances practiced in the 19th century by the Shaker religious sect. It is set to Copland's "Appalachian Spring."

Pugh says that staying relevant in Memphis -- a city with an evolving relationship with dance -- means constant reevaluation.

"I'm working on new directions for the company right now," Pugh said. "You're always thinking about the next three and five years. What will happen to the company when I'm not here? I'm doing a lot of thinking about who we are, what the world needs us to be and what our community needs us to be."

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Ballet Memphis' "AbunDANCE: Reflections"

Performances at 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Playhouse on the Square, 66 S. Cooper. Tickets are $10-$72. Call (901) 737-7322.

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