Pegasus Contemporary Ballet’s Synergy 2025 happens this weekend on June 13 and 14 at Moody Performance Hall. Now in its third year, PCB will present three world-premiere choreographic commissions, each created in collaboration with Dallas-based musicians who will perform live at Friday and Saturday’s performances. Alongside the company, the lineup includes singer/songwriter Jacob Metcalf, musician Martin Morgan and violinist Leoncarlo Canlas each partnered with three notable choreographers, Norbert De La Cruz III, Bruce McCormick and Gabriel Spieller.
“Synergy has grown into something truly remarkable, consistently drawing audiences who keep coming back for more,” Diana Crowder, Artistic Director and Founder of Pegasus Contemporary Ballet said in a press release. “Each year, it is thrilling to see the work the unique choreographer and musician pairings create together. The musicians and choreographers spend months working on their vision and selecting or composing music, so witnessing their creativity come to life with the dancers is truly magical.”
Among the premieres includes a familiar name to Dallas dance. Metcalf’s performance will accompany queer Filipino-American choreographer Norbert De La Cruz III who has previously created works for Bruce Wood Dance Dallas and TITAS/Dance Unbound.
De La Cruz will premiere “Love Language.”
“Norbert’s piece moves like the seasons, shifting through four distinct relationships, each shaped by the unique qualities of the dancers who embody them,” Crowder said. “At its heart, with the soulful music of Jacob Metcalf, this work reflects on the people we meet, lose, rediscover, or the ones we never quite reach.”
Crowder had seen the commissioned work De La Cruz has done here in Dallas and set her sights on establishing a relationship between the choreographer and PCB.
Plus, they had a common tie, which may have helped.
“Norbert studied under my friend and former director Carter Alexander, and he also attended Juilliard with our Rehearsal Director Allison Schuster, so the stars felt like they aligned for him to come to Pegasus,” she said. “The work he and the dancers created for Synergy is beautifully soulful, sensitive, deep, and sweeping.”
Multi-genre musician Martin Morgan is paired with out choreographer Bruce McCormick, Associate Professor of Dance at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance for “From a Beathing Heart.” He has previously created work for Pegasus and numerous dance companies including Stadttheater Bern, Korea National Opera and Seattle International Dance Festival.
“When I started Pegasus Contemporary Ballet, I commissioned Bruce to create our first site-specific performance at Samuel Lynne Galleries in 2022. Bringing Bruce back to work with Pegasus again on our mainstage production Synergy was an easy decision. His creative process, collaborative nature, impressive vast experience in professional dance, and his kind, warm, and steady demeanor make him someone you want to work with again and again,” Crowder said.
To round out the show, the final collaboration pairs violinist Leoncaro Canlas with former Bruce Wood Dance Dallas company member Gabriel Speiller. The two join forces for “Under the Blood Moon.”
“I am truly honored to bring these choreographers’ visions to life on stage in Synergy 2025, and I know the audience will be moved by the artistry of these wonderful human beings,” Crowder added. “It is exhilarating to see all these talents collide and work together on one stage.”
For tickets and more information, visit PegasusBallet.org/Synergy