Michael Jackson Jr. (Photo by Dario Studios)
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com
Saturday will mark three decades for TITAS/Dance Unbound as it hosts its annual Command Performance and Gala on April 18 at the Winspear. T/DU Executive Director Charles Santos describes this as the show, which brings together a slew of diverse performances, definitely one not to miss.
Going into this anniversary performance, Santos is shaking things around a bit to re-envision the special event that celebrates the art of dance.
“It was time to change the format a bit, so we flipped everything,” Santos said. “For the general public there’s no change, but the gala moves the dinner up, followed by the show. And then the evening ends onstage with a DJ and dancing. That’s always a special moment to be onstage.”
The Afterglow party will feature a collaborative performance by Australia’s SWAY in partnership with DJs Brent & Marlena English.
(Photo by Rachel Neville))
The special part of Command Performance is that anyone can see the dance performances:
The dance program is open to the general public, with admission to the gala available as a separate ticket. This year, the curated program features six different companies.
This year’s Command Performance will feature 11 performances from renowned companies, including:
- San Francisco Ballet principal dancer Sasha De Sola and guest dancer Alban Lendorf
- Former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancer Michael Jackson Jr.
- MOMIX’s Jason Williams and Anthony Bocconi
- BODYTRAFFIC’s Joan Rodriguez and Katie García, and
- Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s Joe Gonzalez, Vicenzo Diprimo, Jillian Davis and April Watson.
Santos has been planning these galas for a while, but in curating these performances, there is one thing that’s a constant: “There is always something to learn, and that’s one of the realities of this,” he said.
“We strive for a super show, and we always want it to be exciting. This is a show that dance fans can long for, and, if you’re not a dance fan, this is the show you go to.”
Think of it like a charcuterie board with samples of dance styles to experience. The array usually includes sensational pieces, new pieces and usually some TITAS favorites — all coming together for this event.
“There are a lot of parts, and we’ll reorder the show until it makes sense. It’s exciting; it’s supercool. But you have to be in the room,” he said.
That’s TITAS’ mantra in bringing audiences back to the theater and venues and away from the crutch of streaming entertainment.
“The lockdown taught the world to stream, and, now, our younger generations are hardest to change,” he added. “We need to get back to that visceral shared experience. That’s why we don’t stream content.
“You have to come see it, and whatever you think dance is, a show like Command Performance will open your eyes.”
T/DU will also announce its new season lineup on Saturday and honor board member and patron DeMetris Sampson with the Tom Adams Award of Appreciation for Dedication to TITAS and the Arts. Named after TITAS’ co-founder, Tom Adams, this award recognizes individuals or entities that go above and beyond in supporting the company’s mission to bring the world’s best to Dallas and to bring the Dallas communities together through the arts.
Sampson is a volunteer and advisor in many civic, political and philanthropic communities and has served on the T/DU Board since 2017 and was President of the TITAS Board from 2019 to 2022.
“DeMetris is an extraordinary leader in Dallas, especially for the arts community,” TITAS Command Performance and Gala Co-Chairs Matrice Ellis-Kirk and Ron Kirk said in the event’s press release. “Her decades-long career as an innovator and advocate makes her more than deserving of this award. We’ve had the privilege of working with DeMetris and have seen firsthand the incredible impact of her work in Dallas and beyond.”
Dance fans or not, Santos almost dares new audiences to come out and give it a shot.
“This year’s Command Performance and Gala promises tour-de-force performances by some of the most acclaimed artists in dance,” Santos added. “This is an evening of the most exciting, daring, skilled, awe-inspiring artists lighting up the world’s stages. This is the evening that turns skeptics into full-blown ‘I can’t believe I’ve missed this all these years’ kind of fans.’”
For more information or tickets, visit TITAS.org/CommandPerformance.