“Relevant, relatable and rooted.” – Pointe Magazine
ESSENCE pairs ballet’s rich traditions with iconic music, contemporary voices and the richness of American culture in a season designed to make ballet relevant, relatable and rooted in Memphis.
September 1, 2026 (Memphis, TN) – This season, Collage Dance takes audiences from the legendary voices of Aretha Franklin and Roberta Flack to the cultural force of the Harlem Renaissance, from a masterwork by the father of American ballet to the intimacy of Schubert performed live onstage.
Collage Dance Collective, one of the 50 largest ballet companies in the United States, today announced ESSENCE, its 17th performance season. Across five productions, the season brings together classical ballet and contemporary movement, iconic American music, cultural traditions, beloved repertory and new creations – reflecting Collage’s commitment to making ballet relevant and relatable by connecting the art form to the music, culture and stories that shape our lives.
“Seventeen seasons later, we have grown, evolved and expanded, but the foundation remains,” says Founding Artistic Director Kevin Thomas. “ESSENCE is about returning to what has always made Collage, Collage – extraordinary artists, powerful music, meaningful work and ballet that feels connected to the world around us. We want audiences to see themselves in this art form, whether they have loved ballet their entire lives or are experiencing it for the first time.”
ORIGINS | October 23 – 25, 2026 | Playhouse on the Square
ORIGINS opens the season with a program steeped in music and memory – from the legendary voices of Aretha Franklin and Roberta Flack to the intimacy of Schubert performed live. The program brings together four works that have helped define Collage’s artistic voice: Darrell Grand Moultrie’s Frankly Speaking, featuring music by Aretha Franklin; Kevin Iega Jeff’s Flack, set to the music of Roberta Flack; Joshua Manculich’s visually arresting Wash; and Crystal Pite’s intimate Four Solitudes.
For Four Solitudes, Adrienne Park, Principal Piano and Celeste of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, joins the company live to perform the second movement of Franz Schubert’s final piano sonata, Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat Major, D. 960. Together, the works move from soul and exuberance to intimacy and reflection, revealing the breadth of music and movement that has shaped Collage’s distinctive artistic voice.
AMAZING GRACE | December 19 – 20, 2026 | Crosstown Theater
For the holidays, Collage turns toward faith, hope and the traditions that sustain us with AMAZING GRACE, an intimate holiday experience at Crosstown Theater. The program features Nicolo Fonte’s Only Light, Only Love, Amy Hall Garner’s joyful ’Tis the Season, a world premiere by New York-based choreographer Kevin Tate and special musical guests. Inspired by the enduring belief that light can overcome darkness and love can overcome hate, AMAZING GRACE invites audiences to pause amid the noise of the season for an evening of reflection, celebration and joy through dance and music.
RISE | February 19 – 21, 2027 | Cannon Center for the Performing Arts
In February, the father of American ballet meets the Harlem Renaissance as Collage returns to the Cannon Center for RISE, its annual Black History Month production. George Balanchine’s Valse Fantaisie shares the stage with a world premiere by acclaimed choreographer Donald Byrd inspired by the Harlem Renaissance, bringing one of ballet’s most influential voices into conversation with one of the most consequential periods of Black artistic and intellectual life in American history. The program also features Darrell Grand Moultrie’s Lineage, a meditation on inheritance and those who came before us, and Kevin Thomas’ signature Rise. Together, the works explore the traditions we inherit, the artists who expand them and the responsibility each generation carries to those who come next.
“Collage has always believed that ballet’s history and Black cultural history don’t have to exist in separate rooms,” says Thomas. “Our dancers can inhabit Balanchine and the Harlem Renaissance. Both are part of the American story, and both have something to say to audiences today.”
HOME | April 10, 2027 | Andrea Louise Jenkins Center for Dance
The professional performance season culminates with HOME, Collage’s annual gala at the Andrea Louise Jenkins Center for Dance. HOME celebrates the community that made Collage’s journey possible while raising critical support for the young artists who will carry its work forward. The evening honors the supporters, families, artists and community members who have helped transform a Memphis-born organization into one of the nation’s largest ballet companies.
JEWELS & ICONS | June 6, 2027 | Cannon Center for the Performing Arts
The season concludes with the next generation taking center stage. JEWELS & ICONS, the annual performance of the Collage Dance Conservatory, celebrates brilliance, beauty and cultural legacy through the radiant world of precious gemstones and the enduring influence of some of music’s most iconic artists. The performance showcases the talent, discipline and imagination being developed in Collage’s studios every day – and offers audiences a glimpse of the dancers who will shape what comes next.
A MEMPHIS STORY, 17 YEARS IN THE MAKING
Founded in Memphis, Collage Dance has grown over 17 seasons into one of the 50 largest ballet companies in the United States, while building a nationally recognized professional company and a training program preparing young dancers for college and professional careers.
“Collage could have been built anywhere, but it was built in Memphis,” says Founding Executive Director Marcellus Harper. “Young people who trained here are moving into leading college and professional programs, nationally recognized artists are coming to Memphis to create work, and audiences here have access to extraordinary ballet. We’re building a company that shows young people they don’t have to leave Memphis to encounter ballet at the highest level – and shows the rest of the country that important work in ballet is being made here.”
