A Global Hub for Dance Makers by Carolyn Merritt
“Not a lot of companies are giving this opportunity to young makers,” Associate Artistic Director Tara Keating notes, when I ask what makes BalletX’s Choreographic Fellowship program so important. This spring marks the 9th annual world premiere by a BalletX Choreographic Fellow, a remarkable accomplishment for a company still shy of two decades. In pairing two women dance makers from different corners of the globe — Fellow Nicola Wills hails from Australia and mentor Jennifer Archibald from Canada — the 2024 Fellowship further solidifies the company’s place as a world hub for new dance and its creators.
BalletX launched the Choreographic Fellowship program in 2016 both to amplify its mission, of presenting contemporary ballet world premieres, and to connect with and cultivate young artists in the process. From the company’s inception in 2005, co-founders Christine Cox and Matthew Neenan sourced their connections with established choreographers, commissioning renowned artists to set work on their nascent company, effectively putting their dancers, the company, and Philadelphia on the map. Establishing touch points with new voices and “discovering people who might not be discovered” otherwise are among the rewards for BalletX, while the field witnesses an infusion of fresh talent, elevated from the sidelines to center stage by an undeniably dazzling troupe of dancers. At the same time, the Fellowship’s emerging and established choreographers find support and purpose in the roles of mentee and mentor.
“It can be lonely” is perhaps an unsurprising depiction of the role of choreographer, and still I am caught off guard by Jennifer Archibald’s confession. Even as choreography has evolved to include greater collaboration, the choreographer is still the one who stands in front of the room, makes the final decisions, and has their name attached to the work in a way that dancers rarely do. Serving as a mentor with a company the size of BalletX, Archibald observes, everyone can be in the room together, the process becomes more intimate, and the dynamic takes on the feel of a “tight-knit family,” a sentiment Wills echoes in our Zoom chat. The opportunity to be nurtured is a rare gift, and this applies equally to the creative process and the business of dance. 2017 Choreographic Fellow (and 2021 Guggenheim Fellow) Tommie-Waheed Evans found validation and practical skills through the program: “people took notice of what I was doing” and “the experience really prepared me for the future commissions I received.” Wills expands on this, professing gratitude to be in the hands of “someone based on this side of the world, and a woman, to gain her unique outlook on pursuing this career,” while Archibald similarly underscores the importance of “building rapport among women in an industry that has been so male dominated.” That BalletX receives more applications each year speaks to the need for programs like the Choreographic Fellowship, where artists can form relationships across generation, experience and culture, where they can be vulnerable and open to new ideas, and where they can continue to evolve and grow.
The BalletX Choreographic Fellowship is supported by the Wyncote Foundation, at the recommendation of David Haas.
