Delight in this feast for the eyes as four new works premiere on the Yardley Hall stage.

For the 10th festival of contemporary and modern dance, the Midwest Trust Center has enlisted four choreographers to create original works for four local dance companies to perform at the world premieres. Each new work will then be owned by the dance company for two years for use in their own programs.

New Dance Partners is a commissioning project of the Midwest Trust Center.

This year’s collaborative partners are:
Kansas City Ballet, working with Gina Patterson
Owen/Cox Dance Group, working with Norbert De La Cruz III
Störling Dance Theatre, working with Kyra Jean Green
Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company, working with Omar Román De Jesús

Meet the Choreographer

Gina Patterson

A 2021 Bogliasco Fellow, Gina Patterson has won such honors as the Choo San Goh Award, a nomination for an Isadora Duncan Award, the Hubbard Street 2 National Choreographic Competition, New Choreographers on Pointe, the National Choreographic Initiative, and a commission by The Cowles Center / SOLO Commissioning Program, funded by the McKnight Foundation. Many of her works for companies have been generously supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.

During her 25-year career as a principal dance artist, Patterson danced with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Ballet Austin, Ballet Florida, and as a guest artist in North America and Europe. She has been a prolific creator since 1998, making more than 120 works. Multi-disciplinary, full-evening productions include “Liquid Roads” for MADCO, a contemporary adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” for CoDa21, and a one-act “Hansel and Gretel” created for the Croatian National Theatre.

Patterson often addresses social issues, as with her “Anne Frank’s Diary,” “72 Steps” on women’s suffrage, and “It Is” as part of Freedom: A Civil Rights Project and Olin Library at Washington University in St. Louis. Her work encompasses concept, direction, and collaboration, appearing in the repertoire of companies such as Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Smuin Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Ballet Austin, Richmond Ballet, Dayton Ballet, BalletMet, and DanceWorks Chicago, and presented internationally in Italy, Germany, Slovenia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Spain.