The Miles Davis African Suite
The Miles Davis African Suite is an ambitious and innovative choreographic work that merges the powerful, evocative music of Miles Davis with African cultural narratives, expressed through modern, West African, and contemporary dance forms. The ballet delves into the complexities of identity, race, modernization, and the multifaceted nature of African and African American perspectives. Its focus is the preservation of Jazz music, dance, and diasporic traditions through a new lens. (Photo: Chris Middleton)
Kairos Divide (Excerpt)
Kairos Divide (Excerpt) was created purely for when “conditions are right for the success of a crucial, opportune, and decisive moment… we divide or collide.” The ballet is a testament to each individual's destiny and path in life, and how they often combine, divide, and even collide like atoms forming a new bond.
Dawn to Dusk(Excerpt)
Dawn to Dusk represents a multi-disciplinary approach to how time was measured prior to the global adoption of the Gregorian and Julian calendars. “The first light appears when the last light fades.” The ballet focuses on the constant pressures of normative conformity within society.
A Ramp to Paradise
A Ramp to Paradise is a Dance Theatre tribute to the legendary Paradise Garage—the groundbreaking, trend-setting underground dance club that set the standard for all that followed in New York City. Located at 84 King Street, the “Garage” reigned from 1977 to 1987 as a mecca for music, dance, and community.
The work is based on A Ramp to Paradise, a short story by Producer and Director Alex Smith, Jr., published in the anthology A River Runs Beneath Us, curated by noted author Doug Cooper Spencer. In 2010, Smith’s story was transformed into an original dance narrative and produced at Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center (THPAC) with choreography by Kyle Abraham. The piece was restaged in 2012 under the direction of choreographer Walter Rutledge.
Most recently, in June 2025, Rutledge expanded the creative vision by adding Jason Herbert, Hollie Wright, Ruddy A. Frias, and Ledell Watts to the choreographic team. Through this evolving production, Smith honors the life and legacy of the Paradise Garage and the countless individuals who danced, celebrated, and built community within its walls. (Photo By Bob Gore)