Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble

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Celebrating 55 years as an internationally renowned modern dance company, rooted in the legacy and traditions of Black Dance in America and the Diaspora, the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble brings its beauty, power, and passion to the stage of the Gordon Center. Featuring works that range from the iconic to the innovative, this is a performance not to be missed! Select works include:

CATCH A FIRE, which finds its inspiration in the iconic song by Bob Marley, bearing a profound message of freedom and resistance against injustice. The phrase “catch a fire” symbolizes the urgency to stand up against oppression and reclaim agency for positive change and societal transformation. Choreographed by Thomas Talawa Prestø, artistic director of Norway’s Tabanka Dance Ensemble and founder of the Talawa Technique, a unique training system for dancers who have an African and African Diaspora dance praxis.

ESCAPADES, a suite of four dances telling a love story through a fluid combination of modern, jazz and ballet techniques. The central couple is continually surrounded by duets and quartets of dancers who effortlessly move in and out of earthy sensuality and graceful lyricism. Originally choreographed by the legendary Alvin Ailey, for the Aterballetto – Centro Regionale Della Danza of Italy in 1983 and set to a score by jazz legend Max Roach.

FIREBIRD, a unique retelling of the mythical story of the firebird represented by Pele, the Hawaiian Goddess of the Volcano. Reflective of a deep pride in the royal heritage of all peoples, and the similarities between the deities of many ancient civilizations from around the world, this interpretation of the classic ballet was originally presented as a collaboration between Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and the Colorado Symphony, under the direction of renowned conductor, Marin Alsop.