OKC Ballet Artistic Director Chosen for National Choreographers Initiative
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma- Artistic Director Robert Mills has been chosen to be part of the National Choreographers Initiative in Laguna Beach, California in July. Only four choreographers are chosen each year to participate, along with 16 dancers from across the country. The workshop lasts about 3 weeks.
This prestigious annual event promotes the development of choreographers in the professional ballet world. Mr. Mills will be choreographing a piece for performance in late July at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.
“This experience will be very different from running a dance company. I’m very excited to go someplace where I can spend 3 weeks experimenting with dancers in a relaxed environment creating choreography without a deadline,” said Mills. “I’m looking forward to what ideas and choreography I can bring back to Oklahoma City Ballet to use for my premiere in the 2018 triple bill.”
“There’s a very experimental atmosphere,” continued Mills. “Even the performance has little or no pressure other than to perform well.”
The National Choreographers Initiative’s mission is “to support and nurture the process of developing new choreography. To educate and enrich the community through access to the creative process. To support and strengthen the dance community; dancers, choreographers, artistic directors, boards of directors, and audiences; by investing in the future of dance.”
| “The National Choreographers Initiative was developed to promote the creation and production of professional dance. It is also an opportunity to engage outstanding choreographers from around the United States in the creative process. There is a need nationwide to have a workshop setting where choreographers can initiate new work as well as experiment and develop their craft. The National Choreographers Initiative is an opportunity to develop and produce dance in support of the national dance community by inviting choreographers of note to participate in this project. NCI provides an opportunity for the southern California community to be a part of the process of creating new contemporary ballets and seeing these works performed for the very first time.” | |
Edward Liang (NYC Ballet, Ballet Met), Val Caniparoli (San Francisco Ballet), Ma Cong (Tulsa Ballet) and International Freelance Choreographers Lynne Taylor Corbett and Darrell Grand Moultrie are just a few of the past choreographers that have been selected.