Contemporary Dance Wyoming will open Dancers' Workshop's 2024 presenting season on Friday, June 7, marking the company's first season under new artistic leadership and with a restructured ensemble of performers.
The company, which serves as the resident dance ensemble of Dancers' Workshop, will premiere an evening-length program featuring new works by three choreographers: founding artistic director Babs Case, New York–based guest artist Johnnie Cruise Mercer, and company member Eliza Mudd. The repertoire ranges from a quintet built on contact improvisation to a solo structured around breath and vocalization.
What's on Stage
Case's new work, Field Notes, draws on two years of movement research conducted with the company's dancers in the high desert landscapes outside Lander. Mercer, whose piece The Blacker the Berry was last seen at Jacob's Pillow in 2022, returns to Wyoming to set a new group work on the ensemble. Mudd, a Laramie native in her third season with the company, will present her first mainstage commission.
The program also includes a live score performed by the Jackson-based ensemble WYO Chamber Collective, with original music composed for each work.
A Transitional Season
The June 7 performance inaugurates a presenting season that signals a shift for both Contemporary Dance Wyoming and Dancers' Workshop. After a pandemic-shortened 2023 season, the company rebuilt its roster with six new dancers and moved to a year-round rehearsal schedule. Dancers' Workshop, which presents Contemporary Dance Wyoming alongside national touring acts, has expanded its season from three performances to five.
"This ensemble is asking what contemporary dance means in a Western context—not just borrowing from New York or L.A., but building something from where we actually live," said Case, who stepped back into the artistic director role in January after a three-year hiatus.
Event Details
- Date: Friday, June 7, 2024
- Time: 7:30 p.m. MT
- Location: Dancers' Workshop Theater, 240 S. Glenwood St., Jackson, Wyo.
- Tickets: $28 general admission, $22 students and seniors; available starting May 1 at dancersworkshop.org
- Accessibility: Wheelchair seating and ASL interpretation available upon request
A post-show talkback with the choreographers and musicians will follow the June 7 performance.
For updates on the full 2024 presenting season, subscribe to the Dancers' Workshop newsletter or follow @dancersworkshop on Instagram.
