Atlanta dance fans experienced a revitalized year of dance — from ballet to contemporary and experimental — in theaters, warehouse spaces, parks, backyards and on the Beltline.
Presenting organizations Rialto Center for the Arts and the Ferst Center for the Arts cut back on dance this year — the Ferst was also closed for renovation during the summer — but Atlanta’s freelance dancers, choreographers and small companies presented work from Kennesaw to Marietta and East Point, from Decatur to downtown.
Atlanta Ballet looked stronger than ever. Artistic Director Gennadi Nedvigin’s long-term strategy of hiring relatively inexperienced dancers and shaping them into a strong, cohesive company has paid off.
Credit: Photo by Simon Gentry
Credit: Photo by Simon Gentry
Core Dance’s Sue Schroeder celebrated the company’s 45th anniversary and continued her environmental activism through movement, film, music and artist talks, while the 33-year-old Atlanta Chinese Dance Company honored the late Chinese American civil rights lawyer Liza Chan in the new dance drama “White Collar Wuxia.”
If you saw a dance work on the Beltline or in an Atlanta park, it was probably created by Nadya Zeitlin and her Bautanzt Here company. In 2024, she was Atlanta’s most prolific creator of outdoor, site-specific work.
Here are our dance writers’ picks for the best performances of the year.
“this thing is real,” Dance Studio, Schwartz Center for the Arts, April 2024
This work by choreographer Annalee Traylor journeyed into its characters’ inner worlds, which were filled with dark humor as well as the tragic and the surreal, ultimately arriving at deeper truths about what it means to be human.
“Red Tethers,” Woodruff Park, May 2024
Draped in a reflective disco ball dress of his own design and construction, choreographer Jimmy Joyner explored queer ancestry through improvisational movement and textile manipulation in his new solo work. It uniquely connected the present to the past, amplifying the lives and stories of Atlantans lost to HIV/AIDS.
Credit: Shoccara Marcus
Credit: Shoccara Marcus
“Corridors,” Atlanta Ballet, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, May 2024
With its gossamer narrative, sensational lighting and unconventional vocabulary, guest choreographer Garrett Smith’s electrifying work was a journey into a futuristic world, a beckoning toward the tenuous balance between power and love, grit and grace.
“Crash Test,” Windmill Arts Center, June 2024
Jacqui Hinkson’s movement language created a tense, violent world. Few choreographers would think to incorporate raw eggs in a contemporary dance piece, but here it added to the power of a clear premise and strong performances.
“Out From the Deep,” Goat Farm Arts Center, October 2024
T. Lang’s “Unraveling Them Turners” was a deeply innovative, augmented reality installation featuring a live dance performance and historical marker sculpture that contained free postcards. The cards celebrated the love between Mary and Hayes Turner, a young husband and wife lynched by a vicious mob in 1918.
“return//de vuelta a los ancestros,” Julio Medina, Dance Studio at the Schwartz Center, September 2024
This evening-length work was a mesmerizing journey into the choreographer’s Mexican heritage. Guest artist Salome Nieto was a revelation; it was hard to take one’s eyes off her, with her slow, sinuous walks and a quality that was alternately fierce, commanding and tender.
Credit: Photo by Christina Massad
Credit: Photo by Christina Massad
“Out of the Box: Series II,” Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, Tula Arts Center, September 2024
ArtsATL writer Robin Wharton writes that Rachel Van Buskirk and Christian Clark have “an almost intuitive sense for moving together in complex neoclassical and contemporary pas de deux.” Tara Lee choreographed a new work for them, “Ad Terram,” to mark Van Buskirk’s final performances with the company.
National Ballet of Ukraine, Cobb Energy Centre, October 2024
The ensemble shared the stage with the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers from Canada. The packed house clapped ecstatically for the exquisitely trained ballet and folk dancers in works both familiar and new to American audiences. It was a powerful reminder that art can thrive in even the most horrendous adversity.
“Spectrum 2,” Monica Hogan Danceworks, Emory Performing Arts Studio, October 2024
A skilled choreographer, Monica Hogan Thysell also has a remarkable ability to bring together young independent artists and inspire them to reach higher levels of clarity and polish. This, along with the feel-good aura that community and creativity generate, helps to make her concerts some of the most enjoyable and impactful dance events in town.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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