Distinguished Fort Worth-based choreographer Bruce Wood has agreed to create a new work for the September 25th season premiere performance of Texas Dance Theatre. Wil McKnight, the group’s Artistic Director states, “The TDT 2009–2010 schedule will be a season of choreographers, and it is only fitting that someone of Bruce’s caliber be on the program for the season opener. It will be great to see Bruce’s work back on a Fort Worth stage.”
A former dancer, Bruce Wood had studied at the School of American Ballet under the tutelage of the legendary George Balanchine. After a brief engagement with the New York City Ballet, he refined his Balanchine training by dancing three years as a soloist with the San Francisco Ballet. At the age of 21, he joined Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal as a principal dancer, and for the next four years he performed and taught all over the world.
It was in 1995 that Mr. Wood was approached by a small dance company in Austin, Texas to create a ballet for them. Having never choreographed before, he was somewhat apprehensive. But like every other challenge he had ever faced, he dove right in and completed the challenge. The results caused a sensation in the vibrant world of Austin’s dance community. Shortly thereafter, the Bruce Wood Dance Company was formed and moved to Fort Worth, the city that Mr. Wood considers home.
The Bruce Wood Dance Company was formed in 1995 as a showcase for the acclaimed choreography of Mr. Wood, who also served as the Company’s Artistic Director. During the past decade, Wood has created over 50 ballets for BWDC as well as for other dance companies, including Orlando Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, and Dallas Black Dance Theatre. In 2004, Wood was commissioned to create a work to honor the United States Army infantry, and spent several weeks at Fort Benning in Georgia, interviewing troops and listening to their private thoughts and personal stories. The resulting piece, Follow Me: Brother, debuted at the RiverCenter in Columbus, GA, and garnered Mr. Wood universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike.
The Texas Dance Theatre 2009–2010 schedule includes four performances at the Scott Theatre in Fort Worth. The performance dates are September 25, 2009; November 13, 2009; January 8, 2010; and March 5, 2010. In addition to world premieres by Artistic Director Wil McKnight and Ballet Mistress Emily Hunter, there will be a guest choreographer at each of the four performances.
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