Phoenix Dance Theatre Interplay
Freesheet
Phoenix Dance Theatre presents a striking mixed bill that brings together work by internationally acclaimed choreographers Travis Knight and James Pett (Pett & Clausen Knight), Ed Myhill, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, and Phoenix Dance Theatre’s Artistic Director, Marcus Jarrell Willis. This dynamic programme celebrates creative collaboration, placing dialogue, contrast and connection at its heart.
Across duet and ensemble works, the evening explores themes of duality and shared authorship, revealing how distinct artistic voices can intersect to create something greater than the sum of their parts. Each piece offers a unique perspective, united by a bold physicality and a deep curiosity about human relationships, rhythm and collective experience.
Originally premiering in New York in 2013, Marcus Jarrell Willis’ Next of Kin has been newly reimagined for Phoenix Dance Theatre. The duet explores the subtle humour and tension between two kindred spirits navigating life together.
Ed Myhill’s Why Are People Clapping?! (restaged by Camille Giraudeau) is set to Steve Reich’s Clapping Music and uses rhythm as its driving force. With wit and precision, the choreography highlights the music of life – rhythm can be found in a tennis match, footsteps in an empty street and in the beat of our own hearts.
In Small Talk by Travis Knight and James Pett, two figures inhabit a shared yet distant space. Through quiet gestures and unresolved tension, the work reflects on relationships that fade not through catastrophe, but through the slow exhaustion of time. The work showcases a portrait of two people held in a fragile standoff, suspended between what they once knew and what they can no longer admit.
The evening concludes with a powerful new collaboration by Yusha-Marie Sorzano and Marcus Jarrell Willis. Inspired by ritual, meditation and the roots of hip-hop and house culture, Suite Release reclaims dance as instinct, resistance and communal connection, inviting audiences not only to witness movement, but to remember it.
About Phoenix Dance Theatre
Founded in 1981 by three Black British men from the Chapeltown area of Leeds, Phoenix Dance Theatre is one of the UK’s leading contemporary dance companies.
For over four decades the company has grown to be internationally respected for their artistic programmes which encapsulate the diverse spirit of multicultural Britain. Each year the company embarks on national tours presenting critically acclaimed dance productions to audiences throughout the UK and further – reaching up to 20,000 people and engaging with up to 6,500 people through the company’s extensive education provision.
Phoenix Dance Theatre is the longest-standing contemporary dance company outside of London and one of few mid-scale contemporary dance companies to employ a permanent company of professional dancers. Phoenix Dance Theatre’s aim is to create dynamic, diverse and relevant work that embodies the company’s rich Caribbean history and shines a light on cultural narratives which are often overlooked or untold.
Dedicated to delivering high-quality, accessible dance opportunities, their Learning & Development department is widely recognised for inspiring and empowering young people through contemporary dance. From weekly classes for all ages and abilities to pre-vocational training and bespoke school partnerships, their work creates opportunities for everyone to access high-quality dance and the arts.
Phoenix Dance Theatre’s presence both on and off the stage continues to develop and establish diverse new audiences for contemporary dance.
Artistic Team & Credits
Company Dancers Dorna Ashory, Aaron Chaplin, Rory Clarke, Phikolwethu Luke, Hannah McGlashon, Yasmina Patel, Tony Polo, Dylan Springer
Junior Dancer Graciela Mariqueo-Smith
Next of Kin
Choreographer Marcus Jarrell Willis
Duration: 7 mins
Music
Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor,
BWV. 1003: II. Fuga Johann Sebastian
Bach – Yehudi Menuhin
Costumes realised by Melissa Parry
Lighting Design Alina Longmore
Why Are People Clapping?!
Choreographed by Ed Myhill / Restaged by Camille Giraudeau
Duration:13 mins
Music Clapping Music – Steve Reich
Costume Design Janne Beresford
Original Lighting Design (2018) Jose Tevar
Lighting Design (2026) Luke Haywood
Small Talk
Choreographer Pett Clausen-Knight
Duration: 25 mins
Music
Preludio Op. 28 No. 4 – “The Pain Room” (Re-Recorded Version) – Ezio Bosso,
String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810 “Death and the Maiden” (Quatuor Arod) – Franz Schubert,
Spiegel im Spiegel – Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà
Costume Design Janne Beresford
Lighting Design Alina Longmore
Suite Release
Choreographers Marcus Jarrell Willis & Yusha-Marie Sorzano
Duration: 35–40 mins
Music
How Great Thou Art – Labrinth
Blessed – Buju Banton
Start It Up – A Tribe Called Quest
United in Grief – Kendrick Lamar
Alright – Kendrick Lamar
These Sounds – Angel X
Costume Design Janne Beresford
Lighting Design Luke Haywood
Rehearsal Assistant Aaron Chaplin
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