Fall Dance Concert Conservatory Dance Company

Performance Dates

October 4 - 8, 2023

Location

PNC Theatre

350 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
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Performance Times
Wednesday - Saturday 7:30pm; Saturday - Sunday 2:00pm

Ticket Price
$23 - $55

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The Conservatory Dance Company presents a concert featuring works by Crystal Frazier, Christopher Huggins, Matthew Neenan, and Paul Taylor. Presented in partnership with Violins of Hope.

‘Violins of Hope’ remembers those lost in the Holocaust through the very instruments its victims owned and played. Through educational and cultural programs and exhibits, this unique project will, through lessons of the Holocaust, demonstrate humanity’s amazing ability to rebound from even the darkest depravity. The centerpiece of this event is the Violins of Hope Exhibit, which showcases violins played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust.

As a community that has already experienced attacks of hatred and division, Pittsburgh is especially sensitive to the need for unity. Thus, it is our hope that this landmark project will bring our community together, tuning out prejudice and building bridges that last.

Choreographers

Crystal Frazier, a native of New Jersey, holds an Associate Degree in dance from The University of the Arts and a Master of Fine Arts in choreography from Jacksonville University. Currently, she is a director for Dancers Inc. competition and convention in N.J.

Frazier is a former senior member with the world-renowned Rennie Harris Puremovement (RHPM). She has performed and taught nationally and internationally with RHPM, including in the Middle East and Central Asia. She is also the former co-founder of “Montazh,” an all-female Hip Hop dance company based in Philadelphia, Pa., and former co-founder of Hope College’s H2 dance company.

Frazier's industry performance credits include: MTV and BET, VH1's Vogue Fashion awards, BET awards, Italy tour with Kathy Sledge, Nike All-Star showcase, among others. She was the featured dancer and choreographer for Grammy Award-winning artist Jill Scott’s “Big Beautiful Tour." On film, she made an appearance in the movie Beloved, TV show Monk as well as in commercials. Recently, she was a part of a tour for the Dance International Workshop program teaching fundamentals of Hip Hop street dance in Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka and Tokyo.  

Christopher L. Huggins is a visionary dance innovator. He is an Alvin Ailey disciple, and historian; developing multilayered, storytelling through dance. Christopher attended Purchase University, the Julliard School and was a merit scholar at the Ailey School. He’s a former soloist of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Aterballetto of Reggio Emilia, Italy. His work is rooted in research that memorialize our darkest history. This is found in his ballet THE LIST, a story about the systemic genocide of a Jewish family and those in concentration camps. His ballet NEW FRUIT, inspired by Nina Simone’s music, documents terror lynching. Through his dance initiative, he provides access to emerging dancers and choreographers to study abroad with him. He works around the globe and held residencies at over 25 universities and colleges. Christopher is a multi-award winner including: two Alvin Ailey Awards from Black Theater Alliance, a Walt Disney Diversity award, a Critics Choice award and silver medalist of the International Dance Competition in Seoul, Korea. He holds the distinction of being “repetiteur” of Mr. Ailey’s ballets. Learn more about Christopher’s artistry here. As he continues his dance legacy, Christopher wants his work to heal, entertain and inspire mankind.

Matthew Neenan, described as “one of America’s best dance poets” by The New York Times, began his dance training at the Boston Ballet School and with noted teachers Nan C. Keating and Jacqueline Cronsberg. He later attended the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts and the School of American Ballet in New York. From 1994-2007, Matthew danced with the Pennsylvania Ballet where he danced numerous principal roles in the classical, contemporary and Balanchine repertoire.  From 2007 – 2020, Matthew was the Choreographer in Residence at the Pennsylvania Ballet where he created 20 original ballets.

Matthew’s choreography has been premiered and performed by The New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Washington Ballet, Ballet West, Ballet Met, Colorado Ballet, Ballet Memphis, Milwaukee Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Tulsa Ballet, OKC Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Parsons Dance, BODYTRAFFIC, Juilliard Dance, and USC Kaufman School of Dance, among many others. He has received numerous awards and grants for his choreography from the National Endowment of the Arts, Dance Advance funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Choo San Goh Foundation, the Independence Foundation and four fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.   In 2006, Matthew received the New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute’s Fellowship Initiative Award. In October 2009, Matthew was the grand-prize winner of Sacramento Ballet’s Capital Choreography Competition and was also the first recipient of the Jerome Robbins NEW Program Fellowship for his work At the border for Pennsylvania Ballet.

In 2005, Matthew co-founded BalletX with fellow dancer Christine Cox.  BalletX has toured and performed Neenan’s choreography in New York City at The Joyce Theater, NY City Center, The Skirball Center, Symphony Space and Central Park Summerstage, The Kennedy Center, Vail International Dance Festival (where he has created 5 world premieres), Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Segerstrom Center, Laguna Dance Festival, Spring to Dance Festival in St. Louis, as well as several venues internationally.  His ballet “The Last Glass” was listed in The New York Times Top 10 in 2013.

Paul Belville Taylor Jr. (July 29, 1930 – August 29, 2018) was an American dancer and choreographer. He was one of the last living members of the third generation of America's modern dance artists. He founded the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1954 in New York City.