Vitacca Ballet Premieres Work By Internationally Renowned Choreographer Micaela Taylor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: SHAUNA TYSOR
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Vitacca Ballet Premieres Work By Internationally Renowned Choreographer Micaela Taylor

Micaela Taylor’s First Ever Houston Commission Premieres November 1 and 3 at The Hobby Center, Zilka Hall

HOUSTON, TEXAS [October 17, 2024]: Vitacca Ballet Artistic Director + Founder Kelly Ann Vitacca is pleased to announce a World Premiere by internationally renowned choreographer Micaela Taylor. Taylor named Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2019 and graced the cover of Dance Magazine in April 2020 shares her artistic voice within her first ever Houston commission. Taylor is largely known for her own dance genre called Expand Practice. LA Dance Chronicle (November 2021) describes “Taylor’s choreography encompasses the freedom of hip-hop, the theatricality of musical theater and the technique of modern jazz. She is unique in her style, innovative, endlessly inventive, and technically superb.” Recently Taylor has been commissioned to choreograph for Carlos Acosta’s Acosta Danza, London’s Rambert Dance Company, BalletBC, BODYTRAFFIC and an upcoming commission for The Paris Opera.

FEM4 performances November 1 + 3
A bit taboo and wildly relevant, Vitacca Ballet’s FEM4 features three world premieres by unique, women choreographer voices leading breakthroughs in the international dance industry, including Micaela Taylor, Cherice Barton, Beth Twigs, and Tina Kay Bohnstedt. Bohnstedt’s remount of audience favorite, In An Apartment, rounds out the evening. All four works were created on Vitacca Ballet and developed locally in the Montrose/River Oaks area Studios.

Artistic Director Kelly Ann Vitacca shares, “I am interested in bringing these profound works by women creators from across the United States to Houston. FEM4 further supports Vitacca Ballet’s mission to present fresh and approachable works. With FEM4 we are eager to grow our repertoire with a broad perspective, continue to add a twist to the ever-evolving ballet artform, and share these brilliant, women-made world premieres with Houston and beyond.”

As part of Vitacca Ballet’s annual Curtain & Cocktails event, the first 100 tickets sold for the Friday, November 1 performance will include the opportunity to attend a post-
performance mixer on stage to meet the artists.

Micaela Taylor Biography
Micaela Taylor is a dancer, choreographer, and the Artistic Director, Founder, of the TL Collective. Trained in hip-hop and ballet, she has created her own dance genre called Expand Practice, exuding emotion from the core and creating varied physical shapes and textures as expressions of one’s authentic self. Her quirky style of exaggerated facial expressions, gesture, and athletic theatricality sets her work apart. Taylor created her own technique and is building The TL Collective all from the ground up. She received the Inaugural Springboard EMERGE Choreographic Award, was named in Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2019, and graced the cover of Dance Magazine in April 2020, Most recently she was awarded San Francisco’s Audience choice Award for “Best Solo Artist,” 2022. A millennial herself, Taylor is a role model and influencer to aspiring BIPOC artists and is creating groundbreaking work that introduces commercial styles to concert dance. Taylor’s work has been presented at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, The Broad Stage, Ford Amphitheatre, Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, and more. Alongside the launch of her company, Taylor has been commissioned to choreograph and teach by Rambert Dance Company, The Getty Museum, BODYTRAFFIC, Springboard Danse Montreal/Gibney Dance Company, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, B12 Festival Berlin, Carlos Acosta’s Acosta Danza. She has just been named Resident Choreographer of BODYTRAFFIC and upcoming commissions include Ballet BC, Venice Biennale, and more. She has also recently been commissioned by The Paris Opera.

About Vitacca Ballet’s Success
Vitacca Ballet is ranked amongst the most prestigious companies in the country. Pointe Magazine’s Nancy Wozny called out Vitacca Ballet and in specific company artists, Jordan Hooks and Joshua Ponton’s performance in Hypnotic Forces from brilliant Resident Choreographer Garrett Smith as one of the “12 Standout Performances of 2023.” Wozny states,

“Jordan Hooks and Joshua Ponton delivered a powerful concluding duet that oscillated between tenderness and anxious watchfulness, with a tension that never let up even during its most intimate moments.”
Artistic Director and Founder Kelly Ann Vitacca comments, “We are thrilled to have Vitacca Ballet, and our Resident Choreographer Garrett Smith featured in Pointe Magazine’s “12 Standout Performances of 2023.” This contemporary ballet by Smith incapsulates the type of fresh, progressive, and quality artistry Vitacca Ballet brings to the greater Houston area and beyond.”

Artists work with internationally renowned choreographers each season. Past seasons choreographers included Ethan Colangelo, Garrett Smith, Robyn Mineko Williams, Tina Kay Bohnstedt, Hélène Simoneau, Sean Aaron Carmon, Alana Jones, Autumn Eckman, Madison Hicks, Shizu Yasuda, Robbie Moore, Roderick George, and Andrea Dawn Shelley. “The choreographic talent Vitacca Ballet brings to Houston is unique and exploratory,” comments Ms. Vitacca. “From returning audience favorites to new choreographers bringing their distinctive perspective to the stage, each season is transformational for the contemporary ballet scene in Houston. We pride ourselves on offering a space of incubation for choreographers to collaborate with our dancers as the creation takes form. This allows for an enriching process and unencumbered dance on stage.”

This season Vitacca Ballet has ten company members. The company offers a 34-week contract on par with the nation’s largest dance organizations. Vitacca Ballet prides itself on supporting the development of the Texas arts scene by offering a home and supporting income to artists from across the globe. Founded in 2020 Vitacca Ballet is a creation- based repertoire company in the Houston area. As the pandemic brought artists home to Houston, Ms. Vitacca strived to keep artists employed, and the Houston arts scene alive with project-based work. This experience laid the framework for the launch of Vitacca Ballet in 2021.

“I am motivated by the support Vitacca Ballet has received in the four seasons since its inception. Houston’s passionate arts community has allowed for Vitacca Ballet to grow as a leading organization ensuring the future of professional contemporary ballet with seasoned dancers in the greater Houston area,” comments Ms. Vitacca. “We have also broadened our reach to different cities in Texas and the United States with invitations to perform coast to coast.”

Vitacca Ballet’s 2024/2025 company roster includes Nikolas Darrough, Ava Dempster, Elissa Fonesca, Jordan Hooks, Joshua Ponton, International Guest Khen Kurulkar, Maddie Medina, Melody Mennite, Coltin Snyder, and Aidan Wolf.

Vitacca Ballet is a proud to be a fiscally sponsored project through Fresh Arts. This allows tax-deductible donations to be made toward Vitacca Ballet’s vision and artistic growth.

For more information about Vitacca Ballet, visit www.VitaccaBallet.org