For its 16th anniversary, the Contemporary Choreographers’ Collective, better known as Coco, will break from its normal dance festival format.
The festival curates and showcases work by new, emerging and established choreographers from across the globe. It also hosts workshops, lectures and seminars and has sponsored a vibrant outreach programme, Coco in the Community, since its inception, a media release said.
[caption id="attachment_1098478" align="alignnone" width="844"] Life Receding - choreographed by Natalie Rogers.Photo courtesy Nicolina Scibona -[/caption]
The festival usually builds its annual programme through a rigorous process that selects work received in response to the non-profit’s annual call for submissions. This year, to advance its mandate to build a more sustainable and impactful model, the festival will narrow its focus, the release said.
In October, Coco will host the world-famous Garth Fagan Dance for two shows and a series of workshops. Fagan is most celebrated for his choreography for the near-immortal The Lion King. He also has an acclaimed body of contemporary work that spans over five decades, the release said.
Dubbed a “national treasure” by the Library of Congress, Fagan’s work has been mounted on world-renowned companies such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company and the New York City Ballet, and, of course, his own company. Trinidadian dancer and choreographer Natalie Rogers, a member of the company for much of its history and an assistant choreographer of The Lion King, is now the executive director of the world-famous entity and is one of the architects of the visit in October, the release said.
[caption id="attachment_1098476" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Talk MsMrs from a larger work Senku - choreographed by Garth Fagan.Photo courtesy Paula Summit. -[/caption]
Coco co-director Sonja Dumas said in the release, “The Fagan project is a testament to Coco’s ambitious spirit. It will give us the space to dig deeper into understanding the needs of our core contributors in the dance community and we will host a series of online outreach sessions in the coming weeks.
“This reflective phase will empower us to thoughtfully recalibrate and innovate our offerings, ultimately shaping the forthcoming evolution of Coco into a more dynamic and inclusive platform that continues to celebrate and elevate the art of dance.”
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