It's ladies' night at Avant Chamber Ballet's Women's Choreography Project

For the tenth year, the Women’s Choreography Project (WCP), produced by Avant Chamber Ballet (ACB), highlights new work by female choreographers. The performances will take place March 29-30 at 7:30 p.m. in Kurth Hall at Sammons Center for the Arts.

This year’s project features the world premieres of two new works by Dallas-based female choreographers Kaylee Skelton and Hailey Von Schlehenried as well as restaged works by Katie Puder, Avant Chamber Ballet’s artistic director, and Madelaine Boyce.

“Women’s Choreography Project is a big part of the identity of ACB,” Puder said. “New works, equity in the arts, and live music is what we have been passionate about since day one and I am so happy to be celebrating our tenth year with these two new works.” 

At ballet performances, the stage is full of women. In administrative offices and in leadership roles in the rehearsal hall, the world of ballet has been historically male-dominated.

“I think there has been a huge conversation in the dance world about the lack of female leadership and creators. The data has improved but women still only represent 25% of the ballets performed in 2023 when we look at the top 100 companies in America,” Puder said. 

Women’s Choreography Project is a direct response to the problem, providing opportunities for female creators and commissioning 20 new works over the last decade.

“I'm just very proud of all the amazing art that we have been able to bring to audiences that otherwise would not exist. It can make a huge impact on a career of a choreographer to get a commission like this and it's the stepping stone to larger works and building your resume of working with professional companies,” Puder said. 

Von Schlehenried is a native of Johannesburg, South Africa where she began her dance training with her mother, Angela Sham. Prolific in all dance genres, she is a registered ballet teacher and holds a Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies with the Royal Academy of Dance in London. Von Schlehenried is currently the resident choreographer at Royale Ballet Dance Academy in Dallas, TX where she teaches ballet, lyrical, and contemporary. Avant Chamber Ballet commissioned Von Schlehenried to create Yin and Yang for the 2017 Women’s Choreography Project.

Her contribution to this year’s Women’s Choreography Project is about the nature of love.

“My new work is called lost in a dream. It's music by Ludovico Einaudi entitled Nuvole Bianche which translates to ‘white clouds.’ I first came across this piece of music about six years ago and played around with a few choreography ideas that summer. Anyway, life got busy, and I never really came back to it,"  Von Schlehenried said.

"Then Katie asked me to create a pas for the WCP and while searching for music, this piece resurfaced. The timing just felt right. So, I started researching the music a little because I do love Einaudi's music. I looked up the meaning of the piece and found some lyrics and it just started speaking to me more. This new work to me is about a love that only exists in your dreams, a love that maybe was once there and is no more. There are moments of happiness and sadness. I’d say it can be interpreted in many ways and that is how I like my work to be. Whatever it makes the audience feel. I’m very honored to be back choreographing with WCP for their tenth anniversary. I first choreographed with the company back in 2017 and it opened a lot of doors for me as a choreographer. I’m very excited to see this new work on stage.”

Skelton is from Littleton, Colorado, where she started her serious ballet training at Belliston Academy of Ballet, under the direction of Jeannine Belliston. Skelton attended summer courses at Pacific Northwest Ballet, School of American Ballet, and Boston Ballet and continued her training on scholarship in the Professional Division with Pacific Northwest Ballet. She danced as a company member with Nevada Ballet Theatre in Las Vegas, collaborating with Cirque du Soleil. Skelton then joined the City Ballet of San Diego, where she danced in the company for 3 years.  Before joining Avant Chamber Ballet, she was a Principal Dancer with Reformation Dance Company under the direction of Kathleen Vreeland.

The 2023-2024 season is Skelton’s fifth season with Avant Chamber Ballet. She has choreographed on the company dancers twice during the annual Dancer’s Choice program. 

“The work I am creating this year for WCP is a full company piece to 13 Pieces, Op. 76 by Jean Sibelius. This will be my professional choreographic debut for a main company show, and I could not be more excited! Really, what inspired me is my incredible fellow dancers. I wanted to create a piece that is just fun, feels good to dance, and highlights all the dancers in different ways. I come in with ideas and they so easily make them come to life, working with such amazing artists is really a dream come true!” Skelton said.

Women’s Choreography Project is fundamental to the artistic growth of these choreographers.

“Programs like WCP help me grow as an artist by making me look at things from a different perspective. Being in the front of the room instead really makes you think about your process and how the relationship feels as a dancer working with a choreographer and vice versa,” Skelton said. 

“I think this women’s choreography project is so great because firstly I don’t think there are enough programs for women choreographers and there are so many amazing female choreographers. So, I really commend Katie Puder for keeping this program alive, celebrating the tenth anniversary and encouraging female choreographers,” Von Schlehenried said. 

“Personally, I think this project helps me grow because I have to step outside my comfort zone. I tend to lean towards music that has a full orchestra in it and has a lot going on but for this piece, it’s solo piano. So, the choreography has to speak for itself and say something and it’s a bit more intimate. It’s always such a privilege to have live accompaniment and work with young professionals because they bring about so much inspiration and watching how they interpret the music and choreography helps me grow artistically too. I think the environment one is creating can either help you grow or hinder your artistic voice. At Avant, it’s a very positive atmosphere and the dancers are so encouraging of each other, so I feel able to express what I want to say without feeling uncertain. I’m so looking forward to this year's WCP.”

Learn more: Avant Chamber Ballet