MEET THE CREATIVE TEAM

ANN M. WILLIAMS Founder, Dallas Black Dance Theatre

In May of 2014, Ann M. Williams, founder of Dallas Black Dance Theatre, officially retired as Artistic Director of the organization, but remains actively involved with the company and is an emeritus member of the Board of Directors. She is a founding member of the Dance Council and The International Association of Blacks in Dance.

Ms. Williams received her early dance training under Barbara Hollis (a member of the Katherine Dance Company), Edith James, Doris Humphrey, and Charles Weidman. She received additional training under Alvin Ailey and Arthur Mitchell. She is a graduate of Prairie View A&M University and earned a Master of Arts Degree in Dance and Related Arts from Texas Woman’s University (TWU) She holds a certificate in Arts Management from Texas A&M University and received an honorary degree, Doctor of

Humanities, from Northwood University. In 2008, she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Dance from TWU. She served six years on the TWU Board of Regents. She is a 2002 inductee into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame. In April 2005, she was honored at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. as a part of the Masters of African American Choreography series. She has received many awards and honors for her support and commitment to the arts and service organizations.

MELISSA M. YOUNG Artistic Director

Melissa M. Young is a Honduran American raised in Santa Ana, California. She attended Orange Coast College with a focus in Business Administration. She is a graduate of The Ailey School the official school of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City. During her Fellowship studies, she was one of five students selected to train as an exchange student at Amsterdam University of the Arts in the Netherlands.

Ms. Young is celebrating her twenty-ninth season with DBDT. She started her DBDT career as a dancer for eleven years, then moved up the ranks as Rehearsal Director, Academy Director, Associate Artistic Director, Interim Artistic Director, and was appointed Artistic Director in 2018. Her most notable performances include The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, and for the U.S. Ambassadors to Ireland and Zimbabwe. She has restaged and rehearsed the diverse repertoire of DBDT, which spans over 100 ballets. She was an Assistant to the Choreographers for Dallas Theater Center’s production of The Wiz Ms. Young is most proud of thoughtfully leading DBDT through the pandemic by using the many restrictions as a guide to push the boundaries of her imagination into a creative reality.

Teaching master classes nationally and internationally, Ms. Young specializes in the Dance Technique of Lester Horton and was the primary Horton Technique Instructor for DBDT company dancers from 19982017. As an Adjunct Instructor, she has taught at Southern Methodist University, Texas Woman’s University, and Abilene Christian University. Ms. Young is a participant in the Leadership Arts Institute, Class of 2022, and a member of the International Association of Blacks in Dance, Inc., and has served as an advisory panelist for many arts organizations.

In 2000, Ms. Young was presented with The Dancer’s Award for her artistic excellence and dedication to DBDT. In 2010, she was chosen as one of “The Talented Tenth” by The Dallas Weekly for being a Young and Emerging Leader. In 2014, she received an Award of Recognition from the South Dallas Dance Festival for her service to dance and in 2016, the Natalie Skelton Award for Artistic Excellence. In 2017, she received the Shining Star Award from the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance for her significant contributions to dance in Texas and beyond. In 2019, Melissa was honored with the “We Speak Your Name” Career Achievement Award.

Dancers

Carmen Cage, Hana DeLong, Sierra Noelle Jones, Elijah W. Lancaster, Derick McKoy, Jr., Bianca Melidor, Daniel Palladino, Jessica Popoff, Terrell Rogers, Jr., Sean J. Smith, De’Anthony Vaughan, Isabel Wallace-Green, McKinley Willis

Performance Repertoire

IN•TER•PRET

Choreographer: Hope Boykin

Music: Peter I. Tchaikovsky

WHAT TO SAY? NOTES ON ECHO AND NARCISSUS

Choreographer: Jamal Story

Music: Max Richter and Dinah Washington

For Etta

Choreographer: Carmen Cage

Music: Etta James

Like Water

Choreographer: Darrell Grand Moultrie

Music: Rodrigo y Gabriela and Pêtr Aleksänder