Spring 2024 Concert
"in this world, we fear women if we cannot control them"
Akram Khan
Financial assistance for our 2023 - 2024 concert season was provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. Woman was produced with support from the Regional Arts Commission and was also funded by Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the state arts agencies of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Spring 2023 Concert
The Gun Violence Archive is a nonprofit group that tracks gun violence using police reports, news coverage, and other public sources. They define mass shootings as “an incident in which at least four people are injured or killed, excluding the shooter.” According to their records, 2022 was the second most deadly year for gun violence in the United States in over a decade - a year that did not leave St. Louis unscathed. The Gun Violence Archive has recorded nearly 700 mass shootings in 2022, with the United States holding the ghastly record for more than any other country. Some studies indicate that the rate at which public mass shootings occur has tripled since 2011, leaving us desensitized. Desensitized questioned some of the contributing factors to this plague on our country including high access to guns, low access to mental health resources, as well as a variety of sociocultural factors. Desensitized was a sobering, yet important discussion that was funded entirely by efforts by the company artists and individual donors.
Fall 2022 Concert
French Connection explored the life and artistry of Josephine Baker and gave a nod to St. Louis’s French foundings. Mini French lessons were offered to the public leading up to the performance weekend and previews of French Connection were performed in historically relevant locations in St. Louis where Josephine Baker lived, worked and played. The concert was funded by The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and nearly one hundred generous individual donors.
Spring 2022 Concert
Human Disturbance: Redisturbed was the first staged version of a several year project called Human Disturbance. The concerts were an interrogation of humankind’s impact on Earth. Human Disturbance explored topics including climate change, material resource consumption, wildlife preservation, and natural disaster. Choreographers investigated many of the challenges we face on our planet today while also proposing approaches to address these concerns. In Human Disturbance, we acknowledge the duality of humankind’s destructive and creative impact on the planet and hold loss, chaos, and apocalypse together with abundance, possibility, and regeneration. These extended Earth Day celebrations were funded by the fundraising efforts of the individual artists as well as generous contributions of Marye Gleva, Charles Huddleston and other individual donors.
Fall 2021 Concert
[R]evolution centered themes of justice and power and offered a vision for a more just and humxne future. [R]evolution explored racial equity, bias, mental health, voting rights, gender equity, and food apartheid. [R]evolution investigated many of the challenges we face in our society today and used movement and performance to generate dialogue and action to address these systemic issues. [R]evolution was original scheduled in the weeks prior to the 2020 national presidential election; through this performance, we hoped to not only inspire electoral action, but to support broader activist efforts to dismante the systems of oppression we live in, including racism, white supremacy, capitalism, heteropatriarchy, xenophobia, sexism, and ableism. [R]evolution was funded in part by a commission from Arts & Faith St. Louis as well as fundraising made possible by Tapped and supported by our individual donors.
Fall 2021 Concert
In September 2021 the Kemper Art Museum hosted the exhibition, The Outwin: American Portraiture Today. This juried exhibition takes place every three years and showcases portraits by artists living and working in the United States. For the 2019 iteration, artists were asked to submit works that address the current social and political climate, offering a range of perspectives on issues including immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, and workers' rights. Our artists were invited to select a piece that spoke to them and participate in a performance-based program in response to these artworks. This video is the culmination of that collaboration.
Spring 2021 Concert
Human Disturbance was originally planned for the stage, but due to the stay-at-home order and COVID-19 pandemic, was produced outdoors in Oak Knoll Park. An interrogation of humankind’s impact on Earth at an incredibly relevant time, Human Disturbance explored topics including climate change, material resource consumption, wildlife preservation, pollinators and natural disaster. Our choreographers investigated many of the challenges we face on our planet today while also proposing approaches to address these concerns. In Human Disturbance, we acknowledged the duality of humankind’s destructive and creative impact on the planet; we hold loss, chaos, and apocalypse together with abundance, possibility, and regeneration. This program was made possible thanks to donated space by Oak Knoll Park and the City of Clayton. No funding was available for the production of this work and tickets were made available with a pay-what-you-can model.
/prəˈvāl/ is CKDC's premiere dance film. /prəˈvāl/ tells the story of 2020 and the tenacity of artists worldwide. We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters of color and recognize their unique struggles in this pandemic. Dance is a universal language that unites us all and we continue to use dance and performing arts as vehicles for community activism. This film would not be possible without the generous support of The Missouri Arts Council and volunteer hours from our entire creative team.
Winter 2020 Concert
Fall 2019 Concert
The Blue Zone, named after the parts of the world that are home to the highest concentration of centenarians, explores community, culture and purpose. Diving deep in to the science of living longer and healthier, our choreographers followed the research of National Geographic Fellow and author, Dan Buettner as well as other publications on these fascinating parts of the world. We believe CKDC (now Pack Dance) is its own Blue Zone, right here in St. Louis. The Blue Zone was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis.
Spring 2019 Concert
Bloom celebrated a new beginning for our company as we moved into our new studio home, in the Central West End. Bloom explored ideas of starting anew, flowering, developing and growing. In addition to blooming in the community, the concert was also the first ever to offer choreographic positions to three Junior Company dancers age 11 - 13 in celebration of their unique growth as young artists. These three talented students, Katrin Allen, Moxie Doctor and Sophia Huddleston were joined by their mentors and Resident Choreographers Arica Brown, Ashreale McDowell, Kat Norton and Mel McCray as well as Guest Choreographers Mary Clermont and Rafael Tillery to bring efflorescent themes to the stage. Bloom was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation where we are proud to be a resident company.
Fall 2018 Concert
Stasis was conceptualized to celebrate a state of rest and normalcy in the company following a period of change. Stasis involved the use of multimedia including installations, graphics, film and other interactive elements. Stasis included premiere work by Founder, Artistic and Executive Director, Arica Brown, premiere choreography by Assistant Artistic and Executive Director, Ashreale McDowell. Stasis introduced debut choreography by Associate Director, Kat Norton alongside Resident Choreographers Sam Gaitsch, Rafael Tillery and Jordan Woods. Guest Choreographers included David Marchant, Rob Scoggins and Ashley Yang.
The Scenic Route was a contemporary dance concert about experience, adventure and travel. The Scenic Route featured the work of Guest Choreographers Ryadah Heiskell, David Marchant, Cecil Slaughter and Rafael Tillery and well as Resident Choreographers Arica Brown, Sam Gaitsch and Ashreale McDowell. This was the first concert we produced at The Marcelle Theater.
Spring 2018 Concert
Intrinsic explored the four elements; earth, air, fire and water and featured the work of Artistic Director Arica Brown, Resident Choreographers Sam Gaitsch, Olivia Perez, Ashreale McDowell and Guest Choreographers Thom Dancy and James Robey.
Fall 2017 Concert:
Fall 2016 Concert
Take Root was a concert about growth and progress. It was a commentary on our organization rooting down and making St. Louis our home after a year of struggling and being uprooted. Take Root featured choreography by Artistic Director, Arica Brown and Resident Choreographers Sam Gaitsch, Kelsey Keil, Ashreale McDowell, Carly Niehaus and Olivia Perez with Guest Choreographers Belle Jessen and Rafael Tillery.
Spring 2016 Concert
Architecture and dance share a common component, as seen in architect Kenneth L. Warriner’s concept of variable commitment. Namely, can a structure be transformed by how individuals use the space? Living creatures are both defined by the space that they occupy while simultaneously redefining their space to meet their needs. From the legends on a shirt to family pictures on a cubicle to location of a favorite chair in a home, we are constantly mitigating the space that confines us in an effort to communicate exactly who we are. Footholds and Foundations demonstrated how individuals interact with each other, negotiating the boundaries of fixed space through motion. The process of movement is at the heart of a network of fluid constructions, built upon a foundation that is assumed to be stable and eternal. But when the footholds shift and structures crumble, how do people scramble for traction and rebuild their worlds? Footholds and Foundations tested the cornerstones and structures of support. Choreographers included Kelsey Keil, Olivia Perez, Arica Brown, Sam Gaitsch guest Choreography by Lynn Bobzin and Kameron Saunders.
Fall 2015 Concert
What Brings Us Here explored personal relationships, inner growth, and how aspects of life's journey can bring us exactly where we need to be. What Brings Us Here featured premiere works by Artistic Director Arica Brown, guest artist Kate Cleary, company dancers Samantha Gaitsch, Madison Dewitt, and Carly Niehaus, and included performances by fellow company dancers Ashreale McDowell and Kelsey Keil. Junior Company dancer Mimi Ito also joined us on stage, marking the beginning of a long investment our company has made in young artists. It is now commonplace to see our junior company perform an entire work in a concert or be cast in professional works.