Denver's Cleo Parker Robinson Dance starts 55th season off with "Bolero" at Ellie Caulkins Opera House
A Denver dance ensemble that has been woven into the city's artistic fabric for decades is preparing to launch its 55th season.
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance will be performing "Bolero" at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House this weekend. Performances take place on Saturday and Sunday night.
"Bolero" is a combination of a number of different works. Some are old favorites that have come back and others are world premieres.
"It will be our homecoming week, and so lots of dancers are coming in," said Cleo Parker Robinson, the dance troupe's founder.
Choreographer Christopher Lance Huggins is one of those who is returning.
"I wanted to do like a cheeky, fun ballet about the red light district of Amsterdam," he said of this weekend's performances of "Bolero."
He first set this dance more than two decades ago.
"I didn't change many things. I did tweak some movement," Huggins said.
"Raindance" is back for its second staging with the current ensemble, guest alumni dancers and the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.
"It's magic," said Parker Robinson.
Choreographer Lisa Johnson-Willingham is also premiering a duet.
"The name of my piece is 'For All Time, Always,'" she said.
The duet is inspired by the relationship between Cleo Parker Robinson and Tom Robinson.
"They were married for 52 years, so I wanted to give ... a love letter to Cleo and my gratitude," Johnson-Willingham said.
Johnson-Willingham is back to reunite with her very first dance troupe.
"She was a big influence, a mentor in my career, throughout my career," she said.
In her world premiere, Lisa uses a clip of the late Tom Robinson's voice. It's a voice that Parker Robinson said she hasn't heard in three years.
"I really just couldn't move. I had to stay still for a very long time," she said.
The work is intensely personal and healing.
"It's also you recognizing that they're still with you in spirit so you can continue on," Johnson-Willingham said.
"It takes ... your breath away, you know?" Parker Robinson said. "And I guess I realized this, that love is powerful and it goes beyond our physical time. Love is eternal.
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