Courtesy of Dance St. Louis
moSTLy TAP
Each Memorial Day weekend, a mélange of dance companies in styles ranging from ballet to Bollywood gather in St. Louis for the annual Spring to Dance Festival. For local dancegoers, a pilgrimage to the Touhill Performing Arts Center for this three-day danceapolooza is as much a tradition as a trip to The Nutcracker—a chance to see come of the country’s best dance right here in St. Louis.
Now in its 12th season, Spring to Dance marks the end of a comeback year for Dance St. Louis, the organization that produces the festival and, this season, presented Pilobolus, Company Wayne McGregor, WeWolf, and the wildly successful “Evening of Ballet Stars.” The previous year was condensed to just a handful of performances and a two-day festival as Dance St. Louis necessarily regained its financial footing—a restructuring that coincided with the exits of artistic director Michael Uthoff and executive director Janet Brown.
Many wondered if a rebound was possible. A new leadership team and a fully-restored season, including the reinstatement of a full three days of Spring to Dance, however, create a hopeful vibe for the organization, which in addition to its mission of bringing high-quality dance to St. Louis, seeks to elevate the local dance scene, too.
A specific benefit for St. Louis–based dance companies participating in Spring to Dance is the potential for cultivating new audiences. The idea is that people who routinely come to Spring to Dance, but might not be inclined to attend other dance shows, may be introduced to a company they like and take a “deeper dive” by attending one of their performances.
For St. Louis Ballet, MADCO, and the Big Muddy Dance Company—dance organizations that are almost guaranteed a spot in the festival—it’s just part of the formula. But for smaller companies, a chance to dance at the Touhill could be a game changer.
In his second season curating Spring to Dance, festival consultant Terence Marling made it a conscious goal to hold a spot in the Lee Theater—a smaller, more intimate venue with nightly performances preceding the mainstage show in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall—for local companies. “We really should support this as a festival,” says Marling. “Let’s give them a place onstage, in amongst all this other greatness.”
Artistic director Dawn Karlovsky has been in Spring to Dance twice before as an independent choreographer, but this is the first time Karlovsky & Company Dance will perform since she incorporated the company as a nonprofit organization. “The festival has always been a really great opportunity for the community to see so much diversity in dance,” says Karlovsky. “But for St. Louis, it’s really important that the local companies are represented, and that’s why I’m really thrilled to be a part of it.”
“We’re super honored to be a part of Spring to Dance this year,” says Maria Majors, director of moSTLy TAP, whose festival debut was a lobby performance last year. In 2017, five local tappers organized to seek out professional performance opportunities for themselves, and moSTLy TAP quickly took off. Performing Saturday in the Lee Theater, their piece features live musicians, part of an ongoing initiative engaging local hoofers with St. Louis’ amazing jazz scene.
Karen Grundy moved to Columbia, Missouri, in 2000 to teach at the Columbia Performing Arts Centre, and formed Missouri Contemporary Ballet in 2006. “My vision is to become more of a nationally recognized company one day,” says Grundy, whose company has toured Missouri extensively. On opening night, Missouri Contemporary Ballet will be performing a piece by Penny Saunders, whose work is also danced by notable companies like Grand Rapids Ballet and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.
“It’s exposure and getting our name out there,” says Grundy about her fourth appearance in the festival. “The performances are amazing, but to also just be a part of something with all these incredible dance companies and be recognized—it’s like, we’re there, too.”
The Spring to Dance Festival runs May 23 to 25 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Single event tickets are $5 to $35, with festival passes available for $50 to $90. For more information, go to dancestlouis.org.
