Debut-iful Dance Season

New TITAS Presents season guarantees dance moves Dallas has never seen

The forthcoming 2015-2016 TITAS Presents season at AT&T Performing Arts Center is full of Dallas debuts and legendary choreographers. Dubbed "Breaking Normal," it features 10 regular season shows and one special event.

Of the 10 regular season performances, nine of them are new to Dallas, providing some fresh blood for performing arts patrons to enjoy. Everything takes place at Winspear Opera House or Dallas City Performance Hall.

The season kicks off September 18 and 19 with the previously announced Twyla Tharp Dance 50th Anniversary Tour. It was co-commissioned by TITAS Presents and debuts in Dallas. No particulars have emerged, but because it's coming from the dance legend, it's sure to be spectacular.

Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion makes its Dallas debut on October 29 and 30. Labeled as "urban funk meets modern dance," this is a world premiere for the troupe, choreographed by MacArthur "Genius" Award recipient Kyle Abraham.

Akram Khan Dance Company comes to Dallas City Performance Hall on November 6 and 7. The British-born Khan, whose family is from Bangladesh, is known for choreographing work that takes the audience to new and unexpected places through human themes and exploration. This performance, titled "Kaash," is a collaboration with famed artist Anish Kapoor and composer Nitin Sawhney.

BodyTraffic, performing January 22, 2016, at Winspear Opera House, starts the new year in style. In just three short years, the troupe has garnered much attention in the dance world thanks to its stylized and confident performances, not to mention work by some of the world's most sought-after choreographers.

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan debuts on February 5, 2016, at Winspear Opera House in a collaboration with the Crow Collection of Asian Art. The performance, titled "Rice," features dancers trained in Qi Gong and internal martial arts enacting a human drama parallel to the life cycle of rice.

All-male company BalletBoyz puts on a debut performance on February 13, 2016, at Winspear Opera House. Their work has been hailed as original and innovative, and their founders, Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, have been credited with making dance accessible to a wider audience through their stage and television work.

The French duo Mr. & Mme Revé, aka Mr. & Mrs. Dream, debut a dreamlike performance on March 18 and 19, 2016, at Dallas City Performance Hall. The two dancers use virtual reality backgrounds, like a claustrophobic home or a mountain landscape, to create a 3D environment that morphs before your eyes.

March will be French month, as La Compagnie Hervé Koubi Dance makes its debut on March 25 and 26, 2016, at Dallas City Performance Hall. As choreographed by Koubi, the performance by 12 male Algerian and West African dancers combines capoeira, martial arts, urban and contemporary dance to seemingly defy gravity.

Canadian troupe Kidd Pivot Dance Company debuts a new work on April 21 and 22, 2016, at Dallas City Performance Hall. Using movement, original music, text and rich visual design, their newest work, "Betroffenheit," is said to be an innovative, boundary-stretching hybrid of theater and dance.

TITAS' annual Command Performance Gala takes place May 7, 2016, at Winspear Opera House. Twelve artists from leading companies command the stage in a night that also showcases newly commissioned works created specifically for the gala performance.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet, comprising 16 dancers of different ethnic and dance backgrounds, wraps up the season on May 21, 2016, at Winspear Opera House. The performance features new works and complex, rich choreography.

Tickets for TITAS Presents regular season performances begin at $12. Performance tickets to TITAS Presents Command Performance also begin at $12. TITAS Presents subscribers receive discounted pricing depending on the number of shows they purchase and priority seating.

Currently, patrons may purchase either the full season subscription or a minimum of six titles on a flex-subscription plan. Individual tickets, should they remain available after subscription sales, will be made available at a later date.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.attpac.org/titas, by phone at 214-880-0202 or in person at the AT&T Performing Arts Center information center at 2353 Flora St.

BodyTraffic is part of the 2015-2016 TITAS Presents season, performing at Winspear Opera House on January 22, 2016.

Photo by Tomas Z. Rossa, courtesy of AT&T Performing Arts Center

BodyTraffic is part of the 2015-2016 TITAS Presents season, performing at Winspear Opera House on January 22, 2016.

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Downtown Dallas news

Dallas Arts District picks Dallas College leader as executive director

Photo by Jaren Collins

Ahava Silkey-Jones

The Dallas Arts District has found its next leader: Ahava Silkey-Jones has been named executive director of the nonprofit that supports and promotes the downtown Dallas cultural district. She succeeds longtime executive director Lily Weiss, who retired earlier this year after more than a decade in the role.

Silkey-Jones joins the Dallas Arts District from Dallas College, where she served as vice provost of the School of Creative Arts, Entertainment and Design, a release notes. During her tenure, she led academic strategy, programming, and industry partnerships across seven campuses.

She brings more than 15 years of experience in higher education, nonprofit leadership, arts administration, and civic engagement.

"The Dallas Arts District is one of America's great cultural neighborhoods — a place where creativity inspires community, strengthens the economy and enriches everyday life," Silkey-Jones says in the release. "We have an incredible opportunity to elevate the District's national and global profile while creating an even more welcoming, connected and vibrant place for everyone who lives, works and visits here."

The leadership change comes after a busy year for the 118-acre district, which encompasses 19 cultural institutions and is billed as the nation's largest contiguous urban arts district. The district recently adopted a strategic plan centered on advocacy, placemaking, public safety, infrastructure, programming, and long-term growth, they say.

The area also took on a higher profile during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosting the RedBall Dallas public art installation and four major festivals that brought hundreds of thousands of local and international visitors downtown, they say.

Board chair Warren Tranquada, who is also president and CEO of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, says Silkey-Jones has built a career around creating partnerships among the arts, education, and community organizations.

"This organization's role in shaping downtown's quality of life, economic vitality and global identity has never been more important," Tranquada says. "Ahava has spent her career bringing people together across sectors to create lasting community impact."

Silkey-Jones has received several recent honors, including the 2025 Obelisk Award from the Business Council for the Arts and recognition as one of Women We Admire's Top Women Leaders. She holds degrees from Harvard University, Roosevelt University, and DePaul University and serves on several local and national arts and education boards.

Former board chair Jill Magnuson, who stepped in as interim executive director following Weiss' retirement, will return to serving as a volunteer leader.

“Jill's leadership during this transition was invaluable,” Tranquada says. “She provided stability while also helping establish a clear vision for the future. Her work has left the organization stronger, and we are grateful she will continue supporting the Dallas Arts District as a volunteer leader.”

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