Vincent E Thomas/VTDance new season concert features an ecclectic array of powerful and poignant works. Works include a birthday gift to Baltimore Theatre Project (celebrating 50 years), a new solo about finding self in the midst of social boxes, a new excerpt from a new project about the life, lessons, and legacy of the dance legend- Clay Taliaferro, and the premier of the new ensemble VTDance II. The work continues to be universal, tangible, and essential.

                                                                                                                                                  Speak Space

Performers: Kristin Putchinski and Vincent E Thomas

InBox…

Performers: Julian Peterson, Vincent E Thomas

Text: Vincent E Thomas

Pursuit of Hope

Choreography and Direction: Vincent E Thomas with Additional Choreography by Company

Music: Christian Cherry

VTDance II Performers: Elias Brzezinski, Mikhail Gordon, Yasir, Jones, Brandon Palmer

Projection Design: Steven Burrall

Gardens of Clay: A work-in-process 

Performers: Mr. Clay Taliaferro and Vincent E Thomas

Documentarian: Dr. Gaynell Sherrod

Music: Giuseppe Verdi, Leontyne Price

Step…

Performers: Julian Peterson, Vincent E Thomas, VTDance II

Creative juice from a walking meditation lead by Nancy Romita

The pandemic (Covid-19) has been a major disruption to life as we know it or knew it. Aspects of our lives have been in crisis, some to devastating ends. The arts were hit hard. Theaters and performance venues still have the 'ghostlight' on. In a moment of stillness, I considered my 'ghostlight' as an artist. What, where, and how would I move forward and continue to move a needle forward in the field. This gave me energy/gas to charge ahead with creative justice and inquiry to be productive and still do the important work and engage with communties and organizations with and through art.
The coronavirus pandemic was like a vehicle slamming on breaks in a Nascar race of life. The vehicle stops and the mugshot is taken. From many sides, the view (mugshot) of our society and the world was being examined and scrutinized. The images/mugshots of this pandemic will document this moment in history. Even the mugshots/images of the Black Lives Matter Movement are profound in scope in how they capture black and brown people in inspiring, powerful, authentic, emotional, rallying, and innocent ways. Here are two major examples of artistic projects that flourished out of the pandemic- "Mugshots" and "Hands of Power".

"Mugshots" Project- 2020 DANZINC International Virtual Residency- Singapore
These mugshots photos were taken during the pandemics as I searched for light, positive energy, hope, and inspiration during the challenging and stressful times. With Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter Movement sweeping the world- anger, frustration, protests (peaceful and chaotic)- I turned inward to find moments and sources of grace and light. One morning while having tea and meditating, I noticed and focused on my mug in hand. I took in the vessel that held my sipping tea. Gratitude in the vessel…a container of gratitude. I inhaled the aromas of positivity. It was a metaphor for me…so I took a selfie- a mugshot. The result of this artistic process was a photographic series. As part of my morning meditation, I added an improvisational movement meditation for each mugshot taken. I brought into the process my spoken word collaborator, Michelle “Love the poet” Nelson, to create one stanza poems for each mug. From her poems, I then selected one line from each that resonated with each mug’s essence to create a collage poem- Spillage. This poem will be used as inspiration and motivation for a physical solo.

"Hands of Power" I wanted to consider the meaning of silver lining? Traced back to the writings of John Milton about a cloud’s silver lining, I admit I had no real knowledge of him nor his writing. But I did have a memory of my grandmother teaching me the power of making the best out of the ‘not so best’. In other words, ‘making a way out of no way’, as they would often say in the southern baptist church. Big Ma (the late Mariah Brown) was a spiritual soul from the south, who always saw good in others. I am reminded of Big Ma and me making lemonade and sweet tea in the cosy kitchen. This memory of (as a child) taking sour lemons and making something sweet and delicious out of it, is what has stayed with me during these times. This pandemic has been, truthfully, troubling and challenging on so many levels. Since March 13th, the pivot dance has been my Electric Slide, my Cupid Shuffle, and my Wobble. And this dance continued into the fall semester, as we pivoted into all online/virtual classes (teaching and learning). So in true Big Ma fashion, I decided to make some lemonade. A huge pitcher of lemonade has been the Modern Repertory class. In early August, I decided to create a piece inspired by the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment, Women’s Suffrage Movement, March on Washington 1963/2020, and Voting. It has been a thirst-quenching journey. The virtual platform challenges, the diminished individual moving spaces, the lack of in-person physical community and tactile connections were the lemons, and the research, creative processes, personal investigations of subject matter, new ways to connect with a larger university community, and the students were the cups of sugar. The result is the dance piece  “Hands of Power”. The work has five sections: My first vote…, I am…, In my hands…, In my feet…, and In our Rights. For the section In my feet…, I reached across and within the university community to engage collaborative partnerships with others in an organized “artful” march. I work in the pageantry marching arts so I am very familiar with aspects of marching, but I wanted to bridge and fold social justice and social movement marches into this creative process for art. It was really important to share with the dancers, in practice, how life and art reflects each other. One of my favorite quotes is “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life” by Oscar Wilde.  What initially was going to be 9 dancers ended up being over 30 participants, two videographers, and one photographer. The participants were asked to create signage for the march and to consider what would be a platform they would march about. What would/do they stand up for? What cause do they value and want to add their voice? What issues would/do they vote for? It was an amazing gathering of folks across a spectrum, coming together for a common goal of common good. In my feet… is performed by Modern Repertory, TU Dance Company, Assistant Professor Alison Seidenstricker (Dept. of Dance), Assistant Professor Michelle Humphreys (Dept. of Music), Bria Bennett (Athletic Dept.- Community Partners Coordinator), Luis Sierra (Office of Civic Engagement), three members of the Women’s Track & Field, members of Towson AIDE, and several  other Towson University students. Videographers: Rebecca Wolf (Dept. of Dance- Production Coordinator) and Ben Rosenbaum (Athletic Dept.- Director of Digital Media), and Alex Wright (TU Photographer). At the beginning of the semester, I had no idea it would turn out this way. Throughout the creative process, I continued to listen to the art and allow it to blossom, stir, and evolve into a tall pitcher of lemonade. Storyboard Draft:     My first vote… (Voting Booth)…maybe 4 solos     I am… (Profile Solo)…maybe 4 or 5     In our hands… (Hands)…maybe 9 frames…Text: The New Colossus poem     In our feet… (Marching)….Drumming- Michelle Humphreys     In our Rights… (Finale)….Drumming- Michelle Humphreys

Within the past few years, I have collaborated with several artists- musicians, composers, poets, animators, and performance artists. These are rich opportunities and are grounded in the mission and vision of VTDance/Vincent E. Thomas. These collaborative efforts continue to feed and broaden the range of artistic work. Here is a sampling of projects over the past few years that continue to develop.

Dreaming  Into Consciousness (2021)
"Drifting Into Consciousness" is a collaboration my VTDance artist & former company member Thomas Tyger Moore, Jr. This work examines states of consciousness and being in and through dreams. The work was commissioned by Dance Exchange for a Dance On virtual festival in May 2021.
What's Going On (The Marvin Gaye Project) 
(2016-2019)
Vincent E. Thomas looks through the lens of Marvin Gaye’s transcendent music and finds a reflection of the world today. Taking inspiration from 1971’s inimitable What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye’s insights into life, love and social justice are given fresh perspectives with new choreography by Vincent E. Thomas (Artistic Director), and co-choreographers Ralph Glenmore and Sylvia Soumah. This evening-length work features Modern, Jazz and West African dance. What’s Going On seeks to provoke thoughtfulness and spark conversations to ignite change in each community it touches. The work premiered at Dance Place in Washington, DC in November 2016 and is currently touring the states. The work has been performed in Virginia, South Carolina, Montana, Ohio, Delaware with SOLD OUT shows in most venues.
Washington Post Review Quotes:
‘a beautifully realized dance production’ ‘comfort… was abundantly on offer in this show, as well as defiance and a gloom-lifting spiritual boost’ ‘a soaring vision of collective harmony’ ‘a sweeping, circular finale… offered the sweetest solace possible: people coming together’

F.E.A.R. - scherzo #2 (2016-present)
F.E.A.R. is a work-in-progress and an international collaboration between the dance artists Annika B. Lewis – based in Copenhagen/Denmark and Vincent E. Thomas – based in Baltimore/U.S.
The performance explores the political, social, cultural, economic, emotional, physical, medical, healing and even comical aspects of fear, and the similarities and differences of the embedded nature of fear in Denmark and the United States.

This multi-year collaboration was initiated in 2015 with support from The DIVA program/ The Danish Arts Foundation, Kassandra Production and DanseHallerne in Copenhagen. The work premiered in Copenhagen, Denmark in January 2016 at DanseHallerne and in the Baltimore, MD in February 2016 at Baltimore Theatre Project. Given the social climate in our global society, the artists are planning upcoming tour dates.

Prelude/Frustration Revisioned (2017)
​This project was a re-imagining of the award winning solo "Prelude/Frustration". This collaboration was with Elizabeth Richter (harpist) from Ball State in Muncie, Indiana and Andre Gaskins from Indianapolis Symphony in Indianapolis, Indiana (cellist). The work premiered for the opening ceremony of the 2017 Music for All Summer Symposium at Ball State University. I continue to revision the solo with a range of musical artists and instrumentations.

"Bow" (2017-2019)
This solo "Bow" is part of a larger evening length work called "Same Stories-Different Countries". The premise of the work looks at hunting and gathering as a seed and jumping off place. During my research I ran across an article about the Botswana Bushmen seeking help to overturn new laws threatening their tribal culture in and near the Kalahari Desert. These laws would move them from their ancestral land because of their survival practices (hunting and gathering). The Bushmen said: "If you deny us the right to hunt, you are killing us." I was so moved by this impact on a community- a culture. I began to reflect on my past experiences and within the performance process pose questions to the audiences about when in their personal culture and community do they hunt and gather.  The solo begins and research continues (as part of the performance)- considering definitions, asking questions, 'hunting and gathering' personal stories from the audience, and then folding these findings into the performance. Though seventy-five percent of the solo is defined and choreographed, the other twenty-five percent is gathered from the audience and incorporated on the spot. Each performance is different based on what is gathered. I have found this to be a rich experience for the audience and it gives them insight on the choreographic and research process by including their stories and taking them on the journey. "Bow" Project background: “Same Story” – Different Countries A multidisciplinary, global engagement production with original music, artwork, poetry and choreography, will reveal similarities and differences between South African Culture and United States Culture. The long-range plan for this and previous projects involves the development of interconnected multidisciplinary performances that includes literature and the arts. We engage audiences who attend and view the production and promote the development of knowledge and skills in students who are involved in the creation of the production and in the follow-up educational activities. As a truly multidisciplinary/transdisciplinary research project, it engages archival historical and literary research, creative writing by scholars and poets, original music created in collaboration with other team members and the creation of performance pieces that incorporate visual artists and the production of media work that circulates in digital and academic spaces. An important goal of this project is to enable researchers, artists, and participants to transform and synthesize knowledge in ways that illuminate the consequences of historical, social and cultural practices of racial discrimination through an artistic lens.

VTDance/Vincent E. Thomas presents an exciting evening of new works and collaborations with a stellar cast of moving artists. In the Company of…Moving Dialogues will surprise you, entice you, and satisfy your artistic thirst. The works will stimulate conversations from a wide range of topics. Collaboration is key in the work of VTDance and the three premiers bring to the stage seasoned artists for artistic inquiry. "Dis' Land" examines the role of patriotic verses and the truth of those verses which goes unsung. Love the Poet (spoken word) and Vincent brings to the stage the familiar and the un-noticed familiar of gesture, song, and spoken words. "Invisible Presence" honors the fathers and grandfathers and the spoken and silent lessons taught, which show up in one's lives still. Runqiao Du (ballet dancer) and Vincent created a nostalgic and contemporary duet that rbings the essences of lineage in the space. "Sole Brothers" began with two movement artists walking in each others' shoes. This profound experience yielded personal insights about humanity that are learned and experienced in shoes from childhood to adulthood. Michael Sakamoto (Butoh artist) and Vincent bring culture, stories, and movement to a wonderful stew for the audience to feast. 

In the Company of…Moving Dialogues
Baltimore Theater Project
March 30th, 2019 at 8pm
March 31st, 2019 at 3pm

About the work:
Vincent E. Thomas contemplates acts of humanity in a deeply moving, multi-layered solo work. "iWitness" explores simple truths in human behaviors and implied truths in human documents from the Pledge of Allegiance to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights . "iWitness" studies and challenges the ideals we seek and attempt to follow. The solo includes "Render and Proceed" which investigates the convolution of media and its effect on the human condition and society; and "Come Change" shuffles stories of the past and present for a hopeful tomorrow.

Personal view:
I am deeply interested in creating art that reflects and poses questions about humanity, our values- personally and communally, and our desire to live in a better place/world, while realizing our role/what it may take to exist in that place. Many of these questions surfaced over the many years of making art and heavily informed, shaped, and focused my artistic and life view.
This work, which grew out of a much larger work, is the result of a persistent investigation of these questions. The initial seed of an idea was about questioning my reaction to an interaction with a homeless person. This interaction troubled me to my core. I began peeling back the onion layers and the excavation led me to questions about documents that govern us and how these are instilled from such an early age. If only I had these questions as a child instead of just learning to recite statements that had no deep or clear meaning and real application to my life. Through this journey of creating and performing this solo work (and the group work 'Witness'), I understand the world I live in and the role I have in creating a more human conscious space.

"iWitness" is based from the larger group work "Witness" which was commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of 2008 Performing Arts for Everyone and the Millennium Stage.

Press review from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Scotland 2014- BroadwayBaby): A thrilling double: your chance to see dancers from Scottish Ballet on the Fringe and an exclusive cut of a brilliant dance piece by Vincent E. Thomas/VTDance. Vincent E Thomas/VTDance contemplates acts of humanity in the deeply moving, multi-layered work, iWitness. This solo explores simple and implied truths in human behaviour, investigates the convolution of media on the human spirit and considers a hopeful tomorrow. Photo credit: Maria Falconer

Inspired by the James Baldwin essay "The Artist's Struggle", this new evening length work brings to physical life the words of selected poets. The central question focuses on 'what is the role of art in your life/your community?" This is a highly engaging evening of dance, poetry, music, song, audience dialogue, and haiku. I am really interested in involving the audience on multiple levels and for them not to be a passive viewer. The audience is warmly embraced throughout the evening and they willingly engage on deeper levels. At the end, they are asked to consider one concrete action they can take to ensure art in their lives and community. About the residency: The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center partnering with Joe's Movement Emporium in Mount Rainier, Maryland to offer a new incubator series called NextLOOK for both locally-based and touring artists who want to develop new work with input from the community. Vincent E.Thomas/VTDance was one of the NextLOOK artists in the season’s inaugural series and we are thrilled to have been able to support the development of
Rhapsody: A Poetic Movement (January 2015 residency).

Program information
Rhapsody: A Poetic Movement Choreography & Direction: Vincent E. Thomas  Lighting Design: Leigh A. Mumford Collaboration: Maria Bauman and Michelle Antoinette Nelson Music: George Gershwin, Alec Trumble, Margret Bonds Vocals: Adia Evans Scenic Prop: Joe's Movement Emporium Text: Maya Angelou, Joyce Kilmer, James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, Michelle Antoinette Nelson  The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center partnered with Joe's Movement Emporium in Mount Rainier, Maryland to offer a new incubator series called NextLOOK for both locally-based and touring artists who want to develop new work with input from the community. Vincent E.Thomas/VTDance was one of the NextLOOK artists in the season’s inaugural series and we were thrilled to have been able to support the development of Rhapsody: A Poetic Movement.

Vincent E. Thomas presents a most stunning work - "Shadows", exploring essences of masculinity/manhood through shadows of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The work includes a cast of 19 men of various ages in a fusion of dance, theater, music, video/animation, comedy, and dialogue, exposing multiple expressions of truths, myths, and mysteries of masculinity. 

Process view:
The development of this evening-length work was the springboard to my masculinity workshops for 'Fathers, Sons, and Other Guys'. Research for the work was through a process I developed called Table Talks, where participants discuss a "hot topic" through verbal dialogue, then is led through a process of physical dialogue. Participants discuss, listen, and speak their personal truths. The rich content is then filtered and shaped into the performance work.

"Fathers, Sons, and Other Guys" workshop:
 This workshop excavates the term masculinity, in an effort to define, re-define, shatter, and rebuild what this word means to ourselves and in our community. This work is crucial as men constantly find themselves under the radar and challenged in society. Through this effort we understand ourselves more deeply. 

Personal view:
With this concert (and most of my work as a teacher), I am interested in showcasing and embracing the range of male-ness in our society, through movement, spoken word, music, and visual art. It was a powerful evening- men of all ages, backgrounds/cultures, physical levels, and expressions, coming together in a common effort. The development process was over two years, holding workshops/Table Talks, listening to stories of men from various cultures, finding similarities and differences of experience and perspective on masculinity and manhood.
"Shadows" has led to my new performance series "In the Company of Men...", and has expanded my teaching research lens, focusing more on men dancing.

*Note: The full performance of 'Shadows" can be seen in the online video archives for the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage (Washington, DC). To view, please search on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage site for Vincent E. Thomas/VTDance, June 12th, 2013. I am unable to include the performance link here.

"Occupy" is a socio-political, daring and provocative work . This evening length work considers notions of how we inhabit or occupy space, what occupies our minds, what occupies our souls, and how these notions move us (a community/society) to make change…to move towards a revolution. This work was an extension of my initial questions for "Witness" and "iWitness".
*This work was supported by the American Dance Institute (ADI) in 2013. I was an Incubator Artist for the first season of the award program.

Personal view:
Daily I ask questions about being in the world, what informs this existence, and how to exist with others in a shared space. Internally I know that the work really starts within. This is a theme of my work, what is it that informs our humanity and what are our actions to live in a more human society.

Collaborator process:
During the research of these questions I had extensive conversations with Cathy L. Draine, a dear friend, poet, and scholar. After many late night discussions with her, she birthed this amazing spoken word piece which was the centerpiece for the work- Occupy:

Take off your shoes You occupy holy ground. Sanctified by infinite heart beats of  Sojourners, Pioneers, Natives, Immigrants Who learned to make a  Way out of no way, who ground out life Liberty and happiness in cotton fields,  Sweat shops and steel mills. Fresh off boats by free will or forced exile They consecrated space  Made ghettos and shanty towns,  The place where Dreams are born and culture is made. Take off your mask You occupy humbled ground. Worn down by man-made desecration Stumps where justice stood tall, Scarred earth flesh still yielding fruit  With no distinction of the beggar and the baron. Equality bound and partially gagged  Yet still cries out to be recognized and received  By the mentally manipulated masses worshipping  Technologically enhanced high definition westernized impotent idols.
Take off your illusion You occupy sacred ground. We are the ones  We have been hiding from. Buried deep inside each soul A piece of the collective solution An elemental antidote to disillusionment Unbuckle the attachment to apathy Freedom still waits by the riverside Peace flows in the desert Truth still rides in the morning The dawn draws near The dawn draws near Take off your shoes The place you occupy The being that you are The world that is The universe that will be Is still holy ground.

Photographs, ring games, hymns, blankets, recipes, lessons, heirlooms, and fading memories... (Vincent E. Thomas)

This project captures reflections and memories of loved ones through spoken text, movement, music, video and projected images. The creation process for this work is informed through community engagement activities, table talks, interviews, and creative explorations with young and old. I am very interested in people and their stories and how to bring those to life in art. For Vincent E. Thomas/VTDance I want the work to be universal, tangible, and essential. This project is a bedrock for this mission.

Personal view:
Grandmothers are the matriarchs of families. This is proven true by the many interviews and conversations I have had with people all over the world. My grandma (Big Ma) had a profound impact on me and the lessons she instilled surface daily. I questioned why there was not much discussion in my family about Big Ma after her death. Was there something I didn't know about her death? Was I being sheltered or intentionally kept out of knowing things about her? In fact, after persistently asking various aunts and uncles, I realized that it was immense pain that kept them from talking a great deal about her. Over Thanksgiving dinner preparations, as my aunts and uncles were chopping veggies, frying, baking the meal, I began to open the box of questions again. As we were around the table (with many actions to prepare), the magic was unleashed. There was so much vibrant conversation about Big Ma. they were relaxed, open, and talked more freely about her. I thought, there is something about how families talk around the dinner table. So I thought of this idea Table Talk. I grabbed my notebook/journal and began jotting down wonderful stories about my grandmother. My great aunt Helen told my Aunt Pat: "If you don't talk about her, it's like she never lived." The Grandmother Project began...
Over the course of 3 years (and more), I gathered stories from people all over the world about grandmothers. From the US to South Africa, Scotland to France, all stories (good and bad) held grandmothers with the highest esteem and praise.

Project journey:
After the first performance of the project, the stories continued to come. When I moved to Baltimore, I added to the base of the work to create a "Grandmother Project Baltimore". Featured performers were: Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell (former principle dancer for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater), Steven Satta-Fleming (actor and colleague), dancers from the Morton Street Dance Center, Adia Evans (BSA vocalist), and Sharon Chaiklin (Dance Therapist and elder dancer).

Press quote:
"Thomas mined the deeply felt connections of grandmothers and their grandchildren." (Washington Post)