Collage Dance presents: RISE 2025

Their Eyes Were Watching God, a new ballet reimagining of Zora Neale Hurston’s iconic 1937 novel of the same title, brings to life the classic tale of love, freedom, and self-realization. Noted by Pointe Magazine as “one of the most diverse creative production teams,” this first-of-its-kind ballet features co-choreography by Amy Hall Garner and Kevin Thomas, three dozen period-inspired costumes, and an original score from award-winning composer Quinn Mason performed live by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

Our winter performance also features Kevin Thomas’s hallmark ballet Rise, like never seen before, with live music from the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, new costumes and surprise guests. Set to a dramatic musical arrangement of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final speech featuring professional company artists performing alongside budding dancers, Rise is both a reflection of what we have overcome and a bold envisioning of where we go from here.

This culturally rich program is rounded out with Trilogy, an emotionally evocative journey through civil liberties in three movements, choreographed by Kevin Iega Jeff.