2026.2027 SEASON
Elements of Harmony
Presented by Paul and Kathleen Matecki
Welcome to our 16th season – Elements of Harmony. This season owes its beautiful, sensorial experience to a diversity of tones, textures, and viewpoints. With four new creative collaborators bringing their individual experiences to our stage, each piece strikes a different chord, and brings richness and value to our collective experience. With unique performances guiding the pulse and rhythm of the new season, we strive to illuminate the many ways we can look at the world.
For my 5th season as Artistic Director, I’m thrilled to present a collection of new works by innovative and award-winning creative voices:
Rena Butler - World Premiere October 2026
Keerati Jinakunwiphat - World Premiere October 2026
Dexandro Montalvo - World Premiere May 2027
Houston Thomas - World Premiere May 2027
We will also celebrate the return of our beloved holiday experience Gaslight Dreams in collaboration with Jazz St Louis, and present “Our Voices,” a very special evening of dance highlighting the choreographic talents of our brilliant artists.
As we embark on this captivating season, I encourage each of you to immerse yourselves in the extraordinary interplay of movement, music, and storytelling that we have carefully curated. Your presence fuels our work and we look forward to sharing these transformative programs with you. Let us come together in celebration of the beauty and balance that dance can bring into our lives. See you at the theatre!
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FALL SERIES
OCTOBER 23-25, 2026
Anheuser-Bush Performance Hall
Touhill Performing Arts Center, UMSL -
GASLIGHT DREAMS
DECEMBER 18-19, 2026
With Jazz St. Louis
Skip Viragh Performing Arts Center, Chaminade -
OUR VOICES
APRIL 2-3, 2027
E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Theater
Touhill Performing Arts Center, UMSL -
SPRING SERIES
MAY 20-23, 2027
Catherine B. Berges Theatre
Center of Creative Arts, COCA
2026.2027 SEASON Subscriptions are ON SALE NOW
FALL SERIES
OCT 23-25
At the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall, Touhill Performing Arts Center, UMSL
Our 2026-2027 landmark lineup opens with a powerful trio of world premieres by renowned creatives. Kirven Douthit-Boyd, STLDT Artistic Director and former dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, molds various movement genres to create bold narratives that transform and inspire audiences. Rena Butler, a Princess Grace Award winner (2019) and Isadora Duncan Dance Award recipient, has been described as percussive and emotionally direct in her choreography, which spans the globe. Keerati Jinakunwiphat, a Princess Grace Award winner (2023) and the first Asian woman commissioned by New York City Ballet, emphasizes connectivity – work built on relationships between dancers. The weekend serves as a world-class sampler of what is to come in STLDT’s next chapter.
FEATURING:
World Premiere by Kirven Douthit-Boyd
World Premiere by Rena Butler
World Premiere by Keerati Jinakunwiphat
Additional work from our repertoire
ORBIT: MOVERS & SHAKERS BALL
OCT 23
At the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall, Touhill Performing Arts Center at UMSL
The Movers & Shakers Ball celebration is part of our Fall Series, and serves as both a kickoff for the season and our organization’s major annual fundraiser event. Tickets and tables on sale now!
FEATURING:
Selections from our repertoire
GASLIGHT DREAMS
SET TO THE MUSIC OF THE NUTCRACKER SUITE BY ELLINGTON & STRAYHORN
DEC 18-19
At the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts, Chaminade
MADE POSSIBLE BY THE
W H I T A K E R F O U N D A T I O N
Back by popular demand, our St. Louis holiday tradition is set against the backdrop of the historic Gaslight Square entertainment district. Choreographed and directed by Kirven Douthit-Boyd, this vibrant production is infused with jazz rhythms, transforming Tchaikovsky’s classic into a nightclub fantasy. Celebrating Billy Strayhorn’s genius, contemporary dance merges with live jazz to create a love story distinctively St. Louis. This collaboration with Jazz St. Louis also includes a stunning set, designed by Peter and Margery Spack and constructed by The Muny's Technical Theatre Training (T3) Program. Both acts have been refreshed for this year's production!
Each Gaslight Dreams performance includes an add-on experience:
• Friday, December 18th Evening: Post-Show Champagne Toast and Artist Talkback
• Saturday, December 19th Matinee: Pre-Show Live Jazz Brunch
• Saturday, December 19th Evening: Post-Show Holiday Soirée
OUR VOICES
APR 2-3
At the E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Theater, Touhill Performing Arts Center, UMSL
In its inaugural year, this intimate concert showcases the choreographic talents of Saint Louis Dance Theatre’s dancers. In a full evening of world premieres featuring emerging creatives, the audience will have a first glimpse at the next generation of artistic voices.
SPRING SERIES
MAY 20-23
At the Catherine B. Berges Theatre, COCA
Our Elements of Harmony season culminates with a weekend anchored by two brilliant artistic voices. Houston Thomas’ choreography treats ballet as a living language, reshaping classical vocabulary with contemporary urgency. And Dexandro Montalvo, former artistic director of Dance Theatre of San Francisco, blends ballet, modern dance, and hip-hop with sharp musicality and physical commitment. Across four days of performances, this season closing weekend will feature multiple programs, each creating a unique journey for the audience.
FEATURING:
World Premiere by Houston Thomas
World Premiere by Dexandro Montalvo
Additional work from our repertoire
