David Roussève/REALITY: Halfway to Dawn

Journey from Westinghouse to the grandest bandstands across the globe, as award-winning choreographer David Roussève celebrates the life and music of KST namesake Billy Strayhorn through jubilant movement for nine performers and sumptuous video projections. Halfway to Dawn redefines “biography” as the intersection of fact, theory, abstraction and fantasy—and reveals the complicated emotional truths that shaped the life and legacy of legendary openly gay jazz composer. Strayhorn’s music is interpreted through dynamic dance that blends modern, postmodern, jazz and social dance with a eclectic score that includes selections from Strayhorn’s compositions from the 1940s and 50s. Roussève’s tribute expands upon the political urgency of Strayhorn’s vision, while channeling the spirit of the genius himself.

Halfway to Dawn is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by Kelly Strayhorn Theater, REDCAT, ArtPower at UC San Diego, Contemporary Arts Center New Orlean, and NPN.

The presentation of Halfway to Dawn is made possible in part by the National Endowments for the Arts, by the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Regional Touring Program; by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; and by the National Performance Network (NPN) Artist Engagement Fund. For more information, visit npnweb.org.