Artists & Projects Directory

• Cie Heddy Maalem
• Dan Hurlin
• David Roussève/REALITY
• Emio Greco|PC
• Gregory Maqoma
• Kassys
• Marc Bamuthi Joseph
• Ralph Lemon
• Rha Goddess
• The America Project
• Yasuko Yokoshi

David Roussève/REALITY

As Artistic Director/Choreographer for David Roussève/REALITY-a unique multi-racial dance/theater ensemble-David Roussève became one of the most important voices in contemporary American dance during the late 1990's and early 2000's.  REALITY toured extensively throughout the U.S., Europe, and South America, and Roussève created eleven full-length works for the company, including three critically and popularly successful commissions for BAM's Next Wave Festival-collaborations with Sweet Honey in the Rock's Ysaye Barnwell (Urban Scenes/Creole Dreams, '92), jazz/hip hop Grammy nominee Me'Shell N'degeOcello (The Whispers of Angels, '95), and Tony-winning lighting designer Beverly Emmons (Love Songs, '99).  Love Songs was awarded a "Bessie" Award for Choreography.  Roussève's 2001 solo work, The Ten Year Chat, was named by The LA Weekly as "One of the Ten Best Performance Events of 2001" and received a Horton Award for Best Individual Performance.  His other awards include the CalArts/Alpert Award in Dance; two Irvine Foundation fellowships; seven consecutive NEA fellowships; and First Place Screen Choreography at the IMZ International Dance Film Festival.

In 2004, Roussève received a Guggenheim Fellowship for his first dance-on-camera work, Bittersweet, which played at LA's Dance Camera West and in a sold-out engagement at NY's Dance on Camera Festival.  In 2005, Roussève created Walking on Clouds, commissioned and performed by two Cleveland companies: Dancing Wheels ("stand up" and "sit down" dancers) and Cleveland Contemporary; and he created Jumping the Broom as part of Giselle Mason's "No Boundaries Project."  He also choreographed a new work, Disappearance, for Ilkhom Theater Company of Tashkent, Uzbekistan.  Other commissions include two works for Denver's Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theater; two for Ballet Hispanico in NYC (one with salsa great Eddie Palmieri); and a work for Atlanta Ballet with a live performance by the 100-member Morehouse College Glee Club.

In addition to Bittersweet, Roussève's work for film and video include Pull Your Head to the Moon... tales of Creole Women (in collaboration with director Ayoka Chenzira, commissioned and aired nationally by PBS' Alive TV), the documentary Brothermen (by director Demetria Royals and aired nationally on PBS), and the choreography for Positive: Life With HIV (five hour-long segments aired on PBS).  He wrote the book for the Billy Strayhorn/Luther Henderson Musical Rose Colored Glasses and the full-length screenplay version of his dance/theater work Urban Scenes/Creole Dreams (supported by Sundance Institute's Feature Film Development Labs, where Roussève was twice a fellow).

In 1996, Roussève joined UCLA's Department of World Arts and Cultures, where he is Professor of Choreography.  He served as Chair from 2003-2006.  He has also served on the faculties of Princeton, Bates Dance Festival, Columbia College, Randolph-Macon, and UC-Berkeley extension.