Chamber Dance Project at Arena Stage

In the Round by Chamber Dance Project
January 10, 2026 , 7pm
Fichandler Stage, Arena Stage
Written by Jessica Novakovich and David Dowling for DITD

Cover photo by Alexander Sargent

Returning to Arena Stage is always a fun time. I worked with them many moons ago when I documented their very important “Voices of Now” program alongside the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing. (Another important organization) I love the layout of Arena, the effort they put into decorating, and, of course, The Fichandler Stage. (Arena’s theatre-in-the-round.) I’ve seen “Fiddler” and “My Fair Lady” here, so the chance to see dance, as it was once performed in the royal round in the days of court, was not to be missed!

But let’s step back a bit to a week before the show. It’s 2pm at the BalletNova Center for Dance in Falls Church, Virginia. We’re attending CDP’s open rehearsal, and are therefore privy to one of my favorite pastimes; the process! Observing how the sausage is made not only helps with context and appreciation, but it’s also serves as a chance to see another side of a choreographer. In this case, it was two choreographers, both presenting world premier works. Christian Denice with Testimony, and William Moore with Murmur, respectively. When asked by an audience at the talkback, which concluded the open rehearsal, to comment on adjusting one’s teaching style to accommodate a show happening in one week and only meeting the dancers the day before, Moore said;

“It’s a whirlwind, but I’ve really enjoyed the first couple of hours so far.. it’s working with the dancers that makes a piece, in my opinion.. I have a narrative. It generally becomes looser and looser as I develop the piece. It’s inspired by the dance, it’s inspired by the narrative, but also it’s a building block of steps. So, and let’s say there’s a step that I particularly grab onto or have a sensibility with, or there’s something that I feel, or there’s an arm, or there’s a movement, that becomes a narrative throughout the piece, or that becomes like a story throughout the piece.”

It’s also worth noting how Moore sets his dancers. There was always a kindness, a courtesy and an inclusion of permission to his direction. This is notable because as dance and the creation of dance evolves, we should consider it important in how we treat our fellow artists. After all, they are people too, and the instruments of the art form. Speaking of instruments, the music of the two world premiere pieces of In the Round were chosen by Artistic Director Diane Coburn Bruning and Violinist/ Principal Musician, Sally McLain. The music was sometimes difficult to connect during rehearsals, but became clearer by showtime.

Many pontificate on the future of dance and what it will take for the medium to compete with the short-format delivery systems of media and the dopamine rush from entertainment that focuses on the latest technology. The answer is less so the extensive mapping of projections and VR gimmicks, but more so the emersion of a dance in the round. Perhaps more specifically, the ability to blur the separation of the performer and the the audience. Once upon a time, it was cool to be lofty and place the performers on high pedestal, on another plane, but I think it’s instead, a little modesty blended with the raw and real of a body in motion that is most exciting.

Testimony, Murmur & Tensión por Vos (by Jessica)

The Chamber Dance Project, as their mission states, is a leader in the contemporary ballet scene that creates extraordinary experiences that push the boundaries of contemporary ballet. Under the artistic direction of Diane Coburn Bruning, Chamber Dance Project presented a program full of vitality and humanity in a world so in need of these emotions. In the heart of DC, a city that is the sole focus of the entire country’s eyes, this company bravely shared their work in a world that does not support the art form. The company’s strength and resilience set a precedent for the creation of art, beauty and the celebration of dance, music, dancers and choreographers.

I had the privilege of attending both the working rehearsal and the Saturday evening performance on January 10 th at the Round Theatre. It was very enlightening to see the development process from studio to stage and seeing the nuances that were forming throughout the creation process.

The first rehearsal that was presented was for the work Testimony by choreographer Chrisitan Denice. It was mentioned that this piece draws inspiration from Gullah traditions. At the rehearsal I felt like it may be my lack of knowledge on this culture, but I was not sure where this was incorporated into the work and how it inspired the choreographer. Needless to say, the movement of the piece was very fluid and the interwovenness of the dancers as they moved together was very intricate creating an ever moving and ever evolving quality that seemed to take on a life of its own. While this was beautiful, I do wonder if the aspect of this fluidity was so highlighted that I did seem to lose aspects of the dancers. Lines and connections between the dancers became blurred and I felt like I was running to catch up with the movements. During the performance the second part of the work was presented of which I had not seen, and I further had a taste of Gullah traditions that was a very abrupt change from the beginning of the piece that was very fluid and contemporary focused with the end having a heavy character and tribal emphasis. I was further interested to see how Christian developed on the spot, relying on the dancers’ movements and natural reactions to his prompts to lead the choreography in the direction that was shown at the performance. This approach differed from the next rehearsal that was introduced with the choreographer William Moore for the work Murmur, which explores the beauty of the flight patterns of birds. Knowing this concept, I could easily see the concept that was explored through the patterns of the dancers as they worked together. With less of a focus on the entanglements of the dancers this piece had more of a neoclassical aspect that was shown through many of the movements as well as the partnering. I was very impressed with the rehearsal process of this piece as William Moore was very in tune with the dancers struggles, creating a space where they could voice what they needed to further his vision. At each falter he responded with an open mind to adjustment so that the mistake could be avoided. This attention to detail and the dancers is one of the most important jobs of the choreographer, and was a delight to see this in action as many are so focused on their vision that they cannot see past it.

These two pieces were wonderful to watch with the addition of live music creating living and breathing art. In addition to these works I had the absolute pleasure of watching Tensión por Vos by Jorge Amarante and true to its word is a physically charged and emotionally resonant audience favorite. The pure power and strength it takes to perform this duet for both the male and the female is unbelievable. The technical difficulty is quite advanced with the amount of partnering that is original and creative while also developing the emotional and sensual aspect of the tango. I was very impressed by the partnership of the dancers who performed this pas de deux.

In conclusion this was a wonderful performance that I delighted in attending and was very impressed how it was presented with the lack of lengthy rehearsals. I hope to see further works by this company.

by David and Jessica for DiTD