dance theatre X/overview

inspired by the evocative power of the symbol X (as the signature of millions never taught to read or write, as a mathematic figure for an unknown, as the identifier of an entire generation…), dance theatre X is a philadelphia-based contemporary dance company founded in 2001 by choreographer charles o. anderson.  described by the village voice as "a warrior of a dancer," anderson synthesizes the spirituality and dynamisim of african-derived movement and the candor and vulnerability of contemporary dance.  the result: fierce, poetic, socially engaged kinetic testimonies that bring audiences to their feet.

dtX is moved to create kinesthetic dance epics that bear witness to human experience from the point-of-view of the african diaspora.  the company has, to date, produced three critically-acclaimed evening-length pieces that have been presented in philadelphia by such venues as the philadelphia live arts festival and danceboom! at the wilma theatre, as well as through residencies at a number of universities and colleges on the east coast. these works, which were choreographed with portability and flexibility in mind, allowing them to be performed in a wide variety of performance contexts, have also been featured in such showcases as the international festival for modern dance in kaunas, lithuania; the here arts center; dixon place; and the improvised and otherwise festivals in nyc, among others.

by working within - but also by challenging - the traditional and contemporary boundaries of african-derived movement, dtX aims to create work that offers testimony to the rich and obscured cultural history (as well as to the modern stories) of africans in america, and to let this testimony resonate in our audience's increasingly cosmopolitan understanding of the world.