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Dancing with the flowers
Roger Lee Dance Company presents Bloom
Camille Bacon-Smith
Roger Lee Dance Company is returning to the Performance Garage with the premiere of Bloom for two nights in April, the 18th and 19th. I first met Lee in 2022, when he was doing press relations for the Philadelphia Ballet, helping to coordinate panel discussions with Black men in ballet. But he’s been a part of the dance world since he was 13 and performing on local tv. “They were looking for teenage dancers to come on the station’s broadcast and help promote the morning news,” he told me, admitting it was a pretty weird concept. But it ignited a love of dance that took him to CAPA (the High School of the Creative and Performing Arts) and later to the dance program at Ursinus, while studying visual arts along the way.
The four flowers
Philly audiences may have seen him dancing with companies like Sharp Dance and West Chester Dance Works, but from the time he was in high school, he said, he wanted to choreograph on his own company. Now in its 13th year, his contemporary and jazz company Roger Lee Dance is bringing springtime to Philly audiences in an all-ages show created around the flowers of spring. Lee said the show will present four pieces, each interpreting one of four spring flowers: lilies, sunflowers, roses, and petunias. “Every piece is inspired by one of those flowers,” he told me, “from the costume to music to the lighting.” Some of the music was composed for the performance as well, and the lobby will reflect the flower inspiration with Lee’s solo art exhibit.
For Lilies, Lee found inspiration in the African Lily, and audiences can expect an afro-jazz influence. The lily is beautiful, he told me. It has six petals, the same number as dancers in the company. “I want [the choreography] to reflect on the power of six,” he said, “we’re in these petal formations, trying to duplicate the lily.” In Sunflowers, Lee will be dancing with new company member Sophia Pinkham. Pinkham trained in ballet, and there will be more contemporary ballet movement in the piece, set with a more classical sound in the music.
Lee said he doesn’t usually do stories in his choreography, so he’s excited to see how people respond to “Roses”, a ballet of modern love set to a club vibe. “The movement is very much street jazz, almost like a jazz funk, bordering on hip hop.” New dancer Darius Mitchell, a local hip-hop star, will be helping out with the roses. The performance ends with “Petunias”, set to a techno beat.
Roger Lee Dance shows are family friendly—there are snacks available in the lobby at intermission, and the choreography is fun for younger audiences. But, Lee added, “I have a great grandmom that’s turning 100 in January and she’s come to the shows and loved it too.” But, he added, for many in his audiences, it’s date night!
Featured image: Jasmine Newsome as the Sunflower, Sophia Pinkham as the Rose, Ashley Coats as the Lily, and Cassandra Kaeppel as the Petunia. (Photo by Roger Lee.)
Image description: Four dancers in tutus in different colors, designs, pose for a group photo, one dancer in a split in front of other three.
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