Annex Dance Company is embarking on its 19th season with a dynamic lineup of community-focused workshops, performances, and the creation of a new dance film.
In the past few weeks, company members finished teaching residencies at the College of Charleston Summer Dance Experience and Camp Ballibay for the Fine and Performing Arts (PA), while others facilitated an evening of dance activities at Gibbes Museum’s Summer Camp for Grown-Ups. Next week the company is launching into the new season with rehearsals and workshop planning. To celebrate and raise funding for Season 19 the company will host a Season Opener on Friday, October 17 at the High Wire Distilling Co. Ticket prices for the 5:30-7:30 PM event are $25 general admission, $15 students/seniors. Tickets can be purchased at tickets.annexdancecompany.org.
Season 19 begins with two community workshops. On Saturday, September 27, Annex Dance Company will participate in the Hope Summit Community Festival at the Charleston Museum from 12:00-4:00 PM. This environment-centered, family-friendly, free event features dozens of local nonprofits and community organizations. As part of the festival, the company will facilitate a 30-minute movement workshop at 2:00 PM that invites participants of all ages and skill levels to explore environmental themes through guided improvisation and creative exploration. The company will encourage collective investigation of our relationship with the natural world and express ideas of care, interconnection, and transformation through movement. More information about the 2025 Hope Summit can be found at www.thehopesummit.org.
As a continuation of the successful Fall 2024 Art Meets Movement workshop series, the company is once again partnering with the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department. Art Meets Movement will return to the Park Circle Community Building on Saturday, October 11 from 11:00 AM -12:00 PM for a workshop open to all ages with opportunities to participate and observe. Through movement exercises and guided visual art prompts, the participants will explore different ways art and dance can intersect. “The company is always looking for more ways to connect with the community, and this workshop is designed to not only observe our process of collaborative art making, but experience it too,” says artistic director Kristin Alexander. One of the most successful aspects of last season’s series was connecting with visual artists throughout the Lowcountry and facilitating the workshops together. The October workshop will feature fiber and textile artist Daisy McClellan. No ticketing or registration is required for the workshop.
The following week the company will celebrate Season 19 with the Season Opener Fundraising Event. A company favorite, the event will return to High Wire Distilling Co. on Friday October, 17 from 5:30-7:30 PM. “Most often we catch up with audience members after a performance with a very brief conversation. We love that this annual event allows us to get to know our patrons as much as they are getting to know the company and what we have planned for the season,” says associate artistic director Julie Clark. Patrons will have an opportunity to meet and mingle with the company while enjoying delicious cocktails and farm-driven fare (for purchase) before and after an informal performance of company repertory and new works in-progress. Information about sponsorship and directed giving to support the season will be shared during the event. Tickets are $25 general admission, $15 students/seniors and can be purchased at tickets.annexdancecompany.org. With generous sponsorship from High Wire Distilling Co., all proceeds will benefit rehearsal and performance costs for the season.
In addition to its community engagement and live performance programming, Annex Dance Company will devote much of the Fall season to pre-production, rehearsals, and filming of a new dance film titled Mother/Motion. This project features five company members, each at different stages of motherhood, and explores how the experience of becoming and being a mother shapes creative identity, physicality, and personal balance. The film incorporates original choreography, spoken reflections, and intimate visual storytelling to portray motherhood not as an obstacle, but as a generative force that enhances resilience and artistry. Collaborating on the film are Charleston-based writer and arts advocate Stephanie Hunt, who will help shape the dancers’ personal narratives, and filmmaker Tony Morgan, who previously worked with the company on a PUSH and a PULL. A premiere is anticipated in Spring 2026.
In April 2026, Annex Dance Company will present Ripples of Change, its first-ever themed, mixed-repertory concert exploring the intricate relationship between humanity and the environment, with a central focus on water as both a shared resource and a source of creative inspiration. The performance will feature a blend of original works integrating movement, music, and science, developed through interdisciplinary collaborations with composers Edward Hart and Z. Brewer, costume designers Janine McCabe and Brandon Alston, and ecologist Dr. Clare Fieseler.
The concert will include Salt in the Soil, a signature piece for both stage and film that addresses the environmental impact of sea level rise and saltwater intrusion, and three new works created by artistic directors Alexander and Clark. When the Air Stays Still (working title) is an exploration of environmental grief as the dancers embody a world holding its breath and feel the weight of wanting to make a difference. Depths of the Deep (working title), informed by Fieseler’s marine ecology expertise, will transport audiences into the eerie, unexplored world of deep-sea life. The final piece will be set to Under an Indigo Sky, an orchestral composition by Hart. Through the combined choreographic vision of Alexander and Clark, it will celebrate the fragile beauty of our planet and mark their first work set to a large-scale orchestral score. “Edward and I have talked about a potential collaboration for several years. When he suggested the idea of creating a dance work to Under the Indigo Sky, I immediately recognized the potential,” shares Alexander. “It’s a remarkable artistic opportunity, not only for me and Julie, but also for the School of the Arts students and the wider Charleston arts community to experience our art forms coming together on stage.”
By the April concert, Annex Dance Company will have spent more than eight months immersed in a creative process grounded in ecological awareness and sustainability. More than just a performance, Ripples of Change aims to spark reflection, promote collective responsibility, and bring pressing environmental issues to life through the lens of art. This spring production also includes the company’s annual residency with College of Charleston students. Expanding from its usual Maymester format to a semester-long experience, the residency will allow for meaningful collaboration and artistic development. With key artists and collaborators also serving as faculty and alumni, presenting the concert at the Emmett Robinson Theatre on campus underscores the role of interdisciplinary, community-rooted education. The residency not only supports student growth across campus but also highlights the power of the arts to drive environmental understanding and awareness.
As always, patrons are encouraged to find more information regarding the performances, workshops, and events and take a look into the behind-the-scenes process on the following social media outlets: facebook.com/annexdancecompany
Workshops & Events
Hope Summit Community Festival
Saturday, September 27, 2025 | 12:00-4:00 PM
Annex Dance Company workshop at 2:00 PM
Charleston Museum (360 Meeting Street)
Free, all ages
Art Meets Movement Workshop
Saturday, October 11, 2025 | 11:00 AM–12:00 PM
Park Circle Community Building (4800 Park Circle)
Free, all ages
Season Opener Fundraising Event
Friday, October 17, 2025 | 5:30–7:30 PM
High Wire Distilling Co. (311 Huger Street)
$25 general admission, $15 students & seniors
Special Projects & Performances
Dance Film: Mother/Motion
Premiere anticipated Spring 2026
Ripples of Change
April 25, 2025 | 7:00 PM & April 26, 2025 | 3:00 PM
Emmett Robinson Theatre (54 St. Philip Street)
$40 general admission, $25 students/seniors
Piccolo Spoleto Festival
Event details to be announced in Spring 2026