New show celebrates Seattle dance scene’s past, present and future

In 2022, dancer Amanda Morgan became the first Black female soloist in Pacific Northwest Ballet history. Despite that title, Morgan is all about collaboration — so much so that in 2019, she launched The Seattle Project, a network of interdisciplinary creatives drawn together to create new dance works, providing a platform for LGBTQ+ artists and artists of color. 

The group’s upcoming show, “here because,” presented March 8-9 by Velocity Dance Center at Capitol Hill’s 12th Avenue Arts, doubles down on that theme, showcasing five local dance artists performing pieces responding to the topic of the Seattle dance community — how it has evolved, what it lacks, where it’s most successful and what is needed to make it more inclusive. 

“This piece is Seattle Project’s mission come to life,” said Morgan, who will perform in the work — and who has undertaken prominent roles in “The Nutcracker,” “The Sleeping Beauty,” “Swan Lake” and more at PNB. “It’s a way to bridge the gap between the different types of performers and companies here. I want to help create a dance culture in Seattle where everyone supports each other.”

“Here because” celebrates the diversity of movement in dance and serves as a love letter to the Seattle dance community. The performance will feature five solo arrangements, all of which Morgan says “will be very, very different from each other.” 

Each solo will be backdropped by white-painted walls, displaying projections of dance films spliced with video of that artist dancing in a space that’s meaningful to them. The soundtrack features music overlaid with recordings of the performers responding to questions like, “What does community look like to you?,” or, “What did the Seattle dance scene look like when you arrived in the city?” 

In addition to Morgan, performers include dancer and choreographer Symone Sanz, Whim W’Him company member Jane Cracovaner, performing artist and choreographer Rodrick Barnes, and PNB corps de ballet member Zsilas Michael Hughes.

“It will be each performer talking about themselves, not only as artists but as humans,” Morgan said. “Audiences don’t always know who we are as people, and I think hearing artists speak in their own words will be impactful.”

Morgan is working with her Seattle Project collaborator, photographer Henry Wurtz, to create the video content, and she listed choreographers like Donald Byrd, Alice Gosti, Peter Boal, Olivier Wevers, Zoe Scofield and Kate Wallich as influences for the work. 

The PNB soloist and Seattle Project founder was raised in Tacoma and started dancing at age 2. She studied at Dance Theatre Northwest and Pacific Northwest Ballet School, joining the company as an apprentice in 2016. Morgan began dabbling in choreography two years later when she created a piece for PNB’S NEXT STEP program, and she credits a summer in San Francisco at Alonzo King LINES Ballet as being formative in her approach to choreography.

“That experience opened my eyes,” Morgan said. “In some ways, ballet is so restricting, and [being exposed to] other types of dance offered new ways to explore movement.” 

For Morgan, the importance of inclusivity goes beyond the stage. At past shows, she has hosted post-performance networking events, open to anyone looking to make creative connections — even those outside the dance world. Morgan plans to reprise the event, dubbed netWERK, at 12th Avenue Arts after the March 9 performance of “here because.” 

“I want dance to feel accessible to everyone,” Morgan said. “I hope that any type of person can see themselves in the work I create and help others create. Dance should be reflective of what’s happening in this world today, not just a form of escapism.”