Mix ’25). Lifted: Ana Hart; under, left to right: Courtney
Ziegelmeyer, Hannah Williamson, Kaleigh Hampton, and
Celeste Kennington.
Photograph courtesy Mutual Dance Theatre
Cincinnati’s oldest nonprofit modern dance company will premiere its first-ever artistic collaboration with the Cincinnati Ballet during its annual collaborative dance collection series.
Mutual Dance Theatre’s (MDT) Modern Mix ’26 will feature four new dance works, using contemporary choreography to explore themes of human connection. Taking place May 1 and 2 at the Aronoff Center, the collection features new MDT choreographers, each premiering their own artistic interpretation of the season’s theme: “Embrace: A Season of Connection.”
This event is, as the name implies, a mix of modern dancing visions related to ideas of connection. “We just kind of wanted to emphasize that we’re all on this planet together,” says Jeanne Mam-Luft, MDT’s artistic director. “We’re all sharing this life together. So, one of the things that we’ve been exploring is: How are we connected?”
According to Mam-Luft, the company enjoys featuring dancers and artists whose choreography has never been seen in Cincinnati. The application process allows any artist to drop a video on the company’s website for consideration—no resume or prior experience needed. “We’re always looking for new talent—new voices,” says Mam-Luft, “People that are not as well known in the dance world in terms of choreography.”
Photograph courtesy Mutual Dance Theatre
This season, Cincinnati Ballet’s own Sirui Liu is choreographing an eight-dancer piece for the program. The ballet’s artistic director, Cervilio Amador, recommended her to Mam-Luft, is giving the veteran dancer a chance to express herself as a creator.
The other three guest choreographers include Joshua Ishmon, formerly of Deeply Rooted Dance Theater in Chicago; Shane Ohmer, a Cincinnati native who has danced on stages around the world; and Nat Wilson of Yue Yin Dance Company in New York.
Photograph courtesy Mutual Dance Theatre
“We really try to cultivate a variety of dances so that people are getting a mix,” says Mam-Luft, “Like a little bit of a taster. They’re all four from very different genres and four different histories, and it’s really interesting to see what they’re putting together.”
Liu’s participation marks a first-time crossover between Cincinnati Ballet and MDT. For the last 15 years, she has established herself as a principal dancer for the ballet, starring in roles such as Odette and Odile in Swan Lake, Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen in Nutcracker, and Cinderella in Cinderella, amongst others.
From an early age, Liu blossomed as a dancer. “It was always in my bones,” she says. “I like how fluid ballet dancers are, how beautiful, elegant they all are. That inspired me to become a ballet dancer.”
Stepping into the shoes of a contemporary choreographer is a big change for the ballet dancer. “Choreographing scares me a little bit,” says Liu, “But also excites me to step out of my comfort zone and explore something new and create something exciting.”
Photograph courtesy Mutual Dance Theatre
As the choreographer, Liu says you need to take your idea and step up to become the leader in the studio—all while collaborating with other dancers. Sometimes self-doubt creeps in, and a constant need to create something new and exciting haunts the mind. When pressure gets on her, Liu says she simply takes a step back.
She focuses instead on the dancers she’s teaching and gains inspiration from their movements. Their ability opens Liu’s choreography up to new movements, ones she’d not thought of before. “So maybe I can [choreograph] something a little crazier, but they can execute,” she says.
Liu’s 15-minute dance, “Nexus,” was inspired by dancer and choreographer Caroline Dahm—someone Liu worked with previously. She says the dance is about how everything in life is connected; from relationships to nature, everything is linked.
“It’s more abstract. It’s not literally talking about people,” Liu says. “It’s like when synapses, two brain cells, touch together and then create something new and more amazing.”
Photograph courtesy Mutual Dance Theatre
Modern Mix offers audiences a chance to witness contemporary performances. Mam-Luft says that not a lot of people really know what modern dance encapsulates. When someone watches the dances for the first time, she says they feel like someone’s life just played out right in front of their eyes.
“It’s just like a roller coaster of emotion,” she says, “And a lot of people, I think, really feel like when they leave, they’ve just watched an entire series in the span of an hour and a half.”
Tickets for Modern Mix ’26 are $29 and are available on the Mutual Dance Theatre website.
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