Thursday & Friday, March 29 & 30, 8:00 pm
UTD's third annual two-week dance residency will feature Jennifer Mabus and Battleworks Dance Company. They will work with UTD and Collin County Community College faculty and students to choreograph and perform dance pieces together.

Saturday, March 31, 8:00 pm
Dance students perform pieces choreographed and created by Battleworks.

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Battleworks Dance Company, Robert Battle’s five year-old dance company, shows off his strong repertoire with vigor and technical virtuosity. Mr. Battle’s work runs the gamut from freshly funny to torturous writhing, and his dancers “have a flair for drama without being phony, and … the fearlessness of actors.” (Joy Goodwin, NY Sun). Founded in 2001, Battleworks premiered in August 2002 at the World Dance Alliance's Global Assembly in Düsseldorf, Germany, where it were selected as the American representatives to the festival for its unique outlook on the future of modern dance. Since then the company has performed in South America, New Orleans, St. Louis, and at Jacob's Pillow, Dance Theater Workshop and recently completed their 2006 NY Season at the Joyce Theater. BattleworksDance.com

Jennifer Mabus is a native of Dallas, Texas, and received a BFA from Southern Methodist University. She has danced with Dancers Unlimited Repertory Company, Nova Dancing Company, Ewert and Company, the Amy Marshall Dance Company, and Omega Liturgical Dance Company. Ms Mabus also teaches and is responsible for the Company's costumes. She is a founding member of Battleworks.

Robert Battle, originally from Miami, Florida, is a graduate of the New World School of the Arts where he studied under the direction of Gerri Houlihan. Mr. Battle holds a BFA in dance from the Juilliard School, where he studied choreography with Bessie Schönberg, Elizabeth Keen, and Doris Rudko. While at Juilliard he received the Princess Grace Dance Scholarship and the Martha Hill Prize.

In 1998, as a member of the Parsons Dance Company (1994-2001), Mr. Battle began setting his work on the company. Parsons has performed his choreography across the United States, Italy, Chile, Latvia, Colombia, Germany, Japan, and for seven weeks at the Sydney Opera House. Mr. Battle's work has been featured in five Parsons seasons in New York City. The Hubbard Street Repertory Ensemble, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Introdans, Dallas Black Dance Theater, Ruth Rosenberg Dance Ensemble, and PARADIGM have all commissioned Mr. Battle for both new works and re-stagings. Recent commissions include Ballet Memphis and another work for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Love Stories, which premiered at City Center), and the American Dance Festival for their 2005 Season. In 2005 Mr. Battle was honored as a Master of African American Choreography at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

In 2002, Mr. Battle established his own company, Battleworks, which has performed in Germany, South America, New Orleans, St. Louis and Jacob's Pillow, among many other places. Battleworks Dance Company has been presented at St. Mark's Church, Evening Stars, The Juilliard Theater, Dancing In The Streets, Symphony Space, Dancenow/NYC, Joyce Soho, and Dance Theater Workshop for its 2005 season. The company has just completed its third New York Season, on a shared program with PARADIGM, at the Joyce Theater. In the coming months, Battleworks looks forward to company residencies at the Modlin Center at the University of Richmond, Montclair University and Western Michigan University.