JOY BOLLINGER

Artistic Director Joy Bollinger is a nationally acclaimed choreographer, teacher, and répétiteur. She has directed Bruce Wood Dance since 2018. From reviving Wood favorites to curating timeless classics, Bollinger has produced an evening of dance filled with romance and grandeur.

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BRUCE WOOD

Anything Goes is a tribute to Cole Porter and features My Heart Belongs to Daddy, Night and Day, Let’s Misbehave, and more. At the premiere at Bass Performance Hall in 2006, Wood said, “The dance is showbizzy and romantic and funny, but there is a subtext with a whole other story. Cole was a gay man married to a woman, and so my ballet has an undercurrent of other relationships.”

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TWYLA THARP

Twyla Tharp graduated from Barnard College in 1963.  Since then, she has choreographed more than 160 works: 129 dances, 12 television specials, six Hollywood movies, four full-length ballets, four Broadway shows, and two figure skating routines, and published four books, including THE CREATIVE HABIT. She received one Tony Award, two Emmy Awards, a Directors Guild Award, 19 honorary doctorates, a Vietnam Veterans of America President’s Award, a 2004 National Medal of the Arts, a 2008 Jerome Robbins Prize, and a 2008 Kennedy Center Honor.

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Nine Sinatra Songs presents a glamorous portrait of seven couples that traces the arc of romantic relationships. The dancers swing, swirl, tango, and cha-cha through a glittering ballroom.

 

 

NATASHA YVETTE WILLIAMS

NaTasha Yvette Williams—one of the hottest stars appearing on Broadway right now, comes from her starring role in the Tony Award-winning Broadway smash hit, Some Like It Hot. The Tony Award-nominated Williams opens the show accompanied by the Drew Zaremba Jazz Quartet. Her stellar career ranges from Broadway to the West End to film and opera. Among her Broadway credits are Tony Award-winning Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (Zelma), Waitress (Becky), Chicago (Mama Morton), The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (Mariah), and The Color Purple (Sofia).

 

 

2024 BRUCE Honorees
Dabney & Ric Abel

Dabney and Ric Abel embody the essence of philanthropy—generous, gracious, and passionate aficionados of dance. Their story intertwines with our history. In 2018, they asked Bruce Wood Dance to perform at their wedding. The following year, they took the helm as chairs for our 2019 gala, Dances from the Heart. Ric’s connection extends further, stemming from his dancer roots with his late wife, Kim, who was integral as a founding board member and ballet mistress until her passing in 2017.

 

Ric joined our board in 2016. Ric’s blend of artistic and business expertise has significantly enriched our organization. With an MBA from Duke University and a 30-year tenure at Prudential, Ric firmly believes his dance career instilled discipline critical for his success in business. In his words, “Dancers always show up prepared because there’s nothing more sobering than dancing in front of 3,000 people when you don’t have your role down cold.”

 

Dabney grew up in West Texas, graduating from the University of Texas with a degree in interior design. For 40 years, she directed Dabney Graham Interiors. Her passion for colors, fabrics, and spatial design resonates with her love of dance.

 

Together, Dabney and Ric are steadfast champions of the arts, exuding a radiant joie de vivre, especially on the dance floor. Their family now includes four children and four grandchildren Ric also serves as an Advisory Board member for the Center for Energy, Development, and the Global Environment at Duke University and Chair of the Investment Committee for the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

 

 

BRUCE Award Honorees 
2018—Donna Wilhelm
2019—Rosalee Kimple
2020—Nikaidoh Family & Eileen Zuttermeister
2023—Carol Crowe

 

Gala Committee
HONORARY CHAIRWOMAN
Kathy Chamberlain/Chamberlain Ballet

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CO-CHAIRS
Susana & Andrew Franco
Andrea Perez & Ethan Minshull
Nancy & Richard Wallace

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Margaret & Tom Chambers

Phil Clemmons

Jennifer Hedges

Larry Lane

Amanda Lenox

Larry Lyles

Mary Ann May

Todd Lott

Herbert Weichsel

Suzanne Yaeger

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GALA SPONSORS
Bruce Wood Dance’s 14th Anniversary Performance & Gala is made possible in part by Presenting Sponsor Heritage Auctions, Performance Sponsors Rodger Kobes and Michael Keller, and Carrington Coleman, Chamberlain Ballet, Chambers Interiors & Associates, Daniel Lome Charitable Fund, Donna Wilhelm Family Fund, E. Fay Jones Conservancy, Ellen Kendrick Creative, Inc., James Avery Artisan Jewelry, Lancaster & Associates, Inc., Lucchese Bootmakers, Randall Reed’s Planet Lincoln Dallas Love Field, TerraCORE Panels, and Wallace Consultancy.

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Photo of Joy Bollinger by Kent Barker. Photo of Bruce Wood by Brian Guilliaux. Photo of Twyla Tharp by Greg Gorman. Photo of NaTasha Yvette Williams by Jason P. Sands. Photo of Dabney and Ric Abel, Jillyn Shatley, and Seth York by Kent Barker.