Best Dance Company: NobleMotion Dance

Can you believe it’s been ten years since Andy Noble and Dionne Sparkman Noble unveiled their then-new company, NobleMotion Dance, at 2009’s Big Range Dance Festival? Yes, this year marks a decade for the company and the co-artistic directors celebrated their aluminum anniversary with an evening of premieres created for a two-night engagement at The Hobby Center in August. The varied program featured a return to Noble’s street dancing roots in 9/tenths of the Law, the politically minded yet humanistic Unsinkable and, of course, one of the company’s many calling cards – the seamless utilization of impressive set pieces, like sail boat frames and reflective walls, and technology, like drones and live video feeds.

Not only did the program exemplify their “always move forward, never slow down” ethos, the rest of the year matched, with NobleMotion touring the country and participating in festivals like the Barnstorm Dance Fest and the Bailando International Dance Festival, hosting their fourth annual summer dance intensive, and staging On Your Mark, Get Set … NMD2, the inaugural performance of NMD2, the youth pre-professional company started just last year. With plans to try their hands at more immersive dance works, put their background in dance film to use and maybe get a little academic, you can be sure NobleMotion will continue to bring dance to an ever expanding audience of dance-happy people in the years to come.

3400 Main Street, Suite 5, Houston
832-627-9664
noblemotiondance.com

Readers' Choice: Houston Ballet
713-227-2787
houstonballet.org