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Home » News » New Opera Choreographed and Directed by FSU Dance Professor Jawole Willa Jo Zollar Premieres in Houston

New Opera Choreographed and Directed by FSU Dance Professor Jawole Willa Jo Zollar Premieres in Houston

Published October 19, 2023

A new opera directed and choreographed by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (MFA ‘79) premieres at the Houston Grand Opera on October 20.

Zollar

“Intelligence” explores the riveting and little-known story of two female spies in the South during the Civil War.

Zollar is a Lawton Distinguished Professor at Florida State University and the founder of New York-based dance company Urban Bush Women. Among her many accolades are a prestigious Guggenheim fellowship, the Dorothy & Lilian Gish Prize and a MacArthur “Genius” Grant.

“It’s a big story, and dancers are an integral part of the storytelling force,” Zollar said in an interview with the New York Times about the show. “They’re not just coming in for their number or routine.”

The show’s Assistant Choreographer Vincent Thomas (MFA ‘98), dancers Mikaila Ware (BFA ‘17), Loren Davidson (MFA ‘12) and Kentoria Earle (BFA ’18, MA ‘19), and coordinator Cheri Stokes (MFA ‘17) are all FSU School of Dance alumni as well.

To purchase tickets to “Intelligence” visit HoustonGrandOpera.org.