COLLIDE Series 26 Features Double Bill of Nationally Recognized Female Choreographers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Deos Contemporary Ballet's 26-27 Season Opens with COLLIDE Series 26, Featuring Two Powerful New Contemporary Ballets
Twelve professional dancers from across the country gather together for just three weeks each July to bring COLLIDE to life
Grand Rapids, MI | July 7, 2026 | Deos Contemporary Ballet invites audiences to experience COLLIDE Series 26, an evening of two compelling new contemporary ballets exploring haunting moments in history, otherworldly Greek mythology, and what it means to be human. Performances take place Friday, July 31 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, August 1 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m at the Gezon Auditorium at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, MI.
The program features the world premiere of People We Meet on the Train, choreographed by Artistic Director Tess Sinke in collaboration with Assistant Choreographer Grace Sinke, alongside The Greek Myths, a new work by acclaimed choreographer Christine Settembrino presented through a collaboration between Deos Contemporary Ballet and St. Louis Ballet.
Together, the two ballets offer audiences an evening where history and legends intersect through powerful contemporary movement, immersive storytelling, and striking visual design.
"At the heart of People We Meet on the Train is a simple yet profound question: Who really are the people history asks us to remember?" said Deos Ballet Artistic Director Tess Sinke.
The ballet follows a diverse group of strangers making their way toward a train station. Each individual carries the ordinary details that make a life unique -- relationships, dreams, fears, treasured possessions, and personal histories. As the work unfolds, these defining characteristics gradually disappear. Colors fade through innovative stage and lighting direction; possessions vanish, and individuality is systematically stripped away.
Inspired by the experiences of those deported to concentration camps during the Holocaust, the ballet reminds audiences that the millions persecuted were never anonymous victims. They were artists, parents, children, friends, workers, and dreamers whose individual humanity deserves to be remembered.
In the ballet's final moments, color slowly returns to the scene, symbolizing that while hatred may seek to erase identity, memory and humanity persist. Through dance, People We Meet on the Train becomes both an act of remembrance and a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit.
"This ballet is ultimately about seeing people," said Artistic Director and choreographer Tess Sinke. "History can reduce lives to numbers and statistics, but art allows us to encounter individuals again. We hope audiences leave remembering not only the tragedy, but also the humanity that existed before it."
The evening continues with The Greek Myths, choreographed by Christine Settembrino, offering a contemporary interpretation of some of the enduring legends from Greek mythology.
Originally premiering with St. Louis Ballet in June 2026, the ballet brings together the stories of Echo and Narcissus, Orpheus and Eurydice, Athena and Arachne, Sisyphus, and Pandora's Box. Through contemporary choreography, the production explores timeless themes of love, pride, sacrifice, transformation, temptation, and resilience.
The performance marks the continuation of an artistic collaboration between St. Louis Ballet and Deos Contemporary Ballet, bringing nationally recognized choreography to West Michigan audiences.
COLLIDE Series 26 is a continuation of Deos Ballet's flagship summer programming, the COLLIDE Series. Each summer, up to 12 professional dancers from respected ballet companies across the nation come together for an intensive, month-long rehearsal process to bring this production to life. Creating new work and cross-pollinating ideas from states near and far makes COLLIDE Deos Ballet's largest annual undertaking, with a brand-new show hitting the stage at the culmination of the summer rehearsal period.
About Deos Contemporary Ballet
Now in its fifth season, Deos Contemporary Ballet continues to redefine what ballet can be by commissioning new works, collaborating with leading choreographers, and presenting thought-provoking performances that connect contemporary audiences with powerful stories. COLLIDE Series 26 opens the acclaimed ballet company's 2026-2027 performance season.
COLLIDE Series 26
Friday, July 31 | 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 1 | 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are available at deosballet.com.
Media Contact
Isabelle Ramey
Marketing & Communications Manager
Deos Contemporary Ballet
isabelle.ramey@deosballet.com
412.852.3719