Shapes of Blue is about the range of emotions we can feel within the process of loss; loss of memory, joy, or even a loved one. The color Blue can affect our atmosphere, evoke introspection, loneliness and detachment. This series of vignettes explores a journey of the cold vast unknown we feel in the hardest of times, an escape to humor, and the eventual return to tranquility and peace that is possible for each of us. We weren’t meant to do this alone. 

Nathan Madden has been blessed to have a full career of designing, choreographing, directing, and performing all around the world and with each experience he becomes more of a well-rounded creative force.  He is thrilled to be creating work on this amazing San Diego-based company! After completing his degree at the Juilliard School,  he went on to grace the stages of countless theaters during two seasons with Les Ballet Jazz des Montreal, touring with Twyla Tharp's Come Fly Away, and guesting with Lar Lubovitch Dance. His Broadway journey began with Fosse’s legendary CHICAGO, then was an original cast member of Christopher Wheeldon's An American In Paris, and part of the team bringing back the revival of Hello, Dolly! He was awarded the Héctor Zaraspe Prize for exemplary movement, was a finalist for the Capezio ACE Awards, and has had his work place in The National Society of Arts and Letters competition. He created new works for The Current Sessions, the Reverb Festival, the Dumbo Dance Festival, Arts on Site, and various museum openings across the country.  As a designer with Water Entertainment Technologies, he has brought movement to water features worldwide. He remains passionate about the pursuit of leadership development; supporting youth organizations through ministry, arts education and outreach. 

Uno’s new work, The Calm and the Storm, explores the duality of strength and softness, created in honor of Women’s History Month. Inspired by the fluidity of water—calm and peaceful on the surface, yet capable of immense power—this choreography celebrates both the grace and fierceness of being a woman.

Odessa Mae Uno (she/her/hers) is a movement-based Filipino American artist currently working in Southern California. With a mission to make dance an accessible art form, she develops and nurtures spaces that encourage movement as therapy, investigation, and celebration. The foundation of all of her work endlessly references to her belief in the importance of community, love, and integrity. As a choreographer, she is driven by curiosity of the body’s physical limitations and is constantly searching for ways to make dance feel limitless for the performer and audience. She received her BFA in Dance from California Institute of the Arts (Calarts) where she studied performance, choreography, and pedagogy. She has most recently performed with DISCO RIOT, Fresh Congress Dance, Maraya Performing Arts, and Jay Carlon. Her choreographic commissions include Malashock Dance, San Diego Dance Theater, Canyon Crest Academy, and San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. She was the 2021 winner San Diego Dance Theaters’s Emerging Choreographers Showcase and Prize.

Joudeh’s piece — entitled Layl, the late-night prayer — blends classical and Sufi dervish movements. This performance serves as a cultural bridge between East and West, uniting traditions through the universal language of dance. The music, composed by Dutch-Iranian composer Farid Sheek, enhances the spiritual essence of the piece. Completing the visual poetry, the skirt, designed by Kilden Theatre in Norway, serves as a symbol of the starry night sky.

Joudeh is a dancer, choreographer, and author. He was born and raised in Yarmouk, a Palestinian Refugee Camp in Damascus (Syria) as a stateless refugee. In 2016, he moved to Amsterdam with the help of the Dutch National Ballet, joining the company that same year. Since 2017, he has worked internationally as an artist and human rights activist. In 2021, Joudeh obtained Dutch nationality. He is the Artistic Director of Dance or Die Foundation and serves as a high-profile supporter for The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and is an International Friend for SOS Children’s Villages International. Joudeh is also a 2024 Young Global Leader at the world economic forum.

Dael’s piece, entitled Between One and Two, represents self-discovery and the exploration of the many intensities of love—that complex feeling that, at times, can be difficult to admit, express, and fully embrace. Expect something electric, magnetic, and playful. The choreography matches the duality of the carefully chosen music, blending the soul of jazz with the pulse of electronic sounds. A journey between contrasts, where opposites don’t just coexist but ignite one another.

Read Dael’s story here.

Davis’s new work, Connections, explores the different phases of relationships: romance, conflict, and commitment. Set to music by Philip Glass, Olafur Arnolds, and Emile Mosseri, the work features three couples, each illustrating the enduring presence of love throughout these phases.

Read Davis’s story here.

Thoughtscape, set to music by Ezio Bosso, ponders the ways our minds react, adapt, and change throughout our experiences and how our thoughts can work for — or against — us.

Read Rader’s story here.