Saints In Praise (2000)
Length: approximately 20 mins
Through elated and jubilant movement, this work expresses the choreographer's feelings of joy in the birth of her child.
Soul Surrender/Deliverance (2001)
Length: 13 mins
Appropriately titled, this work shows how deliverance requres total surrender. As the dancers turn, lift, and move in and out of the floor, they give more and more of themselves, which leads to total submission and liberation.
Testimonies (2001)
Length: 14 mins
This work depicts true life struggles of five women, and how each made it through. Choreographed to the dialogue of the women's true testimonies, this ballet is a triumphant work showing how faith and endurance allows one ot jump over life's hurdles.
Cherish (2002)
Four Sections: "D'Ville High" - "Why Am I Still Here" - "Brief Moment" - "Now & Forever"
Length: 21 mins
This work is about life's vicissitudes, relationships and the understanding that everything we go through, whether good or bad, molds us. It is autobiographical depicting the choreographer's personal and professional experiences on her journey to the dance.
Men of Faith (2002)
Length: 6 mins
This ballet shows how men can feel comfortable putting their trust in something higher than themselves. Men are supposed to be the breadwinner, the strength, the foundation, but they too have to depend on someone or something as their source of strength. In 2005, this piece was set on the Company's women and was titled Women of Faith.
Released (2002)
Three Sections: "In The Confines" - "Closure" - "Pressing Foward"
Length: 23 mins
Sometimes we find ourselves trapped in boxes - in our minds, in relationships - but there is hope. If we learn how to face the things that control us, we can be released from these boxes and move on with life. This ballet is about breaking free of life's snares or those little boxes in which we find ourselves trapped. It shows the stages of confinement, confrontation, and continuing on.
Raw (2002)
Length: 11 mins
This work explores the process of change - change for the better. After ridding ourselves of all heavy baggage, burdens and negativity we can approach life with a fresh perspective and fulfill our destiny. This piece shows transformation, the struggle with letting go, and the emergence of a pure being. The movement is striking and energetic, stripped of all impurities revealing a vulnerable yet strong individual. The music, an original composition by Jordan Roads, is warm and sometimes "raw" embracing the choreography.
The Divine Head (2003)
Length: 7 mins
With so much pressue on today's man, this work shows how leading effectively requires submission. As our men are leaders, they are also simultaneously being lead and guided. What is demanded of them is expressed in this ballet where movement is the guiding principle.
Joy River (2003)
Three Sections: "Leading" - "Living" - "Loving"
Length: 15 mins
Imagine love, joy, and kindness overflowing in your life like a cool river. This ballet shows the joy we experience in leading others toward the right path, living life to the fullest and loving the life we have been given through movement that stretches through the body and elevates off the floor.
Unconditional (2003)
Length: 4 mins
This piece, calm and comforting, is a dedication to the women who supported the choreographer throughout her career.
Gotta Give It Up (2003)
Length: 5 mins
With all of life's struggles and falls, this ballet joyously celebrates women - their supportive nature, strength, and beauty. For all women - mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, girlfriends - this work is a tribute to the strength and fierceness of women in today's society. A woman as a fighter, a mom, a leader, remains beautiful in the midst of all things.
Purify (2003)
Length: 4 mins
This ballet is about cleansing and preparation. With one central theme and variations on that theme, the choreographer shows a peaceful, calming ritual that is cathartic and comforting.
The Favor, The Relationship, The Open Door (2003)
Length: 7 mins
This work shows three women in fellowship with each other, appreciating life (their lives) - the challenges, the highs and the lows. In one accord, the women move freely, generously revealing the innermost feelings in the heart. The movement is vulnerable, powerful and giving.
Lover's Spat (2004)
Length: 4 mins
Set to an original composition by Jordan Roads, this corky duet is fun in nature and shows the ups and downs of relationships. It shows a couple who forgives, agrees to disagree, and never goes to bed angry.
Embrace (2004)
Length: 13 mins
Growing up in the south, everyone is greeted with a hug. The feelings the hugs give are different depending on the relationship. This ballet explores those different relationships, the hugs shared, and the joy one has in these relationships - with parents, siblings, other relatives and friends. This work is set to original music by Michael Mustafa Ulmer.
Title VII (2004)
Length: 8 mins
The choreographer's southern roots, experiences working in New York, and enrollment in a Masters program, were the catalyst that jump-started the idea behind the work. This ballet is intense, dealing with race, physical attributes, art and religion. It is a piercing solo about discrimination and how one becomes strengthened through adversity.
Toujours Clair, Toujours Precis (2004)
Length: 7 mins
Our desire for perfection, striving to fulfill expectations that are imposed upon us and our competitive nature, set the tone for this ballet for which the technique and attention to detail are a must. Showing clean lines, perfect turns and jumps, flowing seamlessly from percussive to substained movements, the choreographer attempts to show clarity and precision in movement.
If It Were Not For The Old (2004)
Length: 4 mins
The choreographer reflects on the stories of the "old folks" in this ballet. Though some of them are not here physcially, they still live in our memories. Their work has paved the way for us today. This ballet, reverent and thankful, is dedicated to the choreographer's grandmother.
Spiritual Milk (2004)
Length: 4 mins
This ballet deals with the things that fortify us. As we grow physcially, we get better, refining skills along the way. The advertisement "Milk does a body good" sparked the creation of this ballet. What helps us grow spiritually? This is the question the choreographer pondered while creating this work.
Line Dry (2005)
This stunning work is deeply rooted in southern heritage, reflecting on warm summer afternoons while hanging clothes out on a line to dry - the billowing sheets, the blankets, and running through the clothes as they dry.
Drifting (2005)
This ballet is soothing and tranquil. The dancers move as if they are being guided by a gentle current. The movement is both peaceful and buoyant.
Romans 8:18 (2005)
Set to original lyrics by soulful vocalist Dana Gourrier, and music by Bill Apollo Brown, Roderick Jackson and Marty Beller, this touching work shows a mother's strength during the loss of her son.
Departure (2005)
Length: 6 mins 30 secs
This energetic ballet showcases Arceneaux's exhuberant approach to choreography and reflects the excitement we experience with successfully ending one journey in life and embarking upon a new journey.
Healing (2006)
Life During and After Devastation
Six Sections: "Voices"- "The Aftermath" - "A Mother's Cry" - "For Dear Life" - "Abandoned Winds" -"Through It All"
Length: approximately 50 mins
Thisemotionally charged ballet is about the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the hope of a neglected people. The mood of the work is deeply enhanced by an original composition created by distinguished percussionist/composer Roderick Jackson.
Restless Escape (2008)
Length: 9 mins 24 secs
This solo explores the innocence of a young woman and her desire to drift into sleep to escape to a place where she is free to feel and act in ways in which she is uncomfortable in reality. This work is set to an original composition created by esteemed pianist/percussionist/composer William Catanzaro.
Fearless (2008)
Five Sections: "Vicious Felonies (Part 1 & Part 2)"- "Similar Inequalities" - "Divided We Stand" - "Taking A Stand: No Longer Silent, No Longer Hidden"
Length: 30 mins
Set to a stirring score created by Jordan Roads, this gripping and thought-provoking work depicts past and present day injustices and discriminatory practices against different ethnic groups and shows the moment of frustration where a person decides to take a stand rendering him/her "FEARLESS."