Unlikely pairing makes for adventurous world premiere collaboration

A new royal partnership was formed in 2015 when Michele, one of ballet’s most celebrated Swan Queens, joined forces with Jay Donn, the reigning king of Brooklyn-based flex dancing, to create an adventurous new work.

What could the 400-year-old conventions of ballet, which originated in the French court, possibly have in common with the art of Flex dancing, which was born in Jamaica and transported to the streets of Brooklyn? Something Sampled answered the question by uniting the forms, melding their unique virtuosic demands so that the physical, emotional and spiritual connections became apparent.

“(Like) jumping off a cliff—no parachute—and building the plane on the way down.”

-Jay Donn

Read more about this collaboration in Time Out

The three-part ballet was a collaboration between Michele, Jay Donn and electro-acoustic cellist composer Chris Lancaster, who created the ballet’s original score. Michele performed alongside Jay Donn, whose charm, talent and originality made him one of the stars of the 2013 documentary film Flex is Kings. Something Sampled also featured five dancers from BalletNext, who learned to stretch their imaginations as well as their bodies during the creation process!

Something Sampled premiered at New York Live Arts in February 2015. Watch Michele and Jay perform the Pas de Deux from Something Sampled in our video gallery.

Watch an excerpt of studio rehearsal footage below.