The Next Era: A Celebratory Night of Art & Giving

Early Era Collective is celebrating nine years of dance with The Next Era: A Celebratory Night of Art & Giving on Monday, November 9, at The Topfer Grand Lobby at Zach Theater. It's a cocktail evening with pop-up performances by company artists and a sneak peek of their new dance film, Brute.

Jen Cregar and Andre Bradford host the night, and the company's dancers will be performing throughout the lobby. The preview of Brute is the centerpiece: it takes on Danse Apache through contemporary movement, combat, original music, and cinematic storytelling. If you've seen their other work, you know they tend to lean into social-justice themes, and Brute fits that pattern.

Early Era Collective is an Austin-based nonprofit dance company founded in fall 2018 by Artistic Director Stephanie Patrick, who previously ran Stephanie Patrick Dance, which she started in 2012 across San Francisco, Asheville, and Austin. The company became a 501(c)3 in March 2019 and draws on dancers from contemporary, hip-hop, tap, and ballet backgrounds. Their film Milez played at eleven national festivals and won a 2022 Austin Dance Festival Local Favorite Award, and their live programming, like the Say That Again show, blends Black dance styles with poetry and spoken word. The company also picked up the City of Austin's Thrive and Elevate awards in 2023 and 2024.

The night runs from 6 PM to 8:30 PM at the Zach Theater, 202 S Lamar Blvd, and tickets are pay-what-you-wish from $20 to $250.