When he was first asked to participate, Jacob Metcalf wasn’t sure what to make of Pegasus Contemporary Ballet’s multi-disciplinary performance series Synergy.
“It seemed so out of left field for me, and I didn’t know what to think of it,” the Dallas-based singer-songwriter said during a recent conversation. “My first thought was, well, I have to at least see what’s up with this … I found it very intimidating at the beginning. We’re talking about the equivalent of an orchestra when you’re talking about a ballet troupe.
“These are the masters of their craft. In some ways, I wondered how could a stammering folk musician fit with a highly disciplined troupe of dancers?”
That sense of intimidation gave way to inspiration, as Metcalf — renowned for his finely filigreed folk music, exemplified by works like his 2022 LP Monitors — paired with Filipino-American choreographer Norbert De La Cruz III as part of the triptych of works premiering during this year’s edition of Synergy, which kicks off June 13 at Moody Performance Hall.
Each of the performances is a world premiere commission, and will feature, as prior years of Synergy installments did, live music performed on stage alongside dancers.
“It’s really fulfilling and beautiful to see that [collaboration] happen,” said Diana Crowder, artistic director and founder of Pegasus Contemporary Ballet, in a recent interview. “It’s really wonderful to have these relationships develop and just exist in the space here in Dallas. Our choreographers that we bring in nationally go back to where they’re from, whether it be New York or L.A. — they’ve had this incredibly inspiring music experience with a Dallas musician that, I hope, has the potential to continue.”
In addition to the De La Cruz/Metcalf pairing, Bruce McCormick teamed up with Martin Morgan, while Gabriel Speiller joined forces with Leoncarlo Canlas. Metcalf described the process of taking a song of his and collaborating with a choreographer as nothing short of transformative.
“This was a light bulb moment for me, a sort of revelation for me,” Metcalf said. “When [Norbert and I] first began, we started with long telephone conversations really delving into the philosophy and into the creative vision and the possibilities. … I don’t know how else to put it, but I knew very early on I was dealing with someone whose creative fire burns just as hot as mine does.”
Synergy 2025 at Moody Performance Hall, Dallas. 8 p.m. June 13-14. Tickets are $38-$79.
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky (@prestonjones.bsky.social).Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
