Francisco Gella danced with RDT from 1996-1998. It was his first professional dancing job after graduating from the University of Washington. Later he went on to dance with Philadelphia Dance Company and, later, Ballet Pacifica and the California Ballet.

In the video below, Gella talks about what it has been like to work on the other side of creation in the RDT studio while creating his newest commission, “Aloneness,” premiering on RDT’s CURRENT, April 12-14 at The Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City.

As America’s premier repertory dance company, RDT has always prided itself on cultivating well-rounded dancers. Dancers are encouraged to hone not only their technical dance skills but their teaching and choreography skills as well.

Gella is one of three RDT alumni dancers whose individual works appear in CURRENT. Each are in different stages of their careers, but all of them “cut their teeth,” as it were, at Repertory Dance Theatre, now in its 52nd Season.

Stay tuned for the final part of this video series in which Gella offers his advice for young choreographers.

Learn more about CURRENT at www.rdtutah.org/shows/current