Angels Dancing at the Gates of Heaven is a deeply moving story of grief and loss, featuring music by Lisa Gerrard. Created in honor of loved ones lost, the work invites audiences to see themselves in shared sorrow and healing. An expanded version of a solo first created in 2021, it became one of Shades Dance Theater’s most emotional and resonant works.
Mr. & Mr. Poppy was first created in 2019 and completed in 2023 for Shades Dance Theater’s Love, Fantasy, and Euphoria. The work is the company’s first LGBTQ+ love story and a celebration of Black male love. Exploring softness, discovery, and tenderness, it has become one of Shades’ fan favorites.
New to Dance Theater reintroduced the company’s foundation in modern dance, set to driving drums and influenced by the technique of Lester Horton. Rooted in rhythm and physicality, the work served as an invitation for audiences new to dance theater.
The Elements is one of the most technically demanding works in Shades Dance Theater’s repertory, featuring over 300 lighting cues. Set to the jazzy funk of Earth, Wind & Fire and Teena Marie, the work pulsed with rhythm and precision. Terry credited Talley Beatty’s The Stack-Up as a key inspiration for its creation.
A Love Letter, set to Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You,” is a tender story of love and confession.
He Loves Me was one of the final works Cameron Terry created during his senior year at the University of Oklahoma, premiered in May 2021 with his muse and close friend, Micah Bullard. Micah later reprised the role in 2023.
Mt. Ephraim, named for the church Cameron Terry grew up in, explored memory, faith, and the gospel traditions of the Black church in the Deep South. Rooted in praise, worship, and spiritual lineage, the work reflected reverence, community, and inheritance. It was set to the music of Mahalia Jackson and Ricky Dillard.