Raiford Rogers Modern Ballet

ABOUT

Raiford Rogers is a native of Bad Axe, Michigan. As a choreographer, he has created over 50 ballets including numerous collaborative pieces with prominent musicians and artists.

His works have been performed throughout the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. Mr. Rogers was twice awarded National Endowment for the Arts Choreographer Fellowships.

New ballets include Naivete of Flowers and Act 2: Garden of Untamed Roses with music by Lloyd Rodgers and painting projections by Mike Nava, Joshua Tree Symphony and Still Life set to music by acclaimed Czech composer Zbynek Mateju, Schubert's Silence (piano Sonata in G Major), and John Cage's In a Landscape. Rogers also created ballets set to Beethoven's late piano sonatas and string quartets.

Other collaborative ballets include: Where Are You My Love and Merge with jazz legend Charlie Haden; Cocktails With Joey with Joey Altruda and his Mambo Orchestra; Cabin Fever with Sandra Tsing Loh; and Ex Machina with L.A. Phil composer Carlos Rodriguez. Other unique projects include Dmitri, set to a synopsis by Woody Allen; In C to music of Terry Riley; Orpheus: a Ballet-Opera; The Little Prince with composer Lloyd Rodgers; Sleepwalk with artist John Nava; and Dream Baby set to music by Roy Orbison with sets by artist Mark Stock.

Mr. Rogers co-founded the Los Angeles Chamber Ballet with Victoria Koenig in 1982. In 2002 he created the Raiford Rogers Modern Ballet. The Company performs annually at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex, CSULA.

John Funk & Carol Guidry in Cabin Fever

BALLETS 2010 - Present

Act 2: Garden of Untamed Roses (2019)

Music: Lloyd Rodgers

Naivete of Flowers (2018)

Music: Lloyd Rodgers

Joshua Tree Symphony (2017)

Music: Zbynek Mateju

Still Life (2015)

Music: Zbynek Mateju

Raiford Rogers

Guest Artist | GOLDEN PRAGUE FESTIVAL | Opening Gala Concert marking the 70th anniversary of the Prague Dance Conservatoire

Arts Advisor | Alberto Vilar Global Fellowship in Performing Arts

Guest Artist | Loyola Marymount University Dance Department

Board of Directors | Arts Inc. and panelist on numerous non-profit and government peer panels

Besides his work in dance, Mr. Rogers hosted and directed art segments for Life & Times (KCET PBS), profiling leading artists and architects.

Rogers was portrayed as a wiener dog in the CBS animated series Creature Comforts (Aardman Animations). His profile is depicted as Saint Bonaventure in artist John Nava’s Communion of Saints tapestries for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. As an entrepreneur, he co-created Cartesian® Original, a start-up accessory company. He was named one of the 100 coolest people in Los Angeles by Buzz Magazine. Mr. Rogers is a published poet and has been included in two poetry anthologies.

BALLETS 2000 - 2009

Ostinato In C (2009)

Piano Quintet Op. 30, Largo (Sergey Taneyev)

Poquita Fe (2009)

Music: Flaco Jimendez

Last Songs of Beethoven (2008-2009)

Grosse Fuge in B flat Op.133 (2008)

Cavatina,String Quartet No.13 in B flat, Op.130-5 (2008)

Heiliger Dankgesang (2009) String Quartet No. 15

in A minor Op. 132-3

Adagio in Blue (2007)

Toccata in C, Adagio BWV 564 (JS Bach)

Transcription: Passacaglia (2007)

Partita II in D minor (Bach / Reger)

Transcription: Chaconne (2006)

Chaconne in D Minor (Bach / Busoni)

Sonata No. 2 (2006)

Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 2 (Bohuslav Martinu)

Prelude in Green (2005)

Sonata for Violin and Cello (Corelli/ Geminiani)

On Matters of Consequence (2014)

Music: Lloyd Rodgers

Schubert’s Silence (2013)

Piano Sonata No 18 in G major “Fantasie” D.894 by Franz Schubert

Preludes In a Landscape (2012)

Prelude Fantasia in A minor, BWV 922 (JS Bach).

Chorale Prelude BWV 659 (Bach/Busoni)

In a Landscape 1948 (John Cage)

Largo, Concerto for Piano in F minor, BWV 1056 (JS Bach/Kempff)

Abschied (Franz Liszt)

Reckoner (2012)

Music: Radiohead

Four Pieces for Piano (2011)

Toccata and Fugue for Left Hand (Jeno Takacs)

Fantasia for Piano (CPE Bach)

Piano Trio in E No. 28, Allegretto (Joseph Haydn)

Abschied (Franz Liszt)

Hammerklavier (2010)

Hammerklavier - Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major (Adagio) Op.106-3 (Beethoven)

Gesangvoll - Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major (Andante) Op.109 (Beethoven)

Arietta - Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor (Arietta) Op.111-2 (Beethoven)

Bobby Briscoe & Alexis Maragozis in Transcription

BALLETS 1990 - 1999

Charms (1999)

Music: Piccioni/Umilian

Cocktails with Joey (1997/1998)

Music: Joey Altruda and His Mambo Orchestra

Merge (1996)

Music: “Lonely Woman” by Ornette Coleman (Charlie Haden)

Where Are You My Love? (1995)

Music: Charlie Haden Quartet West

Cabin Fever (1994)

Music: Sandra Tsing Loh

The Nutcracker (1994)

Sleep Walk Question of Balance / Problem of Dreams (1992-1993)

Music: Sonnambula (Bellini), Macbeth (Verdi), Rusalka (Dvorak), Medea (Cherubini)

Dream Baby (1991)

Music: Roy Orbison

So Nice (1990)

Music: Bossa Nova

BALLETS con't 1980 - 1989

Symphonie No. 4 (1989)

Music: Mozart

Dmitri (1989)

Scenario by Woody Allen

Orpheus: A Ballet-Opera (1988)

Music: Lloyd Rodgers

The Little Prince (1986-87)

Music: Lloyd Rodgers

Stone or Star (1986)

Music: Johann Strauss

Wishes and Turns (1985)

Piano Quartet (Bohuslav Martini)

Lysistrata (1984)

Concerto for Cello in G minor (Vivaldi)

Autumn Trilogy (1983)

Oboe d’amore Concerto in A major (JS Bach)

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1982)

String Quartet No. 2 (Alberto Ginastera)

Concertino (1981)

Concertino (Luciano Berio)

Concertante (2005)

Petite Symphonie Concertante (Frank Martin)

Wishes and Turns (2004/1985)

Piano Quartet (Bohuslav Martinu)

Ex Machina (2003)

Music: Crater Lizards by Carlos Rodriguez

In C (2002)

Music: Terry Riley

CHANEL (2001/1994)

Music: Amon Tobin

Cabin Fever (2001/1994)

Music: Sandra Tsing Loh / Amon Tobin

Knockaround (2000)

Music: Joey Altruda and the Jump with Joey Ska-Band

Bobby Briscoe & Alexis Maragozis in Transcription

Zbynek Mateju, Raiford Rogers, Andreas Sebastian Weiser

RAIFORD ROGERS

MODERN BALLET