Inside Phoenix Dance Theatre’s ‘Interplay’: Collaboration in Motion – Interview

‘Suite Release’ by Yusha-Marie Sorzano and Marcus Jarrell Willis. Image Credit: Drew Forsyth.

Nestled in Leeds’ cultural quarter of Quarry Hill, Phoenix Dance Theatre is the longest-standing contemporary dance company outside London. Founded in 1981 by three Black British men from Harehills and Chapeltown, the company has become one of the UK’s leading contemporary dance institutions, spending over 40 years delivering high-quality, accessible dance that inspires and empowers audiences. TSOTA attended their Spring 2026 production, ‘Interplay’, a powerful mixed bill featuring four works by internationally renowned choreographers, and spoke with Artistic Director Marcus Jarrell Willis about collaboration, creativity, and connection.

Marcus has “always been a performer.” Growing up in Houston, Texas, in a family of singers, he began in church before training at Johnston Performing Arts Middle School, the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and Discovery Dance Group. “I think I was about 14 or 15 when I realised I was going to be a dancer,” he recalls, “and the journey just sort of took off from there.” At 16, he moved to New York City to train at The Ailey School, later joining Ailey II before dancing with several companies and eventually returning to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where he performed for eight years before relocating to the UK.

Now, as Artistic Director, Marcus’s role centres on shaping the company’s creative direction. His day-to-day involves curating programmes and identifying choreographers whose work aligns with his vision. ‘Interplay’ is a clear expression of that vision: a mixed bill exploring duality, collaboration, and the tension/harmony that can emerge when artistic voices meet.

For Marcus, the title reflects a desire to “zoom in on what it means when two people, or two artists, work together.” This idea runs throughout the programme. ‘Next of Kin’, a witty exploration of two like-minded individuals navigating life side by side, and Pett Clausen Knight’s ‘Small Talk’, a poignant reflection on a relationship quietly slipping away through the slow exhaustion of time, are both performed as duets. Elsewhere, ‘Why Are People Clapping?!’ highlights a different kind of partnership: originally choreographed by Ed Myhill and later restaged for Phoenix by Camille Giraudeau. “It all focuses on different types of partnerships,” Marcus explains, “all under the umbrella of dance-making.”

‘Small Talk’ by Travis Knight and James Pett. Image Credit: Drew Forsyth.

At the heart of the programme is ‘Suite Release’, a newly choreographed work by Marcus and Yusha-Marie Sorzano. For Marcus, the process marked a significant first. “I’ve collaborated a lot in the past, but never choreographically,” he says. “Even as Artistic Director, I’m still learning, and this felt like an opportunity to step into that.”

Having grown up together artistically in New York, their collaboration felt instinctive. That familiarity brought a new energy into the studio, one that reshaped Marcus’s creative process. “One of the dancers said it was amazing to see me differently,” he reflects. “We always have fun in the studio, but bringing a piece of home into that space unlocked something else. We just had a really good time making it.”

That sense of joy is central to the work. While ‘Suite Release’ is reflective in places, it ultimately returns to Marcus’s roots in hip-hop and house culture, grounded in freedom, rhythm, and release.

Reconnecting with those roots proved powerful. “It was completely liberating,” he says. “There were moments where the music would trigger a memory and we’d both suddenly be like, ‘Oh my God, remember that?’ We just bounced off each other.” Watching Sorzano move was particularly striking: “For a moment, I saw my friend from two decades ago. It allowed me to let go of expectations and just feel what the movement needed to be.”

‘Suite Release’ by Yusha-Marie Sorzano and Marcus Jarrell Willis. Image Credit: Drew Forsyth.

That emphasis on release extends beyond the choreography itself. “Now more than ever,” Marcus says, “we need spaces where we can just let go.” He encourages his dancers to approach the work with that same spirit: “I tell them, yes, it’s a performance, but dance it like you’re in a club.” 

For Marcus, this pointed to a wider generational shift in how people engage with communal movement. “We asked some of the younger dancers where they go out dancing, and they said people don’t really do that anymore. I remember going out and sweating buckets because I loved it. That’s what we’re trying to get back to.”

That sense of variety and openness defines ‘Interplay’ as a whole. Each piece offers something distinct: from playful explorations of rhythm and connection to more introspective reflections on distance and time, culminating in a vibrant, high-energy celebration of movement and music. As Marcus puts it, “there’s something that everyone (both our dancers and our audiences) can take away for themselves.”

This commitment to accessibility sits at the core of Phoenix Dance Theatre’s mission. Through its Learning & Development programme, the company delivers over 1,000 workshops each year, reaching more than 6,500 people. Marcus recalls a recent schools’ matinee that captured this impact. “We had around three hundred young people in the audience: they clapped, they cheered, they were completely engaged. As the curtain came down, I actually got quite emotional.” Speaking to the dancers afterwards, he reminded them of the significance of that moment: “What they did for those young people, someone once did for them. It doesn’t matter if those students become dancers or not. It’s about showing them they have an outlet. Art isn’t just entertainment, it’s also healing.”

‘Next of Kin’ by Marcus Jarrell Willis. Image Credit by: Drew Forsyth.

That idea of shared experience is echoed in the programme’s opening statement by Chief Executive Jennifer Coleman-Peers, which highlights the power of the arts to bridge divides. We may differ culturally, politically, or socially, but when we enter a theatre, we choose to share a space, and a story, with strangers. Marcus puts it simply: “At the end of the day, it’s about human connection and the exchange between those on stage and those in the audience.”

That connection was tangible. During the interval, the woman sitting beside me turned and asked if I was a dancer. I told her I used to be, before giving it up when I was younger, and mentioned this article and interview. When I asked her the same question, she smiled and told me about her days disco dancing nearly forty years ago.

We may never meet again, but in that brief exchange, spanning generations, experiences, and time, the echo chambers we so often inhabit seemed to fall away. We were connected by shared curiosity, memory, and joy. That is the power of art. That is the power of ‘Interplay.’ 

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‘Interplay’ continues its UK tour at Liverpool Playhouse (Friday 8 May), Malvern Theatres (Tuesday 12 – Wednesday 13 May), Doncaster (Wednesday 20 May), Huddersfield (Thursday 28 May), Theatr Clwyd, Wales (Tuesday 2 – Wednesday 3 June), Northern Stage, Newcastle (Tuesday 16 – Wednesday 17 June), and Sadler’s Wells East, London (Wednesday 24 – Saturday 27 June).

For more information and tickets, visit Phoenix Dance Theatre’s website or follow them on Instagram.