To Come Full Circle. New Work Celebrates a Quarter Century of Deep Collaboration

Choreographer Travis D. Gatling, who is based at Ohio University, has been in Baltimore this fall creating a new work to mark Full Circle Dance Company's 25th Anniversary. Gatling has worked with Full Circle for nearly its entire history, and his works have become staples of the repertoire and audience favorites, offering rich artistic and physical challenges to the dancers. The Baltimore Dance Bulletin asked Gatling about his history with the Baltimore-based company and about his new work To Come Full Circle, which will premiere November 9 at the Baltimore Museum of Art. 

1) What is your new work about? What do you hope to give the audience?

This current work doesn’t follow a traditional narrative structure. Instead, I approached the process with three core goals. First, I wanted to involve every member of the company to highlight unity and the power of collective collaboration. Second, I designed the work to be both musically and physically demanding, requiring the dancers to rely deeply on one another for timing, for cues, and for energy throughout the entire piece. This interdependence fosters an ongoing dialogue on stage that I hope the audience can see and feel.

Finally, I wanted the work to feel celebratory and to embody the company’s shared strength, resilience, and joy. My hope is that the audience experiences the energy and connection between the dancers and leaves with a renewed sense of community and uplift.

2) You have a long history with Full Circle - about as long as the company's own history. Tell us a bit about this collaboration. Why do you keep coming back to Baltimore?

My relationship with Full Circle Dance Company began over 25 years ago, through a recruitment visit to Morton Street Dance Center on behalf of Ohio University. I was tasked with scouting prospective students, but during that visit, I discovered that the studio also had a resident dance company. As a choreographer, that sparked an immediate interest. I saw the potential to work with a group of dedicated dancers beyond the university setting, and I’ve been collaborating with Full Circle ever since.

What brings me back year after year is the extraordinary talent, diversity, dedication, and integrity of the company members. Under Donna Jacobs' visionary leadership, this company has not only grown artistically but has also maintained a strong, inclusive, and purposeful identity. Each time I return, I encounter a mix of familiar and new faces—the dancers unified by a deep love for the art form.

Full Circle feels like home to me. It’s a space where my choreography is not only welcomed but nurtured, sustained, and allowed to evolve over time. It’s truly a joy, an honor, and a privilege to be part of this continuing collaboration.

3) Anything else you'd like to share about yourself as an artist, your philosophy, the place of art in the world?

I’m grateful to be in a place in my artistic journey where I can create simply for the joy of creating. That freedom is a gift. At the same time, in today’s complex socio-political climate, I feel a growing responsibility to use dance as a tool for advocacy, both for the arts themselves and for those whose voices often go unheard.

For me, dance has always been a reflection of my collective consciousness. As artists, we are called to witness, to feel, to translate, and then to express. Through our chosen mediums, we bear witness to the world around us, offering not just commentary but connection. In that sense, I believe art is not just necessary, it’s urgent. It has the power to heal, to challenge, and to inspire both personal and collective transformation.

Some favorite memories with Travis, captured in these photos.