Invite
A nationwide call welcomes proposals from emerging choreographers at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Company E · A nationwide HBCU commission
A legacy
in motion.
The Liz Cherry Jones Memorial Commission
Discover the story
The purpose
Not simply a commission.
A first professional chapter.
Each year, an emerging choreographer from an HBCU receives something rare: meaningful direct funding, the freedom to create an original work with professional dancers, and the promise that the work will be seen. For the 2026–2027 commission, artists from HBCUs across the country will be invited to propose the work they want to make.
1new choreographic voice each year
HBCUa nationwide call for proposals
↑paid commission
A living memorial
Carry forward the vitality with which she lived.
For Matt Jones, honoring his older sister—always “Cherry” to him—means creating more than a name on an award. Liz was a teacher, an artist, and a believer in inspiration. The right memorial would open a door for someone else.
“I want to give somebody else a cool little break.”
Matt Jones · Founder of the LCJMC
How the commission works
A complete creative ecosystem.
The commission began through Company E’s enduring partnership with Howard University. Its 2026–2027 chapter opens that opportunity to choreographers from HBCUs nationwide, expanding the resources directly behind the selected artist’s vision.
Create
The selected artist receives increased direct funding, genuine creative freedom, and a professional company on which to build a new work.
Be seen
The finished work enters Company E’s repertory and reaches audiences in DC, across the country, and around the world.
Selected chapters
One invitation.
Distinct voices.
Every recipient enters with a different story and leaves with a work that carries her voice into the professional world.
2021Rayven Leak
PASSENGER
2022Tori Yvette Carter
FORCES
2023Jade Stewart
Created and premiered at Thuburbo Majus, the ancient Roman city and ruins in Tunisia
2024Simone Thompson
PROCESSING: A Transitional Healing Ground
2025Siani Nicole
CRABGRASS
Being seen
The premiere is only the beginning.
The commission belongs inside the full Company E ecosystem. Works travel with the repertory company, meet new audiences, and ask their creators to adapt, lead, and grow in spaces they may never have imagined.
Now in performance2026
The story continues
CRABGRASS
by Siani Nicole
Company E presents the Liz Cherry Jones Memorial Commission at the 6th Annual Baltimore Black Choreographers Festival.
October 10, 2026 · Creative Alliance · BaltimoreHear it in their words
Inside the commission.
Simone Thompson and PROCESSING
The Liz Cherry Jones Memorial Commission
Tori Carter and the making of Forces
The enduring idea
It’s not just a commission.
It’s a mission.
A memory becomes an opportunity. An opportunity becomes a work. And that work carries a new artist’s voice into the world.