DanceAspen presents “Momentum” on Friday at the Aspen District Theatre, featuring works by three different choreographers – Jamar Roberts, Penny Saunders and Laura O’Malley.

After appearing as artist-in-residence at this year’s Vail Dance Festival, Roberts’ choreography is now on display in Aspen.

“It’s very complicated – it’s definitely a brain teaser for the dancers (with) a lot of complicated movements. It’s very athletic and very detail-oriented,” said Kaya Wolsey, DanceAspen’s director of operations. “You can tell a lot of thought went into the composition and structure of the piece.”

A noted choreographer and former leading dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Roberts has also performed with Ailey II, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and the Royal Ballet in London. Last year, Parsons Dance called him “one of the hottest choreographers around.” In addition to creating works for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and BalletX, he has also choreographed for the New York City Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Martha Graham Company, the Juilliard School, Ailey 2, and others. In addition, he is the creative associate of the Juilliard School (from 2023 to 2024).

He owes much of his success as a choreographer to his sensitivity as an attentive listener. He considers both listening to music and watching dancers to be a sixth sense – something that can be sharpened, but a talent that one is simply born with.

“It’s all in the little things you can see… You take the mic and make it macro,” he said, noting that it’s also necessary to communicate a clear idea, even if that idea contains multiple themes or complexities. “I let the music dictate what comes out.”

Although his first narrative ballet, Resurrection, premiered at the San Francisco Ballet in January 2023, his choreography does not revolve around a story. Instead, he relies on abstraction.

“I like being abstract, but not so abstract (you can’t understand it) – it opens me up to explore different types of movement,” he said. “I think I’m a little off trend. There’s always some kind of trend in dance, and I always go against it – not intentionally. I’m just being honest about what I think I need, what I think the dancers need, and what I think the community as a whole needs. The more I stay true to myself, the more unique my voice becomes.”

Saunders created one of DanceAspen’s first pieces, donating it to the company when it was founded. Her work for “Momentum” begins as a playful throwback to the 1950s, “and then it kind of decomposes and turns into something else,” Wolsey said.

Saunders began her career with the American Repertory Ballet and then danced with Ballet Arizona, MOMIX Dance Theater, Cedar Lake Ensemble, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. She has created pieces for Hubbard Street, Cincinnati Ballet, Whim W’Him, Pacific Northwest Ballet, BalletX, Sacramento Ballet, and the Royal New Zealand Ballet, among others.

O’Malley danced with Boston Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and LINES Ballet before dancing, choreographing and co-directing at SFDanceworks.

“Her new piece is really beautiful. It’s about emotions and how many layers a person has inside them,” Wolsey said, adding that the subject matter was a little ambiguous but served as inspiration for O’Malley.