Nebellen is all about synthesizing seemingly contradictory elements.
Even the eclectic Valley dance company's name is an anagram that blends the first names of husband- and-wife founders Ben Howe and Ellen Rath, who do most of the choreography for the group.

“There’s no other company that does exactly what we’re doing,” says Rath, 25. “We haven’t modeled ourselves off of any other company. It just sort of came about that my background is ballet and Ben’s is hip-
hop.”

Rath is a classically trained dancer with Ballet Arizona, in contrast to Howe, 27, who perfected his street dance technique after several years of dancing in clubs.

“We have pieces that incorporate salsa. We have pieces that incorporate martial arts,” Rath says. “Everything I choreograph has sort of ballet and modern technique within.”

Rath says one of the pieces showcasing B-boy dancers will even be set to classical music.

Nebellen’s dancers are a young, ethnically diverse group. Several are ASU students or alumni and a couple are students at Phoenix College. The performers bring vastly different styles to the floor, including hip-hop, liquid (comprised of very fluid movements), house (based on B-boy traditions), as well as ballet and modern. There are 15 dancers in the company and one apprentice.

This weekend's “The Best of Nebellen” shows at the Herberger Theater will showcase the troupe's pieces from the last five years plus a few new works.

Nebellen has performed more than 20 shows over the past year. They have traveled to Alabama, New York, Illinois and other states to perform. Most recently, Nebellen danced at Utah State University in Salt Lake City and will return there Nov. 27.

“It’s a good-sized theater, comparable to Gammage,” Howe says. “It seats about 2,500.”

The company wraps up their fall season at the end of November and won’t return with another major Valley performance until April.

‘Best Of Nebellen’
Where: Herberger Theater, 222 E. Monroe, Phoenix
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
How much: $10-$30
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