Moving Poets is an international community of professional and amateur artists. Our focus is to give artists from various fields, cultures and age groups the opportunity to inspire each other and collectively create in a mutual place.

Through art forms such as dance, theater, music, visual arts and multi-media, we frequently explore - from fresh perspectives - questions and themes found in world literature, the arts and humanities. We strive to educate, excite, provoke, and delight, with work that both entertains and engages the soul, mind and spirit.

Moving Poets was founded in Charlotte, NC, USA, in 1996 by actor/director Randell Haynes dancer/choreographer Till Schmidt-Rimpler and NC poet Chuck Sullivan. The nature of Moving Poets work harkins back to our theatrical ancestors when, through a confluence of dance, poetry and drama, the ancient Greeks created a new medium where the fundamental elements of performance came together to tell the stories of their time.

In addition to dancers and actors, the Moving Poets includes artists such as Rock n Roll Hall of Famer /former Grateful Dead member Tom Constanten, composer David Crowe, choreographer/ educator Donell Stines, and many more. Important collaborations include South Africa's most celebrated story teller Gcina Mhlophe, renowned playwrights such as the late M. Z. Ribalow and James McLure and numerous visual artists including Jim Nicholson, Kit Kube, Ruth Ava Lyons and Duy Hyunh.

Moving Poets exists in Berlin, Germany and Charlotte, NC, USA. Spearheading the organization in Berlin are the artist couple MyLoan Dinh and Till Schmidt-Rimpler together with Berlin arts veteran Marion Möller, accountant Stefan Wick and Octopus Media GmbH.

Commentary:
CHARLOTTE MAGAZINE:
- ...“ this Multi-media performing arts company is not to be missed...passionate and incredibly good work... In a material culture, experiencing another side of our emotional existence is a completion of the total life experience”...
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER:
- " mesmerizing choreography, strong dancers and a brilliant cast of actors"..
- " a brooding, impressionistic meditation on the evil that lives inside us, our private vampires, our dark sides"..
- " slithery and sensuous choreography evoking images from beyond consciousness"..
- " the men are strong and the women ethereal"..
- " the balance of art forms and of talents is just right … the eclectic elements jell"..
- " sexy and thought provoking, the show is more than a show: it's an outing"..
- "the audacity of the Moving Poets is enough to make you gasp, that they pull it off with that much style as they do could make you cheer"
- "Cutting edge... Imaginative and creative"
- "intense piece brings world Aids home ... hypnotic percussion, a rippling guitar, a moaning cello and a sighing flute created an exotic sounding world"
CREATIVE LOAFING:
- " a welcome oasis of inspiration".
- " mesmerizing choreography"
- " the music meshed beautifully with the elegantly erotic choreography".
- " hypnotic, erotic, with a sensuous perfume".
- " Tamara Scott as Salome had me weeping during her final monologue".
- " afterward I would have to pull out a word that I have rarely used in 11 years of reviewing at Creative Loafing: it was awesome".
- "A desperately needed taste of the exotic. Resolutely decadent, incurably continental… the most worldly group in Charlotte and one of the most needed." 
- "Providing a funky alternative to NCDT -- and scandalizing purists of all stripes -- the multimedia works of Moving Poets Theatre deeply enrich Charlotte's dance scene while establishing a Ground Zero for a cross-pollination of all the arts."
Mark Woods (Founder of the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, President New River Dramatists):
" I am not aware of anyone who is even attempting what you have already accomplished...to succeed on such a level with a theatrical mix of disciplines is nothing short of stunning... you are cultivating an appettite for a kind of performance that has virtually no history in our region … It is fine dining for the senses and it will catch on…"
James Knowlson (B.A. Dip. Ed. Ph.D., Founder and Advisor to the Beckett International Foundation, author of Damned to Fame.) “The production of Murder Wozzeck by Moving Poets was remarkable in many ways. The central role of Wozzeck was played beautifully, the choreography by first-rate choreographer Till Schmidt-Rimpler was inventive and thrilling and the dancing superb.”
Professor Wole Soyinka (Nobel Laureate for Literature, human rights activist, writer) “It (THE ECHO) was a wonderful performance and I appreciate the amount of creativity and dedication that went into it. Next to my exchange with the school pupils, it was definitely the highlight of my visit.”

AWARDS:
CREATIVE LOAFING:
Theater Awards for Best Light Design, Best Actor, Best Choreographer, Best Actress,
Best Dance Company 2001, Extreme Life Performing Arts Show 2003, Most Extreme Performing Arts Group 2004, Charlotte's Best Performing Arts Company 2006.
CHARLOTTE'S BEST MAGAZINE:
Best New Performing Arts Company 1998, Charlotte‘s Best Kept Entertainment Secret 1999, Best Theater Production 2000.
CHARLOTTE MAGAZINE:
2005 "BEST OF BEST" (BOB) award for best 2004-05 performing arts season.
other:
2003 ASC McColl Award for the educational outreach program "Project Hometown" in collaboration with The Levine Museum of the New South.

Works include:

"DRACULA" - In October 1997 the Moving Poets presented their first public production with the world premiere of "Dracula", a dark and sensuous tale of lust, longing and decay. Inspired by Bram Stokers original and the historical Dracula, Vlad Tepes, written by Chuck Sullivan. This well recognized event was the first one to be held at the Historic Carolina Theater in over 30 years. DRACULA re-incarnated in 1998, 2000 and 2004.

"A QUIET WINTER EVENING" - December 1997. An evening of choreography to Christian and Jewish poetry, tales and music. World premiere, Neighborhood Theater.

"SALOME" - April 1998 and May 1999. An intriguing tragedy of passion and revenge. Text by Oscar Wilde. World premiere, Carolina Theater.

"CONTACT" - May 1998. A both passionate and satirical celebration of the arts. Text by Oscar Wilde, Carolina Theater.

"ROMEO and JULIET" - February 1999 and 2003. A beautifully mysterious adaptation of this famous tale of love and hate. Script by Sullivan and Shakespeare. Music by Mahler (Kindertotenlieder). World Premiere, Belk Theater and Booth Playhouse.

"MURDER WOYZECK" April 1999 and October 2004. Georg Büchner's unique modern tragedy of the common man. World Premiere, Booth Playhouse and Theater 36.

"FRANKENSTEIN" - October 1999. A soul provoking sequence of nightmares, inspired by re-creation, modern technology and Mary Shelley. Text by Sullivan. World premiere, Carolina Theater.

"A DEVIL'S DANCE" - April 2000 and October 2004. A thrilling adaptation of Goethe's epic play, Faust, in which a man's thirst for knowledge and wisdom leads to an unholy pact with the Devil himself. World premiere, Carolina Theater and Theater 36.

"POETS 6/15" - May 2000. 1st annual Festival of Innovative Performing Arts for lovers of the avant-garde. 5 World premieres, Carolina Theater.

"GOING WILDE" - January 2001. Three works celebrating the Irish author Oscar Wilde: DE PROFUNDIS, CONTACT, SKIN SO SOFT. Inspired by his Fairy Tales, De Profundis and The decay of lying. World Premiere, Booth Playhouse.

"THE IRONY OF SEX" - May 2001. A multi-layered mary-go-round of sexual liaisons, based on Arthur Schnitzler's masterpiece La Ronde. World Premiere, Booth Playhouse.

"MACBETH" - October 2001. Inspired by Shakespeare's legendary tale of power, greed and ghostly mysticism. Text by Sullivan and Shakespeare. World Premiere, Booth Playhouse.

"HALLOWEEN 6/15" - October 2001. Poets' second annual festival for innovative performing arts, this time with a macabre twist. 6 world premieres. Hart-Witzen.

"GOING GRIMM" - February 2002. A modern retelling of Grimm tales with the help of Charlotte teenagers. Showcasing a Hip-Hop version of Lil' Red Ridin in the Hood and Grimm Rhapsody, inspired by the tales of the Brothers Grimm. Created in collaboration with Donell Stines and Garinger Highschool students. World Premiere, Duke Power Theater.

"THE ECHO" - February and October 2002. Inspired by the prison writings, poetry and refined humor of Nigerian born playwright, poet, novelist and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka. Text by Wole Soyinka. World Premiere, McGlohon Theatre and Booth Playhouse.

"SWANLAKE" - May 2002 and February 2004. A high-speed, satirical, rock’n roll take on the classic. Music scored and adapted by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alumni Tom Constanten. Text by Katherine Harrison. World Premiere, Booth Playhouse and Theater 36.

"COULROPHOBIA" - September 2002. Menacing clowns kick off the first annual Charlotte Shout arts festival. Choreography by Poets artist Sarah Emery. McGlohon Theatre.

"SOUTHERN TOUR" - October 2002. A both provocative and thoughtful tale of the search for a red leaf. Inspired by the history of the South and Maud Gatewood, one of North Carolina's greatest painters. Excerpts of SOUTHERN TOUR are part of the Empowerment Project’s documentary “Gatewood: Facing the White Canvas. Text by Katherine Harris, based on interviews with Maud Gatewood. World Premiere, Booth Playhouse.

"POETS 6/15" - November 2002: Poets' third annual festival for innovative performing arts presents the most eclectic mix to date. 6 world premieres. Hart-Witzen.

"WITHOUT BORDERS" - April 2003. Inspired by the humanitarian work of world economist, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, WITHOUT BORDERS tells the story of two couples, separated by worlds, whose fates cross paths as they confront the complicated and devastating AIDS pandemic. Text by Mike Harris.

"SATIRICAL 6/15" - November 2003. The fourth annual festival for innovative performing arts. 6 world premieres. Theater 36.

"ISLAND OF LIGHT" - February 2004. Inspired by the plight of refugees and created in honor of Doctors Without Borders founder Bernard Kouchner. Text by Mike Harris.

"ARABIAN NIGHTS" - April 2004. This visually stunning and physically captivating cornucopia of tales sends the Poets “flying. Created in collaboration with alban elved dance company. World Premiere, Booth Playhouse.

"CASANOVA FRANKENSTEIN" October 2004. A dark satire on American politicians and politics, just in time for the elections. World Premiere, Theater 36.

"SAMSON and DELILAH" January 2005. The Poets bring their funky beauty to the Opera. Collaboration with Opera Carolina. Belk Theater.

"IAGO" September 2005. A sharp witted tragicomedy about a scandalous love triangle set against the backdrop of a glamorous theater world. Written by James McLure. Theater 36.

"THE PEARL FISHERS" October 2005. After the very successful SAMSON and DELILAH the Poets are back for more. Collaboration with Opera Carolina. Belk Theater.

"7 DEADLY SINS" October 2005. A sensuous tale of “biblical proportions exploring rights and wrongs, the road to heaven and the path to hell. Written by M.Z. Ribalow. World Premiere, Theater 36.

"JOHANNESBURG STORIES" March 2006. A colorful collaborative journey through African music, stories and civil rights, created with South African storyteller Gcina Mlophe and Playwright James McLure. Johannesburg Stories was part of South by South Africa - Crafting Cultural Understanding: A multifaceted collaborative arts, craft, social and tourism development project. World Premiere, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center – McGlohon Theater.

"SURPRISE! SURPRISE!" December 2006. The 10 year celebration of Moving Poets innovative performing arts, including the world premiere of James McLure's STATES OF GRACE and the creation of an 80 foot painting. Theater 36.