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Dayton Contemporary Dance Company

Black By Popular Demand: Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s Black History Concert

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Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) presents Black By Popular Demand—four powerhouse works that capture the heart of African American culture through movement. From the gospel celebration of In My Father’s House to the civil rights reflection of Martyr’s Road, from the ancestral rhythms of WAWA ABA to the intimate connections of Call(ing), this concert delivers the emotional range and artistic excellence audiences return for again and again.

Performance Details

Dates: SAT, FEB 28, 7:30 PM    |    SUN, MAR 1, 4:00 PM
Venue: Victoria Theatre, Downtown Dayton
Tickets: www.daytonlive.org/black-by-popular-demand  | (937) 228-3630  | Dayton Live Box Office

Ticket levels: 

  • A Level: $96
  • B Level: $84
  • C Level: $59
  • D Level: $44
  • E Level: $30
  • Discounts available for seniors, students, and educators upon request at the Dayton Live box office, by phone or online. 

Group discounts are available to parties of 10 or more. Contact [email protected] to get more details. 

MORE INFO BELOW

Black By Popular Demand celebrates Black life, love, and liberation through dance that reflects on history, speaks to the present, and carries forward a legacy born during the Civil Rights movement. Part of the Dancing in Our Light season, this concert invites audiences to witness artistry that resonates in the chest, connects generations, and reminds us why live performance changes everything. There’s something here for everyone—moments of joy, reflection, resilience, and triumph that leave the theatre buzzing.

  • In My Father’s House by Chief Executive & Artistic Director Debbie Blunden-Diggs’ transforms the Victoria Theatre into a sanctuary with Kirk Franklin’s unforgettable gospel sound. 
  • Kevin Ward’s Martyr’s Road honors the unending march for justice through one family’s story. 
  • Stafford C. Berry Jr.’s WAWA ABA pulses with neo-traditional African dance and communal energy. 
  • Qarrianne Blayr’s  Call(ing) reminds audiences to answer the call—from loved ones, from purpose, from community.

These are the works that make audiences lean forward in their seats, tap their feet to the beat, and feel their spirits stirred.

Black By Popular Demand: Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s Black History Concert

By

Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) presents Black By Popular Demand—four powerhouse works that capture the heart of African American culture through movement. From the gospel celebration of In My Father’s House to the civil rights reflection of Martyr’s Road, from the ancestral rhythms of WAWA ABA to the intimate connections of Call(ing), this concert delivers the emotional range and artistic excellence audiences return for again and again.

Performance Details

Dates: SAT, FEB 28, 7:30 PM    |    SUN, MAR 1, 4:00 PM
Venue: Victoria Theatre, Downtown Dayton
Tickets: www.daytonlive.org/black-by-popular-demand  | (937) 228-3630  | Dayton Live Box Office

Ticket levels: 

  • A Level: $96
  • B Level: $84
  • C Level: $59
  • D Level: $44
  • E Level: $30
  • Discounts available for seniors, students, and educators upon request at the Dayton Live box office, by phone or online. 

Group discounts are available to parties of 10 or more. Contact [email protected] to get more details. 

MORE INFO BELOW

Black By Popular Demand celebrates Black life, love, and liberation through dance that reflects on history, speaks to the present, and carries forward a legacy born during the Civil Rights movement. Part of the Dancing in Our Light season, this concert invites audiences to witness artistry that resonates in the chest, connects generations, and reminds us why live performance changes everything. There’s something here for everyone—moments of joy, reflection, resilience, and triumph that leave the theatre buzzing.

  • In My Father’s House by Chief Executive & Artistic Director Debbie Blunden-Diggs’ transforms the Victoria Theatre into a sanctuary with Kirk Franklin’s unforgettable gospel sound. 
  • Kevin Ward’s Martyr’s Road honors the unending march for justice through one family’s story. 
  • Stafford C. Berry Jr.’s WAWA ABA pulses with neo-traditional African dance and communal energy. 
  • Qarrianne Blayr’s  Call(ing) reminds audiences to answer the call—from loved ones, from purpose, from community.

These are the works that make audiences lean forward in their seats, tap their feet to the beat, and feel their spirits stirred.

Local Arts Leader Announces Retirement from Dance Company

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Ro Nita Hawes-Saunders, CEO of the internationally acclaimed Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC), announced her intention to terminate her tenure, effective December 31, 2022.  Ro Nita concludes an eighteen-year career at DCDC. 

After being selected to provide leadership and stewardship of the company because of her knowledge and experience as a civic-minded, community-centered entrepreneur, Ro Nita was asked in 2005 by the DCDC Board of Directors to address issues that threatened the viability and sustainability of the company including the economic recession and lack of visibility of the company.

According to Ro Nita, “organizational change and reform, fiscal discipline, and strategic planning and networking became the requirements of the situation then, and these strategies continued to be useful and helpful in enabling the company to navigate the more recent challenge represented by the COVID pandemic and its aftermath.”  Ro Nita credits the creativity and resilience of the DCDC family, including the tireless donors, outstanding staff, exquisite dancers and dedicated Board of Directors for the company’s recovery and renewal. The company has evolved from an excellent dance company into a performing arts institution.

DCDC Board Chair, Jacqueline Gamblin and CEO of JYG Innovations said “I have admired Ro Nita’s leadership and unwavering commitment to continuing the DCDC legacy of artistic excellence and education. We appreciate her contributions and are extremely grateful for her cultivation of several key partnerships, sponsors and individual donors which are the lifeline of a non-profit. Her service has left a lasting impact and solid foundation for DCDC’s continued stability, success and growth.

Ro Nita believes that DCDC is a community trust and cultural treasure, whose reason for being is to recreate and celebrate the African American heritage and experience.  Through its artistic and educational initiatives, the company reaches annually approximately 40,000 people, 25,000 of whom are youth.  An example of Ro Nita’s belief that art may be used to heal, inform, and connect our global community was experienced in the presentation of DCDC’s Young, Gifted and Black: A Transformative Experience, which brought performances of new work and residency activities by choreographers of color to students and the community of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. 

Ro Nita has stated that she shares “Jeraldyne Blunden’s commitment to education, social change and cultural transformation.” She initiated new strategic educational partnerships with area Universities including the University of Dayton, Central State University and Wright State University. These partnerships resulted in initiatives that have benefited area high school and college students and the program growth of the dance company.

During Ro Nita’s tenure, DCDC has received a number of distinguished awards, including the contemporary dance world’s highest honor (New York Dance and Performance Award aka “The Bessie”) in 2016.  DCDC also received the 2016 Workplace Diversity Award from the Dayton branch of the National Conference for Community and Justice.  In May of 2018, DCDC received the prestigious Ohio Arts Council top artistic award, the Irma Lazarus Award.  DCDC has also toured internationally–Chile, China, France, Poland, and in 2018 the U.S. State Department invited DCDC to tour Kazakhstan and Russia.   

Ro Nita leaves DCDC after having created a legacy of leadership and service of her own, which includes her selection by the Dayton Business Journal in 2019 and in 2021, as one of the fifty most influential women in our area and her being honored in 2020 with the inaugural DBJ Jane Haley Award for determination, perseverance, and achievement.  Ro Nita was also awarded an honorary doctorate degree by the University of Dayton in May of 2019 for her many contributions to the vitality and quality of the community, her continuing commitment to education, and her advocacy for female and minority business ownership.

Ro Nita’s belief in the vision and mission of the company—her respect for the company’s history and the founder’s legacy, her advocacy for individual change and organizational transformation, her faith and confidence in the potential and destiny of the company and the talented and dancers will remain hallmarks of DCDC.

The board of directors, will begin the daunting task of filling her position, in order for DCDC to continue its excellence that it represents in the arts world-wide.  Vice chair of DCDC’s board and University of Dayton provost Dr. Paul Benson said, “Ro Nita has been an outstanding leader for DCDC in absolutely every dimension of her responsibilities. Her agile leadership and ambitious strategic vision for DCDC were powerful catalysts for developing the close working partnership that UD has had with DCDC for the past 12 years.” Benson noted that the Board will establish a search committee and launch a search soon for Ro Nita’s successor. “DCDC’s continued artistic excellence, rich grounding in African-American culture and artistic expression, and dramatically expanded national and regional support should make this a highly desirable leadership role.”

Dayton Contemporary Dance Company presents World Premiere of “Inside Out”

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In February, there are two opportunities to experience the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, both in-person and Livestream.

The in-person performance is entitled, Inside Out, featuring a unique collection of interdisciplinary and collaborative pieces imagined by Debbie Blunden-Diggs, DCDC’s Chief Producing and Artistic Director. Witness the unveiling of three world premiere works rooted in DCDC’s legacy and sponsored by the Ohio Arts Council. 

If we learned anything during 2020 and 2021, we’re reminded that it’s what’s on the inside that counts. The world has changed, and we’ve evolved the way we think about craft, art, and society. DCDC’s resident choreographers embark upon new collaborations to explore life in a new world.

Nashville native Countess Winfrey collaborates with jazz composer Wesley Winfrey on new music and dance. The exquisite score is brought to life by The University of Dayton Jazz Ensemble and DCDC’s performing artists. The set design and projections created by visual artist Kanetha Scott are inspired by Winfrey’s choreography and the spirit of Memphis. Winfrey’s new work is the centerpiece of this concert, and you won’t want to miss it!

Performances will be held on February 26 at 7:30pm and February 27 at 4:00pm, LIVE at the Victoria Theater. For tickets call 937-228-3630 or daytonlive.org/dcdc. Tickets start at $15!

Livestream event alert: On February 17, 2022 | 11:30 AM – 1 PM – DCDC presents Up Close & Personal: Anatomy of a Dance. Viewers will have the opportunity to see what happens during the creative process. Countess Winfrey will share a part of the evolution of her work for the February event Inside Out. Rehearsals in the studio, practices with the band, and conversations with the creative minds for this production will be shared virtually with our audiences as they get an inside look into the World Premiere of “Human Nature.”  Tickets & info at: info.dcdc.org/performances-tickets/seasons-series/up-close-personal
 
 

Mavin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” brought to life by the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company

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Almost 50 years ago, Marvin Gaye, the Prince of Motown, released the album What’s Going On to great acclaim. On Sunday, November 22, the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) invites you to join them for an online watch party as their dance artists interpret the music of one of the world’s greatest vocalists!

The classic 1971 soul album was written at a tumultuous time in American history, when the Vietnam war was raging, young people were disillusioned, while millions of Americans continued to fight for racial justice. Nearly 50 years later, the songs and emotions from What’s Going On resonate now more than ever. 

DCDC is interpreting Gaye’s work at the newly remodeled Rose Auditorium, inside the Dayton Art Institute. However, one piece will be shot on location at the Balsley House in the Oregon District. Both locations offer a new and exciting experience for DCDC fans and dancers alike!

After the virtual production, DCDC invites audiences to Lights Up!, a curated online conversation with the artists, which will immediately follow the performance via zoom. 

The initial broadcast of this performance premieres on Sunday November 22nd at 4pm. There will also be a rebroadcast available for viewing between 12 a.m. on Saturday November 28 and 11:59 p.m. on Sunday November 29. Information about how to access the rebroadcast will be included on your email confirmation.

HOW TO WATCH:

FIRST WATCH: Sunday, Nov 22, 2020 at 4:00pm
 
SECOND TIME AROUND: 12 a.m. on Saturday November 28 and 11:59 p.m. on Sunday November 29.
 
COST: $25
 

NOTE: Information about how to access the live watch party via Zoom will be included in your email confirmation. Please plan to log into the Zoom event at least 15 minutes before the watch party begins

MORE INFO: Visit dcdc.org or visit DCDC on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

DCDC’s Retro/ACTIVE with Special Guest Sparkle

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After a stunning retirement announcement, Sheri “Sparkle” Williams will re-perform her final solo dance entitled Altar-ing at the up-coming Dayton Contemporary Dance Company performance Retro/ACTIVE on Saturday, February 8 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 9 at 4pm at the Victoria Theatre, located at 138 N. Main St. in Dayton. 

Sparkle, is an icon not only in the Miami Valley, but known through-out the contemporary dance world. She was the Individual Performance Winner of 1997 NYC Bessie Award and 2014 Ohio Governor’s Award for Individual Artist. People will be flocking to the Victoria to witness Sparkle’s final performance, and pay homage to her dance legacy.

The mixed repertory show also features a nod to Black History Month with Warren Spear’s On the Wings of Angels (premiered 1996), which is a soaring tribute to the Tuskegee airman. The performance also brings back Vespers (premiered 1986), Ulysses Dove’s touching poetic tribute to womanhood, and Indestructible (premiered 2018), Abby Zbikowski’s tribute to the endurance of those who struggle for justice. There will also be a world-premiere and special unveiling of a new work by DCDC’s Chief Artistic Administrator and Producing Director, Debbie Blunden-Diggs.

HOW TO GO?

Retro/ACTIVE 

Saturday, February 8 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 9 at 4pm

Victoria Theatre, located at 138 N. Main St. in Dayton. 

Tickets for Retro/ACTIVE are available at www.ticketcenterstage.com or by calling 937-228-3630.

 For the latest opportunities to engage with DCDC, visit www.dcdc.org and connect with us on social media: Facebook/Instagram: @daytoncontemporarydancecompany & Twitter: @DCDCLive. 

Join in DCDC’s “In the Spirit of… Abundant Blessings” Holiday Performance

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Dayton’s own world renowned Dayton Contemporary Dance Company is back for a hometown an unforgettable holiday extravaganza with In the Spirit of… Abundant Blessings, a celebration of the African-American church. Performances take place on Saturday, December 7 at 7:30pm or Sunday, December 8 at 4pm at the Victoria Theatre, located at 138 N. Main St. in Dayton.

This holiday performance is a switch up from recent years. The company has been performing the beloved Littlest Angel production traditionally. Although a tradition, this swap up is sure to excite Dayton audiences. Not only is the dance quality tremendous, there is live music too!

Music is provided by a collection of amazing talent including The Jeremy Winston Chorale, the Frederick Douglass Elementary Children’s Choir, Judah Band, Music Director Deron Bell with a mass community choir, and nationally renowned gospel singer – the legendary Shirley Murdock. This performance transports audiences to a higher plane of joy and belonging. It’s a holiday offering the entire family is sure to enjoy!

DCDC will also be paying tribute to Sheri “Sparkle” Williams’ 46th year with the company, as is DCDC’s and one of the nation’s most recognized contemporary dance artists.

“This is a wonderful culminating event for our 50th Anniversary. In the Spirit of .. is one of my favorite offerings because it brings the community together. It is a season for giving and sharing. Stepping into our 51st season is no small feat; if not for our dream of our founder, Jeraldyne Blunden, we would not have this wonderful legacy that lives on throughout Dayton, the nation, and the globe. I’m looking forward to celebrating with you the gifts of our abundant blessings.” – Debbie Blunden-Diggs, DCDC Chief Artistic Administrator and Producing Director.

HOW TO GO?

Saturday, December 7 at 7:30 p.m. or Sunday, December 8 at 4:00pm

Victoria Theatre, located at 138 N. Main St. in Dayton.

Tickets are $28 are available at ticketcenterstage.com (scroll to pick Sunday performance) or by calling 937-228-3630.

Group Tickets available for groups of 10+. For group tickets contact [email protected]. Student, Veteran & Senior discounts are also available.

Get Soulfully Funkalicious with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company!

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Dayton is birthplace of amazing artistic as well as engineering feats. That spirit of innovation blossomed during the late 1960s-1980s in a couple of unique ways: the invention of funk music and the birth of modern dance.  In 1968, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company became the first modern dance company established in Ohio. Shortly after, Dayton become the proud capital of Funk music in the 1970s and 1980s.

On Saturday August, 24, 2019 both of those innovative art forms are celebrated together at DCDC’s Soulfully Funkalicious All-White Party! Enjoy delicious soul food while watching DCDC’s dance artists take to the floor in grand funk style with live music from the Dayton Funk All-Stars! Make sure to bring an appetite and your dancin’ shoes for this truly fun and fabulous way to support one of Dayton’s world-class artistic institutions!

How To Go?

What: Soulfully Funkalicious All-White Party

When: August, 24, 2019 from 6-11pm

Where: Dayton Convention Center (22 E 5th St, Dayton)

Tickets: $80 General Seating / $120 VIP Seating / $800 General Table (seats 10) / $1200 VIP Table (seats 10)

For this event only, please purchase tickets at Eventbrite or contact DCDC at 937-228-3232. Ticket purchases are non-refundable.

Please note: All white attire requested.

 

Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s Golden Anniversary Celebrated with the Dayton Philharmonic!

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The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, under the leadership of Artistic Director and Conductor Neal Gittleman, is honored to be a part of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s 50th Anniversary celebration for a special DCDC Golden Anniversary Concert on Saturday, May 4, 2019 at 6:30pm at the Schuster Center in downtown Dayton.

Founded in 1968 by the late Jeraldyne Blunden, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) is the oldest modern dance company in Ohio. DCDC serves as a cultural ambassador to Dayton, the state of Ohio, the Midwest, and the nation. The company holds the world’s largest archive of classic African American dance works and one of the largest of any kind among contemporary dance companies worldwide. Noteworthy choreographers who have worked with the company include Alvin Ailey, Talley Beatty, Donald Byrd, Bill T. Jones, José Limón, Donald McKayle, Ray Mercer, Bebe Miller, Doug Varone, and Kevin Ward.

Together, the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra will present a thrilling performance to honor DCDC’s 50th Anniversary as the region’s outstanding modern dance company rooted in the African American experience. The evening’s performance will consist of three engaging pieces that celebrate the artistry and athleticism of the full DCDC company of dancers.

The first of the three pieces presented will be the World Premiere choreographed by former DCDC artistic director Kevin Ward. The new work is entitledand each day you mean one more and is set to brand new music by composer and musician Derrick Spivey, Jr. and performed by the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Neal, Derrick and Kevin–conductor, composer, and choreographer–have worked closely together over the last several months to bring this work to life.

and each day you mean one more is partly inspired by the poem “The Low Road” by Marge Piercy, which addresses the challenges faced by the lone actor for societal good and how, with the gradual attraction and enlistment of like-minded individuals, a real force for change can be built that can resist destructive reactionary forces. In creating the dance, choreographer Kevin Ward was inspired by many lone actors such as Fanny Lou Hamer, David Hogg, Fred Rogers, James Baldwin, Malala, Claudette Colvin, and many nameless actors, such as the U.S. prisoners who staged a massive strike against systematic abuse, even though it resulted in the cruelest solitary confinement, and how their efforts inspired millions to follow suit.

DCDC will also perform a signature work from their history called Children of the Passage. This work was co-created for DCDC by world-renowned choreographer Ronald K. Brown and Tony-nominated choreographer Donald McKayle, who passed away just over a year ago this April. The work follows a party of decadent lost souls that are haunted and later rescued by spirits that reconnect them to their ancient and ancestral character. The composition is a cadence that is drawn from the traditional marching jazz bands of New Orleans, with the grind and groove of the contemporary jazz and soul music. The language of movements is translated from the visual poetry of African and African American dance and the celebration of cultural rituals of yesterday and today.

The third work on the program is American Mo’, created by choreographer and DCDC Associate Artistic Director Crystal Michelle Perkins. The dance is a celebration of triumph over adversity. Dancers express freedom, courage and joy to Duke Ellington’s “Three Black Kings,” composed in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This work originally premiered on September 19 & 20, 2015 as part ofAmerican Mosaic, Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Miriam Rosenthal Foundation for the Arts and was performed with accompaniment by Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra at the Schuster Center. DCDC has performed the innovative piece in New York City, Kazakhstan, and the Bolshoi in Moscow.

How To Go!

Saturday, May 4, 2019 at 6:30pm at the Schuster Center
Tickets for DCDC Golden Anniversary Concert begin at $15.50 and are available for purchase by calling Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630 or online at www.daytonperformingarts.org. 
For more information on the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, including by Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Opera and Dayton Ballet, visit www.daytonperformingarts.org.
For more information on Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, visit www.dcdc.org.

Ro Nita Hawes-Saunders To Receive Honorary Doctorate from UD

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With approval of its board of trustees, the University of Dayton will bestow an honorary doctorate degree on Ro Nita Hawes-Saunders, CEO of the world-renowned Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, at spring commencement exercises Sunday, May 12, in the University of Dayton Arena.

“We are delighted to honor Ro Nita Hawes-Saunders for her many contributions to the vibrancy and culture of the Dayton community, her commitment to education, and her advocacy for minority business ownership in Dayton,” said University of Dayton President Eric F. Spina, who made the announcement at the University’s Celebration of the Arts March 28. “She epitomizes what it means to be a partner for the common good and build a diverse community.”

Under her leadership, DCDC expanded the company’s community networks, board of directors and administrative staff to facilitate new art production and educational programming; developed institutional partnerships with the University of Dayton, Central State University and Wright State University; and eliminated long-term debt and increased revenue streams. DCDC received the 2016 Bessie Award for Outstanding Revival, presented by Dance/NYC and the New York Dance & Performance Awards. Considered “the Oscar” of the dance world, dance companies and dancers outside New York City historically do not receive Bessies.

“I am honored and humbled by this prestigious recognition. I thank God for the opportunity to serve our beloved community,” Hawes-Saunders said. “Dayton Contemporary Dance Company is a community treasure whose mission is to promote unity and amity through the spirit and power of its performance art. It is my hope that we may all be inspired to make a similar commitment to excellence.”

Spina highlighted the close relationship that has grown between the University and the internationally renowned, culturally diverse dance company rooted in the African-American experience. The company, which has toured the world and performed in Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia and South Korea, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

“DCDC brings dancers and choreographers to campus for performances, classes and artistic collaborations that add to the University’s arts and intercultural education programming,” Spina said of the partnership.

Since the 2010-11 academic year, DCDC has provided community artists-in-residence to work with students from all majors and at all levels of dance experience to introduce them to the art of dance and its relevance to learning. University faculty and students from all disciplines also work with DCDC to create new academic and experiential learning opportunities. Current artist-in-residence Amy Renee Jones works with the University’s theatre, dance and performance technology program. As part of the campus residency, DCDC holds several free public events on campus.

Hawes-Saunders became CEO of the dance company after selling the two Dayton radio stations — WROU and WRNB — she built from the ground up. At the time, she was one of just 10 African-American women nationwide to own a radio station.

“She launched programming and public initiatives designed to renew energy among the area’s minority community,” Spina said. “Ro Nita is an advocate for business ownership by minorities and women and has won numerous national awards for her service, dedication and commitment to this cause.”

Hawes-Saunders has earned a Marconi Radio Award, the nation’s top radio broadcasting award, and several National Black Programming Coalition and ABC station of the year awards. Radio Inc. magazine named her among the top 25 African-American leaders in the radio industry.

A theater, film and English graduate of Denison University, she served on that university’s board of trustees from 1993 to 2017. For her 24 years of service as a trustee, she is now a lifetime member of the board. Hawes-Saunders also earned a master’s degree from The Ohio State University.

She also serves on the board of CareSource Foundation and is an advisor for the Center for Global Renewal and Mission. In 2018, she was honored by the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio as a community “pillar.”

Journey Into Love with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company

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Dayton Contemporary Dance Company will kick off their 50th anniversary season with the long-awaited, much anticipated world premiere of The Bench: Journey Into Love. Created & directed by nationally renowned choreographer Kiesha Lalama, (one of Dance Magazine’s “Top 25 to Watch”) and featuring professional singing talent, The Bench – Journey into Love will be sure to be a hit! The work features original music and lyrics.

What do you get when you cross a love story with dance, theatre and song? The world premiere of a full-evening concert, The Bench: Journey into Love, by choreographer Kiesha Lalama. See what happens when a man and woman meet by a park bench, fall in love, have a family, and continue their love into the next life. The Bench – Journey into Love is a whimsical love story told through the influential lens of Fate and Destiny, who unite the charming Antonio and the beautiful Eva through magical serendipity. Emotions run wild as the young couple experience life’s delights and obstacles. This impassioned and passionate theatrical experience weaves together innovative story-driven dance and a gripping jazz musical score to create a timeless tale of love and family.

Choreographer Kiesha Lalama

Kiesha Lalamahas created more than 50 works for stage, film and television. Kiesha choreographed feature films, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “Sorority Row,” the hit television documentary series “Broadway or Bust” (PBS), and critically acclaimed television series “Outsiders” (WGN). Theatrical credits include The Jimmy Awards (Broadway), and many more. Lalama has created two full-length contemporary dance theater productions: HeartShakes, which premiered with DCDC in 2015 and The Bench.

How to Go?

When: Saturday, October 6 at 7:30 pm
or Sunday, October 7 at 4:00pm 

Where: Victoria Theatre, located at 138 N. Main St. in Dayton.

Tickets start at $15.50, available at ticketcenterstage.com or by calling 937-228-3630.

Group Tickets available for groups of 10+.  Student, Veteran & Senior discounts also available.

 

 

 

 

DCDC Kicks off 59th Anniversary Season

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Dayton Contemporary Dance Company will kick off their 50th anniversary season with the long-awaited, much anticipated world premiere of The Bench: Journey Into Love.  Created & directed by nationally renowned choreographer Kiesha Lalama, (one of Dance Magazine’s “Top 25 to Watch”) and featuring professional singing talent, The Bench – Journey into Love will be sure to be a hit! The work features original music and lyrics.

 

What do you get when you cross a love story with dance, theatre and song? The world premiere of a full-evening concert, The Bench: Journey into Love, by choreographer Kiesha Lalama. See what happens when a man and woman meet by a park bench, fall in love, have a family, and continue their love into the next life. The Bench – Journey into Love is a whimsical love story told through the influential lens of Fate and Destiny, who unite the charming Antonio and the beautiful Eva through magical serendipity. Emotions run wild as the young couple experience life’s delights and obstacles. This impassioned and passionate theatrical experience weaves together innovative story-driven dance and a gripping jazz musical score to create a timeless tale of love and family.

Catch The Bench: Journey Into Love Saturday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m. or Sunday, October 7 at 4:00pm at Victoria Theatre, located at 138 N. Main St. in Dayton. Tickets start at $15.50.  The show is sponsored by Kettering Family Philanthropies & Media Sponsor is Synchrony Financial.

KIESHA LALAMA has created more than 50 works for stage, film and television. Kiesha choreographed feature films, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “Sorority Row,” the hit television documentary series “Broadway or Bust” (PBS), and critically acclaimed television series “Outsiders” (WGN). Theatrical credits include The Jimmy Awards (Broadway), and many more. Lalama has created two full-length contemporary dance theater productions: HeartShakes, which premiered with DCDC in 2015 and The Bench.

Tickets for The Bench: Journey Into Love are available at ticketcenterstage.com or by calling

937-228-3630. Group Tickets available for groups of 10+.  Student, Veteran & Senior discounts also available.

 

The 50th Anniversary Season named Heritage, is sponsored by the Dayton Power & Light Foundation.

For the latest opportunities to celebrate with us, visit dcdc.org, and connect with us on social

media: Facebook/Instagram: @daytoncontemporarydancecompany & Twitter: @DCDCLive

  

About Dayton Contemporary Dance Company:

Dayton Contemporary Dance Company was founded in 1968 to create performance opportunities for dancers of color.

50 years later, DCDC remains rooted in the African American experience, committed to the development of

diverse movement artists on the global stage. Our first and second companies perform more than 60 times every

year and reach more than 25K youth throughout the Miami Valley through our arts-integrated education programs.

DCDC also tours nationally and internationally, serving as cultural ambassadors for the greater Dayton community.

—

Luminaries of Dayton: Jeraldyne Blunden

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Jeraldyne Blunden was the founder and artistic director of the esteemed Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, the world’s largest repository of reconstructed dance works by African American choreographers. Ms. Blunden also founded Jeraldyne’s School of Dance. The school has given many Miami Valley youth the opportunity to learn about modern dance and pursue a dancing career.

Ms. Blunden received significant recognition for her work, including a 1998 Dance Magazine Award, an Individual Artist Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a MacArthur “Genius” Fellows Award. In 1997, she was named one of five Dance Women: Living Legends, “for keeping dance alive.”

Jeraldyne Blunden died on November 2, 1999. She is located in Section 146 in the Woodland Mausoleum.

 

Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum is located at 118 Woodland Avenue off of Brown Street near the UD Campus. The Woodland Office is open Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday 8 am to 12 pm. The Cemetery and Arboretum are open daily from 8 am to 6 pm. The Mausoleum is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. For more information call 937-228-3221 or visit the Woodland website.

Dayton Ballet & DCDC Volunteers Duel Behind the Bar!

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Dayton is renowned for it’s incredible legacy in the history of American dance. In 1927, The Schwarz School of Dance (now Dayton Ballet School) was opened in Dayton, by the gifted Schwarz sisters, who returned home after performing professionally around the world. Ten years later, the sisters created “The Experimental Group for Young Dancers,” and staged a performance at the Dayton Art Institute. This was the first performance of what is now the Dayton Ballet, the second oldest regional ballet company in the US.

The Schwarz sisters instructed another pioneer of dance, Jeraldyne Blunden. In 1968, Jeraldyen went on to create her own school, Jeraldyne’s School of Dance. A few years later, she established the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, the first modern dance company in Ohio. The company regularly performs in Dayton, and around the world, including an upcoming trip to Russia and Kazakhstan next May as part of Dance Motion USA, a cultural diplomacy program organized by the U.S. Department of State and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

These incredible achievements and milestones are being celebrated with style over the next year or two. The Dayton Ballet celebrates it’s 80th Season, and next year DCDC hits their 50th Birthday! Volunteers from the Dayton Ballet Barre and DCDC Ambassadors are joining forces Tuesday, September 5th, 2017 at Brixx Ice Company to kickoff these spectacular seasons! They’ll be slinging drinks as dueling bartenders, and might even have a dance off or two!

Enjoy commradere, drink specials, and a fun way to support these historic arts organizations. Best of all – there will be random ticket giveaways for the exciting up-coming seasons! There will also be ticket discounts available to anyone interested. Tickets to these outstanding artistic events are perfect for date nights, girls nights, and gifts!

How to Go?

Dayton Ballet Barre & DCDC Ambassadors

Dueling Bartenders / 2017-2018 Season Kickoff!

Tuesday, September 5th, 2017 from 6pm-8pm

Brixx Ice Company – 500 E 1st Dayton, OH

 

DCDC’s Sheri “Sparkle” Williams Recognized For Life in Dance

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Sheri “Sparkle” Williams performs Sky Garden in 2001. Photo Credit: Andy Snow

Longtime Dayton Contemporary Dance Company dancer Sheri “Sparkle” Williams is the 2017 recipient of the OhioDance Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Advancement of the Dance Art Form.

The award recognizes choreographers and dance artists dedicated to both the creation of new work and the preservation of dance history. Williams will receive the award on stage Saturday, April 29 at the BalletMet Performance Space in Columbus during the 2017 OhioDance Festival.

Williams has been dancing with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company for 43 years. The award is well-earned, DCDC Artistic Director Debbie Blunden-Diggs said.

“Anybody who has been able to sustain a career like Sheri — it’s amazing and long overdue,” Blunden-Diggs said.


A Dayton native, Williams began dancing at age nine when she followed her best friend, Thelma, to a ballet class taught by DCDC founder Jeraldyne Blunden. Within two weeks, Williams was taking all the classes Jeraldyne offered.

“I liked moving, the flow, learning to use the body differently,” Williams recalled. “In little old Dayton, Jeraldyne made it happen, and we ate it up.”

The dance performances that most impacted her were Ulysses Dove’s Vespers, now a modern classic, and Dwight Rhoden’s Growth, a solo work that was originally choreographed for a man but has since been performed internationally by Williams.

In 2012, Williams was the subject of the documentary film “Sparkle,” which followed her recovery from an onstage hip injury that nearly ended her dance career. The documentary won the Audience Award at the AFI SilverDocs Film Festival.

Throughout her career, Williams has picked up numerous other accolades, including a coveted New York Dance & Performance Award (the Bessie) in 2002 and the Ohio Arts Council’s Individual Artist Award in 2014.

“I’ve been lucky to nurture audiences through the years, right here at home,” Williams said. “Anytime someone even thinks I should be the recipient of an award — I’m honored.”

This article originally appeared on the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company website.

DCDC’s Christmas Concert ** Ticket Contest**

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DCDCYou’ve never seen the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company like this before. Sure you know their cutting-edge, contemporary, world-renowned choreography and talent. But for Christmas, you get to see that exciting skill matched with multiple choirs (adult and children’s), live music, a recording star from gospel music and more. And – you just might get to see if for free if you’re one of Dayton Most Metro’s ticket winners.

IN THE SPIRIT OF…  BEHOLD HIS HOLY NAME

Saturday, December 14th at 7:30pm , and Sunday, December 15, at 4:00pm, 2013

Dayton Convention Center, 22 East Fifth Street, Dayton, Ohio For Tickets call 937-228-3630 or www.ticketcenterstage.com  Seating for this concert is general admission – so get there early for a great seat!

This will be the seventh production of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s most beloved dance concert. This time around the production will be a festive holiday season extravaganza!

The “In the Spirit of...” series taps into the deepest origins of the African-American community that gave birth to the dance company. The resulting blend of the art of globally-informed contemporary dance with the African-American Church, whose history and art have had global impact, will make for a dance-music concert experience not to be found anywhere else. Highlights include a community choir, a children’s choir, live instrumentalists, liturgical dance and plenty of holiday song, dance, and joy! Lift your spirit up and behold His Holy Name! Guest appearance by nationally renowned Gospel singer and recording star – Shirley Murdock!

To enter to win our random drawing for tickets to Sunday’s show, just like this post, tell us why you should win and fill out the form below.
Our contest is closed.  Congratulations to our winners Mark Brewer & Amy Kiser!  Enjoy