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Dayton Contemporary Dance Company

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

Experience the Creative Culture Exchange at ArtStreet

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DCDC_china_540x400Come experience the Creative Culture Exchange series at the University of Dayton this spring. This series, comprised of three separate events, brings together both local and national artists in order to discuss and challenge the way we as an audience view local arts organizations and what they have to offer. Through the exploration of just what it takes to create art at a professional level and bring that to an audience, this series attempts to grow an appreciation for art among audiences both new and old.

Tuesday, Feb. 26: “Why create cross-cultural arts experiences?”

The first discussion (Tuesday February 26, 7 p.m. in ArtStreet Studio B) poses this question to the leaders of non-profit art groups Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and Cityfolk. This hour long conversation will take a look at the trials and tribulations of opening a minority voiced arts non-profit in Dayton, taken from the perspective of two Dayton arts non-profits that share a focus on promoting culturally diverse art.

According to ArtStreet director Brian LaDuca, the importance of this conversation is to raise awareness of “…the challenges that organizations like DCDC and Cityfolk go through on a daily basis in order to create and produce high quality culture for Dayton and create artistic homes for national artists. That beyond music and dance these companies work overtime to assure that Dayton continues to have a thriving, minority voice in creating cross-cultural arts experiences.”

Both the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and Cityfolk have been focused on bringing diverse art performances to the Dayton community and beyond for over thirty years. The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, founded in 1968, is a modern dance company centered on the African-American tradition, with a mission to bring culturally diverse contemporary dance to its audience. Cityfolk, another Dayton organization, was founded in 1981 and has been working since to preserve the traditional arts of various ethnicities through the celebration of cross-culture performances.

Joining the conversation will be Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s executive director RoNita Hawes Saunders and director of development Ed Valles and Cityfolk’s executive director Kathleen Alter and education and outreach manager Jean Howat Berry.

Tuesday, March 12: “Why don’t you go to the theater?”

The second discussion (Tuesday March 12, 7 p.m. in ArtStreet Studio C) will focus on an examination of the social and cultural shifts affecting this generation of theater audiences, and what that means for contemporary theater.  The conversation will take place between artists from various theater companies across the country whose focus is on producing new and challenging works for the 21st century.

This event will be hosted by ArtStreet director Brian LaDuca. Joining the conversation in person will be David Brush, the former executive director of Encore Theater Company, and joining via Skype will be Joe Barros, artistic director of the New York Theatre Barn, and Kevin Mayes, founder and current board member of the Bailiwick Chicago Theater Company.

Tuesday, April 2: “Where is the poetry?”

The third discussion (Tuesday April 2, 7 p.m. in ArtStreet Studio C  and in conjunction with the University of Dayton’s LitFest) will focus on exposing Dayton’s creative writing and poetry scene, and figuring out where Dayton fits into the fold of contemporary poetry.

Joining the conversation will be Albino Carrillo (professor, Department of English), Jonterri Gadson (Herbert W. Martin Creative Writing Fellow), Herbert Martin (professor emeritus) and poets from Sinclair Community College.

 

For more information about ArtStreet at the University of Dayton, visit www.udayton.edu/artstreet.

Submitted by Lauren Glass – a senior at the University of Dayton where she is studying journalism and currently working as a social media assistant for ArtStreet.

A Premiere Evening SPARKLES

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It’s well-documented that the Dayton community is one of extraordinary innovation, arts and collaboration. That synergy will be on display at tonight’s sold-out November 2 (and newly added second performance November 4) with A Premiere Evening – a benefit for the world-renowned Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.

The evening includes the local premiere of the newest hit from award-winning filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar. Their latest project, SPARKLE, won the Audience Award for Best Short Documentary at SilverDocs, the largest documentary film festival in the United States.

Sparkle tells the story of celebrated Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) dancer Sheri “Sparkle” Williams as she recovers from the first major injury in her 38-year career. Reichert and Bognar followed Williams through her months-long recovery process and offers the project to answer the question “Will she ever dance again?”  The film offers audiences a rare behind-the-scenes look at DCDC’s rehearsals and performances. A Q&A with the filmmakers follows the screening.

After the film screening, the audience will be treated to the world premiere of a dance created by the impassioned choreographer Rodney Brown for Sparkle “The Gatherer/weething” and a short performance by the world-renowned Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. Truly a premiere evening! Tickets are available now.

I talked to the woman of the hour – Sheri “Sparkles’ Williams – to learn about her experience as the subject of the short film by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert and what audiences may expect.

Film is a very different medium than dance – was it a challenge from your perspective blending the two?

As documentarians – they don’t interrupt at all. It’s our regular rehearsal and they capture that – nothing is affected by their filming. Most of the time you don’t realize they’re there – you forget. They didn’t affect our day at all – no retakes, no stopping to get another angle or anything.

Were you concerned to have them following you during this vulnerable and challenging time of your career?

No, not all at – no pressure – no anything. My only concern had nothing to do with the documenting – my only concern was getting myself together.

What do you hope people will come away feeling after seeing the film and seeing you on stage?

I would hope people will get an opportunity to feel good about something. This may be dance and how it affects me, but (people) can be pushed back and overcome it. Know you’re not alone. You can make it happen. And it’s uplifting – the film is uplifting. And the whole evening together – from film to live movement – we are a family – we support each other, there’s camaraderie running amok. We work hard, but it’s a family and they were rooting me on. All of us get affected in some way – what we do is strenuous and people get hurt, but we’re there for each other.

Anything else?

Filmmakers of the caliber of Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar – it’s just amazing that they would want to spend their time with me. It’s been such an amazing experience – I’ve learned so much from them. I’ve had a great time and I have two more friends now. This whole evening is such an honor and such a joy -I’m so excited by it.

Don’t miss this great event! If you haven’t got your tickets for the Friday night benefit, don’t fear! By overwhelming demand a second show has been added on Sunday, November 4 at 5:30 PM at the Dayton Art Institute. Tickets are general admission and available for only $25 at TicketCenterStage.