DCDC to open its 55th anniversary season at Victoria Theatre in October
The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company celebrates its 55th Anniversary year with a return to the Victoria Theatre for three shows – in October, December and February.
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“This is a season not to be missed. The artistic excellence of our current troupe of dancers is unparalleled,” Executive Director Phyllis Brzozowska said in a statement released Wednesday.
DCDC opens the season Oct. 14 and 15 with In Good Company, sharing the stage with “sister” company Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, from Denver, Colorado, in a combined presentation of hip hop legend, Dr. Rennie Harris’ Jacob’s Ladder.
In the Spirit of…Grace takes the stage Dec. 2 and 3. Audiences will be bedazzled by new creations from DCDC’s award-winning resident choreographers. The Dayton community is invited to participate as members of the Community Gospel Choir, under the baton of DCDC music director Deron Bell. The perennial favorite, In My Father’s House, by Ms. Blunden-Diggs, rounds out this popular holiday event.
On Feb. 17 and 18, see In Modern Moves. For Black History Month, DCDC presents two works of Talley Beatty, representing a span of time from Reconstruction to the culmination of the Great Migration. Former Artistic Director Kevin Ward’s And Each Day examines the cumulative power of “we the people.”
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And representing a major coup for DCDC, the company will perform Esplanade by legendary choreographer Paul Taylor. DCDC will be the first majority African-American company to perform Esplanade, called “a masterpiece of physical joy” that set the ball rolling for the “pedestrian movement” craze of the 70s. The Springfield Symphony Orchestra will provide accompaniment.
The next wave artists known as Dayton Contemporary Dance Second Company (D2) will present In Freedom, April 27 and 28, at University of Dayton’s Boll Theatre. Artistic Director Shonna Hickman-Matlock will commission both young and seasoned choreographers to explore themes of what it means to live with and without freedom. Stories of freedom will unfold as these exquisite dancers follow their desires, imagine new realities, and attempt existence in a world free from constraint.
“I am so excited to enter into the 55th season and what that means for a Black company in the Midwest,” DCDC Artistic Director Debbie Blunden-Diggs said in a statement. “We look forward to inspiring both audiences and dancer artists creating transformational experiences for everyone. Make DCDC a part of your living Black history.”
For more information, visit www.dcdc.org.
