Go “Behind the Scenes” with Dallas Black Dance Theatre
Dallas, Texas – Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) invites the community to take a free “Behind The Scenes” view of its five performing companies on the days leading up to Thanksgiving, November 25-27, 2019, at the DBDT studios, 2700 Ann Williams Way, Dallas, Texas. Presented by Nordstrom, this series of noontime performances provide the audience the opportunity to meet the dancers, experience the rehearsal process, and preview works that are being developed for future performances. This event has become a holiday tradition for many families during the Thanksgiving break.
Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 25-26, 2019, Noon
The internationally renowned DBDT will perform excerpts of works from its 43rd season. DBDT will showcase excerpts that will be featured in Black on Black, December 6-7, 2019; Cultural Awareness on February 14-16, 2020; and the Spring Celebration series on May 15-17, 2020.
DBDT: Encore! will perform an excerpt from Slump by Joshua L Peugh, artistic director for Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, that will be featured in the Rising Excellence series on April 3-4, 2020 in the Moody Performance Hall. The company will also perform Tidal Intersections by Katarzyna Skarpetowska that will be featured in Dancing Beyond Borders on March 28, 2020, at the Eisemann Center in Richardson, TX.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019, Noon
On Wednesday, the three Dallas Black Dance Academy youth ensembles display their talents.
The Allegro Performing Ensemble, DBDT’s premier academy ensemble with students between the ages of 14-18, will present a new work Enigma choreographed by Academy Director Katricia Eaglin.
The Senior Performing Ensemble with students between the ages of 11-14, directed by DBDT dancer Jasmine White-Killins, and the Junior Performing Ensemble with students between the ages of 9-12 will share their rehearsal process in learning new works.
The performance is FREE, but guests must RSVP because seating is limited. Make your reservation at www.DBDT.com
Presenting Sponsor
Nordstrom
2019-2020 | DBDT Season Sponsors
Legacy Sponsor: Simmons Sisters Fund of The Dallas Foundation
Season Sponsors: Office of Arts and Culture – City of Dallas, Texas Instruments, International Association of Blacks in Dance, NBC 5, The Downtown Business News, The Dallas Morning News, I Messenger, TACA, American Airlines, The Shubert Foundation Inc., DART, and The Dallas Weekly.
2019 – 2020 | DBDT Season Supporters
Season Supporters: Texas Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Lexus, The Dallas Examiner, The Dallas Post Tribune, Elite News, OverseeMyIT, AT&T Performing Arts Center, Trendy Africa, and Arts+Culture.
ABOUT DALLAS BLACK DANCE THEATRE: Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) is an internationally recognized professional dance company that engages the cross-cultural community through contemporary modern dance presented from the African-American experience. The National Endowment for the Arts designated the 43-year-old company as an American Masterpiece Touring Artist in 2008. The company also received the Texas Medal of Arts Award for Arts Education in 2017. As Dallas’ oldest and largest professional dance company, DBDT ranks as the 10th largest minority arts organization in America and the fourth largest black dance company in the nation.
Ann Williams founded Dallas Black Dance Theatre in 1976. Melissa M. Young took over the helm as Artistic Director in 2018 after starting at the company as a dancer in 1994. Zenetta S. Drew has led the administrative side of the company since 1987 as Executive Director.
The mission of Dallas Black Dance Theatre is to create and produce contemporary modern dance at its highest level of artistic excellence through performances and educational programs that bridge cultures and reach diverse communities. The virtuosic dancers of Dallas Black Dance Theatre have mesmerized 4.3 million arts patrons across 16 countries, including two Olympic Cultural events.
Five performing companies comprise Dallas Black Dance Theatre and its training Academy. DBDT consists of 13 full-time salaried dancers performing a mixed repertory of modern, jazz, African, and spiritual works by national and international choreographers. DBDT: Encore! features eight artists of rising excellence from across the nation who support DBDT’s growing local and regional educational outreach. 2.7 million students, grades K-12, have experienced the dance company’s performances and educational outreach programs.
Dallas Black Dance Academy, the official school of Dallas Black Dance Theatre, celebrates 46 years of delivering dance instruction to a community of diverse backgrounds. The academy was the first in the nation to train a student who received the Presidential Scholar Award in Dance in 1980. More than 500 students participate weekly in 50 dance classes, which include ballet, jazz, tap, modern, and African. Classes are held at DBDT’s studios and are open to students ages four to adult. The academy has three performing ensembles: Allegro Performing Ensemble, DBDT’s premier academy ensemble, Senior Performing Ensemble, and Junior Performing Ensemble.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s primary home in the historic Moorland YMCA building in the Dallas Arts District includes dance studios, training facilities, and administrative offices. Dallas Black Dance Theatre is a resident company of the AT&T Performing Arts Center and its performance home is the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre.