CityDance Ensemble was founded in 1996 and was a

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

repertory

dance company A dance troupe or dance company is a group of dancers and associated personnel who work together to perform dances as a sport, spectacle or entertainment. There are many different types of dance companies, often working in different styles of dan ...

based in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and

North Bethesda, Maryland North Bethesda is an unincorporated, census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, located just north-west of the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. It had a population of 50,094 as of the 2020 census. Among its neighb ...

. The company was disbanded in 2011 and the founder and Artistic Director, Paul Emerson departed. CityDance Ensemble, now is composed of three other divisions: an outreach education arm that teaches and performs to over 25,000 students annually, the CityDance Center at Strathmore in

, and OnStage, a program that brings companies to the region's performance venues and supports emerging artists to create and present original work. CityDance is directed by Executive Director Alexandra Nowakowski. The organization's studio education division and Conservatory program is led by Lorraine Audeoud Spiegler. CityDance Ensemble was described as "Washington's preeminent

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...

company." In 2003, the company was named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch". FilmWORKS was awarded the 2005 Washington, D.C., Mayor's Arts Award for Innovation in the Arts in January 2006.

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

praised the company in 2007, saying "finally, we have a home-grown modern dance company that can compete with the best.""CityDance Celebrates," With Talent to the Corps" - the Washington Post, June 18, 2007, page C2. CityDance Ensemble, the dance company, performed dances by choreographers from around the world. Using three signature series, the company kept both historic and cutting edge choreography on the stage throughout its concert season. The Legacy Series reconstructed great and significant works of modern dance from the first 100 years of modern dance's history. In 2007 the company was awarded a prestigious "American Masterpieces: Dance" grant by the

New England Foundation for the Arts The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of six not-for-profit regional arts organizations funded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and by private foundations, corporations and ind ...

to re-stage "Folksay," a dance made in 1942 by the late

Sophie Maslow Sophie Maslow (March 22, 1911 – June 25, 2006) was an American choreographer, modern dancer and teacher, and founding member of New Dance Group. She was a first cousin of the American sculptor Leonard Baskin. Born in New York City in 1911 by ...

. Set to a score by

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

, "Folksay" is considered among the most significant modern dances of the period. CityDance has also staged "Dust Bowl Ballads," by Maslow. "Dust Bowl Ballads" reflects upon the American Experience during the 1930s dust bowl which swept through many parts of the American Midwest, causing the dust bowl migration made famous by John Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath." Also in the Legacy Series canon is "Harmonica Breakdown" by Jane Dudley. A 1938 work set to the "Harmonica and Washboard Blues" by Sonny Terry and Oh Red, "Harmonica Breakdown" is 4 minute solo work. CityDance Ensemble operates a school for the study of dance. The CityDance Center at Strathmore is located in the state-of-the-art Music Center at Strathmore in suburban Maryland. CityDance is also the dance education partner at the prestigious

Madeira School The Madeira School (simply referred to as Madeira School or Madeira) is an elite, private, day and boarding college-preparatory school for girls in McLean, Virginia, United States. It was established in 1906 by Lucy Madeira Wing. History Origi ...

for girls in McLean, Virginia, directing the dance education programming at Madeira. CityDance Community Programs is the company's education division, with extensive year-round after-school programs for children throughout the Washington, D.C., area. The program has a special emphasis on at-risk students in the District of Columbia, and partners with the NBA

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

, The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation and others to bring the art and joy of dance, literacy and social skills to elementary and middle school children year-round. CityDance is also working aggressively towards becoming a "green" dance organization, focusing on reducing the company's carbon footprint, building awareness of climate issues, and partnering with other organizations both in the arts world and in government and industry to develop sustainable practices in its concerts, travels and daily operations. The company's lead partner in this effort is the

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...

. CityDance is in partnership with many of the Washington areas leading arts organizations, including Washington Performing Arts, the

Harman Center for the Arts The Harman Center for the Arts is a complex consisting of the Michael R. Klein Theatre (450 7th Street NW) and Sidney Harman Hall (SHH; at Sixth and F Streets NW) in downtown Washington, D.C., US. SHH is the latest addition to the existing Lans ...

, home of the Shakespeare Theatre Company, the Music Center at Strathmore, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Levine School of Music. These partnerships expand the opportunities for dance in the Washington area, and for collaborations between music and dance.

Gallery

Image:Alicia_Canterna_and_Jerome_Johnson.jpg Image:Jasonalice.index.jpg Image:Alice.Jerome.jpg Image:Liz_Jerome.jpg

References

External links

CityDance Ensemble
{{authority control Dance companies in the United States Dance in Washington, D.C. Dance in Maryland