Coming to Dance Place in the new year, The DC Contemporary Dance Theatre / El Teatro de Danza Contemporanea (DCCDT) extends the holiday season with an exhilarating display of work. On Saturday, January 9 at 8pm and Sunday, January 10 at 4pm, DCCDT will present a multi-cultural program of seven works spanning neoclassical, jazz, contemporary and Latino dance styles. Performed with long time collaborators and dancers from the DC community, DCCDT continues to actively shape the local dance scene through training, mentorship and presentation.
This thrilling program includes critically acclaimed choreographers Kevin Iega Jeff (Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre/Chicago), Lloyd Whitmore (Atlanta Ballet, Ellington and Philadanco), Adrain Bolton (Ailey veteran and Founding Resident Choreographer), Felipe Oyarzun (up-and-coming Chilean choreographer), Maurice Johnson’s Street Jazz Project and Miya Hisaka (Founder/Artistic Director). This performance is funded by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The program includes the world premiere of The Beginning of the After, an intricately patterned work from Former Associate Director, Lloyd Whitmore, combining classicism with African rhythms. Juntos, Kevin Iega Jeff’s uplifting and playful work reflects the synthesis of DCCDT’s unique style. Ballet Jazz, one of Adrain Bolton’s fastest works, combines elements of old-school jazz with classical ballet. In Excerpts from Amores Secas, Felipe Oyarzun fires up Latino love duets and rouses the mysticism of the night. Maurice Johnson brings his electrifying and intoxicating Come On Get Up with a cast of 20 from area dance studios.
SNAG, an imaginative, sculptural ensemble work about the cycle of life, is presented by Jerene Aldinger and is inspired by her time raised among the great redwood trees. SNAG will be presented by alumni from the Georgetown University Dance Company where Hisaka served as faculty and director of the dance program.
Plus, the Company’s signature ballet from El Salvador, Y Ahora La Esperanza, choreographed by Miya Hisaka to the moving music of Ennio Morricone and Sting. This monumental work danced at the Peace Accords in 1994, is dedicated to the 80,000 civilian Salvadorians lost during their twelve year civil war.
About DCCDT
As one of D.C.’s first multicultural repertory dance companies, DCCDT is known for featuring internationally and nationally recognized choreography with dramatic appeal and universal messages. Reflecting the vision of Founder/Artistic Director Miya Hisaka Silva and the Company’s past residency in El Salvador, DCCDT presents a diverse combination of artistry that includes the power and passionate poetry of Latin America alongside enlivening ethnic dance of America. The Company was honored to perform at the White House for “Fiesta Latino,” hosted by President and Mrs. Obama with artists Marc Anthony, Jimmy Smits, Gloria Estefan and others.
“With compelling simplicity and freshness, directness in dancing, powerfully in the moment, body and spirit filled and moved by the dance and music alone, rich with nuance and physical inflection, physically sumptuous.” New York Times.
“Infused by the passion of living, the Company gives soulful meaning to the term expressive dance.” Washington Post.
“Each work is distinct in style and tone…showcasing the Company’s diverse artistic range.” Dance Magazine.
WHAT: The DC Contemporary Dance Theatre / El Teatro de Danza Contemporanea
WHEN: Saturday, Jan 9 at 8pm and Sunday, Jan 10 at 4pm
WHERE: Dance Place, 3225 8th Street NE, Washington, DC 20017; two blocks from Redline Brookland/CUA Metro station; free and convenient parking
TICKETS: $30 Admission At the Door; $25 Admission (Advance Sales only)*; $20 Dance Place Members, Seniors (55+), Artists and Veterans (Advance Sales only)*; $15 College Students and Children (17 & under)
*Advance Sales end 4 hours prior to performance start time.
To purchase tickets, visit danceplace.org or call 202.269.1600202.269.1600
