Dallas Black Dance Theatre announces 2010-2011 Season:
A Season of Strength, Intensity, and Seduction
August 10, 2010
DALLAS, August 10, 2010 - The Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) announces the 2010-2011 Season: A Season of Strength, Intensity, and Seduction. Celebrating 34 seasons as a pillar in both the arts and community at large, Dallas Black Dance Theatre brings the dance troupe's strength, intensity and seduction to the stages of Dallas' Majestic Theatre, the AT&T Performing Arts Center Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, the Latino Cultural Center and the Fort Worth Scott Theatre. Performances run October 8, 2010 through May 29, 2011 beginning at Dallas' Majestic Theatre with DanceAfrica, concluding at the dance company's performance home, the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre in the AT&T Center for the Performing Arts.
"Our 34th Season is a season of renewal and renovation expanding our audiences dance experience, bringing back some of our favorite choreographers who will revitalize some of our favorite works, and hosting new choreographers and dancers who will expand our dance repertory while celebrating the history and art of dance. Now is a great time to be a part of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, " says Ann M. Williams, Founder/Artistic Director of Dallas Black Dance Theatre.
The 2010-2011 Season opens with the 5th Annual DanceAfrica Festival, From African Roots . . . Modern Moves, October 8 and 9, 2010. Sponsored by SuperMedia and supported by The 500, Inc., Junior League of Dallas, and Dallas Arts District Foundation, the weekend will be packed with dance, music, art and food celebrating the history and spirit of Africa; DanceAfrica is for the whole family. Keeping with the theme, performances promise to transport audience members to a world filled with the rich cultural traditions of Africa with a modern twist. Experience the songs, rhythms, instruments and dances that celebrate the beauty and richness of African culture with Dallas Black Dance Theatre; guest artists Illstlye and Peace Productions, the Philadelphia based hip-hop dance group that blends an eclectic mix of dance and performance disciplines including tap, ballet, dj-ing, beat boxing, and African dance; Bandon Koro, one of Dallas's premiere African Drum and Dance Ensembles; The African American Dance Ensemble of Booker T. Washington High School, and Dallas Black Dance Theatre II (DBDT II). Hosted at Dallas' Majestic Theatre, the 7:30 pm evening performances are sure to move audience members.
The weekend includes a free outdoor Festival, where you can bring the family and enjoy music and dance performances, food, a children's area, and a marketplace of authentic African attire. The marketplace will be hosted in the Dallas Arts District on Saturday, October 9 from 10:00am to 5:00pm. In collaboration with the Dallas Museum of Arts' African Masks exhibit, the market place will also feature a children's area with activities re-creating and celebrating the stories and history of African masks.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre's Winter Series, sponsored by Texas Instruments, will be full of poise, power, and passion, December 8-12, 2010 at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. Audiences will experience the elegance of a company of talented dancers as they perform a new work from multi talented Broadway choreographer Francesca Harper. Dallas Black Dance Theatre welcomes back New York choreographer Hope Boykin with her pensive yet subtle work, Eventually, Two. Based on the themes, ideas, and movement inspired by the sculpture and architecture of the Nasher Sculpture Center, Nathan Trice's work, Verses, completes the featured works of the Winter Series. Originally commissioned and funded by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities through a National Endowment for the Arts Chairman's Extraordinary Action Award. Wednesday and Thursday performances begin at 7:00pm, Friday and Saturday performances begins at 7:30pm, and the final Sunday performance begins at 2:30pm.
The annual Cultural Awareness Series, February 23-27, 2011, will fill The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre with joy and excitement as Dallas Black Dance Theatre performs audience favorites to include Bruce Woods Smoke, Darryl Sneed's . . . And Now Marvin, and the return of the spiritual suite Beams from Heaven by Christopher Huggins. The series also includes student matinee performances hosting K-12 students from across the metroplex.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre II returns to the Latino Cultural Center for the 11th Annual Spring Fiesta Series. March 4-5, 2011. Performing new choreography from Millicent Johnnie, plus exciting new works set by new DBDT II Director, Nycole Ray, the evening is sure to leave the audience mesmerized by the beauty and grace of DBDT II's stage presence. There will also be a special Thursday matinee performances hosting students from across the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Dancing Beyond Borders, March 11-12, 2011 will definitely give audience members a performance worth remembering at the intimate setting of the Fort Worth Scott Theater. Attendees will feel the intensity and power of each dancer as they perform ballets from nationally recognized choreographers.
The 34th Season concludes with the Spring Celebration Series, May 25 through 29, 2011. Under the direction of Bernard Gaddis, former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Principal Dancer, Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater will bring their dancers' power and prestige to The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. Dallas Black Dance Theatre wraps up the 2010-2011 Season with a finale performance featuring a new work from pioneer dance artists and dynamic choreographer Diane McIntyre on the life and works of Nina Simone. Performances for the Wednesday and Thursday show begin 7:00pm, Friday and Saturday begin at 7:30pm, and the Sunday season finale begins at 2:30pm.
"The finale performance is one of the best season culminations the theatre has seen in a very long time, we will definitely go out with a bang, and work to usher audience members into our 35th anniversary with a performance that will have audiences talking for months" says Ann Williams, Founder/Artistic Director of Dallas Black Dance Theatre.
Subscriptions on sale now! Single tickets go on sale in September and start at only $10. Tickets are available by visiting www.dbdt.com or by calling (214) 880-0202. Group rates are available by calling (214) 871-2390.
The Dallas Black Dance Theatre appreciates the support of its season sponsors American Airlines, WFAA Channel 8, The Dallas Morning News, Texas Instrument, The Downtown Business News, Elite News, The Dallas Weekly, Jean Baptiste "Tad" Adoue III Fund of The Dallas Foundation, Southside on Lamar, and LaGrant Communications. Air transportation for Dallas Black Dance Theatre provided by American Airlines. All performances are supported by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre celebrates 34 years as the oldest, continuously operating professional dance company in Dallas. The ensemble, a contemporary modern dance company, consists of 12 professional, full-time dancers performing a mixed repertory of modern, jazz, ethnic and spiritual works by nationally and internationally known choreographers.
Founded in 1976 by Ann Williams, the mission of Dallas Black Dance Theatre is to create and produce contemporary modern dance at its highest level of artistic excellence. We achieve this mission through performances and educational programs that bridge cultures and reach diverse communities. With an ever-expanding national and global audience, the company employs a diverse, multi-ethnic troupe of dancers performing for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
Over the course of its history, DBDT has performed for 2.5 million arts patrons worldwide and 1.5 million students. To keep up with demand and continue to serve its local community, Ann Williams formed DBDT II, the second performing company of Dallas Black Dance Theatre. This semiprofessional company consists of 12 aspiring artists from around the nation. Since its inception, DBDT II has grown in popularity and thrilled audiences with its fresh allure.
Dallas Black Dance Academy is the official school of Dallas Black Dance Theatre, training the next generation of dancers to be the best in the areas of Ballet, Tap, Modern, Jazz, African and Praise Dance. Students that show exceptional performance skills are encouraged to audition for the school's performing ensembles, Bloom and The Jr. Performing Ensemble. These young performing ensembles represent the top students of the Dallas Black Dance Academy. Students' ages range between 8 and 15 and come from those who have intensively trained at the Academy during the academic year and have excelled in the Dallas Black Dance Theatre Summer Enrichment programs. The groups perform locally at festivals and various community events in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
All programs and artists subject to change. All performances held in the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre located at 2400 Flora Street, Dallas unless otherwise noted. Performance times are 7:00 pm Wednesday and Thursday evenings, 7:30pm Friday and Saturday evenings, and 2:30 pm Sunday.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Errika Flood-Moultrie
(214) 871-2376
e.flood@dbdt.com