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DAYTON CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY 56th SEASON

Timeless Grace

A moving legacy rooted in the African-American experience since 1968.

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Uplifting the voices of contemporary African American dance for 56 years

A time to recall, a time for dynamic presence, a time to venture forward. TIMELESS GRACE is how Dayton Contemporary Dance Company will delight you with dances of our past, present, and future. Experience time travel as only our dancing artists can deliver in DCDC's transcendent 56th season.

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New Winter Offering

Tickets Now On Sale

Back by popular demand, THE LITTLEST ANGEL returns to the University of Dayton Boll Theatre Saturday, December 14, 2024 for two performances only. General Admission $25. Tickets can be purchased online using the form below or calling DCDC at 937.228.3232. 

On the second page of the form, under contributions, select the option "Other" and enter 0 if you choose not to donate to Zeffy.

 

Season & Series

Telling the stories of our time 

As the foremost African American performing arts institution in Dayton, OH, our performances are designed to resonate with people from all walks of life.

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OUR HISTORY

The Future of Dance
and Arts Education

Founded in 1968 and rooted in the African-American experience, the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company is a culturally diverse contemporary dance company committed to reaching the broadest audience through exceptional performance and arts-integrated education.

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DCDC IN THE NEWS
An Unmissable Night honoring the many lineages of a standout company

If you’re looking for a dance show that offers true variety and electrifying energy, look no further than Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s run at The Joyce this Fall. Originally founded as a company for dancers of color and rooted in the African American dance tradition, DCDC showcases a strong reverence for its roots while venturing into the many worlds of contemporary dance. This triple bill masterfully embraces the idea of the contemporary in the eyes of the layperson — it is a true demonstration of modern dance, dances of the past century, in all its genres and iterations; from the highly athletic and balletic contemporary dance of Ray Mercer to the dynamic blend of hip hop, jazz, and house by the incomparable Rennie Harris, and finally to the iconic pedestrian movement of Paul Taylor’s Esplanade. Aside from the general awe-inspiring program, the show in itself is historic. With this presentation at The Joyce, DCDC becomes the first African American company to add Paul Taylor’s Esplanade to its repertoire.

Works of art: Rennie Harris and Paul Taylor from Dayton Contemporary Dance

50 years ago a girl ran to catch a bus and choreographer Paul Taylor, witnessing the moment, turned it into a dance in five movements. To mark this milestone in the history of the national treasure known as Esplanade, the Paul Taylor Dance Company will be making a suitable splash come November at New York’s Lincoln Center. However, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company has beat them to it. 

For a company of 17 dancers in a Rust Belt city, Dayton maintains an impressively large tent. Among modern dance companies committed to portraying the African American experience through dance, Dayton may have the broadest repertory – housing work by Donald McKayle, Talley Beatty, Eleo Pomare, Bill T. Jones, Merce Cunningham and Doug Varone, to name a few. 

10/5/24 O&A NYC IT’S SATURDAY: A Conversation With Debbie Blunden- Diggs, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company

The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) is one of the heartland’s preeminent dance companies. The company is fifty-six years young and has remained rooted in sharing the experiences of Americans of African decent through movement. This 2016 conversation with DCDC Artistic Director Debbie Blunden- Diggs took place during the company’s performances of Rainbow Round My Shoulder as guest artists with the Paul Taylor Dance Company at State Theater in Lincoln Center.

The company received a Bessie Award (The New York Dance and Performance Awards) that same year for Outstanding Revival for Rainbow. Blunden and I discuss the importance of keeping masterworks like Rainbow alive and on stage for the next generation of balletomanes. Her comments and commitment still ring true as DCDC become the first African American modern dance company to perform one of Taylor’s  signature masterwork Esplanade during the company’s 2024 Joyce Theater season October 2- 6.

World-Renowned Dance Company Poised to Make Great Strides, Thanks to Grants - The Dayton Foundation

Dayton native Jeraldyne Blunden was a trailblazer. In 1963, during a time of uncertainty and unrest in America, she had the vision to create a dance school for African-American youth, who were excluded from Dayton’s segregated dance studios. With a troop of outstanding dancers, she established the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company in 1968.

Now in its 56th season, DCDC has grown to be widely regarded as one of the nation’s best and most historically significant arts institutions, proudly boasting the largest repertory of works by Black choreographers in the world.

“We are a company of professional dance artists who are bold, electrifying, masterfully skilled and innovative. DCDC engages audiences through their hearts, minds, spirits and our common humanity, artfully demonstrating the power of the moving body,” said Shola Odumade, grants administrator for DCDC. “DCDC remains a vital performing arts institution and a seasoned educational resource locally and around the world.”

On Stage DCDC at THE JOYCE - Airmail News

For its latest tour to New York, the venerable Dayton Contemporary Dance Company is promoting its acquisition of Paul Taylor’s Esplanade. And why not? As the first African-American troupe to perform this 1975 evergreen, Dayton has beat Ailey to it...

Dayton Contemporary Dance Company prepares historic concert - Dayton Daily News

Be prepared for more Black history to be made during Black History Month as Dayton Contemporary Dance Company presents “In Modern Moves” Feb. 17-18 at the Victoria Theatre.

In one of the biggest coups in its 55-year history, DCDC is the first African American dance company to receive Paul Taylor’s 1975 masterpiece “Esplanade” into its repertoire. Taylor’s acclaimed routine features everyday, pedestrian movement — standing, skipping, sliding, falling, running, walking — set to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Called “a masterpiece of physical joy,” the work serves as the concert centerpiece and will be performed to live music by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra under Peter Stafford Wilson’s direction.

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