There are few things more beautiful than the sight of the graceful, sinewy limbs of a dancer soaring through the air in a grand jeté or sustaining a pirouette. So, you can imagine how magnificent it will be when Black dance professionals gather in Denver for the International Association of Blacks in Dance’s (IABD) “Black Dance Rising” at its 28th Annual International Conference and Festival, January 20-24, 2016.
The five-day conference is hosted by world-renowned Cleo Parker Robinson Dance in Denver, CO, and will feature performances by some the Black dance world’s elite and emerging companies. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Atlanta Dance Connection, Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, IMAGINE…Dance Theater of Camden, and Philadanco! The Philadelphia Dance Company are among 30 dance companies who will perform a broad spectrum of dance genres and styles.
Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, founder and artistic director of Urban Bush Women will present the keynote at the historic event, which has been called a celebration of “dance from the African Diaspora.”
According to Malik Robinson, executive director of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, “Culture is a powerful factor in the self-determination equation. Black dance does not exist without critical thought, study, examination and discipline.”
The conference also will offer dance master classes, development workshops and panel sessions, lecture demonstrations, and networking for dance pre-professionals and professionals. Additionally, IABD will host its 1st Annual Ballet Audition for Women of Color with more than 15 participating U.S. premier ballet companies on January 24.
The IABD was founded to preserve and promote dance by people of African ancestry or origin, and assists and increases opportunities for artists in networking, funding, performance, education, audience development, philosophical dialogue, touring and advocacy.
For more information on the conference and to register, visit here.
