The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company will perform as a part of the performing arts series and also teaches a class to current dance majors.
The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company is rooted in African-American experience.
The culturally diverse DCDC will perform Wednesday night as part of the Performing Arts and Concert Series with four pieces that came out of the collection of work it built last year.
Annie Scott, a senior studying dance is very eager to see this company, and in particular she can’t wait to see one inspiring woman.
“There was this woman that is one of the most fantastic performers I’ve seen. I think someone told me she was about 50 years old and she’s still crushing it,” Annie said. “She’s been in the company for quite some time and has worked so hard to get to where she is.”
The performer Annie is talking about is Sheri Williams.
Williams, known as Sparkle among her colleagues, has been a member of the company for 41 seasons, and has been garnered many awards, such as a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District and New York Dance and Performance Award.
Madeleine Scott, director of the School of Dance, Film and Theater, said that the school has been very fortunate when it comes to companies performing at OU. The performing arts series usually tries to extend a visiting artist master class. as a part of the company’s contract
A master class is when a professional performer comes in and teaches a class of current dance students.
“We have the opportunity for one of our dancers to teach the dance students a master class while we’re there,” said Debbie Blunden-Diggs, artistic director for DCDC. “So we’ll get a chance to see the dancers in the class room and they’ll get to see (DCDC) on stage.”
DCDC also performed last year during the American College Dance Association Festival held at OU.
“That was an incredible experience to be able to see a company that is based in Ohio,” Annie said. “Because Ohio isn’t really art-based — it’s more agricultural — so to be able to see what Ohio can offer for dance is really nice, and DCDC is a perfect example of that.”
Madeleine said that she thinks it’s important for dance students to experience different approaches to what constitutes a technique class.
“I think each of these companies has a different kind of heritage, a different kind of creative interests and that’s part of what the students experience,” Madeleine Scott said. “When they experience (it) physically, then going to see it is another way of deepening their exposure to that particular company’s work.”
The master class that DCDC will be teaching will be a combination of jazz and modern dance.
Blunden-Diggs said DCDC is happy to be performing at OU and sharing its talents with every person that comes to the concert.
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