The internationally recognized Dayton Contemporary Dance Company will be performing in the Capitol Theater at the Riffe Center at 8 p.m. on Friday.
This is the largest modern dance company between New York and Chicago. The company’s 13 dancers will be performing selections from the largest catalogue of pieces by black choreographers in the world.
The New York Times called them, “One of the big success stories in American modern dance.”
The performance tells a story of the influence of the black contribution to contemporary dance in the United States. It also showcases many of the 20th century’s greatest names in dance.
The company has become a great place for new works to be showcased. Two pieces by Ulysses Dove began in the company’s studio and are now considered classics in the field of modern dance.
The program being performed Friday includes two 2002 world premieres and the oldest piece they will be dancing to premiered in 1999.
Premiering sometime this year is Aerodigm, choreographed by Ohio State professor Bebe Miller with music by Giovanni Sollima, Jurgen Knieper and Laurie Anderson.
The Columbus performance will celebrate Women’s History Month with a tribute to the founding director of the company, Jeraldyne Blunden. The company was founded by Blunden in 1968, making it the oldest modern dance company in Ohio. She directed the company until her death in 1999. Her daughter, Debbie Blunden-Diggs, then took over as associate artistic director and Kevin Ward took over as artistic director.
This second generation of leadership has taken the company on tours in Germany, France, Russia, Bermuda, Korea, Poland and the United States.
Blunden has had a theme in her work of overcoming boundaries.
“Man has created boundaries for race, religion and culture. If we can get past that, we can realize that there is much more in life which connects us” Blunden has said.
Her love for dancing began at age eight when she danced under the guidance of the founders of the Dayton Ballet. At 19, she became director of dance classes at the Linden Center. She helped students have summer opportunities and scholarships with Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the American Dance Festival. Wanting to create more opportunities for students, she founded the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.
Throughout her career, Blunden received a number of awards including the MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship Award, Dance Women Living Legend Honors and honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Dayton and Wright State University.
Dayton Contemporary Dance Company has been seen by thousands of central Ohio youth at in-school performances. They will perform a mini-concert for students at 10 a.m. Friday at the Capitol Theatre.
Tickets for the evening performance can be purchased at CAPA ticket office, the Ohio and Palace theaters or any Ticketmaster location. Tickets for the youth performance can be purchased by calling the CAPA ticket office.
