Contemporary Dance Theater, Inc (CDT) was created in 1972 by Jefferson James as a not-for-profit corporation to promote the art of modern dance. To accomplish its purposes, CDT operated a repertory company that performed works by local and nationally known choreographers. For 16 years, The Dance Hall, located in Corryville, was CDT’s studio and center for workshops, dance rehearsals, as well as performing space for dancers, musicians and actors. In 1993, CDT dissolved the repertory company in order to spend more time and energy presenting, and assisting artists. CDT is now located in the College Hill Town Hall. This building, designed by Samuel Hannaford, and built in 1885 is owned by the city.
CDT  currently operates:
- A presenting organization, which is a primary site on the National Performance Network (NPN), and presents the Guest Artist Series.
- A studio which offers 15-20 classes per week
- A production arm that produces the Choreographers Without Companies Concert and New Dance, as well as a collaborative production of the Performance & Time Arts Series (PTA).
- A service and producing organization through its facility The College Hill Town Hall that will nurture, present and sometimes house high quality performance work from the area.
- Publishes a newsletter to promote its activities as well as other dance and performance presentations.
In 1985, CDT was invited to become one of the original members of the National Performance Network (NPN). The NPN is an independently incorporated organization, originally founded by Dance Theater Workshop (of NYC) in cooperation with CDT and other similarly dedicated organization. Currently there are NPN representatives in 43 cities in 25 states who present innovative and challenging performance work. During a season, CDT presents 6-8 sponsored events and a number of partially assisted events. CDT has collaborated with other Cincinnati arts organizations interested in programming ‘alternative’ work.
Besides its presenting, CDT is a center for all kinds of dance activity — classes, workshops, performances, meetings, parties, social dances, video shoots or rehearsals. In addition, through its facility, The College Hill Town Hall, CDT continues to make administrative assistance, mailing list and bulk-mail, publicity service, technical equipment, and performance opportunities available to the artist community at minimal cost. CDT is developing its theater space into a more flexible, accessible and appropriate dance space. CDT has laid a suspended dance floor in the basement studio for classes. Jefferson James, the founder, Artistic and Executive Director of CDT (with advice from the Board, staff and the community) chooses the artists and shapes the season that CDT presents. Ms. James considers a variety of issues and interests and chooses a program that reflects that diversity, her personal interest and her perception of the region’s (Southwestern Ohio/Northern Kentucky, Eastern Indianna) interest and need.
CDT is a sponsor of dance and performance companies because exposure to a variety of styles and ideas is vital to students, audience members and the community and because there is a lack of dance activity in the area. There are many young dancers, theater and performance artists and directors developing work, but very few choreographers and only a handful of dance companies of any level currently work in southern Ohio. The need for contemporary dance to be seen here in its infinite variety is definitely clear. CDT programs with attention to the diversity in the field as well as within the viewing audience. Our mission is to present the variety of the field, to educate, and to program for our community. We choose artists of different esthetic vision and style and with different dance vocabularies, we choose artists of different cultural backgrounds and traditions and we choose artists who are willing to work within and with the Cincinnati community. The artists chosen for a specific season are picked to offer contrast and connection — the connection may be to previous seasons, or to recent artists, or to subject matter and or social issues.
CDT is a leader in Southern Ohio and is the only non-university series presenter of contemporary dance within the area. CDT programs new and challenging work, more traditional dance, performance work and cultural dance. As the only consistent presenter of touring dance, CDT has a large responsibility to present variety and quality and to continue to discover new artists and keep in touch with familiar artists whose work is maturing and/or changing. CDT collaborates with arts organizations and helps them co-present events that require a performance space.
CDT fills a real void by being a creation space and a production laboratory. CDT offers an affordable and supportive space where emerging artists and challenging projects can happen. The organization sees its role as two-fold, on the one hand, a community based organization through its production and its support of a variety of disciplines, and on the other, a presenter of national and international artists (primarily dance). These two roles are not in conflict in any way, and actually seem to benefit from the energy the other creates.
|
