| General information | |
|---|---|
| Year founded | 1976 |
| Founding artistic director | Ann Williams |
| Location | 2700 Flora Street, Dallas, TX |
| Principal venue | Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre |
| Website | dbdt |
| Senior staff | |
| Executive Director | Zenetta Drew |
| Other | |
| Official school | Dallas Black Dance Academy |
Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) is the oldest continuously operating dance company in Dallas, Texas. [1] [2] [3] For nearly half a century, DBDT has performed across the United States and around the world. In 2024, Dallas voters approved a $1.25 billion bond measure that includes an allocation of more than three million dollars to DBDT for the renovation and upgrade of their building in the Dallas Arts District.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) was founded by Ann Williams in 1976. [1] [4] Originally located on the campus of Bishop College, DBDT received a 1988 gift from Lucy Crow Billingsley for access to a 13,000 square-foot building on Flora Street in Dallas. [5] [6] The company has grown through the years to include two, professional modern dance companies (DBDT and DBDT: Encore!, established in 2000) [4] [7] and a dance school with three student ensembles. [8]
DBDT is a member of The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD). [9] In 1993, 1997, 2000, 2008, 2014, and 2017, DBDT hosted the IABD annual conference. [9] In 2024, DBDT received a three-year grant from the Mellon Foundation to support institutional capacity building. [10]
In May 2024, DBDT company dancers voted to join the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), a labor union. [11] [12] [13] In August 2024, DBDT terminated the employment contract for its main company dancers. [4] [11] [14] To protest the terminations, supporters of the fired DBDT dancers marched outside of DBDT’s building. [13] On August 12, 2024, AGMA issued a Do Not Work Order for DBDT. [14] [15] On October 29, 2024, DBDT leadership met with AGMA representatives to discuss settling the employment issues pending against them before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and reinstating the terminated dancers. [16] [17] [18] In November 2024, NLRB filed a formal complaint against DBDT. [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] On December 8, 2024, DBDT announced a settlement with the AGMA and approved by NLRB. [24] The fired DBDT dancers: Gillian Clifford, Micah Isaiah, Sierra Jones, Elijah Lancaster, Dominiq Luckie, Derick McKoy, Jr., Terrell Rogers, Nile Ruff, Brianne Sellars, and Sean J. Smith, and the three dancers who were not offered employment for the 2024-2025 season, will receive more than $560,000 in back pay, front pay, and damages from DBDT. [25] As part of the settlement, DBDT must send apology letters to the affected dancers, publish a multi-page notice explaining DBDT current employees’ rights, and work with NLRB employment training representatives to ensure that DBDT is compliant with the AGMA settlement and NLRB agreement. [25] On December 11, 2024, the Dallas City Council voted 11-4 to cut $248,335 in city funding that was recommended for DBDT, and to redistribute that money to other arts organizations in Dallas. [26] [27] [28]
DBDT's official school, Dallas Black Dance Academy, was founded in 1973. [7] [8] The academy is the only modern dance company of color in the nation certified to teach the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) National Training Curriculum. [29] The school features three performing ensembles: Allegro Performing Ensemble, Junior Performing Ensemble, and Senior Performing Ensemble. [8]
Academy alumni include: actress Liz Mikel, writer and producer Wendy Calhoun, [30] and dancers who have had careers with Boston Ballet, DBDT, Hofesh Shechter, Hubbard Street Dance, and New York City Ballet. [29]
DBDT’s dance studios, school, meeting spaces, and administrative offices are located at 2700 Flora Street, Dallas, a 32,000 square foot building that housed the former Moorland YMCA, [31] [32] [33] [34] which DBDT acquired in 1999. [35] In 2002, DBDT launched a capital campaign that raised $10.8 million [36] to purchase and renovate the building. [31] [37] [38] [39] In 2003, a City of Dallas-approved bond referendum awarded more than three million dollars to DBDT for “the planning, design, construction and renovation of the former Moorland YMCA building as a multi-use dance rehearsal, instructional and administrative office facility." [40]
In 2005, DBDT donated its building to the City of Dallas, [14] the city's first-owned facility for dance. [41] In exchange for its gift to the city, DBDT received a forty-year building lease with an annual base rent of ten dollars. [11] In addition, DBDT receives an annual allocation of $170,000 for maintenance and management of a city-owned facility. [35] [14] [42]
In 2014, the 2700 block of Flora Street was renamed "Ann Williams Way" [7] in honor of DBDT’s founder and artistic director’s career. [43]
In 2017, DBDT completed a capital campaign that raised $2.2 million in matching funds that the City of Dallas reimbursed per a 2018 agreement [44] for the planning, design, construction and renovation of the building. [35] In 2020, DBDT finished a major building renovation project, including waterproofing and restoring exterior doors, windows, and facade, that was funded by a Dallas voter-approved 2017 Bond Program. [45] [46] In 2024, the City of Dallas voters approved “Proposition E,” a $1.25 billion capital bond program that includes support for Dallas’ cultural and performing arts facilities. [47] Beginning in 2026, [14] DBDT will receive $3,127,850 [48] for improvements to its building's elevator, security and HVAC systems, as well as flooring and roof replacements. [2] [4]
DBDT has performed for diverse audiences across the United States and around the world, including the following venues and events.
DBDT performs a mixed repertory of modern, ballet, jazz, and ethnic work by nationally and internationally known choreographers, [59] including the following selections.
The following is a partial list of former dancers with DBDT.