Because of your support, Joy of Motion Dance Center has had a year to remember!
Here are some highlights from the past year, from September 2009 to August 2010:
- Helen L. Hayes, Director of the Youth Dance Ensemble, was honored with the Metro DC Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance Education in September.
- We welcomed Nomad Dancers, directed by our Middle Eastern dance teacher Adriane Whalen, to our roster of Resident Arts Partners.
- In October, we piloted a year-round version of Step Ahead, our summer teen program.
- The Thriller on H Street workshop packed the Atlas studio, and then the AutoZone parking lot down the street.
- We were dubbed “one of DC’s best small charities” when the Catalogue for Philanthropy was launched in November.
- We closed our Dupont Circle studio location at the end of this December - a strategic, if sentimental, decision - as the condition of the building and terms of renewing are not in our favor. (A recent analysis showed that we were able to retain 75% of that business, however, confirming the soundness of our decision.)
- Our new Resident Company, Classical Repertory Dance Theatre, debuted in an evening-length ballet concert at the Atlas in March.
- We participated in the inaugural Intersections: A New America Arts Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in March, with a workshop series and two dance concerts.
- JOMDC was once again voted “Best of DC” by the Washington City Paper in March.
- Our students and teachers performed and led dance activities at the White House Easter Egg Roll in April – and ended up on Ellen after dancing with her mom Betty and her DJ Tony.
- Doug Yeuell choreographed and taught one of seven Flash Mobs during Dance is the Answer.
- JOMDC collaborated with the Capital City Symphony, Washington Savoyards, and the In Series on Swing into Spring, a dance party fundraiser on May 1, benefiting these Atlas Arts Partners.
- The Youth Dance Ensemble was invited to perform at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage for Target Family Night in May.
- In June, Jazzdanz/dc, our Resident Jazz Company, performed on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center.
- We produced our biggest ever Youth Recital, with 700 young dancers in three full shows on June 5 and 6.
- DCypher Dance, our Resident Hip Hop Company, represented DC and JOMDC at the Culture Shock Canada Showcase in Ottawa in June.
- Sixteen of JOMDC’s young dancers had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform for the First Family in the East Room of the White House on July 19. The event, to be televised nationally on PBS stations on October 20, was part of the In Performance at the White House series celebrating American Broadway musicals. Our dancers performed the “You Can’t Stop the Beat” choreography of Jerry Mitchell and got to perform with the stars of the Hairspray musical.
- Soles of Steel and DCypher Dance were asked to perform during National Dance Day on July 31 on the National Mall, organized by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and television producer Nigel Lythgoe.
- We welcomed Nomad Dancers, directed by our Middle Eastern dance teacher Adriane Whalen, to our roster of Resident Arts Partners.
- In October, we piloted a year-round version of Step Ahead, our summer teen program.
- The Thriller on H Street workshop packed the Atlas studio, and then the AutoZone parking lot down the street.
- We were dubbed “one of DC’s best small charities” when the Catalogue for Philanthropy was launched in November.
- We closed our Dupont Circle studio location at the end of this December - a strategic, if sentimental, decision - as the condition of the building and terms of renewing are not in our favor. (A recent analysis showed that we were able to retain 75% of that business, however, confirming the soundness of our decision.)
- Our new Resident Company, Classical Repertory Dance Theatre, debuted in an evening-length ballet concert at the Atlas in March.
- We participated in the inaugural Intersections: A New America Arts Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in March, with a workshop series and two dance concerts.
- JOMDC was once again voted “Best of DC” by the Washington City Paper in March.
- Our students and teachers performed and led dance activities at the White House Easter Egg Roll in April – and ended up on Ellen after dancing with her mom Betty and her DJ Tony.
- Doug Yeuell choreographed and taught one of seven Flash Mobs during Dance is the Answer.
- JOMDC collaborated with the Capital City Symphony, Washington Savoyards, and the In Series on Swing into Spring, a dance party fundraiser on May 1, benefiting these Atlas Arts Partners.
- The Youth Dance Ensemble was invited to perform at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage for Target Family Night in May.
- In June, Jazzdanz/dc, our Resident Jazz Company, performed on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center.
- We produced our biggest ever Youth Recital, with 700 young dancers in three full shows on June 5 and 6.
- DCypher Dance, our Resident Hip Hop Company, represented DC and JOMDC at the Culture Shock Canada Showcase in Ottawa in June.
- Sixteen of JOMDC’s young dancers had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform for the First Family in the East Room of the White House on July 19. The event, to be televised nationally on PBS stations on October 20, was part of the In Performance at the White House series celebrating American Broadway musicals. Our dancers performed the “You Can’t Stop the Beat” choreography of Jerry Mitchell and got to perform with the stars of the Hairspray musical.
- Soles of Steel and DCypher Dance were asked to perform during National Dance Day on July 31 on the National Mall, organized by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and television producer Nigel Lythgoe.
Other noteworthy projects and accomplishments from this year:
- Our education staff has embarked on an in-depth research project. This curriculum development project will result in clear teaching objectives for faculty in each of the dance styles we offer in our youth dance program. Staff is now in the process of facilitating a series of 3 focus groups with the faculty of each dance style. While this is well-covered territory for dance forms such as ballet, it is fairly groundbreaking for other forms like hip hop or belly dance.
- Our Dance Project showcase (in December and April) is a chance for local up-and-coming choreographers to present their work and garnered a record number of submissions this year.
- We revamped the format of our Motion Expressions outreach concerts to better meet the needs of our different age groups. The fall show, “Dance Around the World,” for grades 1-5 now offers students a sampler of dance styles from across the globe, including West African and Middle Eastern. The spring show, “The heART of Hip Hop,” for grades 6-12 explores hip hop’s history, principles, and elements, including a lesson from a live DJ.
- We created a 4-page guide to be distributed prior to the Motion Expressions outreach concert. The guide invites students to build on their classroom and concert knowledge with lessons in dance terms and activities to create their own dance.
- We developed new programming partnerships with J.O. Wilson Elementary School, Horton’s Kids, and the Girl Scouts.
- We offered master classes with national and international artists including Bryan East of the Boogie Bots, Parker Esse from NYC, Flamenco master Pablo Rodarte and Olimdjon Beknazarov from Uzbekistan,
- We presented 29 shows and 42 evenings of dance at our Jack Guidone Theater, and 12 number of shows and 13 evenings of dance at other DC venues.
- Our education staff has embarked on an in-depth research project. This curriculum development project will result in clear teaching objectives for faculty in each of the dance styles we offer in our youth dance program. Staff is now in the process of facilitating a series of 3 focus groups with the faculty of each dance style. While this is well-covered territory for dance forms such as ballet, it is fairly groundbreaking for other forms like hip hop or belly dance.
- Our Dance Project showcase (in December and April) is a chance for local up-and-coming choreographers to present their work and garnered a record number of submissions this year.
- We revamped the format of our Motion Expressions outreach concerts to better meet the needs of our different age groups. The fall show, “Dance Around the World,” for grades 1-5 now offers students a sampler of dance styles from across the globe, including West African and Middle Eastern. The spring show, “The heART of Hip Hop,” for grades 6-12 explores hip hop’s history, principles, and elements, including a lesson from a live DJ.
- We created a 4-page guide to be distributed prior to the Motion Expressions outreach concert. The guide invites students to build on their classroom and concert knowledge with lessons in dance terms and activities to create their own dance.
- We developed new programming partnerships with J.O. Wilson Elementary School, Horton’s Kids, and the Girl Scouts.
- We offered master classes with national and international artists including Bryan East of the Boogie Bots, Parker Esse from NYC, Flamenco master Pablo Rodarte and Olimdjon Beknazarov from Uzbekistan,
- We presented 29 shows and 42 evenings of dance at our Jack Guidone Theater, and 12 number of shows and 13 evenings of dance at other DC venues.
Click here to read our 2009 Annual Report.
