The Dance Complex Launches BLOOM RESIDENCY And PLATFORM-RAISING PROGRAM With Performances

The Dance Complex launches its pilot season of the BLOOM Residency and Platform-Raising Program with performances March 11-12 by Boston Dance Theatre and Khambatta Dance Company from Seattle.

Executive Artistic Director Peter DiMuro said "Dance Complex's 30th Anniversary meets a point in history uniquely as it relates to the pandemic, to the role of art- and in this case, specifically dance arts - in all our daily lives. Our responsibility at The Dance Complex is to continue to create a garden where dance can grow and where all involved can experience new depths of how movement can impact our lives in the dimensional ways it promises.

"BLOOM was created to focus on dance practitioners and areas of dance that could use the nurturing attention of valuable studio space, professional development and deeper dialogue," DiMuro continued.

March 11-12, 2023, Boston Dance Theater (BDT) will be performing alongside Khambatta Dance Company (KDC), in the second half of a co-presenting relationship between the two companies. Boston Dance Theater performed in March 2022 at Seattle International Dance Festival, hosted by KDC, and a year later KDC comes to Boston for a week-long residency culminating in these performances. Each company will perform selections from their own repertoire, in addition to a new work created during the residency. The untitled collaboration, which was begun a year ago in Seattle, is choreographed by BDT's Jessie Jeanne Stinnett.

Under the co-artistic direction of Jessie Jeanne Stinnett and award winning, Dutch-Israeli choreographer Itzik Galili, Boston Dance Theater (BDT) is Boston's first contemporary dance repertory company with international ties at the leadership level. With a commitment to presenting works of socio-political relevance, BDT matches the talents of Boston-based dancers with those of acclaimed global choreographers, broadening the scope of contemporary dance practice and performance in Greater Boston.

The like-minded Khambatta Dance Company, founded by Artistic Director Cyrus Khambatta, strives to connect artists and audiences through the exploration of contemporary issues, emotionally resonant performances, and a collaborative process of dance creation, reaching out to the community in an inclusive manner. Through its signature program, the Seattle International Dance Festival (SIDF), the Company seeks to unify communities annually showcasing the work of over 150 local, regional, and international dance artists and over 40 dance groups who exemplify the diversity of contemporary dance practices and the richness of human experience.

The Dance Complex's selected four dance companies for the inaugural BLOOM Residency program based on their varied genres, approaches to art-making and length of existence. This season's focuses are Street Dance, traditional African and African diasporic dance, and Disabilities Dance. The Platform-Raising branch of BLOOM aims to acknowledge and uplift specific genres/communities of dance through individualized discussion-to-action based programming, action planning, and administrative resources.

"In its pilot year, in addition to focusing on specific genres of dance, we also chose four unique companies to support," said DiMuro. "With these performances of BDT, we open a 4 month arc of the audience facing engagement of the residency. It is fitting that BDT has uniquely positioned its work and leads with the example of open arms to their guest company from the west coast- Khambatta Dance Company from Seattle - an arrangement itself that speaks of further flourishment of dance and ideas to make it better."

The other three BLOOM projects this season will feature Jean Appolon Expressions April 1-2, The Click May 6-7 and beheard.world June 10-11. In its 30th season, The Dance Complex strives to enable the creation, study, and performance of dance by sustaining artists, audiences, and community through exciting programming. The BLOOM Residency and Platform-Raising Program is made possible by major support from Movement Arts Creation Studio (MACS).

Tickets, further information and event updates are available at dancecomplex.org/events. The Dance Complex is at 536 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA.

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