Dallas Black Dance Theatre to Return to NYC for American Dance Platform

Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) returns to New York City for a sixth consecutive year. During its 40th anniversary season, Dallas Black Dance Theatre is among eight dance companies invited to take part in the American Dance Platform at The Joyce Theater in Chelsea. DBDT takes center stage January 6-7, 2017.

Now in its second year, the American Dance Platform initiative continues to showcase some of the most captivating American companies performing today. This year's festival, curated by Alicia B. Adams, VP of International Programming and Dance at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, features an eclectic roster of artists, including Dusan Tynek Dance Theatre, RAWdance, Ragamala Dance Company, Company | E, Lucky Plush Productions, Davalois Fearon Dance, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and CONTRA-TIEMPO, with each of the eight companies performing twice throughout a week of double bills. Dedicated to the memory of Theodore S. Bartwink of the Harkness Foundation for Dance.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre's performance features two dance works by choreographers Matthew Rushing and Kirven Douthit-Boyd. Tribute by Matthew Rushing, the rehearsal director for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, is a historical reflection of nostalgic dance themes. Through the dance, Rushing chronicles 100 years of African American dance masters including Alvin Ailey, Talley Beatty, Pearl Primus and Donald McKayle. In developing the work, Rushing tapped into other talents of DBDT dancers like creative writing, singing, and spoken word. Originally developed/produced/premiered at Dallas Black Dance Theatre with support from the TACA Donna Wilhelm Family New Works Fund.

Dallas based TheaterJones.com critic Margaret Putnam described Tribute, "...it was splendid, as was original music by Ted Rosenthal and Alex Paton. As a tribute to the pioneers in modern dance, Tribute does exactly that while promising a healthy future."

Furtherance, choreographed by former Alvin Ailey dancer Kirven Douthit-Boyd, takes the audience on a journey from anguish to bliss amid the backdrop of a Japanese taiko drum musical score with additional sound effects of Asian gongs and bells. The ballet is based on overcoming a personal struggle that ends with a celebration of triumph. Douthit-Boyd performed leading roles while at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre for 11 years. He is the Co-Artistic Director of Dance for the Center of Creative Arts in St. Louis, Missouri.

The January 6, 2017 performance on Friday starts at 8:00 p.m. The January 7, 2017 performance on Saturday is a matinee that starts at 2:00 p.m. The Joyce is located at 175 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10011.

For ticket details, visit www.joyce.org/performances/american-dance-platform or call the box office at 212-242-0800.

Founded in 1976 by Ann Williams, Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) is the oldest continuously operating professional Dance Company in Dallas. It has become the largest minority arts organization in Dallas and the 10th largest in the nation. The mission of Dallas Black Dance Theatre is to create and produce contemporary modern dance at its highest level of artistic excellence through performances and educational programs that bridge cultures and reach diverse communities. With an ever-expanding national and global audience, the company employs a diverse, multi-ethnic troupe of dancers performing for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

Located in a historic facility at the eastern end of the thriving downtown Dallas Arts District, Dallas Black Dance Theatre is a nationally and internationally recognized professional modern Dance Company. DBDT engages the cross-cultural community through contemporary modern dance presented from the African American experience. Dallas Black Dance Theatre is a resident company member of the AT&T Performing Arts Center - Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre located in Dallas's Art District.

During its 40-year history, Dallas Black Dance Theatre has performed on five continents, in 15 countries and 31 states, including two Olympic Cultural events. Over the years, more than 4 million arts patrons and 2.6 million students, grades K-12, have experienced the Dance Company's performances and educational outreach programs. DBDT serves more than 100,000 people annually, including more than 20,000 youth in grades K-12 in Dallas-Fort Worth area schools. DBDT offers community outreach services through workshops, lecture/demonstrations, master-classes, residences, mini-performances and student matinees that are designed level-specific for elementary, middle, high school and university students. Another 40,000 youth and adults are reached through local, national and international festivals, tours, special performances at universities, social service agencies, professional and corporate organizations, civic events and community venues.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre is comprised of five performing companies and its training Academy. Dallas Black Dance Theatre's professional company, DBDT, consists of 12 full-time professional dancers performing a mixed repertory of modern, jazz, African and spiritual works by national and international choreographers. DBDT: Encore! (formerly DBDT II) features eight artists of rising excellence from across the nation that support DBDT's growing local and regional educational outreach.

Dallas Black Dance Academy, the official school of Dallas Black Dance Theatre, celebrates 43 years of delivering dance instruction to a community of diverse backgrounds. Over 500 students participate weekly in 50 dance classes of ballet, jazz, tap, modern, and African at DBDT studios for ages four to adult. The academy has three performing ensembles: Allegro, DBDT's premier academy ensemble, Senior Performing Ensemble, and Junior Performing Ensemble.

For more details visit www.DBDT.com and www.dbdt.com/academy.

The Joyce Theater Foundation (The Joyce), a nonprofit organization, has proudly served the dance community for over three decades. Under the direction of founders Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, Ballet Tech Foundation acquired and The Joyce renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea. Opening as The Joyce Theater in 1982, it was named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther's clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to build the theater. Ownership was secured by The Joyce in 2015. The theater is one of the only theaters built by dancers for dance and has provided an intimate and elegant home for over 385 U.S.-based and international companies. The Joyce has also presented dance at Lincoln Center since 2012, and launched Joyce Unleashed in 2014 to feature emerging and experimental artists. To further support the creation of new work, The Joyce maintains longstanding commissioning and residency programs. Local students and teachers (K-12th grade) benefit from its school program, and family and adult audiences get closer to dance with access to artists. The Joyce's annual season of about 48 weeks of dance now includes over 340 performances for audiences in excess of 150,000.