DBDT Announces 45th Season CATALYST Supporters

Dallas Black Dance Theatre has announced its 2021-2022 CATALYST Supporters as it celebrates its 45th season as the largest and oldest professional dance company in Dallas. Dallas Black Dance Theatre is the fourth-largest Black dance company in the nation, the ninth-largest contemporary modern dance company in the U.S., and is considered 42nd among the nation's leading ballet companies.

In June 2020, Dallas Black Dance Theatre became the first professional dance company in the world to consistently present paid-only virtual performances and to introduce an all-virtual season. Contributions from CATALYST Supporters will assist Dallas Black Dance Theatre in building a long-term hybrid audience development model, return to in-person performances, live and on-demand streaming, technology upgrades, re-define staffing infrastructure, and continue to focus on its core mission in the realities of a new arts and culture industry transformation.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, Texas Instruments Foundation, International Association of Blacks in Dance, The Eugene McDermott Foundation, and Lyda Hill Philanthropies have awarded support to assist the organization in a scalable recovery effort and achieving a strong foundation for Dallas Black Dance Theatre's future success.

"We are thrilled to support Dallas Black Dance Theatre, particularly as they celebrate their 45th season and reopen for in-person performances," said Lane Harwell, program officer for creativity and free expression at the Ford Foundation. "We admire their resilience during the pandemic and look forward to seeing how this critical arts institution continues to grow in the years to come."

"We believe the arts help make Dallas a vibrant place to live and work and are a key building block of a strong community," said Andy Smith, executive director of the Texas Instruments Foundation. "Our commitment extends to organizations like Dallas Black Dance Theatre, which is one of Dallas' premier arts organizations and one of the foremost dance companies in the world. We are proud to support DBDT's artistic and educational mission to express diversity to audiences through contemporary modern dance."

DBDT Executive Director Zenetta S. Drew states, "following months of challenge and uncertainty from the pandemic, we are extremely grateful for the strategic investment made by each of these donors to uplift our work and assist us in redefining, innovating, and strengthening our business model for long-term sustainability beyond our 45th season."

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