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CLEVELAND CONTEMPORARY DANCE THEATRE |
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Cleveland Contemporary Dance Company , founded in 1998 by choreographer/dancer, Michael Medcalf is the first professionally established contemporary dance company in Northeast Ohio that brings to the forefront the contributions African-Americans and others from diverse communities have made to the art form of dance. CCDT has assembled a multi-cultural company of professionally trained dancers and has quickly gained recognition in the region as "a first-rate company rooted in the tradition of black dance in America." CCDT presents full length mainstage repertory concerts, family theatre concerts including "The Night Before Christmas", a Chamberworks Concert consisting of a variety or solo, duo and trio selections from CCDTís vast repertoire suitable for the intimate stage and a variety of educational outreach concerts. |
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| "A first-rate company rooted in the tradition of black dance in America - Cleveland Plain Dealer | ||||||||||
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MICHAEL MEDCALF - ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, CHOREOGRAPHER | |||||||||
| Michael Medcalf’s uncompromising professionalism and pursuit of excellence as a performer, choreographer and dance educator, and his commitment to the exposure of the art form to underserved communities, has guided him and his endeavors to perform, choreograph and teach dance throughout the world. In 1998 Medcalf returned home to Cleveland and founded Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theatre, a contemporary dance company dedicated to celebrating, teaching and promoting diversity through dance. Today, his experience, professionalism, and leadership as its executive and artistic director have established the company as one of the most relevant and respected arts organizations in Northeast Ohio. | ||||||||||
| As a professional dancer Medcalf has worked intimately with prominent choreographer such as Talley Beatty, Katherine Dunham, Donald McKayle, Ronald K. Brown, Bill T. Jones, Cleo Parker Robinson, Dianne McIntyre, Kevin (Iega) Jeff, Gary Abbott, Eleo Pomare, Dwight Rhoden and David Rousseve amongst others. Highlighting his professional performing career is his work as a soloist and principal ensemble member of the Denver based Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. | ||||||||||
| "Powerful... Terrific... Soared!" - Washington Post | ||||||||||
| Mainstage (1 hr 20min) | |
| Utilizing a diverse dance and movement vocabulary the multi-cultural ensemble presents accessible works that illuminate candid themes taken directly from life and also celebrate and embody African American traditions in contemporary modern dance. The company’s repertory features works by such artists as Gary Abbott of Deeply Rooted, Peter Kalivas of Sean Curran Dance, Germaul Barnes of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Krislyn World, local Cleveland artists and the choreography of Executive/Artistic Director Michael Medcalf. | |
Chamberworks (40-60 min) |
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| A concert of contemporary solo, duet and trio selections from CCDT’s diverse repertoire designed for intimate stages | |
Dance Discovery Series (1 hour which includes a 10 min. Q & A) |
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| An in depth exploration of dance composition, from inception or theme to final product, which focus on some of CCDT more socially conscious works, i.e. Alzheimer’s, sexuality, family, spirituality. This expanded lec/dem format involves the dissection of a dance work into components exposing the work’s content, process, movement choices, and culminates in the performance of the work in entirety. A question and answer period follows the performance for further discovery. | |
Master Classes (2 hours) |
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| By weaving the visceral essence of African dance with elements from the Lester Horton technique and ballet, Executive/Artistic Director Michael Medcalf’s contemporary approach to movement allows dancers to focus on proper body alignment while simultaneously strengthening, stretching and elongating their muscles in preparation to move more musically, decidedly and efficiently through space. Mr. Medcalf has worked with acclaimed choreographers Tally Beatty, Donald McKayle, Dianne McIntyre, Bill T. Jones, Ronald K. Brown, David Rousseve, and Dwight Rhoden. He has also performed nationally and internationally as a soloist and principal dancer with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble (CPRDE), Ballethnic Dance Company, David Taylor Dance Theatre and Kim Robards Dance. |
