BLACK EXCELLENCE: Rodney Veal on Countess Winfrey

Dayton has a rich dance heritage, starting with the Schwarz Sisters founding the second oldest regional Ballet company in the country to the world-acclaimed artistry of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. Someone who is forging an artist’s path as the next generation of talent in this history is Countess Winfrey.

Countess is a rising artistic star flexing her choreographic muscles with the artistry, intellectual curiosity and expansive vision of someone twice her age. It is not often you get to witness the ascendancy of a major talent, a talent with the humblest of hearts and intellectual prowess this is Countess, and she is the newest jewel in Dayton’s artistic crown. Countess has two projects in the works. One is a dance/music workshop that just received funding from the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District and the other is a site-specific work being presented at the Cincinnati Art Museum in May. Both of these events will allow the community to take in such a phenomenal rising star.