I didn’t have a good answer.
We’ve been so focused on the dance itself (the technique, the tours, the accolades) that somewhere along the way, we forgot to tell our neighbors why it matters. Not the dance itself, but what it means to have a culturally diverse dance company rooted in the African American experience, creating art in this community, at this moment in history.
This October, we’re premiering “Promised Land,” inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1964 speech right here at the University of Dayton. Alongside it, we’re presenting “On the Wings of Angels,” our tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen. In a city that gave birth to aviation, it feels right to honor those who fought to fly for their country when their country wouldn’t fight for them. My choreographers asked me: “What would King think of where we are now?” The question stopped me cold. Because the truth is, we’re still wrestling with the same fundamental questions about belonging, democracy and who gets to be fully human in America.
But here’s what I’ve learned in my four decades with this company: when people finally do find their way to us, when they stop thinking of dance as something separate from their lives and start seeing it as a mirror for their own struggles and joys, something shifts. They don’t just see dancers. They see themselves.
At lunch the other day, someone said people are searching for meaning right now, for some way to understand all this confusion and division. They’re looking for experiences that make them feel less alone. That’s when it hit me: we’ve been trying to sell dance when we should have been offering connection.
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
The irony is painful. Here we are, one of the nation’s top 10 contemporary dance companies, and we’re invisible in our own backyard. Last season we performed for more than 9,000 students across the Miami Valley and drew 1,100 people to Levitt Pavilion as part of the Juneteenth celebration. Yet somehow, that’s not enough.
The truth is, we can’t keep doing things the same way. We’ll always present world-class performances on the Victoria Theatre stage and maintain our national and international touring. We’ll continue our deep work with students from kindergarteners in Piqua to high schoolers in Springfield. But that’s not all we can be.
This summer, our StreetBeats Community Daze showed us something important. People with no familiarity of the company enjoyed the block party feel, discovering us through music and movement in their own neighborhood. They didn’t come for dance; they came for community and found art. We plan similar approaches with events like Trunk or Treat.
We’re bringing our artists into community spaces, creating intimate gatherings where people can meet our dancers, hear our stories, understand our purpose. We’re partnering with local businesses and organizations to break down the barriers between art and everyday life. Because waiting for audiences to find us isn’t working. After 57 years, it’s time we found them.
When my mother founded this company in 1968, it was to create opportunities for dancers of color who were being shut out everywhere else. She built something from nothing, armed with determination and the radical belief that Dayton, Ohio, could support world-class dance. She was right. But somewhere between proving ourselves on international stages and maintaining our excellence, we forgot her other lesson: none of it matters if your own community doesn’t know you exist.
Our mission says we’re committed to reaching the broadest audience through exceptional performance. But “reaching” isn’t passive. It requires us to step outside our comfort zones, to meet people where they are, to translate what we do into language that resonates with their lives.
“Promised Land” opens Oct. 25 at the Victoria Theatre. Yes, you’ll see spectacular dancing. But more importantly, you’ll see a conversation about where we’ve been and where we’re going. As a community, as a democracy, as human beings trying to find solid ground in shifting times.
Come find us. Not because you love dance, but because you love Dayton. Because you’re tired of feeling disconnected. Because you want to be part of something bigger than yourself.
We’ve been here 57 years. It’s time we properly introduced ourselves.
Debbie Blunden-Diggs is the chief executive and artistic director of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.
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