Diversity Dance Festival Returns To AU April 9-15

2 MIN. READ 

Anderson, Ind. — The Anderson University School of Music, Theatre, and Dance is set to host its annual Diversity Dance Festival April 9-15 on campus. The festival includes a special performance by Dayton Contemporary Dance Second Company (DCDC2) and several events are free and open to the public.

The festival begins Tuesday, April 9 with a Bollywood Beats class from 4:30 to 6:15 p.m. in the Kardatzke Wellness Center (KWC) Dance Studio. The following day, a West African dance masterclass from Ishmael Konney will be offered from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the KWC Dance Studio.

Guests are invited to attend a free performance by Dayton Contemporary Dance Second Company (DCDC2)​ April 11 at 7:30 p.m. in York Performance Hall. DCDC was founded in 1968 to create performance opportunities for dancers of color. Five decades later, the 10th largest modern contemporary dance company in the nation remains rooted in the African-American experience and committed to the development of diverse movement artists on the global stage.

On April 12, critically acclaimed Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre will be giving a master class and holding auditions for their summer dance intensive in Chicago, and the festival concludes April 15 with a virtual discussion forum featuring Dance in Color. The event is free and open to the public at 7 p.m. in York Performance Hall. 

The virtual forum will feature Sarah Sigman, who is currently starring in “MJ: The  Musical” in New York City, Nicole Clarke Springer, director and acclaimed choreographer of Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre, and Chandra Moss Thorne formerly of Dance Theater Harlem. The forum has a live audience who can ask panelists questions about the business and navigating the dance world.

The Diversity Dance Festival is generously sponsored by the Anderson Madison County Visitors Bureau. To learn more, call 765-641-4041 or email studentdance@anderson.edu.

Anderson University is on a mission to educate students for lives of faith and service, offering more than 60 undergraduate majors, 30 three-year degrees, 20 NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports, alongside adult and graduate programs. The private, liberal arts institution is fully accredited and recognized among top colleges for its business, computer science, cybersecurity, dance, engineering, nursing, and teacher education programs. Anderson University was established in 1917 in Anderson, Indiana, by the Church of God.