In a first, collegiate dance conference steps off campus
The Dance Complex will host the American College Dance Association, which has only met on campuses before now.
A few hundred college dancers from around the country are descending on Central Square this week at the American College Dance Association (ACDA) Northeast Regional conference. But for the first time in the event’s 53-year history, it’s taking place at a working community dance studio, not a university.
This year’s theme is “Dance in Real Life” and the conference — at The Dance Complex — aims to guide dancers through the next phase in their lives: creating dance outside the safety net of a university.
“Many of these kids have only taken class with their age group, so this will be a new and hopefully positive experience for them to see how dancers of different ages use their [bodies],” said Peter DiMuro, Dance Complex executive artistic director. Community members of the dance complex, he said, range from “ages 3 to 93.”
More than 250 college students will attend the conference, which is designed to bring together students and local artists. Throughout the weekend, the students will take dance technique classes in styles such as ballet, modern, and flamenco, from professors at New England colleges and teaching artists at The Dance Complex. The conference will also include theoretical classes on topics such as producing a show, anatomy, and budgeting.
Social and professional networking events will allow the dancers to connect with local artists. Evenings will include concerts of student choreography hosted by José Mateo Ballet Theatre; the following mornings, local dancers will lead feedback sessions. In an effort to embed the visiting dancers into the fabric of the Cambridge arts scene, the weekend will include a scavenger hunt designed to help them explore sites such as the 80-foot walkway on Massachusetts Ave. called Graffiti Alley.
While The Dance Complex will be closed to the public during the day, classes will operate as usual in the evening, providing an opportunity for conference attendees to take classes with new people. Some classes will be held across the street at Street Theory Collective.
DiMuro brought the idea of this collaboration to ACDA, with the intention of building connections for these dancers as they prepare to enter the post-college dance world.
“This partnership signals an evolving future for ACDA, where college dance remains central but these diverse professional ecosystems with community-driven spaces and professional hubs are going to play a critical role in ACDA going forward,” said Mattie Fenton, the association’s executive director.
