what we do

As one of just a handful of stand-alone, dance-only presenting organizations in the United States, DANCECleveland has a storied, six-decade-long history of curating distinguished, boundary-pushing seasons of modern and contemporary dance, and bringing nationally and internationally acclaimed professional dance companies to the stages of northeast Ohio.

As a presenter, collaborator, catalyst, and commissioner, DANCECleveland focuses on creative educational experiences for children and adults, supports the creation of new work by leading dance makers and works tirelessly to bring the passion and verve of modern and contemporary dance, in all of its forms, to the people of northeast Ohio. In doing so, DANCECleveland has blossomed into an organization as exciting and innovative as the medium itself and has become a vital piece in the mosaic of arts organizations in northeast Ohio.

Presenting Series

Whether quietly elegant or wildly exuberant, DANCECleveland’s annual performance series contributes to the brightly colored mosaic of northeast Ohio’s extraordinarily rich cultural offerings. Learn more about our presenting history and the role of dance presenters in the development of modern dance.

Additional Programming & Activities

DANCECleveland also values its role as a ‘Presenter and More’ by commissioning new dance works, offering innovative educational and outreach programming, as a thought leader and resource.

Audience Engagement

Building a deeper connection to dance and the companies we present, DANCECleveland delivers audience engagement opportunities through a variety of creative entry points including, Dance Matters essays, pre-performance dance chats, post-performance Q & A sessions and “Make Dance Stick with You” comment board.

Body Of Work: Dialogues on Dance

Most recently, we have been hosting a series exploring the creative process in dance and how works get made. Entitled, Body of Work: Dialogues on Dance, this series has included master choreographers Hélène Simoneau, Pam Tanowitz and Ronald K. Brown in intimate settings to discuss their creative process and showings of works with their dancers.

“I had no idea what it takes to make a dance. I won’t look at a dance performance in quite the same way again” DANCECleveland Patron

Commissioning

DANCECleveland has commissioned or co-commissioned over a dozen new works throughout our history by raising commissioning funds, providing residency space for dance companies to be able to have time and space to create new works and through theatre grants to provide artists with time in the theatre to rehearse new works on a stage. Recent co-commissions have included, Camille A. Brown's Black Girl: A Linguistic Play and Aszure Barton's Indomitable Waltz for Malpaso Dance Company (Cuba).