SUMMER DANCE IN NORTHEAST OHIO!

Dance events are popping up all over Northeast Ohio this summer! Check out some of these exciting events by local artists and dance companies. We’ve curated a wonderful mix of dance events featuring a variety styles and cultures. So, whether you’re looking to move your body or watch impressive performances there’s something here for everyone! 

Featured Events 

CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY

SUMMER DANCE 2023

Cleveland State University summer dance classes are underway, running June 5th to June 23rd. This class series features an exciting lineup of teaching artists and class selections that you do not want to miss! Teaching artists include Annie Morgan (Gibney Dance; NYC), Yusha-Marie Sorzano (Zeitgeist Dance Theatre; Santa Fe, NM), Spenser Theberge (creative residency with GroundWorks DanceTheater; Cleveland, OH), Dazaun Soleyn (University of San Francisco Performing Arts and Social Justice Program), and the duo Taylor Knight and Anna Thompson (slowdanger; Pittsburgh, PA). Classes are open to professional dance artists, students and community members and participants can find the registration link, class schedule, and more important information on the CSU Summer Dance webpage.

Cost: Community Members can purchase 5 classes for $180. Drop-in rates are available upon inquiry.

inCOPnegro: Aftermath

Dominic Moore-Dunson of Akron, Oh, featured in Dance Magazines 2023 “25 to Watch,” drew on his own life experiences to create inCOPnegro: Aftermath. This work follows the stories of four Black male characters and how their lives were impacted by police violence. Audience members can expect an intimate perspective on Moore- Dunson’s unique choreographic style combined with the sounds of live jazz and hip-hop music. Preview performances of inCOPnegro: Aftermath take place on June 22nd and 23rd. Performances will be held June 30th and July 1st with a community discussion lead by LoveAkron Executive Director Kemp Boyd following the July 1st showing. To buy tickets and find out more information regarding the inspiration and context behind the piece and the artists involved, please visit this link below.

Cost: Tickets for June 22nd and 23rd Preview performances are priced at $10 per ticket. Tickets for the June 30th and July 1st performances are priced at $20 per ticket and can be purchased online only.

THE ENCOUNTER: AKRON

Kimberly Bartosik/daela of Brooklyn, NY is creating a work in partnership with Rubber City Theatre, NCCAkron, and CDS Creative Productions which will take place August 10th-12th at the University of Akron’s Guzzetta Hall. The Encounter: Akron is just one of Bartosik’s many Encounter projects. Bartosik has worked with professional, pre-professional, and non-professional performers worldwide to create unique works that “explor[e] intergenerational cross-geographic, global conversation about the ferocious power of the body as a form of communication.” The press release also reads, “the work is an encounter with oneself, pulling from what people currently carry in their bodies—grief, hope, fear, desire, newfound power—pulsing through and between generations.” Bartosik has created Encounter projects in Buffalo, Italy, Rockland, and NYC. More information regarding The Encounter: Akron is coming soon.

Cost: Ticket information coming soon!

The Encounter: Buffalo at Torn Space Theater 2022 (photo Mark Duggan)

HEINZ POLL SUMMER DANCE FESTIVAL

Interested in free dance performances? The Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival consists of six evenings of free performances by impressive Ohio dance companies in the beautiful parks of Akron, Ohio. The festival kicks off with Verb “Ohio Contemporary Ballet” at Forest Lodge Park July 28th and 29th. The following weekend, on August 4th and 5th, Groundworks Dance Theater will perform at Firestone Park. The performance series will finish off with Dayton Contemporary Dance Co. on August 11th and 12th at Goodyear Heights Metro Park. All six nights of park performances will begin at 8:45pm.

A new addition to the festival this year is a performance by Inlet Dance Theatre at the Akron Arts Museum taking place at 6:30pm on August 3rd. Additionally, Inlet Dance Theatre will hold educational performances on August 1st at Patterson Park Community Center at 10:30am and Joy Park Community Center at 1:30pm, and a community performance on August 9th at SHAW JCC at 2:00pm. These special programs include narrative performances highlighting Inlet’s repertory work along with a new work featuring Ghanaian dancers/choreographers and traditional Polynesian dances shared by Polynesian dancers of Pacific Paradise Entertainment. For more information regarding the Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival please visit the link below.

Cost: All Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival Events are free admission!

GroundWorks DanceTheater

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