Meet Dogwood Dance Project | Best Performance Dance Company | 2020
Meet Dogwood Dance Project
Best Performance Dance Company
Dancers of RVA
Dogwood Dance Project started in 2010 because 5 college friends wanted to continue to dance together after graduation, and we think what makes Dogwood so special is that the company really hasn’t changed as far as that simple goal over the past 10 years. Though we’ve said goodbye to original company members, welcomed new dancers, commissioned work from upwards of 15 Virginia choreographers and performed across the state, at its core Dogwood is still simply about the opportunity to do what we love with people we love in rehearsal every week. With all the changes that have taken place in our lives--moves, career switches, weddings, babies and so much more--we wouldn’t still be doing this if it wasn’t really all about the love between friends.
For the first few years Dogwood’s company dancers lived throughout the Commonwealth; we had dancers in Charlottesville, Richmond, Chesapeake and various locations in between, so we rotated rehearsal locations each week. We put a lot of miles on our cars, but this also allowed us to maximize our opportunities to rehearse, teach, perform for and interact with as many different populations as possible. We performed at First Fridays in Charlottesville and Richmond, were commissioned for choreography, masterclasses and residencies in Mechanicsville, Petersburg, Crozet and Orange, and we performed across the state, in Maryland and in D.C. We were chosen as one of the Piedmont Arts Council’s Arts Inspire grantees, we were selected as an En Route! Company for their 2013 tour and, over the years, have repeatedly performed in the Richmond Dance Festival and in our own annual season concert.
With so many of our company members working in arts education, providing opportunities for youth dancers as a part of our work became a fundamental part of the company’s mission early in our history. The Dogwood Dance Youth Ensemble has allowed us to work with dozens of college-bound dancers over the past 9 years, and these groups of students have the unique opportunity to get a behind the scenes perspective of an independent modern dance company. They’re included in our rehearsal and production processes and we’ve been able to commission guest choreographers for this group as well, giving student dancers the opportunity to work with teachers and choreographers they wouldn’t normally gain access to in the studio dance environment. Even better, through the generosity of donors Dogwood has always been able to offer this experience free to selected student dancers. We love feeling that a part of our legacy is in the futures of student dancers across the Richmond-metro area.
Dogwood celebrates our 10th anniversary season this year and we feel so grateful to have this outlet and this community especially during such a challenging and unprecedented time for dance and the arts. We’re meeting, connecting and creating in new ways to commemorate this milestone year, and we can’t help but feel so grateful for the timing of this humbling nomination. Being the “best” has never motivated our work which makes it a huge honor, 10 years in, to know we’ve made an impact. The Richmond dance community is truly a beautiful place to work, and we’re so honored to be among the incredible company of the other nominees in this category.
Here’s to the next 10 years of Dogwood Dance Project!
We are so excited to introduce our featured dancers for the upcoming 2nd annual RVA Dance Awards. The 2020 RVA Dance Awards is a live show that celebrates creativity, leadership and innovation by recognizing excellence within our Central Virginia dance community. This event will be held December 2nd virtually.