Dance Houston
MISSION: The mission of Dance Houston is to increase dance appreciation in Houston. To accomplish this goal, Dance Houston aims to raise the awareness and attractiveness of dance in and around Houston and to make dance more accessible to Houston patrons. We facilitate and encourage collaboration amongst companies and choreographers and provide educational and performance opportunities to dancers of many styles.
VALUES: Dance Houston believes dance is the expression of a people. We strive to present a kind and caliber of dance performance that represents and engages the people of Houston. We respect and appreciate the diverse cultures and aesthetics that thrive in Houston, and we believe they should have a place on the Houston stage. Through innovative, multi-cultural programming, we intend to portray Houston as a sophisticated city that is an exciting place to live and visit.
HISTORY: Dance Houston was founded in 2003 by Andrea Cody with the aim to raise awareness and support of dance in and around Houston while making it more accessible for the general public. It is best known for its first and signature event, Dance Houston, a City-Wide Dance Festival featuring 12 - 18 companies in a single performance.
In the past five years, Dance Houston has presented 10 major events, becoming one of the leading dance organizations and has contributed greatly to the successful growth of the arts community. Some of the productions include the City–Wide Dance Festival, The Winter Formal, and Flamenco en Vivo (soon to become Vida del Baile), all receiving acclaim from critics and patrons.
In 2008, more than fifteen dance companies were presented, two hundred dancers performed and two thousand supporters were in attendance at our festivals hosted at the Wortham Center. Our “Young Intense” summer camp served 45 youth with instruction by seasoned facilitators Amber Thornton, Kristina Koutsoudas, and Patricia Astorga. We look forward to the remainder of our calendar which entails a free outdoor festival on November 21st at Discovery Green called Home Grown Motion. We will also be offering free dance workshops at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in collaboration with the Body Worlds II exhibit.
Choreographers: Dance Houston helps foster the development of new choreographers in Houston and we love supporting Houston debuts. We have sponsored and produced premiere works for some of Houston's most talented choreographers including Flamenco en Vivo's Antonio Granjero, Urban Souls Dance Company's Harrison Guy, and Exhilaration EnCompassed's Jessalyn Pratka.
Address:
Dance Houston
406 W. Clay St.
Houston, TX 77019
Phone: 713.526.1049
Email: mail@dancehouston.org
Web: www.dancehouston.org
