around the country and abroad.


“I had an awareness of the issue, but nowis the time tomake funda- mental institutional changes to impact the community,” said Peter Boal.At the IABDconference,Boal and other artistic directors took part in a two-hour, round-table discussion on the lack of females of color in ballet companies. “Itwas an educational process and very productive. I was very excited that someone had taken the initiative tomake this happen. Itwas great to have a chance to talk to peoplewho have been working tirelessly on this issue for years.”


“The InternationalAssociation ofBlacks inDance not onlywants to prepare dancers of color to excel in the industry,we alsowant to break down the barriers that keep professional ballet and dance companies frombeing inclusive in their hiring process,” said IABDExecutive DirectorDenise Saunders Thompson. “By bringing the dancers and bal- let companies together,we are creating greater access to this specialized talent pool in one place, at one audition.”


DallasBlackDance Theatre is hosting the IABDConference and Festival inDallas, Texas on January 25–29, 2017,where the 2nd AnnualBalletAudition forWomen ofColorwill be held. IABDwill be providing the opportunity for professional directors at ballet companies to audition dozens ofBlack ballerinaswho are seeking contracts and professional training opportunities.


AnnWilliams, Founder ofDallasBlackDance Theatre and a founding member of IABDstates, “We are honored to haveBalletAuditions for Women ofColor as an integral part of this conference.”


Therewill also be the annualmulti-company auditions by IABDcom- panies that are looking to select youth for summer intensive programs aswell as future dancers for their companies. The upcoming auditions are part of the 29thAnnual InternationalConference and Festival of Blacks inDance,which is expectingmore than 800 participants from


The conference includes educational tracks designed tomeet the needs of professional-level, advanced, and student dancers aswell as dance administrators and instructors. The conferencewill be filledwithmas- ter classes, lecture/demonstrations, panels andworkshops suitable for agents, artistic directors, artists, choreographers, companymanagers, executive directors, historians, presenters, scholars and teachers. IABD has been the national service organization forBlack dance professionals for over 25 years, but it has become representative of all dancerswho are interested in the rich history, contribution and advancement of black dance performance and artistry.


Thursday, Friday and Saturday eveningswill showcase performances by internationally renowned dance companies includingAlvinAiley AmericanDance Theater and the founding companies of The InternationalAssociation ofBlacks inDance; PHILADANCO! (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania),Cleo ParkerRobinsonDance (Denver, Colorado),DallasBlackDance Theatre (Dallas, Texas),Dayton ContemporaryDanceCompany, (Dayton,Ohio) and LulaWashington Dance Theatre (LosAngeles,California).


ThursdayEvening: EmergingArtists&YouthEnsemble Showcase


FridayEvening: EstablishedArtists&Members Showcase SaturdayEvening: Founders&InternationalCompany Showcase


This is the seventh time thatDallasBlackDance Theatre has hosted the conference during its 29-year history and it is a part ofDBDT’s 40th Anniversary Season. The conference headquarters is the Sheraton DallasHotel, located at 400NorthOlive Street,Dallas, Texas 75201. Public performanceswill be held at theMajestic Theatre. For confer- ence details, visit http://www.iabdassociation.org/conference/


DANCE!NORTHTEXAS


a publication of the dance council of north texas


vol. 19 • no 4 www.thedancecouncil.org


November-January 2017 page 13


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