By Walter Rutledge
The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) is one of the heartland’s preeminent dance companies. The company is fifty-six years young and has remained rooted in sharing the experiences of Americans of African decent through movement. This 2016 conversation with DCDC Artistic Director Debbie Blunden- Diggs took place during the company’s performances of Rainbow Round My Shoulder as guest artists with the Paul Taylor Dance Company at State Theater in Lincoln Center.
The company received a Bessie Award (The New York Dance and Performance Awards) that same year for Outstanding Revival for Rainbow. Blunden and I discuss the importance of keeping masterworks like Rainbow alive and on stage for the next generation of balletomanes. Her comments and commitment still ring true as DCDC become the first African American modern dance company to perform one of Taylor’s signature masterwork Esplanade during the company’s 2024 Joyce Theater season October 2- 6. Continue reading
