Community Dance Project
Each summer, Community Dance Project, sponsored by Happendance, presents hour-long concerts of modern dance by both seasoned and novice choreographers and features community dancers to present these exciting new works. Performances are free and open to the public. Venues include a formal auditorium, intimate indoor space, and a large outdoor festival. All are handicapper accessible.
2011 Performances:
- July 27-28, 8 PM, LCC’s Dart Auditorium
- August 5, 8 PM, Scene Metrospace, East Lansing
- August 6, 2 PM, Lansing JazzFest Old Town
~See photos of past CDP shows here.~
Community Dance Project (CDP) was founded in 2005 as the brain child of veteran Happendance performer, choreographer, and artistic director Matt Bebermeyer. It is a unique venture that strives to bring the art of modern dance to the forefront of community arts experiences, and make modern dance accessible on several different levels.
- First, CDP nurtures the creative process. Novice choreographers are paired with experienced choreographers. They are guided through the choreographic process as well as rehearsal strategies and production considerations.
- Second, CDP connects dance artists from various community dance agencies/businesses, and welcomes untrained dancers as well, especially in the years in which a large community dance (40+ people with a wide range of ages and abilities) is included.
- Third, CDP strives to make modern dance more understandable to the public. Within the informal performance structure, prior to the presentation of each dance the choreographer verbally shares his/her intentions and process with the audience. At the conclusion of the show, dancers and choreographers answer audience questions in a talk-back session.
Happendance, in partnership with Lansing Community College’s Dance Program (and through 2010, the local business Terspichore's Mentor), orchestrates the management of the Community Dance Project each year. The CDP Leadership Team includes members from these sponsor agencies as well as the current CDP artistic director.
New sponsors (agencies who offer their time and resources to the Leadership Team) as well as new supporters (communities or businesses who offer their facilities for rehearsal and/or performance, or other resources) are welcome.
Historically, the project has received mini-grants from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, with the help of Arts Council of Greater Lansing, for minimal production costs and guest artist workshops. The 2012 project will benefit from funding by Capital Region Community Foundation.
The mission of the Community Dance Project is to enhance the understanding and accessibility of the modern dance genre by providing the foundation to share knowledge between novice and experienced choreographers, to expose audiences to the choreographic process, to strengthen relationships among various community dance agencies and to perform in a variety of venues that bring modern dance to the Greater Lansing community.