Rainbow Dance Theatre (RDT)
offers a wide variety of workshop and residency options from traditional Modern
Dance and repertory to non-traditional partnering and improvisation.Also available are workshops in several World
Dance styles including Hip Hop, Salsa, Hawaiian Dance and West African Dance
and Drumming, In-the-schools residencies include inter-active performances and
workshops in Hip Hop and West African Dance and Drumming.Special programs for at-risk youth develop
cooperative skills and self-esteem.
1)Master classes:Company
members lead master classes in a variety of styles including Hip Hop and Break
Dancing, African Dance and Drumming, Hawaiian Dance, Salsa, Modern Dance, Dance
Composition, Contact Improvisation and Partnering, and Body Conditioning.
2)Residencies:Residencies
of three days to three weeks offer in-depth training in one or more of the
dance styles listed above, up to three classes per day, and can be paired with
repertory classes where students learn excerpts from the RDT repertory.In residencies of at least one week, a new
commissioned work can be set on selected student, community or professional
dancers.
3)In-the-Schools Performances and Workshops:RDT’s The Roots of Hip Hop and its
Day with Rainbow Dance Theatre offer youth programming for elementary
through high school students.The Roots of Hip Hop takes audiences on
a cultural history adventure that traces the popular urban African-American
dance style Hip Hop back to its roots in African dancing and drumming.Through dance performances, audience
participation in dance and drumming, short vignettes and information “bytes”, The Roots of Hip Hop celebrates the rich
cultural heritage of today’s African-American community.A Day
with Rainbow Dance Theatre includes The
Roots of Hip Hop performance followed by 2-4 workshops in West African
Dance and Drumming and/ or Hip Hop and Break Dancing.Each workshop can hold up to 40
students.The “Day” can be expanded to 2-3 days to serve a greater portion of the
student population in the individualized workshops.
4)Special programs for Youth-at-Risk: Led by Darryl Thomas, RDT’s The Rainbow Project offers an engaging, non-competitive dance
experience for youth with special needs, emphasizing Hip Hop and Break Dancing,
raw, athletic dance movement, and non-traditional partnering as skills to
foster cooperation, focus and group interaction.Contact time can be up to 6 hours per day,
which can be focused on just one group or can be divided into up to three
separate workshops in one day.Rainbow Project residencies of at least
one week can culminate in the performance of a dance work choreographed in
collaboration with the youth participants.
5)Commissions:Artistic Directors Darryl Thomas and Valerie
Bergman set a new work or a work from the RDT Repertory on local community or
company dancers.A minimum of one week
(7 days), 5 hours per day is needed for a commission. Choreography is tailored
to meet the needs and abilities of the individual groups.
