Desert Dance Theatre Inc

Desert Dance Theatre is the longest existing dance company in Arizona. We have paved the way for dance companies to emerge into a larger dance community than when we first started. Help us to continue to serve our Arizona communities with quality dance programs that fulfill their cultural, artistic and educational needs. Your contribution will support programs, such as performances in the schools, Arizona Dance Festival, the Genesis Dance Project, Sister Moses: The Story of Harriet Tubman, and the mounting of new and reconstructed dance repertory works.

About the company ~
Desert Dance Theatre is a contemporary dance company that was founded in 1979 by four ASU Dance Graduates. Currently, under the artistic direction of Lisa R. Chow and Step Raptis, Desert Dance Theatre has an eclectic variety of dances in the current repertory, which range from classical, comical, abstract and theatrical. The company is comprised of experienced performers, choreographers and enthusiastic educators who strive to bring the openness, spontaneity and diversity of dance to the public. The company offers a variety of quality programs to schools and communities that are inspiring, entertaining and educational, including: master classes, lecture demonstrations and performances.

We have been on the roster of the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and was fortunate to tour throughout rural areas of Arizona and in Mexico as part of the Bi-cultural program and exchange, providing residency outreach programs. For several years, we have also hosted the Arizona Dance Festival and have hosted The Genesis Dance Project, which provide professional and emerging dance companies the opportunity to showcase their work.

Desert Dance Theatre also specializes in theme-related programs that focus on cultural diversity and about the lives of prominent people who have fought for freedom in America through the form of music/dance/dramas. We have completed a trilogy of civil rights productions, “Free At Last,” “Sister Moses: The Story of Harriet Tubman,” and “Judgments,” each of which may be featured along with current repertory. The company has also collaborated with String Sounds (string quartet), touring and performing over a thousand children’s performances in elementary schools since 1985. We have performed “Sister Moses” to over 100,000 audience members since 1993.

Through its Guest Choreographer Series, the company also performs commissioned works by choreographers of national and international acclaim. The new works continue to enhance the diversity of the current repertory.