Shawl-Anderson Modern Dance Center

SHAWL-ANDERSON DANCE CENTER (SADC) BUILDS AND SUPPORTS A VITAL AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY FOR MOVERS OF ALL AGES AND STYLES.

THE YOUTH PROGRAM AT SHAWL ANDERSON DANCE CENTER PROVIDES PEOPLE AGES 1.5 TO AGE 18 WITH 40 CLASSES EACH WEEK IN MODERN, JAZZ, HIP HOP, BALLET, CREATIVE MOVEMENT AND MORE. THE PROGRAM INCLUDES FOUR PERFORMANCE GROUPS THAT ENGAGE IN CHOREOGRAPHY OR HAVE WORK SET ON THEM BY LOCAL PROFESSIONAL CHOREOGRAPHERS. IN THE SUMMER, WE OFFER BETWEEN 8 TO 10 WEEK LONG CAMPS AND INTENSIVES FOR AGES 5 TO 18 SO THAT YOUTH CAN HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN A DANCE EXPERIENCE THAT IS CENTERED SOMETIMES ON WESTERN CONTEMPORARY AND TRADITIONAL FORMS AS WELL AS DANCES FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE. WE ENGAGE OVER 30 TEACHING ARTISTS WHOSE CREDENTIALS RANGE FORM PROFESSIONAL DANCERS TO COLLEGE GRADUATES AND THOSE WITH POSTGRADUATE DEGREES IN DANCE, THE ARTS AND EDUCATION. WE PROVIDED DANCE PROGRAMMING FOR 400 YOUTH THROUGHOUT THE FISCAL YEAR.

ADULT PROGRAM- SHAWL-ANDERSON DANCE CENTER OFFERS APPROXIMATELY 40 CLASSES PER WEEK FOR BEGINNERS THROUGH PROFESSIONAL ADULTS IN BALLET, MODERN, JAZZ, HIP-HOP, YOGA, ALIGNMENT, PILATES AND OTHER SOMATIC AND MOVEMENT PRACTICES. CLASSES ARE OFFERED IN-PERSON AS WELL AS ONLINE AND OUTDOORS TO ACCOMMODATE VARIOUS LEVELS OF COVID CONCERN. WORKSHOPS 1-10 HOURS IN LENGTH OVER 1-6 SESSIONS ARE OFFERED YEAR-ROUND IN OVER 20 DIFFERENT STYLES OF DANCE AND MOVEMENT PRACTICE. ADULT STUDENTS RANGE FROM AGE 18 TO OVER 90 YEARS OF AGE AND WE SERVE OVER 1,500 PEOPLE EACH YEAR THROUGH THE PROGRAM. ALL CLASSES AND INSTRUCTORS FOCUS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WHOLE PERSON AS WELL THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF DANCE IN A SUPPORTIVE, NON-COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT. MOVING TOGETHER TO BUILD COMMUNITY AND INCREASE BELONGING ARE KEY TO THE PROGRAM. EVIDENCE FROM SURVEYS, INFORMAL DIALOGUE AND ASSESSMENTS SHOW THAT DANCING TOGETHER IN A SAFE, SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY INCREASES PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING FOR BOTH THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE COLLECTIVE.

PROFESSIONAL DANCE PROGRAM: SHAWL-ANDERSON DANCE CENTER'S PROFESSIONAL DANCE PROGRAMMING SUPPORTS LOCAL AND REGIONAL ARTISTS THROUGH PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES, RESIDENCIES, FISCAL SPONSORSHIP AND SPACE RENTALS. THESE PROGRAMS ARE YEAR-ROUND AND CUMULATIVELY SUPPORT THE WORK OF OVER 75 LOCAL CHOREOGRAPHERS AND PERFORMERS EACH YEAR. FROM JULY 1, 2021 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2022 SHAWL-ANDERSON DANCE CENTER WAS ABLE TO RESUME IN-PERSON PERFORMANCES AS PROGRAMMED BY THE QUEERING DANCE FESTIVAL. THE FESTIVAL EVENTS ARE PRODUCED BY A STEERING COMMITTEE, WHICH OFFERED A SERIES OF INDOOR, OUTDOOR AND ONLINE EVENTS INCLUDING FILMS, LIVE PERFORMANCE AND SPECIALTY CLASSES. OUR MAIN FACILITY AT 2704 ALCATRAZ IN BERKELEY WAS OPEN ALL YEAR TO RENTERS, RESIDENT ARTISTS AND REHEARSALS. TOGETHER THESE PROGRAMS HAVE SERVED APPROXIMATELY 75 ARTISTS AND 400 AUDIENCE MEMBERS DURING THE YEAR. SHAWL-ANDERSON DANCE CENTER HAS ALSO CONTINUED ITS FISCAL SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM, SUPPORTING A DOZEN SMALL DANCE COMPANIES IN SECURING GRANTS AND DONATIONS TO SUPPORT, EXPAND AND PRESENT THEIR WORK. THESE PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS ARE PART OF AN IMPORTANT ECOSYSTEM IN THE BAY AREA THAT ALLOWS THE WORK OF EMERGING DANCE ARTISTS AND SMALL DANCE COMPANIES TO BE CREATED AND SHARED FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC.