Welcome! We invite you to move through our site and see all the opportunities NCCAkron creates for artists to engage with one another, their communities, the city of Akron, and the national dance ecosystem.
The National Center for Choreography at The University of Akron (NCCAkron) supports working dance artists as they experiment, engage in the creative process, and advocate for their work and for the field.
Join NCCAkron for Upcoming Live Events
Choreographer Alexandra Barbier (Urbana, IL) shares a solo work-in-process titled I'll Never Be Beyoncé. This is an excerpt from Stations of Black Loss, a 14-part, autobiographical, interdisciplinary body of work that chronicles Alexandra’s journey of learning to love and embrace Black Identity.
And Pittsburgh, PA-based slowdanger (anna thompson + taylor knight) will share a group excerpt from SUPERCELL, an evening-length multidisciplinary quintet work-in-process, responding to climate change, media sensationalism, desensitization, and environmental collapse.
Or stop by to listen to a quick chat. This spring, NCCAkron and The University of Akron School of Dance, Theatre, and Arts Administration host Inside the Dancer's Studio, a live conversation series with choreographers from around the country. These free morning talks explore creativity, the craft of choreography, and navigating an artistic career.
NCCAkron Releases a New Long-Form Podcast Series
NCCAkron has launched How People Move People, a long-form podcast that brings investigative journalism to dance. This four-part audio series features six-episode arcs, each crafted by a lead researcher. Listeners will discover how the lives and stories of others impact artistic journeys – the choreography of cultural influence.
Cara Hagan (New York, NY) is a choreographer, a professor, a mother, and the host of Series One. Titled “Back and Forth,” it is a love letter to Black girlhood through the lens of pop culture. Later this spring in Series Two, Jose Solís (Madrid, Spain) chronicles the legacy of individuals who lost their lives to AIDS. Solís travels through Central and South America and Spain, surfacing stories in the dual language series about what we leave behind. Series three and four will be released in late 2023 and early 2024.
The Artists of 21st Century Dance Practices
NCCAkron and The University of Akron School of Dance, Theatre, and Arts Administration (DTAA) announce the fourth year of 21st Century Dance Practices, a capsule series of classes guest taught by today’s working dance artists. The six choreographers and companies include The Era Footwork Crew (Chicago, IL), Errin Weaver (Cleveland, OH), André M. Zachery (Brooklyn, NY), BRKFST Dance Company (Saint Paul, MN), Raphael Xavier (Philadelphia, PA), and slowdanger (anna thompson + taylor knight) (Pittsburgh, PA).
"I am really thrilled by this lineup of talented artists, whom I truly believe, will be able to challenge our dancers in this constantly evolving world of dance,” says Wilfried Souly, Assistant Professor of Dance. “NCCAkron, our long-time partner, always introduces our students to artists who are contributing to shaping dance and our world."
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OUR IMPACT
NCCAkron aims to foster geographic equity and to fulfill our potential as a national center. We commit to supporting a stronger, more visibly connected network focused on research and development across the dance ecosystem.
NCCAkron’s social media and its monthly digital newsletters share inspiration, opportunities and insight on what’s happening at the Center and in the field.
Photo credits: Above video contains images courtesy Dale Dong Photography; Mike Crupi; Jonny Riese