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.
The Artists of 21st Century Dance Practices
NCCAkron and The University of Akron School of Dance, Theatre, and Arts Administration (DTAA) are proud to 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 line up 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."
%20(3).png)
NCCAkron Team Triples in Size
After a nationwide search including 85 applicants, NCCAkron announces four new hires: three Program Managers Erin Donohue (Phoenix, AZ), Michelle Sipes (Nashville, TN), and Michelle Yard (Brooklyn, NY); and Marketing & Communications Manager Christi Welter (Pittsburgh, PA).
“As we all continue to emerge and become, 2022 was a particularly transformative year for NCCAkron,” reflected Executive/Artistic Director Christy Bolingbroke. “Entering our eighth year of operation, I could not be more thrilled to have engaged these new colleagues, not only to fulfill our commitment to artists but also to imagine what we might do next.”
.png)
We're Growing
NCCAkron has voted four new members to its board of directors: Dacquiri Baptiste (Memphis, TN), Meg Booth (Houston, TX),
DeMarcus Akeem Suggs (Minneapolis, MN), and Christy Bolingbroke (Akron, OH).
In addition to expanding the board to better represent the field we serve, NCCAkron seeks to consciously model a more equitable distribution of power. As a two-year governance experiment, the board unanimously elected Bolingbroke (the person in the role) as a voting board member versus the Executive/Artistic Director (the role) as an ex-officio non-voting member.
.png)
Provide space for artists to exchange knowledge and/or try something new.
Support opportunities for dance makers, writers, and artist-administrators to deepen their practice and realize their visions, at any stage of their creative process.
Elevate the voices of artists through documentation, publishing, archiving, and writing.
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.
“I would consider NCCAkron as a place where ideas can become reality. Experiments build curiosity.”
- NCCAKRON ALUMNI ARTIST
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