Cleveland Public Theatre Presents DanceWorks 2023 in Two Parts

Cleveland Public Theatre will present DanceWorks 2023, an annual showcase of contemporary dance. This year's event will be presented in two parts with the first running February 23 through March 11, 2023, with part two running in the spring.

Three weekends of performances will take place in Cleveland Public Theatre's Gordon Square Theatre, located at 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio in the heart of the Gordon Square neighborhood.

PART ONE

Week 1: February 23-25

MADJAX DANCE COMPANY: Release

MadJax Dance Company presents Release, a collection of work that encapsulates the idea of vulnerability "juxta positioned" by power and strength in today's society bridging together age, race, and sexuality into a platform of powerful, thought-provoking works. Release explores the roles of women carrying the weight of societal expectations while maintaining a sense of self-awareness, inner strength and independence struggling to let go of painful feelings and memories from the past desperate for connection to people or a higher power. The audience is invited to explore their own emotions through a visual smorgasbord ranging from fun, quirky, lighthearted shenanigans to deep sorrows that happen along life's journey filled with choices, connections, and memories.

MadJax Dance Company (MJDC) was created amidst a pandemic in June 2020 by Artistic Director Madi D. Jackson. Furthering the community is as much a priority to MadJax Dance Company as getting on stage; making its mission to foster growth in others through training, performance, and interconnection. It is considered an all-level, multi-generational dance company allowing for inclusivity to all technical skill sets and abilities. Madi Jackson has a seamless way of bringing together performers interested in social activism and proudly boasts company members that lift the world around them through philanthropy. Civic engagement is a pillar for the company and often a muse for its movement.

www.madjaxdance.com

Week 2: March 2-4

INLET DANCE THEATRE COMPANY: Experiences: Lived and Imagined

Inlet Dance Theatre will present Experiences: Lived and Imagined as part of DanceWorks 2023. The first half of the concert focuses on repertory inspired by lived experiences and stories of community members gathered via collaborations with numerous organizations. The second half of the concert leverages creativity and imagination, exploring what might be.

Inlet Dance Theatre is one of the most unique professional contemporary dance companies hailing from the Midwest because Inlet's ensemble-based culture, rooted in American Modern Dance, purposefully focuses on craftsmanship and mastery while employing a collaborative creative process in the development of new work. Founded in Cleveland (OH) in 2001 by Executive/Artistic Director Bill Wade, Inlet embodies his long standing belief that a collaborative creative process is more inclusive than the traditional autocratic leadership hierarchy and results in work that is surprisingly diverse. Inlet's repertory intentionally speaks creatively about human life issues in a life-giving manner. The company presents a wide aesthetic range of works, from abstract to narrative, that speaks to what could be, rather than only what is. Inlet develops and teaches people from the inside-out in all of the company's design-centric programming, "using dance to further people." www.inletdance.org

Week 3: March 9-11:

REFLECTIONS DANCE THEATER: Silver Lining

Silver Lining is a dance piece that is based on redlining. Red lining is a discriminatory practice in which services are withheld from potential customers who reside in neighborhoods classified as "hazardous" to investment. These neighborhoods have significant numbers of racial and ethnic minorities, and low-income residents. The piece focuses on the resilience of Black and brown communities to find joy against the odds.

Since 2022, Reflections Dance Theater, founded by Glenville native Nehemiah Spencer, has become nationally recognized for its "powerhouse performances" that reflect on issues affecting Cleveland communities, such as poverty, discrimination, and homelessness. Also, within its first year, the company entered and won the nationally renowned gospel music competition How Sweet the Sound 2022 in its inaugural year of featuring a dance category. www.reflectionsdancetheater.com

TICKET & SHOW INFORMATION

DANCEWORKS 2023 (Part One) runs February 23 - March 11, 2023. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:00pm in CPT's Gordon Square Theatre, located at 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44102, in the heart of the Gordon Square Arts District.

DANCEWORKS 2023 PART TWO

DanceWorks Part Two runs April 20 through May 13, 2023 and will feature Morrisondance, Verb Ballets, Mojuba Dance Collective and Shri Kalaa Mandir. Details will be announced at a later date.

CHOOSE WHAT YOU PAY tickets starting at $1 can be purchased without handling fees online at www.cptonline.org or by phone through the Box Office at 216.631.2727 ext. 501.