Seattle's Hub for Contemporary Dance and Performance Celebrates A Remarkable 20 Years

For 20 years, Velocity has gathered people on Capitol Hill around a common love of making, experiencing, experimenting and watching dance. But in recent years, since a new team came onboard after Velocity lost its home in the old Oddfellows Building, it's been on-fire: growing ticket sales 348% over four years, launching Seattle artists onto the national stage, and garnering attention from around the country for its visionary leadership as an artist-led, community centered dance center.

As Capitol Hill goes through dramatic changes, Velocity has safeguarded a vital art space in their primary home on 12th Avenue, and recently stepped-up to manage V2, a temporary pop-up art space in the old Value Village that has been activated by hundreds of artists and community groups since April.

Five years ago, at The Edge of the Great Recession, Velocity had a debt and deficit compounded by an emergency capitol campaign, and audiences were diminishing. But by 2013, after re-examining its mission and core values, Velocity re-emerged debt-free with a revenue growth of 265%. As Velocity celebrates 20 years, it is thriving - its creative entrepreneurship putting it on a healthy-course that is full-steam ahead!

In recent years, Velocity's new signature program, Made in Seattle, has produced projects with Ezra Dickinson, Kate Wallich, Alice Gosti, Amy O'Neal, Danielle Agami, Cherdonna Shinatra. . . that have been catalytic for their careers. In the first four years of Made in Seattle, Velocity developed nine projects that helped propel Seattle artists onto the national stage. Wallich's Made in Seattle production Industrial Ballet filled more than 900 seats at the historic Moore Theatre, and was later presented by the prestigious Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Gosti's Bodies of Water recently brought a 5-hour performance to thousands of audiences at the Seattle Waterfront. Through Made in Seattle, Velocity's artistic director also works one-on-one with artists helping them strategize everything from their next career moves to how their work is in dialogue with the communities around them. In 2015, when Dance Magazine named the "25 Artists to Watch" internationally- three of the 25 artists were Made in Seattle Alum.

Velocity has produced, presented, and hosted countless local, national, and international contemporary performance stars including Ralph Lemon, Bebe Miller, Darrell Jones, Tere O'Connor, Pat Graney, Reggie Watts, Miguel Gutierrez, Anouk van Dijk, Deborah Hay, Faye Driscoll, 33 Fainting Spells, KT Niehoff, Zoe Scofield/Juniper Shuey, Danielle Agami, Monica Bill Barnes & Co, and many more.

To see a list of upcoming events in Velocity's 20th Anniversary Season or to learn more about this national beacon for new dance, visit VELOCITYDANCECENTER.ORG.