Carla Perlo

Carla Perlo has made a lifetime commitment to the fields of dance, youth education and community revitalization through the arts. She is co-founder Dance Place in Washington, DC and for thirty-seven years served as its visionary Founding Director. In August 2017, Carla transitioned to Director Emerita. Carla is currently the Director of a not for profit organization, Carla Creative, Inc. that presents artistic educational programs in schools and other community settings. To learn more about Carla Creative visit www.carlacreative.net. In addition Carla is on Dance Place’s teaching faculty and is a guest instructor in their Energizers youth program, Horticulture/Garden instructor for Montgomery County Recreation and dance instructor at the YMCA in Silver Spring, Md. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree and is a certified teacher. Her areas of expertise include modern dance, youth education, horticulture, garden cultivation and creative placemaking. She has performed and taught in the UK, France, Italy, Israel, Cuba and Brazil.

Carla Perlo’s Saturday Morning Modern Dance Class 

Beginning/Advanced Beginning 

 Carla Perlo’s modern dance class is a creative experience that enhances physical health, emotional wellness and the feeling of connectedness to self and a community of dancers.  The class accommodates beginning to advanced dancers, ranging in age from teens to people in their 80s.  The class is structured with floor exercises, a standing warm up that focuses on alignment of the spine and balance, and a dance combination that is either completed in one or two classes.  The combination is always preceded with a lead up which breaks the combination into smaller segments.  Improvisation and a circle dance are always included..  The combinations often reflect themes from Carla’s life experiences.  Locomotor movements and combinations across the floor enhance endurance, fluidity and a sense of freedom.  The class concludes with a step dance to energize the heart, soul and sense of community.  The class enjoys professional live accompaniment by percussionist extraordinaire, Sam Turner and oftentimes musical guest, Jason Walker.  The class welcomes first-time students as well as those who have been taking class with Carla for many decades. 

Résumé

Carla Perlo 

134 Grant Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912

carlaperlo@gmail.com 240-353-2418 

Carla Perlo has made a lifetime commitment to the fields of dance, visual arts, youth education and community building. 

1980 – 2017 Founding Director, Dance Place – Washington, DC 

• Programmed annual presentation series with local, national and international artists and developed arts networks of presenting partners 

• Coordinator for $400,000 Challenge Grant from the NEA in 1990 and $2,400,000 Challenge 

Grant Consortium Grant from the NEA 1990-1994 

• Management; staff hiring, training and evaluation; facility management; business development; strategic planning; artistic leadership. 

• Led development efforts in garnering foundation, corporate, government and individual 

support, including $4,500,000 capital campaign 2011-2016 

• Established and developed education curriculum for Energizers youth development programming, including life skills, visual arts, horticulture and financial literacy. 

• Artistic Director of Carla & Company 1991-2011; POP (People Objects Play) teen 

movement performing company 2012-2017 

• Established partnership with Artspace Projects, Inc. to create multi-phase Arts Campus including renovated Dance Place, Brookland Artspace Lofts and 8th St Arts Park 

• Developed creative placemaking series Artland/Brookland and Art on 8th 

• Directed and Exhibited artwork at 12th St Gallery (2011) and Studio 21 (2014-2015) 

Other Experience 

2023-2024 Director Carla Creative Inc. presenting performing, visual & garden art. 

2023 Presented The Rainbow Bird performances and workshops in schools & camps 2020-2022 Commissioned to Choreograph a new work for “Class – The Carla Perlo Story” to 

accompany the documentary film being presented at Dance Place March 26 & 27 and Reston Center Stage April 6, 2022 

2021 Created & Performed dance interactive videos for the Jewish Grandparents Network 

2020-2021 Illustrator of the children’s storybook “The Rainbow Bird” 1980-present Instructor of Dance @ Dance Place 

2020-2021 Instructor Horticulture/Garden Art & Visual Arts & Crafts for Future Leaders Youth Center & Takoma Park Recreation 

2021 Financial Literacy Cornerstones for DCPS, Arts & Crafts for Takoma Park Recreation 

2019 -2020 Substitute teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools –Maryland 2017-2018 Resident Artist and Director of the 12th Street Visual Art Gallery– DC 2014- present Horticulture teacher for Piney Branch Middle School—Takoma Park, MD 

Sponsored by Montgomery County Recreation 

2016-2018 Tour manager for “What’s Going On” dance production – Washington, DC 

2016 Commissioned to create Environmental Coloring Book by DC Department of 

Energy & Environment (DOEE). 

2015 Visual Public Art Commission by the City of Mt. Rainier 

Consulting 

2024 YMCA Silver Spring to create a dance program 2022-2023 Interact Story Theater 

2019 Movius – 14th Street Loft– Washington, DC 2020-2021 Southwest Partnership Lord Baltimore Theatre 2018 The Lumberyard – Catskill, New York 

2017-2018 Arts Greensboro and Dance Projects, Inc. – Greensboro, North Carolina 

2011 Brooklyn Academy of Music, “Ignite” youth programming—Brooklyn, New York 

Panel Service 

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation; New England Foundation for the Arts; Massachusetts Arts Council; Maryland State Arts Council; USA Artists International; DanceMotion USA, Doris Duke Foundation. 

Selected Speaking Engagements 

Grantmakers in the Arts (2011); Annual Conference on Cultural Diplomacy (2012); Dance USA Dance Forum (2017); Dance USA/ Wallace Foundation Building Dance Audiences (2017); Rural LISC (2016); Artists and Neighborhood Change Conference (2013; DeVos Institute (2019) 

Selected Awards 

Washingtonian Magazine’s Washingtonian of the Year (1997); WETA’s Hometown Hero (2001); Dance Metro DC Dance Awards Special Recognition (2002); Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington’s Outstanding Founders Award (2003); Alan M. Kriegsman Award (2006); DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Service to the Arts (2014); Pola Nirenska Lifetime Achievement Award (2017); DanceUSA Ernie Award (2018); Maryland State Arts Council Creativity Award (2021); Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (2021). 

Education 

1973 University of Cincinnati, Bachelor of Science in Education, Cum Laude 

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