Dance Place continues to explore the theme of our 45th season, Home Is Coming, to acknowledge the complex realities of our time while envisioning a future built on compassion, creativity, and collective care. We understand that at the heart of every groundbreaking dance work is a vision, a space to explore, and support that allows the artist to bring that vision to life. We remain steadfast in our mission to support the creation and development of new dance work by artists and companies from the Washington, DC area and around the United States.
One of the ways we do so is through the Carla Perlo Fund for Choreography and Performance, Since 2017, the Fund has served as a catalyst for new work at Dance Place, fueling bold, genre-defying choreographers and honoring the legacy of a woman who helped shape the contemporary dance landscape: Carla Perlo, Founding Director Emerita of Dance Place.
Dance Place is proud to share the following artists receiving The Carla Perlo Fund for Choreography and Performance for the 45th season: Mark Caserta, Ronya-Lee Anderson, and Kimberly Bartosik.
Kimberly Bartosik/daela will present bLUr on November 20 & 21 at 7 PM. bLUr is a highly physical and emotionally intense exploration of witnessing a loved one’s overdose, using visceral movement to embody the violent cravings, internal battles, and the struggle for survival that transcends specific narratives of the opioid crisis. Through repeating cycles, the work illuminates the urgent fight against these desires, the blurred line between craving and rescue, and a raw portrayal of intense longing and forceful intervention.
bLUr is co-commissioned by L’Alliance NY’s Crossing the Line Festival AND by ADF with support from the Doris Duke/SHS Foundations Award for New Works. bLUr is also made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and The Mellon Foundation. General Operating Support was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project with funding from the Doris Duke Foundation. bLUr is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and with Project Support from The Harkness Foundation for Dance. bLUr was developed in residency at Marble House Project, the Ragdale Foundation during a Sybil Shearer Fellowship, and as an Artist in Residency at Bates Dance Festival. bLUr is also supported through the generosity of individual donors, with major support by John Robinson.
BIGKID DANCE, directed by Mark Caserta, will present If I Die Before the Revolution on November 6 & 7 at 7 PM. This evening-length contemporary dance theater work acts as a fantastical farewell for queer individuals facing a collapsing world. It portrays a unique queer experience through fear, love, loneliness, death, and legacies. As time runs out, the ‘queer’ archetype confronts invisibility while fighting for their existence. This work honors and celebrates queer life in the face of overwhelming challenges.
Ronya-Lee Anderson will present Flight! 1.0 on June 20 & 21 at 7 PM. Flight! 1.0 is an evening-length dance work that investigates marronage as a method of placemaking and explores the life and legacy of Queen Nanny: a great warrior and healer who led the Windward Jamaican maroons in fighting off the British army. Original live music and text combine with inventive movement melding West African, ballet, Afro-Caribbean, and modern dance reflective of mixed-race maroon communities. The work invites witnesses into active meditation on collective world-building.
Established by the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation, The Carla Perlo Fund for Choreography & Performance embodies the spirit of artistic legacy, community care, and visionary leadership. The Fund supports new dance creations and artist residencies at Dance Place, reinforcing the organization’s ongoing commitment to artistic excellence.
Past recipients of the Fund include Sarah Beth Oppenheim, Sean Dorsey, Sydnie L. Mosley and more. Their works have centered the experiences and voices of underrepresented communities, including spotlighting a powerhouse ensemble of queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming dancers; amplifying the voices of women and nonbinary dancers; and creating space for caretaking in support of Parent Artists.
Tickets are on sale now for bLUr, If I Die Before the Revolution and Flight! 1.0.