About
Contemporary dance theater (cdt) was created in 1972 by jefferson james.
Moving bodies, moving souls: the essence of contemporary dance. Connecting the community with diverse and socially relevant dance and performance art.
History
Contemporary Dance Theater began as a repertory dance company in 1972 to promote the art of modern dance, following a two year experiment called Dance '70. Its vision was to provide a place for Cincinnati area dancers to perform and choreograph. CDT became a not-for-profit corporation in 1975, receiving non-profit recognition.
In the days of CDT's performing resident company, it performed at Wilson auditorium before its renovation, Xavier University, Emery Theatre, and the YWCA downtown where Contemporary Dance Theater had a studio theater from 1978-1981.
In Contemporary Dance Theater's first few years, it had moved from studio to studio, which became larger and larger. In 1981, the company moved to Corryville to "The Dance Hall," as they called it. The Dance Hall was an old barn of a building in Corryville, built as a community center of sorts and once the site of Boss Cox's political rallies. It had also been a bingo hall built over a swimming pool, which became the ballet studio with barres on tiled walls, while the main studio/theater sat above with hard maple wood floors running on the diagonal. This was CDT's home for 16 years, and it gave opportunities to local musicians and actors to perform, as well.
