Mutual Dance Theatre (formerly known as Contemporary Dance Theater and MamLuft&Co. Dance) Announces Season 50 Under New Name
CINCINNATI, OHIO — Mutual Dance Theatre and Arts Centers made headlines last year when a merger to form the organization was announced by Contemporary Dance Theater (est. 1972) and MamLuft&Co. Dance (est. 2007). Under Artistic and Executive Director, Jeanne Mam-Luft, Mutual Dance Theatre announces an exciting return of Modern Dance to the stage with Season 50 (adopting Contemporary Dance Theater’s numeration) in 2021-2022, kicking off right away in November.
The season features both home performances by the resident company, Mutual Dance Theatre, as well as the preservation of Contemporary Dance Theater’s most treasured program, formerly known as the Guest Artist Series. This jewel of the region brings nationally-significant art to our stages, schools, and community hubs. This year, the JJCDT features performances by the world-renowned PHILADANCO! (Philadelphia, PA) and the visually-fascinating Sidra Bell Dance NY, both Black-led companies (Sidra Bell being the first African American woman to be commissioned by the New York City Ballet).
The resident company, featuring artists who exhibit virtuosity and powerful nuanced performance, will share numerous world premieres. The performances will take place both in their home studio theatre and in the Aronoff Center, including new repertory acquisitions from the aforementioned guest artists. These acquisitions are part of the company’s exciting pivot to growing their identity as a repertory company with work by nationally-recognized choreographers.
The season will also feature a celebration of CDT founder Jefferson James and her work, commemorating 50 years of her singular work to advance and promote Modern Dance in Cincinnati before her recent retirement.
Audiences can save significantly (and support the organization) by subscribing to the season, with a subscription starting at just $76.50.
Mutual Dance Theatre and Arts Centers extends the impact of these performances by bringing the artists into the community. Activities will include a free lecture-demonstration for children, residencies, public Q&As, and workshops or masterclasses with artists on the Saturday of each performance weekend.
The season is generously supported in part by: donations (big and small) from individuals; the National Endowment for the Arts; the generosity of more than 40,000 contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign; state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC); and The Warrington Foundation.
MDT’s PULP and VARIATIONS IN A BRAINSTORM
November 12-20, 2021
WORLD PREMIERES: AN IMMERSIVE DANCE EXPERIENCE REVEALED IN CHAPTERS
- Friday, November 12th, 2021 at 8pm
- Saturday, November 13th, 2021 at 8pm
- Friday, November 19th, 2021 at 8pm
- Saturday, November 20th, 2021 at 8pm
VENUE: Mutual Arts Center Hartwell, 8222 Monon Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45216
TICKETS:
- $20 when purchased before October 20, 2021
- $25 when purchased on or after October 21, 2021
Tickets and more information at mutualdance.org/pulp
SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS START AT JUST $76.50
Audiences will be immersed in a dance theatre experience that will take them on two, different adventures, both revealed in chapters. In Pulp, as the audience surrounds the performers in Mutual Arts Center’s black box studio, they will first begin by helping to choose a unique sequence of events that will never again be performed in that same order. The theatergoers will simultaneously perceive a common object, but interpret it differently as perspective is weighed in pithy moments. In Variations in a Brainstorm, letters, writings, and musings—all tied to a writing desk—will guide audiences through a tour of divergent identities. In the end, both adventures unearth the human mind’s vast ability to make connections.
Choreographers Rowan Salem and Hannah Williamson are 2nd and 5th-year veterans of Mutual Dance Theatre (respectively). Rowan Salem, originally from Massachusetts, was a Gretchen Moran Scholar at Smith College in Northampton, and her work has been presented at the Redline Contemporary Arts Center, Counterpath Exhibition Space, Green Street Studios, and Art Gym, Denver where she was the 2017 recipient of the Create Award Residency. Hannah Williamson is a local, rising talent whose work has been selected for presentations from Ohio to Virginia; she has performed in works by notable artists Dwight Rhoden and Clifford Williams of Complexions Contemporary Ballet and the Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre in Carmel, IN.
This performance takes place in Hartwell at 8222 Monon Avenue 45216 NOT at The Aronoff Center.
AUDIENCES SHOULD PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT ALTHOUGH SOME SPACING MAY BE POSSIBLE, THIS IS GENERAL SEATING AND DISTANCING CANNOT BE GUARANTEED. Parking is free and the building is ADA-accessible. For more information about the venue, please see mutualdance.org/hartwell.
American Sign Language interpretation will be provided on Friday, November 19.
Experienced dancers are also invited to an open workshop with choreographer Rowan Salem Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 11am. See mutualdance.org/masterclasses for more information, including pricing and location.
MDT’s Jefferson James Contemporary Dance Theater Series presents
PHILADANCO!
January 21-22, 2022
ONE OF THE NATION’S MOST TREASURED MODERN DANCE COMPANIES, HERE FOR ONE WEEKEND ONLY
DATES:
- Friday, January 21, 2022 at 8pm
- Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 8pm
VENUE:
Aronoff Center for the Arts, Jarson-Kaplan Theater, 650 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
TICKETS:
- $35.00-$46.25 when purchased before December 20, 2021
- $40.00-$53.00 when purchased on or after December 20, 2021
Tickets and more information at mutualdance.org/philadanco
SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS START AT JUST $76.50
Known across the world for their “brilliant mix of miracle of skill” and “virtuoso physicality,” PHILADANCO! makes a short return to Cincinnati 10 years since their last visit. The Jefferson James Contemporary Dance Theater Series (newly renamed since CDT’s merger into Mutual Dance Theatre and Arts Centers) welcomes the 50-year-old legendary dance company who celebrates and preserves predominantly African American traditions in dance. Do not miss this repertory concert chock-full of both old and new favorites.
Experienced dancers are also invited to an open workshop with PHILADANCO! company members on Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 11am. See mutualdance.org/masterclasses for more information, including pricing and location.
MDT’s Jefferson James Contemporary Dance Theater Series presents
SIDRA BELL DANCE NY
March 25-26, 2022
THE CINCINNATI PREMIERE OF INTERNATIONALLY SOUGHT-AFTER VISIONARY, SIDRA BELL
DATES:
- Friday, March 25, 2022 at 8pm
- Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 8pm
VENUE:
Aronoff Center for the Arts, Jarson-Kaplan Theater, 650 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
TICKETS:
- $30.00-$40.00 when purchased before February 20, 2022
- $35.00-$46.25 when purchased on or after February 20, 2022
Tickets and more information at mutualdance.org/sidrabell
SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS START AT JUST $76.50
Sidra Bell is one of Modern Dance’s most up-and-coming artists, sought-after across the globe and the nation. Mutual Dance Theatre’s Jefferson James Contemporary Dance Theater Series is ecstatic to present Ms. Bell and her diverse Company of dance artists for the first time in Cincinnati, Ohio for one weekend only. Described as “hypnotically seductive” and “brilliant and impressive,” Bell’s aesthetic rings of “Pina Bausch, fashion, and Harlem’s ballrooms” in a unique, visionary style that draws in audiences, deeply. Her distinctive, hyperkinetic movement and dramatic brilliance hone-in on the human psyche and questions of identity. Sidra Bell is the first African American woman to be commissioned by the New York City Ballet. Sidra Bell Dance NY will perform IN | REP, an evening of dance theater works that will leave audiences feeling and thinking for days to come.
The community is also invited to an open workshop with Ms. Bell on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 11am. No dance experience is required or expected: experience Ms. Bell’s process through movement and space. See mutualdance.org/masterclasses for more information, including pricing and location.
MDT’s MODERN MIX,
June 17-18, 2022
FOUR MODERN DANCE PREMIERES WITH CHOREOGRAPHY BY SIDRA BELL, PHILADANCO! ARTISTS, STEVEN P. EVANS, AND JASMINE SNELLEN
DATES:
- Friday, June 17th, 2022 at 8pm
- Saturday, June 18th, 2022 at 8pm
VENUE:
Aronoff Center for the Arts, Jarson-Kaplan Theater, 650 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
TICKETS:
- $30.00-$40.00 when purchased before May 15, 2022
- $35.00-$46.25 when purchased on or after May 15, 2022
Tickets and more information at mutualdance.org/modernmix
SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS START AT JUST $76.50
MODERN MIX features a proud collection of work, including three Black artists. The season-closer promises variety, athletic prowess, virtuosic dancing, and compelling drama. Mutual Dance Theatre (formerly known as MamLuft&Co. Dance) is undergoing a thrilling transformation as it amplifies its repertory through commissions and re-stagings by national artists! Cincinnati’s Modern Dance company will close its 21-22 season with choreography by Sidra Bell (of Sidra Bell DanceNY), PHILADANCO! artists, and Steven P. Evans and Jasmine Snellen of Mutual Dance Theatre.
Experienced dancers are also invited to an open workshop with choreographer Jasmine Snellen on Saturday, June 18, 2022 at 11am. See mutualdance.org/masterclasses for more information, including pricing and location.
COVID-19 Policies
Along with numerous other venues in Cincinnati, due to the high levels of COVID-19 transmission in Hamilton County and the surrounding area, the following protocols are currently effective until further notice:
Guests, staff, and volunteers are required to wear masks at all times in our venues, regardless of vaccination status.
Ticket holders 12 years of age and older will be required to show a proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for entry into the events.
Read more information and any updates at https://www.cincinnatiarts.org/plan-your-visit/health-and-safety.
Access
Mutual Dance Theatre was founded to create more access to Modern Dance. We believe that all income levels should have the pleasure of attending live performances. Free admission will be provided to persons of low-income. Patrons are encouraged to contact the organization at 513.494.6526 or hello@mutualarts.org for assistance.
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THE BLACK THEATRE COALITION /
NOW ACCEPTING APPLICANTS THROUGH OCTOBER 15 
The company comes home to Cincinnati Music Hall after two seasons away, with live, in-person performances from June 18−July 31, 2022 
Zombies and October go together like peanut butter and jelly- candy and costumes- carmel and apples! Come out and see the hilarious new dinner theatre comedy, MOAN ALONE by Mark Aloysius Kenneally. The show runs October 8 – 22, 2021.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 