About CDT

The Contemporary Dance Theater (CDT) was created in 1972 by Jefferson James.

Our mission:
moving bodies moving souls, the essence of contemporary dance. Connecting the community with diverse and socially relevant dance and performance art.

Contemporary Dance Theater accomplishes this through the following activities:

• Presentation of contemporary dance and time arts that reflect the diversity of style and culture, which are inherent in the field.
  
• Presentation of work that is serious in content, entertaining, and has a social message or context.
  
• Production assistance for the creation and presentation of movement based work and time arts projects.
  
• Educational community outreach with an emphasis on integrating art into community life.

The philosophy of different techniques or languages, different artistic views, and different styles, permeates CDT's presenting mission. CDT mixes the new with the familiar, and the challenging with the more accessible.

 Guest Artist Series

Performances take place at the Jarson-Kaplan Theater of the Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut Streets, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 and
begin at 8:30 pm.  Tickets and subscriptions available through the
Aronoff Ticket Office 513/621-2787 or www.cincinnatiarts.org

CDT has received national and regional recognition for its innovative work, and is an original partner member of the National Performance Network. We are proud to be a part of that network of alternative presenters located in over 43 major cities, who are committed to the presentation of all forms of dance, alternative theater, mime, puppetry, experimental theater, performance art, and music. CDT is a member of the League of Cincinnati Theaters.

CDT operates a studio/theater facility, in the College Hill Town Hall located near Larch and Belmont in College Hill, this new space is a beautiful Samuel Hannaford designed building, with a parking lot, playground, ball field, and tennis courts maintained by the Cincinnati Recreation Department. There are three studios, a small meeting room, and a suite of offices; space is available for a variety of educational and arts activities. Classes are offered for adults throughout the year, including a Summer Dance Festival and Arts Camp for kids. The diverse faculty is comprised of leading performers and choreographers from the area.

Jefferson James, the founder of Contemporary Dance Theater (Cincinnati) attended Juilliard School of Music, Columbia University and graduated from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. She is currently the Artistic & Executive Director of CDT.  She has received: choreography fellowships from the NEA and the Ohio Arts Council; the Ohio Governor’s Award in Arts Administration; and the OhioDance Award.  In 12008, Ms. James received a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Scripps Corbett awards committee. Ms. James & CDT are currently celebrating their 36th season.  CDT has presented over 210 dance presentations, overseen numerous productions of new work, and has been a partner of the National Performance Network since it’s beginning over 24 years ago.

Laura Stewart was hired as Assistant Director in August 2008. In addition to her role as Assistant Director, she is an adjunct faculty member of the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, School of Art, Art History - Museum Studies program.  Ms. Stewart returned to Cincinnati after serving as curator of education at Arizona State University Art Museum (2004-2007).  Previously, she was assistant curator of education at Cincinnati’s Contemporary Arts Center (2001-2003), and is now Director of Education for Art Links.  Ms. Stewart received a B.A. in art history from the University of Kentucky (2000), an M.A. in art history and graduate certificate in museum studies from the University of Cincinnati’s College of DAAP (2003), and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the history and theory of art from Arizona State University.