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.

Facilities

CDT operates a studio and theater facility in the College Hill Town Hall located near Larch and Belmont in College Hill. The historic facility was designed by Samuel Hannaford, with a parking lot, playground, baseball 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.

Professional Memberships

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.

Staff Biographies

Jefferson James, the founder, Artistic, and Executive Director of Contemporary Dance Theater, attended Juilliard School of Music, Columbia University, and graduated from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. 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 2008, Ms. James received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Scripps Corbett awards committee. Ms. James and CDT are currently celebrating their 39th season. Contemporary Dance Theater, under the direction and leadership of Jefferson James, has presented over 210 dance presentations, overseen numerous productions of new work, and has been a partner of the National Performance Network since its beginning over 25 years ago.

Jeanne S. Mam-Luft, is the Assistant Director of Contemporary Dance Theater and the Director and Choreographer of MamLuft&Co. Dance. Jeanne holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Texas Woman's University and a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University, where she also studied scenic design and dance at their renowned School of Drama. Her work has been presented or produced in Dallas/Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Lexington, and Cincinnati since 2001. Ms. Mam-Luft joined Contemporary Dance Theater recently in utilization of her diverse skills, experiences, and passion for cultivating communities' sustainable support for modern dance.