We believe great art enriches communities and creates meaningful connections between people. Santa Cruz Dance Theater is building the infrastructure, opportunities, and artistic support needed for a vibrant dance culture to flourish in Santa Cruz County.
Santa Cruz Dance Theater’s mission is to preserve the legacy of dance that has been handed down to us in the classic ballets; to provide opportunities for local dancers and choreographers through the creation of bold new works of contemporary dance and dance-theater; and to inspire students and audiences in the area by showing them the breadth of what our art can express in both the old and the new.
Santa Cruz Dance Theater’s mission is to preserve the legacy of dance that has been handed down to us in the classic ballets; to provide opportunities for local dancers and choreographers through the creation of bold new works of contemporary dance and dance-theater; and to inspire students and audiences in the area by showing them the breadth of what our art can express in both the old and the new.
Every art form depends on memory. Dance is no exception. Santa Cruz Dance Theater honors the classical ballets not as museum pieces but as living works that continue to challenge dancers and move audiences. We want Santa Cruz County to have access to serious, beautifully produced performances of the ballets that have influenced generations of artists and audiences alike.
The future of dance depends on new work. Alongside the classics, Santa Cruz Dance Theater is committed to giving choreographers and dancers the space to experiment, take risks, and create. New work keeps the art form alive by allowing artists to speak in the language of their own time, inspiring audiences with a contemporary vision of dance.
Live dance offers a rare kind of experience. It combines music, movement, discipline, imagination, and the immediacy of the human body in performance. At its best, dance is moving, unsettling, joyful, rigorous, and deeply expressive. Santa Cruz Dance Theater believes our community deserves regular access to that kind of artistic experience.
For dance to flourish, artists need more than admiration. They need time, space, rehearsal support, production resources, and paid opportunities to perform. They also need the larger circle of people who make live performance possible: designers, technicians, stage managers, front-of-house staff, volunteers, and supporters. Santa Cruz Dance Theater is working to build the structure that supports everyone who is integral to sustaining great performances.
We love our art, and our goal is to share it with as many people as possible. Starting with the Santa Cruz Dance Festival, we want to welcome more people into the experience of live performance, including longtime arts patrons, students, families, and people who may be seeing dance for the first time. We hope to bring outstanding dance companies and new artistic experiences to Santa Cruz County, strengthening our place as a home for serious artists, engaged audiences, and a thriving cultural life.
Every art form depends on memory. Dance is no exception. Santa Cruz Dance Theater honors the classical ballets not as museum pieces but as living works that continue to challenge dancers and move audiences. We want Santa Cruz County to have access to serious, beautifully produced performances of the ballets that have influenced generations of artists and audiences alike.
The future of dance depends on new work. Alongside the classics, Santa Cruz Dance Theater is committed to giving choreographers and dancers the space to experiment, take risks, and create. New work keeps the art form alive by allowing artists to speak in the language of their own time, inspiring audiences with a contemporary vision of dance.
Live dance offers a rare kind of experience. It combines music, movement, discipline, imagination, and the immediacy of the human body in performance. At its best, dance is moving, unsettling, joyful, rigorous, and deeply expressive. Santa Cruz Dance Theater believes our community deserves regular access to that kind of artistic experience.
For dance to flourish, artists need more than admiration. They need time, space, rehearsal support, production resources, and paid opportunities to perform. They also need the larger circle of people who make live performance possible: designers, technicians, stage managers, front-of-house staff, volunteers, and supporters. Santa Cruz Dance Theater is working to build the structure that supports everyone who is integral to sustaining great performances.
We love our art, and our goal is to share it with as many people as possible. Starting with the Santa Cruz Dance Festival, we want to welcome more people into the experience of live performance, including longtime arts patrons, students, families, and people who may be seeing dance for the first time. We hope to bring outstanding dance companies and new artistic experiences to Santa Cruz County, strengthening our place as a home for serious artists, engaged audiences, and a thriving cultural life.
With your help, Santa Cruz Dance Theater will be able to encourage artistic development by:
Santa Cruz Dance Theater is committed to building an accessible and equitable organization for dancers, students, and audiences. We recognize equity as an ongoing practice and pursue it through intentional choices in our programming, operations, and community engagement.
We pursue these goals through:
We are committed to continually evaluating and strengthening our practices to create a dance organization that reflects and serves the full diversity of our community.
Support residencies, artist contracts, and new performance opportunities in Santa Cruz.
