17th season

Opening Sarasota Contemporary Dance’s 17^th Season is Voices – Rising Choreographers, this program presents rising voices who were selected by adjudication from SCD's Summer Intensive Programs, chosen by Artistic Director Leymis Bolaños Wilmott. This years range of work  presented reinforces SCD spirit of nurturing artists in various stages of their career. From emerging to mid-career, these contemporary voices matter, and we aim to provide a performance platform that EMPOWERS these choreographers.

This years choreographers chosen are Alexis Diggs (Dayton, Ohio), Rebecca Eurom (NYC), Matthew Sommers (Austin, TX), Sarah Emory (St. Petersburg, FL), and SCD Company Member entering her 8th season Xiao-Xuan Yang Dancingers. A highlight of this production is a pre-show performance by SCDE, SCD’s training company for aspiring dancers. This season we have added a residency program and selected Laura Chambers (Sarasota, FL) as the Fall SCDE artists in residency and her new work on SCDE will open the production.

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For its 17th season, Sarasota Contemporary Dance is reclaiming its position as a COLLABORTIVE force in Sarasota, re-igniting relationships with other arts organizations that have had to be on pause during the pandemic. This season, SCD is thrilled to cultivate a relationship with Samantha Bennett and George Nickson of enSRQ, who is excited to collaborate with Leymis and SCD on a program exploring rhythms, dance, and song from around the world. SCD + enSRQ also features stunning scenic and projection design by St. Petersburg-based multidisciplinary artist Sharon McCaman.

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This year, Dance Makers features new imaginative dance pieces created by nationally acclaimed contemporary choreographers whoms eclective STORIES will be embodied by our fierce and versatile dancers. Dance Makers  promises to be season favorite highlighting works ranging in the aesthetics of jazz dance performed to Miles Davis as well as syncompated athelic Afro-Cuban movement, to more dramatic solo and duet works by artists  Gilliane Hadely (Orlando, FL) , Lisa del Rosario (Austin, TX), Melissa Cobblah Gutierrez (Miami, FL), and Tania Vergara Perez (Sarasota, FL). 

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SCD will close its 17th season with a comeback of its “Evolving/Revolving” showcase, in which the company revives previously staged works to expand and deepen their meaning into evening-length performances. For “RECLAIM,” SCD’s striking work of “Jehanne” is returning to the stage, studying Joan of Arc’s strident and powerful cultural influence in the Hundred Year’s War, all accompanied live with local musician and an original composition by Mark Dancigers. This work will ends our season echoing to our community the resilience that has taken the company to this point and in the words of Joan of Arc’s herself, “ I was born to do this”. SCD, ends this season refulling their hearts honoring the human SPIRIT, moving us forward.

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