RDT: Embrace the Unexpected
There’s an old saying that the best way to keep a trail alive is
to walk it, because every time you walk it, you create it again.
Repertory Dance Theatre believes dancing that
trail is even better.
It was radical when, in 1966, Utah dancers beat out the big city
stalwarts to receive a Rockefeller grant establishing RDT as the nation’s first
repertory dance company. RDT’s job? To
preserve the art form—not just the work of one choreographer--while pushing the
boundaries of modern dance by acquiring new work. Whether they are contemporary
classics, historical masterpieces, or new commissions, RDT has collected over
375 diverse and notable dance works.
RDT is launching a new crowdfunding campaign to help cover some
of the costs associated with acquiring 7 new works. You can dance the trail of history with us as
we launch our exciting 2015-2016 season.
WHAT WE
NEED...
RDT: Embrace the Unexpected is designed to raise $7,500 to
fund new dances we’ll will be acquiring this year. These include:
-
Energizer by the incomparable Molissa Fenley,
-
the
historical masterpiece Mazurkas by José
Limón,
-
and a brand new commission by Company alum William “Bill” Evans.
In all, RDT will be acquiring 7 new dance
works this year alone.
While RDT’s mission includes the preservation of historical
modern dance, a
full 80% of what we perform is made up of our ever-expanding collection by
living choreographers. ...AND WHAT YOU GET (Perks):
We wouldn't be able to do this without your support and we want to thank you properly for your generosity by offering a wide range of perks to anyone who donates.
Perks include name recognition throughout the season, a signed 50th anniversary
photograph, lunch with the dancers, invitations to special showings, summertime concerts performed by our visiting artists (August 1 and August 22),
workshop scholarships, RDT Dance Center punch cards . . . even season tickets!
THE IMPACT:
RDT: Embrace the Unexpected is about making meaning for our
audiences and the community we call home. It’s what makes us revolutionary even
after 50 years of "dancing the trail." Unlike
other companies, the diverse nature of our dance collection allows us to
pair what's happening now with what happened then in ways you won’t see coming.
Repertory Dance Theatre is about grace and athleticism, beauty
and power. We are about ART: art in
motion, expressed through our bodies as dance. Art that in its immediacy and intimacy can be both thrilling and
profound.
We were hugely successful in raising over $7,500 last summer to help
fund the commission of “By The Snake," created just for RDT by Noa Zuk and Ohad Fishof. This work went on to be lauded by the Salt
Lake Tribune as one of the highlights of the 2014 season.
We need your help to continue our mission to acquire new
work. $7,500 represents just a fraction
of the costs associated with bringing these works to you. When you donate to RDT: Embrace the Unexpected
you become a valued partner alongside the...
- National Endowment for the Arts,
- Salt Lake and Utah Arts Councils,
-
George & Dolores Dore Eccles
Foundation,
-
Sorenson Legacy Foundation
. . . to name just a few – who have confidence
in the mission RDT has fulfilled for 50 years: the preservation and
appreciation of modern dance.
RISKS &
CHALLENGES:
Modern dance can be misunderstood. Like modern visual art, we don’t necessarily
tell a story with a linear plot. We comment on the world through abstraction. We allow our artistic vision to take
shape in mysterious forms and figures. We
think this mystery is very exciting but we can’t offer you a black- and-white description of what you'll see. What we CAN
offer you is art that is visceral; art that moves you on a deeper level; art
that raises questions, provokes and inspires.
Our 2015-2016 season is an ambitious one. With 7 new dance works being added to our
collection, we are doing more than ever before. We are pushing ourselves to acquire new choreography that will stand
alongside work we already have to help us tell a unique and powerful story.
We need your help to make sure this story is
told--our collective story.
We will direct whatever funds we raise
toward the acquisition of these works. Reaching our goal will inspire RDT and our stakeholders to ensure the future of the Company. Your donation in any amount will help.
OTHER WAYS
YOU CAN HELP:
If you can't contribute, there are still many ways you can help:
-
Share this link with your friends right now. Help
others learn about this project and share the excitement. The more people who know and learn about this
project the better!
-
Follow along as RDT acquires new works this
summer. We will be posting videos,
interviews, and pictures right here on our Indiegogo page.
-
Attend for a sneak-peaks of some of our new works
this summer. Be sure to check the RDT
website and Facebook page for more information.
Join us for the 2015-2016 season as we premiere
these new works through the year as a part of our 50th anniversary
celebration.
Thank you!