Ballet East Dance Company
Encyclopedia
The Ballet East Dance Company (BEDC) is an American modern dance
company located in Austin, Texas
. Founded by Rodolfo Mendez in 1978, the company presents at least eight staged productions during an annual season. The company often works with nationally recognized choreographers in addition to working with local talent. The BEDC was recently profiled in the National Endowment for the Arts
's journal in 2009.
From its inception, the Ballet East Dance Company has had a strong mission statement to promote the arts within the low-income neighborhood of East Austin. To this end the company has developed a number of different community outreach programs and has had a strong commitment to hiring and mentoring local talent. The BEDC offeres internships for youth in stagecraft, coordinates an annual folk and traditional arts festival in Austin, and runs an after school dance program, "Dare to Dance", for at-risk students
between the ages of 7 to 15 year olds. The company also runs a program sponsored by the NEA which enables public school student to attend productions, not only by the BEDS but also Ballet Austin
and Tapestry Dance Company
, for free. These field trips also provide students with the opportunity to meet and talk with performers and choreographers.
BEDC also runs a dance academy, the BEDC Arts Academy, where company choreographers and dancers provide classes to the public. The school also occasionally brings in professional artists from outside of Austin to teach masterclasses both to the BEDC company members and Academy students. Recent guest teachers include Regina Larkin, artistic director of the Joyce Trisler Danscompany in New York City, and Francisco Gella, a choreographer with Philadanco in Philadelphia.
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
company located in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Founded by Rodolfo Mendez in 1978, the company presents at least eight staged productions during an annual season. The company often works with nationally recognized choreographers in addition to working with local talent. The BEDC was recently profiled in the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
's journal in 2009.
From its inception, the Ballet East Dance Company has had a strong mission statement to promote the arts within the low-income neighborhood of East Austin. To this end the company has developed a number of different community outreach programs and has had a strong commitment to hiring and mentoring local talent. The BEDC offeres internships for youth in stagecraft, coordinates an annual folk and traditional arts festival in Austin, and runs an after school dance program, "Dare to Dance", for at-risk students
At-risk students
The term at-risk students is used to describe students who are "at risk" of failing academically, for one or more of any several reasons. The term can be used to describe a wide variety of students, including ones who belong to ethnic minorities, those who are academically disadvantaged, those who...
between the ages of 7 to 15 year olds. The company also runs a program sponsored by the NEA which enables public school student to attend productions, not only by the BEDS but also Ballet Austin
Ballet Austin
Ballet Austin is one of the largest classical ballet academies in the country. Each year the Ballet Austin company performs ballets from a wide variety of choreographers, including Stephen Mills....
and Tapestry Dance Company
Tapestry Dance Company
The Tapestry Dance Company is a professional non-profit dance company in Austin, Texas. Founded in 1989, the company performs repertoire from a variety of dance genres and often blends different types of dance within their choreography...
, for free. These field trips also provide students with the opportunity to meet and talk with performers and choreographers.
BEDC also runs a dance academy, the BEDC Arts Academy, where company choreographers and dancers provide classes to the public. The school also occasionally brings in professional artists from outside of Austin to teach masterclasses both to the BEDC company members and Academy students. Recent guest teachers include Regina Larkin, artistic director of the Joyce Trisler Danscompany in New York City, and Francisco Gella, a choreographer with Philadanco in Philadelphia.