Repertory Dance Theatre

Rdt's 57th season launched on july 1, 2022, with a focus on connection as we expanded the ways we build relationships with local arts groups, other Dance companies, and individual performers. Rdt created ways to nurture the art of choreography, develop new pathways to serve our community, provide new opportunities for collaboration with community members, and serve schools by providing activities and resource materials that help broaden a student's vision and stimulate their confidence. Highlights include: rdt celebrated the 25th anniversary of the rose wagner performing arts center and participated in the 2022 rose exposed performance featuring arts groups that call the "rose" home. The community applauded rdt's role in helping to create a haven for community arts events. Quadruple bill (plus) was a tribute to bill evans, a dancer, choreographer and teacher who had a major impact in the development of rdt. As one of rdt's most prolific and renowned alumni dancers, bill is one of Utah's artistic champions. The concert featured some of his wide-ranging choreography created between 1973 and 2017. Sojourn featured choreographic visions of community, contemporary issues, and the nature of human relationships created by natosha Washington, cherylyn lavagnino, kaley pruitt, and tyler schnese. Rdt's season concert emerge saw the company dancers and staff working directly with independent performing artists and Dance companies found in the salt lake valley. The concert featured 103 guest performers from five distinct Dance organizations: tanner Dance, byu Dance department, attitude Dance company, fem Dance company, and the winner school. In addition, rdt created performance opportunities for 12 Utah jr. & sr. high school Dance teachers while rdt dancer megan o'brien worked with 19 local, unaffiliated female dancers in her choreography. Regalia (feb. '23) rdt's fundraising event and choreographic competition honored jean irwin, a community member who has contributed to rdt by offering advice, energy, and support which has helped the organization become a valuable part of the community. Choreographers constance anderson, rebekah joann guerra, angela smith and ruger memmott, who was awarded an rdt commission for season 2023-24 flight was the closing concert of the season, responded to the beauty and fragility of Utah's environment, our sacred lands, and to the current issues that are threatening the sustainability of the great salt lake, our rivers, and our streams. The powerful concert included jos limn's the winged (1966) restaged by nina watt, the return of zvi gotheiner's dancing the bears ears (2017) and i've known rivers by african-american choreographer, donald mckayle, who was inspired by a poem written by langston hughes. A free symposium, preserving our land, water, and culture, presented carly biedul, laura peterson, and davis filfred who spoke to land, water, and cultural preservation issues. Dance to learn, rdt's new online arts learning website was launched in september 2022 and houses all of the company's online arts learning resources including recorded videos, performances, and written/downloadable lesson plans for k-12th grade learning. Over the past year, this new tool has proven to be an outstanding way to increase teachers' confidence and ability to implement arts and Dance education in the classroom that uplifts and inspires teachers and students of all ages. During the past season, rdt continued to record, film, and release virtual/on demand performances of our home season concerts approximately one week after the in-person concerts. Rdt also offered the following auxiliary programs at the rose during the 2022-2023 season: ring around the rose presented its 25th season of "wiggle-friendly" interactive adventures for children of all ages and families with performances by bachauer piano, tablado flamenco, tanner Dance, samba fogo, malialole, flavakids crew, south valley creative Dance, Repertory Dance Theatre, and pygmalion Theatre company. - the ring around the rose shows a 34.9% increase in attendance. Rdt's link series connects the company with emerging local Dance artists and helps them present new works at the rose wagner in partnership with rdt rdt's Dance center on broadway, in its 25th year, showed a 50% increase in attendance and continued to offer in-person Dance classes in a variety of Dance styles for community members aged 16 and older. Classes included flamenco, african, jazz, modern, ballet, and prime movement, a movement class geared towards adults aged 40 + up. In addition, special saturday workshops were offered several times throughout the year. Music in motion and prime performance, rdt's creative aging programs, were offered and expanded as the company continued to prioritize creative aging for older adults. Two weekly classes were offered in south jordan and midvale, Utah. The second year of prime performance workshop created choreography developed by meghan durham wall who explored movement and the aging body which was performed a the Utah arts festival in june 2023. Arts-in-education. Rdt's nationally recognized programs offered in-person and virtual events to schools including in-depth and mini-residencies that include movement classes; 26 lecture demonstrations (informal performances) in schools; in-depth residencies and 19 heritage projects where jr. high schools explored culture and heritage through no-cost-to-schools choreographic residencies. Rdt performed 15 free matinee concerts and served 19 Utah school districts. 2022-23 rdt total services provided: districts: 19 charters: 8 schools: 149 home school: 140 hours: 1,475.5 teachers in person: 2,371 students in person: 22,421 teachers virtual: 161 students virtual: 17,807 rdt's aie programs across Utah continue to grow both through in-person and online engagement methods. 42,760 Utah students and teachers in 157 public and charter schools. Rdt was able to effect the lives of utahan's through meaningful and significant arts programs that ignite the spark of creativity for all ages. Over the past season, rdt was able to serve 54,150 individuals with 1,338 activities. Rdt is proud to report that we surpassed our projected income goals by 10%. Additionally, when compared to last season, rdt shows 21.7% increase in attendance at our season performances; evidence that our rdt patrons and audience are eager to participate in the outstanding Dance experiences produced by the company. During 2022-23, rdt's administrative and artistic staff looked for new ways to engage our community, entice audiences back to the Theatre, and create powerful and impactful programs that are meaningful to the community.