GroundWorks Dance Theater

GroundWorks Dance Theater is a contemporary dance company that has been committed to enriching the Northeast Ohio community through performance, collaboration, and education for over 20 years. Community engagement is a central focus of the company’s work, and through our diverse outreach programs and performances, GroundWorks serves more than 8,000 individuals annually.

The commonality among GroundWorks’ core programs – dance performance, dance instruction, and creative movement-based education – is connection. Education programs align with GroundWorks creative practices and artistry, bringing the community into direct contact with the company’s professional dancers and teaching artists in a collaborative, participant-centered environment. Participants of all ages can dip their toes into individually-crafted workshops, wade into expanded learning and exploration over the course of several days or weeks, and dive into deep learning with extended residencies. Over the past twenty years, GroundWorks has earned a reputation as a presenter of high-quality educational programming. Long-term partners such as CMSD, Akron Public Schools, Rainey Institute, Cleveland State University, University of Akron, and Judson Senior Living continue to work with GroundWorks year after year because, through these projects, learners begin to understand the application of dance principles and tools that are important to life experiences, such as cooperation, trust, respect, autonomy, awareness, creative problem- solving, non-vocal communication, coordination, teamwork, and much more.

GroundWorks uses its work as high-level artists to inspire, facilitate, and support creativity in others. Participants in GroundWorks education and outreach programs do not need to have dance experience or move according to a preconceived idea of “dance.” Instead, GroundWorks uses the artistic process to promote self-discovery, creativity, and choice-making. Whether GroundWorks is leading seniors with varying mobility through a chair-based movement workshop or facilitating a residency with elementary school students studying coordinate graphing, the work provides new opportunities for learners to succeed, relate to one another, and activate their creative thought process. GroundWorks programs connect deeply to people in an environment where everyone is acknowledged and valued, and where experiences and ideas are shared and woven together.

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