If you’ve ever spent an evening walking through the Decatur Square (and I’m betting you have) there’s a good chance you’ve stumbled across the epic video displays at Core Dance. Their front windows have large screens set up, wherein gorgeously directed dance videos play on a loop, magnetizing bystanders to the magic that must take place in this fairly nondescript building. Entering their 45th season with a global reputation and penchant for innovation, this is one organization we are immensely grateful for in our Decatur arts community. Nonverbal and nonlinear art experiences have the power to create a culture of empathy across surface-level divides. Sue Schroeder (Cofounder and Founding Artistic Director) speaks passionately about the reverberating impact of art-making. A self-identified idealist, she still believes artists can create something that truly matters while catalyzing social change. As Executive Director Elizabeth Labbe-Webb was once told, to facilitate art is to be “a first responder to the soul.”
All Core Dance programs are guided through a practiced awareness and unspoken reverence for the gift of our bodies. Their ensemble is wholly collaborative, wherein each person contributes with an unwavering dedication to truth. Core Dance catalyzes creation by granting artists the ability to take risks without worry. The company has always been a laboratory, where new work, new creations, and new possibilities are brought to life. “You’re always working with what’s in the room,” Sue explains. “It’s like sculpting. How do you sculpt the world?” Their artist-driven residency program, LIFT, supports experimental dance-makers by giving them the freedom of time to create or practice pieces that push forward dialog on contemporary social issues. This type of movement empowers and reclaims, and Core Dance directly works with underserved communities with the full force of their passion in an accessible manner.
Dance is every human’s first form of expression. By connecting to this piece that’s been within us all from our earliest beginnings, we tap into a deeper sense of ourselves, and humanity as a whole. Take part by attending Morning Class, a $15 session led by professional dancers and choreographers. They also provide artist-friendly rates and a rental program for other nonprofit organizations to utilize their flexible space. Designed to be accessible and of service, this offering is tailor-made for the space-starved arts community.
Through modern dance performances, space for art-makers to explore without confines, and outreach that changes lives, Core Dance enables empathy with potent panache.