15th Annual!!!
Fallen Heroes, Rising Stars: A Juneteenth Celebration Through Dance
Free Outdoor Performance - Saturday, June 22, 2024 @ 3pm PST
9th & Washington, Old Oakland
(and Livestreamed Here on website!)
Juneteenth WeeK - FREE FAMILY- FRIENDLY Community ClasseS
Bring the whole family! No experience needed! 494 9th St. Oakland, CA 94607 - (925) 680-4400
Thursday, June 20th
1:30, Fall Prevention & Pain Reduction for Seniors, Tonya Amos, Cleo Parker Robinson, GWDC Artistic Director
6pm, Contemporary Jazz Mindy Haywood, Stomp!, Metropolitan Opera
7:15pm, Contemporary Germaul Yusef Barnes - Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company
Friday, June 21st
6pm, Mental Health & Radical Acceptance (but not giving in!) + Ask a Psychiatrist, Dr. Ardis Martin, MD (Interactive Lecture)
7:15 , Contemporary Christina Gonzales Sanchez - Alvin Ailey ADT, Ballet Hispanico
8:15 Rhythm Dance Anthony Johnson - Stomp! On Broadway
Saturday, June 22nd
11am- 1pm BIPOC, Brown Shoes & Stepping into Our Power: Pointe Shoe Pancake & Sewing Class Nicole Townsend, Oakland Ballet
1:15 - Contemporary Renee Monique Brown - Dayton Contemporary DC, Broadway
1:45 - Rhythm & Drumming Lamine Bangoura - Afrique Sogue Percussion & Dance
CHILDREN’S GROUPS, PLEASE REACH OUT.
All dance classes (1/2 hour online/ 1/2 hour to 1 hour In-Person) are geared towards children and beginning movers, but the whole family will have fun! Whether you are a child, a parent, a former professional, or just curious about taking a dance class, you are welcome! No experience needed. All times in PST.
For all In-Person classes, N95masks must be worn. We will gift you a new N95 at the door.
Classes taught by GWDC’s company members - former soloists with: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Martha Graham Company, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Dallas Black Dance Theater, Ballet Hispanico, Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company and Broadway.
July & August - Free Community ARTS & WELLNESS Classes
In Person at 494 9th St., unless stated otherwise
Choreocore®: Fall Prevention & Pain Reduction for Seniors July 9th - August 13th, Tuesdays at 1:00pm Tonya Amos, GWDC Artistic Director Online or In-Person, Pre-registration Needed
THURSDAYS
Pilates Apparatus for Seniors July 11th - Augut 15th, Thursdays at 1pm Tonya Amos, GWDC Artistic Director Pre-registration Needed
SATURDAYS Gentle Stretching, Breathing + Harp Saturday, July 13th at 12:30pm Destiny Muhammad, Harpist from the Hood & Tonya Amos
Sound Healing Saturday, July 27th at 12pm Amora Randall
SUNDAYS Delicious, Nutritious Cooking for Kids and Parents July 14, 28, August 11 at 1:30 pm Chef Mica Smith-Dahl (Pre-registration Needed)
Intergenerational Ballet Sundays, July 14, 28, August 11 at 12pm Victor Temple, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Oakland Ballet
Community Massage Day TBD
*Please contact us for enrollment in senior classes, as these are closed workshops for the safety of our elders.
Online dance classes listed soon.
About the Show
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. It celebrates life-shifting events in Texas on June 19, 1865. We’re celebrating our 15th anniversary performances! Stars of the dance world come together to celebrate dance, music and American history.
All internationally respected dancers are retired from major companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Complexions, Lula Washington, and over 40 Broadway shows. With over 400 years of experience on the contemporary and ballet stage, dancers are a cultural and artistic bridge from the great artists that came before them, to the next generations.
This arts and history performance honors the memory of:
• African American musical artists such as Harry Belafonte, Aretha Franklin, DMX, Little Richard, Tina Turner, Maya Angelou, Prince, and many others with lasting legacies.
• Civil Rights leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali & Maya Angelou.
Through the power of dancers in their 40s & 50s, this uplifting, educational, inspiring, family-friendly, can't-sit-still-in-your-seat celebration of who we are as Americans will have you singing to yourself and reflecting on history for weeks.
Who is this show for?
This show is perfect for the whole family. Whether you spend lots of time at the theatre or this is your very first time, you will have a blast! Children, seniors, teenagers, Grown Folks and everyone in between, we pride ourselves in creating beautiful cross-cultural and intergenerational magic. All are welcome! Come how your are & celebrate!
How are proceeds from tickets used? - 2024 Performance & Classes are FREE AND OUTDOORS!
All proceeds of tickets go directly into presenting the show. In fact, ticket sales only account for 25% of what it costs to bring this beautiful dance concert to the community. The other 75% of costs must be made up with fundraising in order to pay for the theater, dancers, musicians, stage crew, costumes, music, rehearsal space, licensing, and other many details that it takes to produce high quality theater.
We painstakingly keep the ticket price as low as possible to make sure that our performances remain accessible to people of diverse backgrounds. We also sponsor 200 under-resourced resilient, and enthusiastic children to come see the show for free, making sure that they have access to experience this impactful work.
