READING CONTEMPORARY DANCE:

SEE! DISCUSS! LEARN!

A club for increasing literacy and appreciation for contemporary dance

Spectrum Dance Theater is excited to announce the return of "Reading Contemporary Dance" This informal dance club seeks to enhance audience experience and understanding of dance through a series of performances and discussions. Each season (Fall & Spring) members are invited to attend four to five dance performances around the Greater Seattle Area. After each performance members get together to discuss their impressions, opinions and insight about the performance. At the end of all the performances, Spectrum hosts an afternoon round table discussion with a special guest speaker and participants.

1) Contact Spectrum Dance Theater and let us know you are interested in joining. Either email us at or call 206.325.4161.
2) Purchase your tickets to the performances you will be attending. Links to the box office for each participating venue can be found above.
3) Show up to the performances and discussions.

October 17th through November 14th

Saturday October 17th, 2009
Spectrum Madrona Dance Studio
Landrover (Cunningham)
Quartet - Excerpts (Byrd)
Short Dances/Little Stories - Excerpts (Byrd)
Life Situations (Byrd)
The Sleeping Beauty Notebook - Excerpts (Byrd)

Saturday October 24th, 2009
Meany Theater
Harmonica Breakdown (Dudley)
Tenant of the Street (Gentry)
Lynchtown (Weidman)
Dink's Blues (McKayle)
D-Man in the Waters (Jones)

Saturday November 7th, 2009
On the Boards Merrill Wright Mainstage
Alaska (Szeinblum)

Saturday November 14th, 2009
Freemont Abbey
Earth (Canfield, Cooper)

1) I can’t attend all of the performances for the series. Can I still participate in the discussions?
Certainly. The discussions will cover a wide range of topics and not be limited to just the performances in the series.
2) I can attend the performances, but not on the night listed on the website. Can I still participate in the discussions?
Spectrum only hosts the post performance discussions after the performances on the date listed. However, you are welcome to join us for the round table discussion at the end of the series.
3) I forgot all the dates for the performances and discussions. Where can I find that information?
We will list this information on the website as it becomes available. Also, if you have contacted us about participation in the program, we will send you an email reminder one week before each event.
4) I went to all the performances, but forgot to let you know I wanted to join the club. Can I still come to the discussions?
You can. We ask that you let us know that you will be participating for two reasons: first so that we can make reservations at the restaurants participating in the post-performance discussions, and second so that we can gather your email address to send out reminders and selected readings. If you forget to let us know, you can still drop by and we can get you registered then.
5) I haven’t a clue on how to talk about dance, how could I possibly participate in a discussion?
You are not alone. All of us have struggled with articulating our impressions and understanding of a performance. Dance is about movement and can be difficult to discuss. Part of what we will explore is how to talk about dance.
6) I’m still not sure what Reading Contemporary Dance is.
At its heart it is a club. By attending dance performances and participating in discussions, members seek to broaden their understanding of dance.