15th Annual!!!
Fallen Heroes, Rising Stars: A Juneteenth Celebration Through Dance
Free Outdoor Performance - Saturday, June 22, 2024 @ 3pm
9th & Washington, Old Oakland
Thurs, Fri & Sat Juneteenth Weekend Free Community Classes
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June, July & August Free Community Classes & Workshops
Class Details Coming Soon
Family-Friendly DANCE CLASSES -FREE
Bring the whole family! No experience needed!
2024 Dates & Times Coming Soon!
Thursdays 5pm - Contemporary
Saturdays 12pm - Contemporary
Sundays 10am -Intergenerational Ballet
Classes are taught Live Streamed on GWDC’s website OR In Person at our studio! 494 9th St., Oakland, CA
***Please see details below re/ which classes are Live Streamed and which are In Person.***
All 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.
WELLNESS Workshops -FREE
Movement-based wellness
2024 Dates & Times Coming Soon!
Harp & Gentle Stretching
Mental Health & Movement
Fall Prevention & Pain Reduction for Seniors
Juneteenth 2024 Wellness Workshops are held in our studio IN PERSON - 494 9th St., Oakland, CA - 2024 Dates Coming Soon!
FALL PREVENTION AND DECREASED PAIN FOR SENIORS*, taught by Tonya Marie Amos (Cleo Parker Robinson)
Thursdays, dates TBD, IN PERSON
*All Summer Fall Prevention for Seniors classes will be taught IN PERSON. Please contact us for enrollment, as this is a closed workshop for the safety of our elders. Fall classes will resume on Zoom.
MENTAL HEALTH, WELLNESS & MOVEMENT + Ask a Psychiatrist with Dr. Ardis Martin, MD, Board Certified Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist & Tonya Marie Amos, GWDC’s Artistic Director.
2024 Date & Subject TBD - IN PERSON - 494 9th St., Oakland
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 John Lee Hooker, Aretha Franklin, DMX, Whitney Houston, Nipsey Hussle, 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!
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.
