Announcement from CCDT:
Founded in 1980 by Artistic Director Deborah Lundmark and Managing Director Michael DeConinck Smith, the Toronto-based Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre (CCDT) envisioned a groundbreaking training ground and public showcase for exceptional next-generation contemporary dance artists. Company performances, over 42 years, have featured the creations of some seventy stellar national and international choreographers for audiences of all ages.In 1994 the company’s move to its 509 DANCE Parliament Street studio, guided by our multi-talented Board and secured from the outset by the Founders’ financial guarantees and subsidies, has provided a treasured home for CCDT and its associated training school. It has also afforded professional workspace for hundreds of local and touring dance groups at well below commercial market rates.We remain grateful for generous support from provincial and municipal Arts Councils, from individual donors and from several Canadian Foundations that have been invaluable to CCDT’s unique vision, merging young artist development with repertoire creation and public presentation. However, changes to some supporters’ funding priorities have resulted in a 65% funding cut over the past several years. Compounded by ongoing pandemic stress, these changes have compelled a reassessment of the organization’s future. Most significantly, they have compromised its ability to sustain 509 DANCE beyond August 2024, when the building will be closing and CCDT will be moving to a new location.CCDT’s original vision of encouraging young voices to be heard through the art of dance is embodied by more than four hundred current and former company members, inspired and guided by innumerable collaborating dance artists, composers, and designers. Those who have chosen a career in dance have enjoyed performing with over eighty companies worldwide, have founded a dozen more dance ensembles of their own, and lead several innovative dance education programs. Each individual carries some measure of their own formative experience with CCDT throughout their extraordinary personal journey. Exploring ways to build upon this precious legacy will inspire and guide our vision for CCDT’s next chapter.Deborah Lundmark & Michael deConinck SmithFounders, Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre