As much as Cleo Parker Robinson reveres her legendary dance mentors, she’s wise enough to know that the art form’s future is in youth and experimentation.
“We’re going to see some more really extraordinary young choreographers doing creative work,” said Robinson, whose 39-year-old company is a cultural beacon on the edge of Denver’s Five Points neighborhood. “Looking at trends, we’re even seeing more churches that are doing dance ministry, especially in black communities.”
Robinson knows that black dance icons such as Katherine Dunham and Alvin Ailey are part of the art form’s tradition but understands that vitality is key in fighting for public recognition and funding.
That makes her company an appropriate host for the 21st annual International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference, which kicks off on Thursday and continues through Feb. 1. The conference offers support, networking and training for the international black dance community — and a chance for the public to see some of the field’s best new work.
“It’s just a big sort of family reunion, but there’s definitely that performance aspect,” said Troy Powell, associate artistic director of Ailey II, the junior company of Alvin American Dance Theater in New York.
Powell, who will be teaching at the conference, said exposing his students to other companies from around the world is an invaluable, and all-too-rare, experience.
“We all come from different places, so we can learn something from one another and take that back to our communities or cities,” Powell said.
Robinson will host the first public show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, a youth showcase at her theater on Park Avenue West. The public events move to the Paramount Theatre Jan. 30-31 at 7:30 p.m., showcasing a variety of professional and up-and-coming association members, including Ailey II and Philadelphia’s Philadanco.
“I always look forward to the conference because it renews my spirit,” said 77-year-old Philadanco founder Joan Myers Brown, who also helped found the association in 1988. “It’s a chance to see these incredibly talented, young, beautiful people who keep flowing like a river.”
Indeed, some of the conference’s most popular events are the midnight hip-hop and African dance classes that Robinson’s company instituted in 1990 when she first hosted the conference.
Master teachers from around the world, including Tony-award winner Donald McKayle, James Carles, Nejla Yatkin, Djiadjie Bathily and others will offer classes in ballet, jazz, African, modern and liturgical dance. Companies such as Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts are slated to attend.
“The minute you land and get to some of the meetings and classes, you feel an energy,” said Ray Mercer, a choreographer and veteran of Broadway’s “The Lion King” who will also be teaching at the conference. “You share your experiences; you share your art.”
The conference typically draws 500 to 600 international dance professionals and thousands more to its public performances. But its timing this year, along with the sour economic climate, points to fewer attendees than in the past.
“This is a tricky year because the (presidential) inauguration was so close and so many people said ‘I’m going to be in Washington and I don’t know if I can make it,’ ” Robinson said.
Obstacles are nothing new in the black dance field, and Philadanco’s Myers Brown sees a bright future as long as new talent continues to flow.
“This past year was the first time I thought maybe I need to start a group to encourage even younger people to dance,” said Myers Brown, whose Philadelphia-based school has been teaching young people the art of dance for 50 years. “It’s not just valuable as recreation and entertainment — people have to recognize the value of the training and the discipline itself.
“Bringing young people together to see how committed some of them are to the arts in general is so beneficial to their life skills. I’ve had so many people say to me, ‘If it hadn’t gone to Philadanco, I don’t know what I’d be doing now.’ ”
Performances will take place Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance ($25) and Jan. 30-31 at 7:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre ($45-$55). Call 303-295-1759 or visit for details.John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
