Dayton dance company shutting down for good
A Dayton dance company is preparing to dance its last dance.
Michael Groomes, the choreographer and creative force behind SMAG Dance Collective, confirmed rumors that he is ending the troupe he began 14 years ago.
“It is getting more and more difficult each year to get bodies to work,” Groomes, a former member of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. “It is time to walk away before I start disliking dance.”
The company has struggled to retain its volunteer dancers since 2008, he said. The dancers are unpaid.
SMAG’s last show, “Good Tidings,” will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Dayton Playhouse, 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton.
“It’s been long overdue,” he said. “It was just me not wanting to let go.”
SMAG’s costumes and equipment will be sold after Dec. 17 and the company will shut down for good in May 2018.
Saturday’s free show will include guest performances from Funk Lab, Kip Moore, Mama Renee and McClendon Institute Dancers and Brittany Lewis.
Groomes said the SMAG troupe is down to two dancers and a youth. At its height, the company had nine dancers who were selected by audition.
Groomes said his future may include teaching and more choreography. He started SMAG to give dancers who otherwise would not have had an opportunity to dance a platform to express their craft.
He said he wanted the fusion aspects of dance — hip hop and modern dance, in particular — and to bridge the gap between artists who often live in isolated worlds.
“You can multitask with a lot of different arts organizations and still come up with a nice, entertaining product for people,” Groomes said. “There are all kinds of people on stage with us at one time.” is an independent curator who manages Build Art In LLC, an art consultancy business she founded in 2014. She’ll start work at Zygote in January, the release said.
“I am so excited and honored to take on this new challenge,” Black said in a written statement. “I have long admired Zygote and I can’t think of a better organization to nurture and grow.”
Black was the associate director and director of engagement at the Dayton Art Institute from 2012 to 2015 and served as executive director of the Dayton Visual Arts Center from 2003 to 2012.
She was previously visual arts writer and a marketing publications editor for the Dayton Daily News.
“We were so pleased to have attracted such high caliber talent,” Morena Carter, president of the Zygote board said in the release. “Jane has the perfect mix of experience and vision to help Zygote maintain its strong position in the community while helping it grow.”
The release said that Black has curated scores of exhibitions, managed three international artist residencies, and completed major public art installations at Dayton area hospitals.
She facilitated a statewide printmaking conference and public event, and planned and implemented a $1.3 million public art collaboration with the Dayton Metro Library, according to Zygote’s announcement.
An experienced juror and panelist, Black has adjudicated grants on the local, state, and national level, serving as a six-time reviewer for the National Endowment for the Arts, the release said. of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra – combine their talents for an artistic celebration second to none.
Dayton Opera Artistic Director Thomas Bankston, Dayton Philharmonic Artistic Director and Conductor Neal Gittleman, and Dayton Ballet Artistic Director Karen Russo Burke together present an outstanding celebration of music, song, and dance.
Dayton Opera is pleased to welcome to the stage three of its four 2017-2018 Artists-in-Residence to the stage for the exciting evening. Soprano Olivia Yokers, mezzo-soprano Noragh Devlin, and tenor Michael Anderson will ring in the new year with Dayton Opera before they commence their Artists-in-Residence program, which will have them performing at numerous schools throughout the community. Joining these talented young artists will be baritone Brian Hupp, who will make his Dayton Opera debut with this performance.
The theme for this exciting evening is The Grand Tour, and the DPAA takes a trip across the globe with works from some of the greatest composers from around the world, including Brahms, Dvořák, Vaughan Williams, Rimsky-Korsakov, Ravel, and Copland. Music from Johann Strauss I and Johann Strauss II, father and son, lights up the evening as well, with a lovely waltz and a merry march.
The evening will build up to a glorious finish with “The Blue Danube Waltz” by Johann Strauss II, capped off with a thrilling performance of “The Radetsky March” by his father, Johann Strauss I. The evening draws to a close with the traditional and nostalgic Auld Lang Syne as we welcome 2018.
This New Year’s Eve concert will be finished by 10:30 p.m., so that concert-goers won’t have to miss other evening events and can see the ball drop.
Tickets for New Year’s Eve: The Grand Tour range from $19 to $74 and are available at Ticket Center Stage (937) 228-3630 or online at www.daytonperformingarts.org. Senior, teacher and military discounts are available at the box office. For more information or to order subscriptions, including flexible subscription types that include performances by Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Opera and Dayton Ballet, visit www. daytonperformingarts.org.