Cleo Parker Robinson Dance reopens for Black History Month
Dozens of supporters of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance — some in-person, but most on Zoom — gathered last week to mark the blessing of the nonprofit company’s 240-seat theater after months of renovation work.
Robinson, who founded one of the most respected Black dance ensembles in the U.S., appeared resplendent in white to mark the occasion, which put a cap on two months of frenzied work inside the 100-year-old Shorter AME complex at 119 Park Ave. West, which CPRD calls home.
The renovation allows CRPD to reopen the proscenium stage at the 24,000-square-foot complex, a former church, with up to 20 area performing arts companies in line to rent it. CRPD raised the money — $27,151, nearly twice the $14,000 goal — through a mix of city funding and local foundation support, officials said.
“In addition to use by CRPD, the return on investment is to help the 20 arts groups (some of whom are spin-off dance companies/former members of the CPRD Ensemble) who rent this space continue to survive during the pandemic enabling virtual productions,” a spokeswoman wrote. “Some of these spin-off dance companies include Moraporvida Dance (Jacob Mora), Nu-World Contemporary Danse Theatre (Chris PageSanders),
Feel The Movement (Edgar L. Page).”
The theater, which serves as CRPD’s main stage, features updated lighting, sound, livestream recording capabilities, a new sprung floor (benefiting dancers’ joints), a newly restructured stage structure, and a moveable ramp for wheelchair and other access.
CRPD next plans to perform in a virtual show marking Black History Month as part of the Aurora Fox-Cultural Concerts on Colfax. The free, live-streaming event begins at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10. Visit cleoparkerdance.org for details.