Dimuro is the director of Dance Metro D.C. and an organizer for the third annual Velocity D.C. dance festival, which brings productions from the region’s artists to curated concerts at Sidney Harman Hall. The festival, which began Thursday and runs through Sunday is presented by a consortium of local arts organizations. How did Velocity D.C. get started?
It seemed that three years ago, a lot of local companies couldn’t afford to be in Harman Hall and other theaters because of the expenses of equipment, etc. … So many of these artists and companies tour around the world or are well known in D.C., but we thought it was such a shame that they can’t afford these venues. So we decided to showcase local dance and by association with Harman Hall that would give them some credibility.
As an international city, how is D.C.’s dance community different?
D.C.’s dance community is very different, 70 percent of the companies involved in Dance Metro D.C. are non-ballet, non-jazz or non-modern, and a great percentage of them are from different cultures. People are fusing all this work together. Modern dance isn’t modern dance as it was 30 years ago.
Are there going to be interactive events at the festival?
Today I just picked up 200 feet of sod to use in front of theater. Daniel Burkholder and the Primary Scale will walk certain audience members onto the grass, and performers will also be doing separate pieces on the sod inside the theater. There’s also RAMP, which we’re just putting together and will break down that mystique of dance. It’s going be like a party, you’ll be chatting in an informal Q&A way.
What’s a misconception about the dance community in D.C.?
The misconception is that is has to from out of town to be good. That it’s only the acts that come to the Harman or the Kennedy Center, which are good.
— Leigh Giangreco
