Get ready to celebrate the Dallas Black Dance Academy’s monumental 50th anniversary milestone at their annual Spring Recital! Join the students and instructors of DBDA as they showcase their incredible talents that define the Academy’s legacy in dance over the past five decades.

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Academy Spring Recital

Majestic Theatre

Selection after selection from A. Dvorak, A. Khachaturian, L. Bernstein, Piazzolla/Castillo, Gardel/Williams, and J. Moncayo provide an incredible musical backdrop to the dancing phenomenon you’ll feast your eyes on during this special concert.

Let’s Dance Presented by Irving Symphony Orchestra

Carpenter Hall

Join the City of Irving as we celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year’s celebration will feature dance, song, poetry, and art performed by the Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Kamica King.

Martin Luther King Jr Observance Presented by the City of Irving

A multicultural, all-female percussive trio based in the rhythms of Tap, Flamenco, and Kathak dance, Soles of Duende make their Joyce debut with their feature-length production, Can We Dance Here? In this riveting performance of rhythmic exchange, Amanda Castro (Tap), Arielle Rosales (Flamenco), and Brinda Guha (Kathak) elevate the joy of true collaboration across disciplines. Rooted in all that their crafts provide them, and in dialogue with live music, this trio invites audiences to pause, witness, and receive three women boldly taking the floor here and now.

Soles of Duende

The Joyce Theater

Experience some of the best dance across the country with The Joyce Theater's eighth annual American Dance Platform curated by dramaturg, scholar, and Jacob’s Pillow Associate Curator Melanie George

American Dance Platform

Shining a light on Black female tap dancers who overcame the barriers of a white and male dominated field, Dormeshia Tap Collective presents Unsung Sheroes of the 20th Century. The work pays homage to legendary hoofers Cora LaRedd, Mable Lee, Harriet “Quicksand” Browne, Juanita Pitts, and more in a spirited display of rhythm and sound. With live music by a swingin’ band, the cast of Brinae Ali, Starinah Dixon, Josette Wiggan, Quynn Johnson, Kyleigh Vickers, and Dormeshia draw a line from the past to the present. 

Jazz at The Joyce

Founded in 1974, Dallas Black Dance Theatre has performed for more than four million people worldwide. Be there when they partner with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and music director Robert Spano in Bass Performance Hall for Stravinsky’s Petrushka Suite with choreography by Sean Smith, a balletic take on the story of Punch and Judy fame, with its whirling, folk-inspired melodies and high-stepping harmonies. Also on the program are a pair of Mozartian gems, the Overture from The Magic Flute, as well as the esteemed “Jupiter” symphony.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre and the FWSO: Mozart and Stravinsky

Bass Performance Hall

Artistic Director Melissa Young and Dancer/Co-Rehearsal Director Sean Smith discuss how the Dallas Black Dance Theatre and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra will bring this collaboration to life through Sean Smith's choreography for Stravinsky’s Petrushka Suite. 

Dallas Black Dance Theatre is the oldest, continuously operating professional dance company in Dallas. Under the direction of the Artistic Director, Melissa M. Young, the contemporary company, consists of 14 professional, full-time dancers performing a mixed repertory of modern, ballet, jazz, and ethnic works by nationally and internationally known choreographers. Over the course of its history, DBDT has performed for 4 million arts patrons and 2.6 million children worldwide (40,000 annually youth grades K–12).

Dallas Black Dance Theatre

Kimbell Art Museum

Founded in 1976 by Ann Williams and currently under the direction of Melissa M. Young, Dallas Black Dance Theatre cultivates contemporary modern dance at the highest level of artistic excellence, bridging cultures through its performance and educational programs. The oldest professional dance company in Dallas, with recognition by the National Endowment of the Arts as an American Masterpiece Touring Artist, the company brings works by Kameron N. Saunders, Norbert De La Cruz III, and Chanel DaSilva to our American Dance Platform

Dallas Black Dance Theatre

May 25, 2024

Academy Spring Recital

Feb 10, 2024

Let’s Dance Presented by Irving Symphony Orchestra

Dallas Black Dance Theatre