Vicki Adams Willis, Michèle Moss, and Hannah Stilwell founded DJD in 1984.

With the integrity of jazz as a guide, these women developed the Company’s trademark style. Using the grounded, rhythmic and sensuous movements of West Africa, and the vernacular “swing” of North American Jazz, in combination with the sparkling techniques of professionally trained dancers, DJD has delighted and moved audiences from its debut.

DJD remains Canada’s only professional dance company dedicated to the preservation, evolution and promotion of jazz dance and jazz music.

Jazz music is at the heart of DJD’s work. The company delves into an extremely broad range of jazz music styles – everything from early and pre-jazz forms to contemporary incarnations and fusions. Traditionally, much of the integrity and spirit of jazz dance has depended on the interaction between dancer and musician, and because of this, DJD performs primarily with live music.

The core of the company’s work is African-rooted, swing-based, rhythmically focused and musically propelled. With live jazz music and these traditions as anchors, DJD joyfully explores a broad range of jazz styles and influences. The company seeks to innovate and move jazz forward while staying true to jazz by utilizing integral elements of its nature, such as improvisation, rhythmic sophistication, or vernacular inspiration.

The company is known for its compelling, engaging and uplifting performances that utilize the ever-powerful union of jazz music and dance to express a wide range of human experience, from the soulful longings of the blues to the joyful exuberance of swing.

DJD is also known for its humour, musicality, theatricality, and high production values. Choreography can range from a simple revisit of a traditional Lindy Hop to contemporary work that remixes the traditional elements of jazz in new and innovative ways.

The founders are continually in search of like-minded artists. The company has trained and performed with many jazz and tap greats including Buster Brown, Frankie Manning, Matt Mattox, Daniel Nagrin, Heather Cornell, Jeannie Hill, Josh Hilberman, Katherine Kramer and Billy Siegenfeld.

DJD’s founding Artistic Directors travel extensively to gain expertise in jazz dance and its roots. Besides extensive research and training in North American cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, their individual research highlights include studies in Africa, India, Cuba and Europe.

The company has made research and development a priority for the entire artistic staff. In any given summer, you can find the company dancers in places such as Sweden studying Swing Dance, Boston studying Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop and Swing, and New York for African, Tap and Jazz, or embarking on exciting probes into the “sources” with trips to New Orleans, West Africa, or Cuba.