IN THE SPIRIT OF JAZZ, WE DANCE.
JAZZ ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Jazz is born of Black American culture and its roots lie in the turbulent history of the African American experience. We acknowledge this history and recognize ourselves as guests in this form. We are inspired by and benefit from traditions born of a culture that is not our own. We strive to be respectful in honouring the roots and history of jazz, we dance with reverence for those who came before us, we dig deep to go forward, we strive to appreciate rather than appropriate.
OUR VISION
We are 21st Century jazz people. The DJD Dance Centre is a home for jazz dance to live and thrive. We exist to contribute meaningfully to the future of jazz dance. We are a dance hub in our city. Our community is wide and inclusive. We believe in human connection, personal expression, and the dignity of all people. We believe in dancing to music, with bent knees and movement in our torsos, we embrace improvisation, rhythmic sophistication, the individual, and the community.
OUR VALUES
Movement
Creativity
Authenticity
Equity
Honesty & Integrity
Community
HISTORY OF DJD
In 1984, Vicki Adams Willis who had founded the jazz dance department at the University of Calgary, and two of her graduating students, Michèle Moss and Hannah Stilwell, co-founded DJD to help keep the spirit of jazz alive.
KEEP READINGTHE DJD DANCE CENTRE IS A HUB FOR THE COMMUNITY
DJD is a home for jazz dance and community dance hub. The DJD Dance Centre offers performances, training, outreach, rehearsal, creation and social space for all who enter. The centre has been designed to inspire creativity for the users within and to be a source of creative energy for the district.
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