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about RAINBOW DANCE THEATRE
Rainbow Dance Theatre’s ensemble of eight virtuoso dancers transforms the concert stage into a world of mystery, pathos and humor.
Delighting audiences of all ages with its athletic “pull-out-the-stops celebration of … dancing that pays homage to world-dance and –music influences” (Sheryl Dare, Honolulu Advertiser), RDT’s repertory features modern works with roots in the traditions of many world cultures. Combined with innovative aerial choreography, visually stunning interactive sets and full-stage 3-D backdrops, the distinctive choreography of artistic directors Darryl Thomas and Valerie Bergman creates “an exotic feast for the senses”.
- Isamu
Jordan
,
Spokane
Spokesman Review
“At first glance, the audience was drawn immediately into the show’s jaw-dropping sets, which included a beautifully rendered backdrop of the urban life, a full-size faux rock wall, a giant multimedia screen, a cargo net suspended above the stage, pyrotechnics, and more. The dancing was breathtaking, artfully rendered, and polished. The show featured different types of dance, from hip hop and African rhythms to physical/martial arts based dancing and modern. The audience stayed engaged throughout this incredible performance and offered a standing ovation, roaring, at the end of the program.”
- Camille Barigar, Arts on Tour,
Twin Falls
,
Idaho
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Rainbow Dance Theatre was founded in
Honolulu
,
Hawaii
in 1991, and is currently based in
Monmouth
,
Oregon
. The Company has toured throughout the world, performing in Europe, Asia, the
United States
, and
Mexico
to widespread critical and popular acclaim. At the invitation of the
US
Commissioner General, the Company represented the state of
Hawaii
at the World Expo ’92 in
Seville
,
Spain
, and, in June 2005, it represented the State of
Oregon
at the 2005 World Expo in
Nagoya
,
Japan
. Other international festival performances include the Second International Dance Festivals in Taegu and Pusan, South Korea, the 5th and 9th Concurso Continental de Danza Contemporanea in Mexico City, D.F., Dance Tanz in Osaka, Japan, 2004 International VSA arts Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D. C., and Men Dancing and Cultural Slam in Honolulu, Hawaii. RDT tours regularly throughout the
United States
,
Canada
and
Mexico
presenting concerts and conducting community-based dance residencies. As a roster company with Young Audiences and with the Salem Art Association, RDT performs for over 15,000
Oregon
and
Washington
school children per year. The Company and its Artistic Directors have received numerous grants including those from the National Endowment for the Arts, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Oregon Arts Commission, the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, the Atherton Family Foundation, Persis Corporation, and MJI Broadcasting. RDT’s members are active in the local communities, teaching Hip Hop and West African Dance and Drumming. Past residencies include those for the
Central
School District
,
Corvallis
School District
, and
McKay
High School
in
Salem
. Residencies for 2008 include those at
Whiteaker
Middle School
in Keizer, Falls City Elementary and Middle Schools, and
Wilson
Elementary School
in
Corvallis
.
In addition to touring their choreography with Rainbow Dance Theatre, Artistic Directors Darryl Thomas and Valerie Bergman have set works from the RDT repertory on professional and student dance companies throughout the
United States
and
Mexico
. Prior to founding Rainbow Dance Theatre, they each performed and toured internationally with leading American modern dance companies.
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