Company History
Dissonance Dance Theatre (DDTDC) was conceived as a project in 2005 after artistic director, Shawn Short, graduated from Howard University and started to work with the Washington Ballet. He felt there needed to be a performing ensemble that blended the modern styles of old (Horton, Graham, Limon) with nuances of ballet, jazz and hip-hop to create a fresh take on contemporary movement.
Shawn believed that this style could find a home in the Washington D.C. dance community, which has been a locale sensitive to the growing changes in dance that are shaping the 21st century.
DDTDC's name sprang from Shawn's desire to expand conventional notions about dance and push beyond stereotypes. DDTDC was designed to be a hub for dance artists who are focused on the creative process and artistic integrity. Our dancers strive to utilize dance and theatre convention to construct a narrative that is thrilling, uplifting, and challenging.
Mission:
To challenge the audience's assumptions about the human experience through dance.
"Acting teaches us how to internalize and recall an emotion organically. I feel that a dancer must utilize the same techniques if he or she wants to provoke genuine emotional reaction from an audience. A dancer who can do this well has the opportunity to convey the breadth of human experience."
--Shawn Short