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Chamber Dance Company

About The Chamber Dance Company

The Chamber Dance Company’s mission is to identify, produce, and archive modern and contemporary dance works of artistic significance that have rarely or never been seen by Northwest audiences. Composed of graduate students, CDC is an integral part of the MFA degree in dance at the University of Washington. CDC has performed and recorded over 125 dances choreographed between 1895 and 2023.  

Under the Artistic Direction of Associate Professor Rachael Lincoln, CDC expands into the field of contemporary dance to highlight the UW Department of Dance MFA students, whose professional backgrounds include a wide range of dance styles.  Company members learn repertory from nationally renowned choreographers to be performed in the world-class Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater, and also have the opportunity to create fully-produced new works as director, collaborator, or performer, with mentorship from the Artistic Director. CDC’s performing and educational reach is extensive. Audience members come from as far south as Portland, as far east as Spokane, and as far north as Vancouver, BC to attend the annual October performances. Each summer during the re-staging process, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute sponsors an annual course focusing on CDC, and UW students are welcome to watch rehearsals of these significant works.  CDC’s founder and long-time Artistic Director, Professor Hannah Wiley, has published twelve documentaries that contextualize specific choreographers and their work; the documentaries can be found in university libraries around the world and are available for viewing at dance.washington.edu/documentaries.

Videos of most works performed by CDC are available for viewing and research in the Chamber Dance Company Special Collection created in the 90s and housed in Drama Library in Hutchinson Hall. To view a list of choreographers and their works, go to: dance.washington.edu/choreographers. To access library listings, go to: guides.lib.uw.edu

Testimonials

"Thank you for the opportunity to work with your beautiful and dedicated dancers." —Daniel Nagrin

"The dancers are really exceptional individually and as a group—each so distinctive—yet they blend so beautifully and dance with such a fullness and passion. The pieces look like they were made on those dancers—but the reality is that they made the dances!" —Sarah Stackhouse

"Hannah's artistic integrity, sense of style and keen musicality are truly unique. I trust her artistic direction completely." —Gemze de Lappe

"You have done a beautiful job with "Orfeo" and it is a special joy for me to see this poetic dance performed with such integrity and honesty." —Gary Masters

"I can think of no other company in Seattle that I'd rather see—no matter the repertory. The purity of the dance and music is remarkable... You are Seattle's White Oak and we are lucky to have you. Thank you for the respect you give Seattle audiences by producing such an intelligent, searching event. Bravo!" —Jean Lenihan, Seattle Dance Critic

"The troupe takes meticulous care with costumes, lighting, and of course choreography. The rigor of its art, under the direction of Hannah C. Wiley, translates into pure, buoyant delight for audiences." — Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times

"...it takes a special kind of obsession to keep looking backward while the rest of the dance world hurtles ahead. Which is part of the what makes the project that Hannah Wiley and the University of Washington Chamber Dance Company run so special." — Sandra Kurtz, Seattle Weekly

"While the program notes inform us about the thematic ties between Alwin Nikolais and the other choreographers on the bill, as well as their place in the dance firmament, the UW Chamber Dance Company performances was not a dry, academic evening of dance history. Instead, it was a lively, often engrossing, celebration of an artform. From Oskar Shlemmer's experiments with bodies in space to the small worlds that Nikolais and Lubovitch present us, the evening was a unique opportunity to see some of the best that dance has to offer." — Marcie Sillman, KUOW

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