The HomeGrown Program Will Inspire Performers to Create Original Dance Works Within Spaces Located in L.A.’s Most Diverse Neighborhood

Today, Dance Resource Center (DRC) announced an invaluable partnership with three Los Angeles-based performing arts venues to provide rehearsal spaces across Los Angeles County, from October to December 2023, at no cost to local choreographers and dancers. This collaboration, known as HomeGrown, is the brainchild of former DRC Executive Director Felicia Rosenfeld, who conceived the idea in 2015 to connect L.A. dance makers with well-equipped spaces that inspire and productively support the local dance community. This year’s participating HomeGrown arts organizations—Fusion Performing Dance Academy, Lula Washington Dance Theatre and The Music Center—will provide dancers and dance studios with the opportunity to explore their dance creations within the diverse neighborhoods of East L.A., South Central L.A. and Downtown L.A., respectively. 

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Fusion Performing Dance Academy, Lula Washington Dance Theatre and The Music Center—undoubtedly three of Los Angeles’ acclaimed performing arts institutions. By providing free rehearsal spaces in their venues to dance-makers and supporting dance studios that are grappling with the repercussions of inflation, gentrification and/or the pandemic, these three generous organizations allow the dance community’s creativity to thrive,” said Raélle Dorfan, Executive Director, “Self-production is something often learned through trial-and-error, and dozens of local dance makers will now have the opportunity and inspiration to grow and evolve freely within safe studio spaces.” 

As the hub and voice for Greater Los Angeles dance, DRC is proud to represent and include movement forms of diverse artists and organizations reflecting L.A.’s rich socio-cultural mosaic. Studio spaces will be utilized to create work in genres of dance varying from Neoclassical Ballet, Contemporary, Multimedia, Dance Theatre, Modern, Epic, Arabic Folklore, Argentine Tango, Improvisational Jazz, Afro Modern, Punking & Whacking, Kathak and more.  

“I am grateful for the work that HomeGrown and DRC have done to make this possible. It will in fact be a historical moment for Lula Washington Dance Theatre, and possibly all of Los Angeles, to have so many dance companies working in the same building at the same time!” said Tamica Washington-Miller, Associate Director of Lula Washington Dance Theatre. “It truly is something we have not seen in my knowledge of L.A. history.” 

HomeGrown Fall 2023 artists who will be creating and rehearsing at Fusion Performing Dance Academy are: Tashara Gavin-Moorhead, Aubre Hill of Qabila Dance Academy, Emmy Lam and Sophia Oddi. Artists creating, rehearsing, and performing at Lula Washington Dance Theatre include Bernard Brown of bbmoves, Brigette Dunn-Korpela of B. Dunn Movement, Darrel “Friidom” Dunn, Ian Schwaner, and Wilfried G. Souly of Souly Dance Arts. Vanessa Hernández Cruz, Darrel “Friidom” Dunn, Janet Roston of Mixed eMotion Theatrix, Sonal Kumar Turakhia of Shivam Arts Dance, and Victoria Villamil of Whacking Los Angeles will create and rehearse at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. 
 
Artists participating in HomeGrown at Lula Washington Dance Theatre will have the opportunity to perform at Dance All Day at the Taste of Soul Outdoor Festival on Saturday, October 21, 2023, on Crenshaw Boulevard. 
 
“The opportunity to collaborate with fellow artists and dance companies at highly respected organizations like Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Fusion Performing Dance Academy and The Music Center enriches the project’s creative process and opens doors to potential partnerships and innovative ideas,” said Brigette Dunn-Korpela, Artistic Director of B. Dunn Movement. “The diverse and ever-changing audiences, particularly at events like Taste of Soul and Dance All Day offer an avenue for all to reach a broad demographic, gather essential feedback, and foster community engagement, aligning with the project’s goal of sparking meaningful dialogues about race and identity.” 

To learn more about HomeGrown, visit danceresourcecenter.org/opportunities/rehearsal-space/  

Past HomeGrown Participants

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DRC Studio and Community Space/HomeGrown 2023-24 is made possible thanks to support from 

@fusionpdacademy @lula_washington_dance_theatre @musiccenterla