Dance Loft on 14/MOVEIUS Contemporary Ballet

Dance Loft on 14 was created in response to the critical shortage of accessible rehearsal and performance space in DC and has since become the primary rental house for grassroots, professional dance and theater companies and for emerging artists. Its parent company, MOVEIUS Contemporary Ballet, presents politically-engaged choreography, rendering it unique among ballet-based ensembles. Its early childhood outreach program offers a dance curriculum to four Ward 4 preschools/kindergartens and its middle school program serves predominantly Latino and Spanish-speaking families, teaching dance forms such as Salsa and Folklorico in a bilingual format. The focus on cultural equity is intentional and critical, as opportunities in dance are almost non-existent in low-income schools. While the pandemic has moved these programs online and put a temporary halt to use of the Loft, imagination will reveal new ways of using space and bringing dancers joyfully back together.