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ADULT CLASS LOCATION UPDATE:

STARTING MARCH 8, 2023 ALL WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY MORNING CLASSES WILL BE HELD AT: 

The Arts and Industry Building,
221 Pine St #245, Florence, MA 01062

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This is only for the following classes: 
Wednesdays 9-10:30am Hawley St. Ballet Class 
Wednesdays 6-8pm Contact Improvisation 

Fridays, 10-11:30am Int/Adv Contemporary Practices



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register here!

2022 IN REVIEW
Over 150 artists presented
Over 50 performances
Over 300 classes
Over 3000 students and audience members
Thank you for being a part of an exciting 2022 and helping us re-energize live performance and in-person dancing!
​We are excited to share an exhilarating 2023 with you!

THE SCHOOL FOR CONTEMPORARY DANCE & THOUGHT (SCDT) provides innovative programming for all ages to activate imaginations and facilitate empowerment, transformation, and development through the movement arts. SCDT connects dance practices, performances, and classes with thoughtful public conversation, encouraging and invigorating community engagement. Learn more >>>

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SCDT welcomes individuals regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, class, and ability. We believe that diversity creates a world we want to live in, and encourage you, whoever you are, to join us in creating a space for movement, thought, care, and intention.

CHECK OUT OUR COLLABORATING ORGANIZATIONS, APE @ HAWLEY , FIRST GENERATION and THE FIELD CENTER
PLUS, check out our Artist Retrospective with APE @ HAWLEY!

FOR UP TO DATE COVID-19 ANNOUNCEMENTS, CLICK HERE!

​We are pleased to offer IN PERSON and ONLINE CLASSES! All classes are at our new home 33 Hawley Street, Northampton MA
​Our space is 3000 sq feet, with lots of room to dance and socially distance!
​Check out details here!




THANK YOU TO OUR MANY SUPPORTERS INCLUDING THE MASS CULTURAL COUNCIL, THE NORTHAMPTON ARTS COUNCIL, THE ART ANGELS and NEFA and NOM


SCDT is also proud to participate in the Card to Culture program, a collaboration between the Mass Cultural Council and the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, and the Massachusetts Health Connector, by broadening accessibility to cultural programming.

EBT and WIC cardholders get a 50% discount for all SCDT programming. See the complete list of participating organizations offering EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare discounts.

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Audition Feb 2nd, Thursday 5-6:30pm
SCDT, Workroom Studio Theater
Ages 13-17 

Laura Peterson will be teaching an audition class, numbers will not be worn.
Interested dancers are encouraged to ----->LEARN MORE and APPLY HERE

---->Scholarships applications are available once the dancer has been accepted to the program.


WINTER/SPRING 2023
ADULT & YOUTH
​CLASSES ARE LIVE!

Youth Classes 2023
Adult Classes 2023

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SCDT FALL 2022 IN REVIEW
Saturday Sept 10|welcome to the void, 7PM
Sunday Sept 18 |EXCHANGE, 7PM
Saturday Sept 24| Women in hip hop artist talk- PASSIONFRUIT DANCE, 7:30PM
Saturday Oct 1|HUT, 8PM
Saturday Oct 15|Peter Schmitz Tribute, 7PM
Sunday Oct 16|WIP, 4:30PM
Saturday and Sunday Oct 22-23|MOTHER TONGUE- First Generation, time TBD
Thursday Oct 27|Tatsuya Nakatani Gong Orchestra, 7:30PM
Saturday Nov 5|HUT 8PM
Saturday Nov 12|IzumonookunI- Aretha Aoki/Ryan MacDonald, 7:00PM
Sunday Nov 13|WIP, 4:30PM
Saturday Dec 3|HUT 8PM
Saturday Sunday Dec 17-18|HATCHERY, 6PM/2PM



IN HONOR OF
​YOUR LIVES, YOUR MAGIC AND THE MANY GIFTS YOU SHARED WITH SO MUCH 
GENEROSITY

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PETER BARRY SCHMITZ  

Amherst, MA — Peter B. Schmitz (December 29, 1950 – August 10, 2022) offered his rigorously innovative mind and spirit to the performing arts for over five decades as a choreographer, actor, dancer, and educator. 

Peter died peacefully at home under the tender care of his husband, Joey Trazo Schmitz. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Creative Coaching Fund through A.P.E.: http://www.apearts.org/support.html.

For more about Peter, see: peterbschmitz.squarespace.com 
​
Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com

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       JEAN BAXTER 
​
HADLEY, MA — Jean Barrett Baxter, 74, of Hadley, MA, died peacefully at home on 8/11/2022 surrounded by family following a journey of 10 months with brain cancer. 

A memorial service in her honor will be held on Saturday, October 8th, 2022, at 11am at the First Congregational Church, 102 Middle Street, Hadley Ma. A brief graveside service will follow at the Old Hadley Cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be contributed to the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts in her name. 

Ahearn Funeral Home 
(413)587-0044

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    KATHLEEN MARGARET
       HERMESDORF

​
January 31,1967 -November 29, 2020 (age 53) passed away on November 29, 2020 at the age of 53.

She was a stunning artist and a generous builder of community. She was an abundant mover, a literal shaker, an incredible force of nature.She was a convener of dreamers, a home for unruly creative impulses. She was a stellar human - graced with grit and humor and love and generosity - whose movement and teaching transformed those in her sphere in innumerable ways. 

Do you have a memory of Kathleen that you would like to add to the site? Feel free to contact us with your offering.

SHARE YOUR MEMORY
Email: kathleenhermesdorfarchive@gmail.com



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   NANCY STARK SMITH

​age 68, a writer, editor, and dancer who co-founded the contemporary dance form called Contact Improvisation, died of ovarian cancer at home in Florence, MA, on Friday, May 1, 2020. "Where you are when you don't know where you are is one of the most precious spots offered by improvisation. It is a place from which more directions are possible than anywhere else. I call this place The Gap," Stark Smith wrote in a Contact Quarterly editor's note in 1987.

​In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Contact Quarterly

www.contactquarterly.com/ donate.


EXCITING NEWS

SCDT is proud to announce our latest grants from NEFA, and the Mass Cultural Council!
THANK YOU NEFA and MCC!

Northampton Arts Council: Project grant for EXCHANGE YOUTH PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL 2023

 NEFA: TWO NEST GRANTS! to support Vanessa Anspaugh's latest work AND Aretha Aoki/Ryan MacDonald!

MCC: Festival Grant to support the SCDT SUMMER DANCE FESTIVAL 2022


 MCC: CIP 2022 project Grant to launch the long awaited SCDT COMMUNITY CURATION TEAM with Shakia the key!


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WELCOME HOME

SCD&T is HAPPY and BUSY in our new space at 33 Hawley! We can't wait to welcome you into the Work Room for the Fall semester. With 3000 sq. feet and a state-of-the-art HVAC system, we're lucky to have our airy space where social distancing is easy. 
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INTRODUCING: HAWLEY STREET BALLET

Hawley Street Ballet has been long in the making-- Jen Polins, Kate Martel, and Ellie Goudie-Averill have each had life long journeys as professional ballet dancers and have been training since they were very young. Their love for the form has kept them all engaged in the art of ballet, and their love for teaching movement and patterns to others has brought them together in Northampton at 33 Hawley Street in 2021.  These three incredible teachers are joining forces and offer these holistic, healing approaches to classical and contemporary ballet to YOU! 
 
Students will be invited into contemporary approaches to ballet techniques that include kindness, rigor, coordination, curiosity, and specificity.  Together, we will deepen physical exploration and expand knowledge of movement vocabulary.  In these classes, dancers will learn and increase familiarity with ballet terminology, and apply anatomical information for maximized freedom within form, function, and joy.

​Learn more about Hawley Street Ballet HERE >>>>
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GET INVOLVED:

DONATE!
SCDT is an independent non profit arts organization struggling to survive in this pandemic.

SCDT is dedicated to employing a small, wonderful staff of artists and is continuing to offer online programming to the public during these tenuous times. Please consider a donation to support SCDT so we can support artists and teachers, and keep up with important arts programming.

THANK YOU!
Learn more
WORK/STUDY
Interested in free classes and performances?

We are currently recruiting work/study members or interns for class monitoring, office administration, fundraising, and more!

If you are interested in joining us, please email infoscdt@gmail.com with the subject link "Work/Study" or "Internship."

We can't wait to hear from you!
SUBSCRIBE!

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ABOUT
SEASON CALENDAR​
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DIRECTIONS & PARKING
NORTHAMPTON ARTS TRUST
33 HAWLEY ST
NORTHAMPTON, MA

infoscdt@gmail.com
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