Photo courtesy of The Dance Foundation
The Dance Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching the art of dance to everyone, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025.
Join the anniversary celebration with student performances, delicious food and signature cocktails at Dread River Distilling, located at 2700 7th Avenue South in Birmingham, on Sunday from 4-6 p.m. Additional events are planned throughout the year.
“The Dance Foundation began with a big idea, which is that everyone can participate. We celebrate the dancer in every body and the dance in every movement,” said The Dance Foundation’s Executive Director, Diane Litsey. “From our beginning 50 years ago until today, we've danced with everyone, from people with different abilities to dancers pursuing careers in dance in our studio program. We've danced in underserved schools, our studio in Homewood, and all kinds of places in between. We dance with everyone because we believe dance is a wonderful experience that can help anyone gain skills, express themselves, and feel connected with the world around them.”
The Dance Foundation was founded in 1975 and moved to Homewood in 1988. The organization has been at its current location since 2003. More than 1,500 people visit the Homewood location weekly for classes, rehearsals, and events. In addition to studio classes for dancers of all ages, the Dance Partners program takes dance into schools, using dance to prepare students to engage in the learning environment and helping them understand math and language arts concepts. Dance space rental makes studio space in Homewood available for artists to teach, rehearse, and perform, reaching their own constituents with the benefits of dance.
Diane Litsey said The Dance Foundation is working on plans to support current needs and future growth.
“Our studio space is bursting. Our classes and studio rental space are at capacity, and our administrative space can’t accommodate our staff, interns, and volunteers. That is a happy problem, but it is one that we want to solve. We are looking toward a capital campaign to expand the building and access for families, dancers, and community artists. We want to ensure we have space to support our growing work, both inside and outside our walls.”
For additional information, visit thedancefoundation.org.
