JOY OF MOTION DANCE CENTER ANNOUNCES 40TH ANNIVERSARY GALA
Washington, DC – January 20, 2016 – Joy of Motion Dance Center (JOMDC) today announced that its highly-anticipated 40th Anniversary Gala Concert, Party Like It’s 1976, will take place on Friday, March 11, 2016, at 7:30pm in the Lang Theater and the Kogod Lobby of the historic Atlas Performing Arts Center. The gala will include a concert and disco dance party to benefit the nonprofit’s comprehensive outreach initiatives. These programs provide free access to dance education, concerts, and performance opportunities to children in grades K-12 and senior citizens through the following programs: Motion Express, Seniors in Motion, Step Ahead, DEA Youth Dance Program, and the Dance is for Everyone® Youth Scholarship Program.
The Gala will be hosted by Daniel Pink, New York Times Best Selling author, host of National Geographic Television’s “Crowd Control,” and dance dad. Last year, Thinkers50 named Pink one of the 10 most-influential management thinkers in the world! His 2009 TED Talk: The Puzzle of Motivation, has garnered over 15 million views, making it one of the 10 most-watched TED Talks of all time. For the first time, JOMDC will honor current faculty who have served the organization for a decade or more. Over 100 faculty members teach for the organization on a regular basis and 23 long-time dance educators will be honored on stage.
The night will begin with champagne and a trip down Memory Lane, a photo exhibit of archival images from the 1970s through today. Hundreds of photos from the past 40 years will be for sale, alongside a Polaroid photo booth, and David Bowie-inspired make-up artist (lightening bolts included)!

The gala concert celebrates the diversity of the D.C. dance community: flamenco, middle eastern, modern and more. Nowhere will you see the organization’s world-renowned Resident Arts Partners in one concert including DC Contemporary Dance Theater, who recently celebrated 30 years on stage under the direction of Miya Hisaka, who will also be honored for her service to JOMDC. International touring company and long-time Resident Arts Partner, Furia Flamenca, will open the concert. Furia Flamenca Director, Estela Velez de Paredez, will present a fiery performance with her company and will also be honored for serving on the JOMDC faculty since 1999. JOMDC highlights their outreach program, Seniors in Motion, with a piece choreographed by long-time faculty member Tyrone Murray (1979), performed by dancers from local senior centers and Mr. Murray’s classes. With dancers ranging from ages 55-85, the company Forever Dance Theatre will represent the powerful impact the Seniors in Motion program has on the community. The program provides exposure to dance training, as well as unique performance opportunities. Murray explains, “Forever Dance Theatre is dancing for our physical, mental, and spiritual well being.”

Among the many faculty honorees is Helen Hayes, winner of the 2009 prestigious Dance Metro DC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance Education, honored for her 25 years of service. Ms. Hayes states, “When I saw that JOMDC truly lived by its mission statement (“Dance is for Everyone”), I stopped working at other dance studios and put all of my eggs in the Joy of Motion basket.” Ms. Hayes will present her piece, “Whirlpools” (1996), with the Company level of the Youth Dance Ensemble, for which she is the Program Director.

JOMDC founder, Michelle Ava, will also be honored during the concert. Forty years ago, Ava set her vision, “Dance is for Everyone” in motion in a one room studio on Connecticut Avenue. That vision has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of dance students, choreographers, and performers across the DC region. In addition to the recognition of Ava’s founding, former Executive Director of 25 years, Douglas Yeuell, will also be honored.
After the concert, disco the night away with cake and champagne on the Lang Stage. Glittery silver disco balls and modern 70’s glam will inspire you onto the dance floor. DJs from A Squad Entertainment will spin disco hits and breakdance.
For more information visit www.joyofmotion.org or click here.