Black Theatre and Dance Symposium 2026

Communion and breakfast before our opening invocation and keynote speaker

Dance Theatre

Marc Bamuthi Joseph is an award-winning poet, playwright, performer and cultural strategist whose work bridges the worlds of art, activism, and civic engagement. A 2017 TED Global Fellow and inaugural poet for Vice President Kamala Harris, he served as Vice President and Artistic Director of Social Impact at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where he led initiatives that fuse performance with social justice. A National Poetry Slam champion and a National Book Award–nominated writer, Joseph has created celebrated works such as Word Becomes Flesh, red, black & GREEN: a blues, and the just and the blind, and continues to use art as a catalyst for dialogue, empathy, and systemic change.

Rever Rehearsal Studio

Graduate students in TDPS can participate in the Black Theatre and Dance Symposium as presenters, performers, and facilitators—sharing their research, creative work, and pedagogical innovations that align with African diasporic performance traditions. They are encouraged to curate workshops, moderate panels, or collaborate with invited artists to deepen interdisciplinary exchange and professional networking.

Meeting Room 3300

Creatives chat and chew, look back and look forward, network and share projects that animate their work and promote communal and societal change

Cafritz Foundation Theatre

Black Theatre + TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) 
A panel discussion exploring how early exposure to stories rooted in Black experiences can foster imagination, identity, and cultural pride among young audiences. This panel gathers artists, educators, and producers dedicated to creating affirming and transformative work for our community’s youth. 

How We Lead - Dance Excellence and Leadership (DEAL)
A panel discussion of how dance administrators access their dance expertise/movement practice in service of leading programming in higher education.

 

Cafritz Foundation Theatre

The Ground on Which We Stand
Featuring Scholars Professor Sybil Roberts and Dr. Khalid Long 
An examination of the charge from playwright August Wilson that lays out a roadmap for how to use a combination of the past success of black artistry and rich tapestry of black culture to chart a path for future artists to join, celebrate, and innovate.
 

Dance and Culture throughout the Diaspora
A panel of dance scholars and practitioners discuss their experiences cultivating space for black culture/performance in the classroom, providing examples of how black scholars/artists/creators draw on their lived experiences (as well as their work both inside and outside the Afro-Diasporic canon) to exercise their commitment to representation, identity and cultural heritage.

 

Cafritz Foundation Theatre

Ally Theatre Company & Voices Unbarred will host an interactive theatre workshop, providing insight into their methodology and the utilization of theatre to reimagine the prison system. They employ Theater of the Oppressed (TO), a revolutionary art form that helps people analyze the world around them, explore social and political issues, and create solutions, in their work. Attendees will have the opportunity to witness performances by individuals directly impacted by incarceration and participate in activities aimed at offering a glimpse into Ally Theatre & Voices Unbarred's work in our community.

Meeting Room 3300

Dinner Break

Cafritz Foundation Theatre

Expert panelists will talk about their history in the scene as well as their personal and curated movement language. Following that brief introduction, our panelist will do a short demo of their skills. Questions are encouraged!

Cafritz Foundation Theatre

Join us for a mock vogue ball with a theme of ABUNDANCE. All are invited to participate no matter your dance experience. The event will begin with a panel discussion between the community and active members of Vogue culture. The panelists will also give a demo of their movement language. Those who participate in the mock ball are encouraged to honor the roots and inspirations of Vogue culture. JUST BRING IT! Let's manifest ABUNDANCE through movement, community gathering and allyship.

The categories are:

• Vogue -old way
• Vogue Femme
• Runway
   

Click here to see what a Vogue Ball is all about!