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Colorado Conservatory of Dance

10.21.21 Contact Name: Julia Wilkinson Manley, jwmanlely@ccdance.org

Company Name: Colorado Conservatory Of Dance

Website address: ccdance.org

Phone: (303) 475-3690

What is your company's industry?: non-profit arts education

What skills do you need in new board members?: We are looking for people of color who have energy, a passion for the arts, and a passion for how arts education can make lives better. We are about to have a significant turnover on the board, as recruitment has been low just before and during the pandemic.

Please specify the time frame the potential board member will need to be in place to begin their term.: Ongoing - two consecutive 3-year terms

Other information you would like to share to help us provide the best candidates for your board.: About CCD At Colorado Conservatory of Dance, we unleash individual potential and invigorate community through dance. Primed for growth, Colorado Conservatory of Dance (CCD) has been a leader in arts education for 29 years. Since 1992 CCD has provided quality dance education and outreach to North Metro Denver schools. Under the guidance of Julia Wilkinson Manley since 2002, the conservatory has developed a reputation for its highly professional and nurturing environment for preschool through adult students. Colorado Conservatory of Dance serves a broad spectrum of youth and adults regardless of age, ability, aspiration, or socio-economic status, and provides as much as $100,000 in scholarships and financial aid each year for students who would otherwise not be able to participate in dance education. CCD provides its students with high-quality performance experiences, including an annual production of The Nutcracker, which brings students together with professional dancers. CCD's Studio Company gives upper level students a pre-professional company experience that includes community education performances and culminates in an annual production at the end of each school year. Additionally, CCD provides a summer dance program, which attracts students from across the nation. The Colorado Conservatory of Dance’s Title 1 Elementary School Partnerships, known as our Move2Learn Partnerships, bring yearlong arts experiences to more than 3,000 students in six public schools in high-need neighborhoods. More than 92% of the students in these schools fall below the federal poverty line, and many are classified as homeless. CCD’s two-year residencies help these students gain confidence through an in-depth process that merges dance with each school’s specific curricular priorities. Because many of these students speak English as a second language, through movement, they are better able to understand many complex concepts essential to their academic success. CCD students regularly win top honors at area ballet competitions and gain entry into some of the nation's most respected college dance programs. CCD alumnae have gone on to dance with Atlanta Ballet, Ballet Arizona, Ballet Met, Ballet Nebraska, Ballet West, Boston Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Houston Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, Orlando Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Verb Ballets, Washington Ballet, and others. In addition to CCD’s Artistic Director and Executive Director, CCD currently has six part-time staff members and two part-time administrative assistants, in addition to 19 faculty members. We currently have approximately 300 active students, which includes nearly 100 adult students. In 2006, CCD partnered with Creating Caring Communities to jointly build a dance-based initiative to help reduce bullying in schools. The first installment, known as The Ugly Duckling Anti-Bullying Program, received consistently positive reviews. Based on this success, CCD has now performed anti-bullying ballets for over 30,000 elementary students.