LWDT Students, Friends, Family and Audiences,
We hope that you and your families are healthy and in good spirits during these unprecedented times. We miss seeing each of you at the LWDT studio and in the theaters where we were scheduled to perform!
LWDT closed its doors on Saturday, March 14th, in line with COVID-19 recommendations from the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and in accordance with orders from the Mayor of Los Angeles; the Governor of California; and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. All classes, rentals, events, and performances were canceled or postponed until further notice.
In the midst of COVID-19 Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Christian Cooper unveiled a second pandemic: racism and police misconduct. This has unleashed deep pain, anger, and concern for the future. The Lula Washington Dance Theatre stands firm in the belief that Black Lives Matter. Racism and White Supremacy cannot continue to threaten Black, Brown, LGBTQ, and all People of Color of their lives, health, and joy. It strips our youth of their innocence and keeps people in a constant state of fear and stress. LWDT welcomes people from all walks of life, ethnicities, physical ability, and gender to participate and share with us in the art of dance. We celebrate humanity and build cultural bridges across all boundaries via dance.
LWDT uses dance to heal, educate, and to spread hope and inspiration. We know that the art of dance can strengthen our immune systems, improve our mental health, release stress and be a method of creative expression. Done in groups, dance creates a sense of belonging and community. During this time of Social Distancing and Protests, we have been working on new ways to fellowship, train, and to continue to grow together in dance!
We are and have always been innovators and survivors. We won’t stop now. LWDT clearly must, like so many others, face the impact of COVID-19 and the current movement towards Justice for All. We must become even more resourceful and successful utilizing a wider and ever-evolving variety of ways to deliver our artistry and community service mission through this pandemic crisis and be prepared for the future. We hope you will stay with us on this adventure as we navigate a new frontier!
HELP US in our mission to motivate, educate, inspire, and build community through dance. The Lula Washington Dance Theatre celebrated its 40th Anniversary at the beginning of 2020. We plan to be a source of inspiration and hope for 40 more years. We are depending on contributions from our supporters to keep us going through these difficult times.
We are working to reopen and to serve our students, community and audiences in new ways. We have launched a new outdoor stage. We will do more with live streaming and with pre-recorded, and socially distanced virtual performances. This work requires technology upgrades, staffing enhancements; video shooting and editing. We must do weekly deep cleaning and sanitizing, and we must make sure that everyone at our studio wears a mask and stays at least six feet away from anyone else here. These can be costly adjustments to make. Your support at any level will be meaningful and impactful to us right now!