The Cambridge Youth Dance Program Performs "Stand In The Light " April 28 & 29 In Boston
Dance and multimedia imagery are woven together to tell powerful, true-life stories of social injustice. Seventy-five young dance artists of CYDP Dance Company, a non-profit empowering diverse individual to pursue dance as a career, remind us all to believe in our limitless ability and the power of the human spirit.
Under the umbrella of the newly renamed Deborah Mason Performing Arts Center in Somerville, The Cambridge Youth Dance Company (CYDP), a nonprofit empowering diverse individuals to pursue dance as a career, will present STAND IN THE LIGHT for three performances, April 28, 2017, 8PM, and April 29, 4PM and 8PM, at Boston University Dance Theater, 915 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston. Tickets are $30 and $15 students/seniors. For more information visit https://www.cydp.org/; to purchase tickets, visit http://cydpdanceco.bpt.me/.
Celebrating nine seasons of performance, CYDP’s STAND IN THE LIGHT blends dance and multimedia imagery to tell powerful, true-life stories of social injustice, oppression, and the constant struggle with self-worth. According to director Deborah Mason, “CYDP Dance Company’s dance artists remind us all to believe in our limitless abilities and the power of the human spirit.” An uplifting evening of dance will feature choreography by Emmy Award winner Tyce Diorio (So You think You Can Dance), Ian Berg, Adrienne Hawkins, Deborah Mason, Jenny Oliver, and Jeryl Palana.
CYDP is a supportive network which provides multiple opportunities for dancers and the community. Transcending the notion of "pre-professional training", CYDP uses dance as a platform to increase self-esteem, focus, teamwork and creativity. CYDP opens its auditions to boys and girls, ages 10-20. Once accepted, students place into appropriate levels based on performance and focus; all new and returning dancers must audition for the company each year.
Many CYDP dancers are mentored and supported throughout the audition process by CYDP staff. Many have gone on to professional careers appearing in music videos with Janet Jackson and Beyonce among many others. They have also appeared in major tour productions from EVITA to BILLY ELLIOT to major motion pictures. For more information on CYDP alumni visit www.cydp.org.
Deborah Mason was born and raised in East Cambridge. As a young girl, she learned to dance at Adrian Miller’s dance studio on Cambridge Street. In 1975, Mason opened her own dance school in Inman Square. It was right next door to the venerable Inn-Square Men’s Bar, which closed in 1984.
Several generations of youths and adults have tapped, tangoed, and pirouetted through The Deborah Mason School of Dance, which just recently changed its name to the Deborah Mason Performing Arts Center. The school, which has had five different locations in its 42-year history, has become a place for a variety performing disciplines other than dance.
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