Link in Bio (Website)
The story you haven't heard — now streaming.
Company D is an intimate portrait of Dissonance Dance Theatre, the only nationally-recognized, Black-managed contemporary ballet company between NYC and Atlanta. Through the voices of our dancers, artists, and supporters, the film captures the cultural adversity, artistic triumphs, and unwavering vision behind building a home for Black classical and contemporary dancers in our nation's capital.
🏆 Best Documentary — DC International Cinema Festival
🎬 Newly remastered. Now available for free streaming!
Watch the trailer, then experience the full film at .
Watch the story of a man with a vision for dance in DC.
#CompanyDFilm #NgomaDC #NgomaFilmWorks #DissonanceDanceTheatre
Dissonance Dance Theatre Seeks Project Dancers for 20th Anniversary Season. Link in Bio (website)
Dissonance Dance Theatre (DDT) is now accepting video auditions for project dancers for its landmark 20th Anniversary Season, Through the Dark, The Light Beckons. Minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.
About the Season:
Returning to its contemporary modern, and classical roots, DDT is seeking skilled dance artists with training in contemporary, modern, classical ballet, jazz technique, and African dance forms for two productions premiering in October 2026 and late February/March 2027.
Compensation:
Selected dancers will receive $1,000 per rehearsal month (July & January), plus $1,000 per production for both the fall and spring engagements — totaling up to $3,000 for the full season commitment. Apprentices are welcome to apply. Housing assistance available.
How to Audition:
Interested dancers should submit an online submission below. Physical auditions will be held in Washington, DC, by invitation only.
DC’s only nationally-recognized, Black-managed contemporary ballet company — and one of Dance Spirit Magazine’s “11 small-but-mighty” companies nationwide. Through two decades of artistry and perseverance, Dissonance Dance Theatre transforms challenge into creative innovation. Now celebrating its 20th Anniversary Season with world premieres honoring the African American contemporary modern tradition. #dance #ngomadc #ddtdc
Dissonance Dance Theatre Seeks Project Dancers for 20th Anniversary Season
Dissonance Dance Theatre (DDT) is now accepting video auditions for project dancers for its landmark 20th Anniversary Season, Through the Dark, The Light Beckons. Minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.
About the Season Returning to its contemporary modern and classical roots, DDT is seeking skilled dance artists with training in contemporary, modern, classical ballet, jazz technique, and African dance forms for two productions premiering in October 2026 and late February/March 2027.
Compensation Selected dancers will receive $1,000 per rehearsal month (July & January), plus $1,000 per production for both the fall and spring engagements — totaling up to $3,000 for the full season commitment. Apprentices are welcome to apply.
How to Audition Interested dancers should submit an online submission. Link in bio (website). Physical auditions will be held by invitation only in Washington, DC in late April 2026. #ddtsc #auditions #ngomadc #dancers
Today, we pause to honor the man who built two institutions from the ground up — and who shows up every single day with vision, discipline, and deep love for Black dance. Happy Birthday, Founder Shawn Short! 🎂✨
From our entire DDT and Ngoma family — thank you for your relentless dedication to Black art, Black artists, and Black community. May this year bring you everything you pour into others. We love you, Shawn! 🖤💛
#HappyBirthday #ngoma#DissonanceDanceTheatre #NgomaCenterForDance #BlackDance BlackDanceHistory DCDance DMVDance BowieStateUniversity BlackArt BlackCulture DanceEducation FoundingDirector ArtisticDirector CelebratingBlackExcellence DDT20thAnniversary ThroughTheDarkTheLightBeckons
What’s going on? Hailed by Dance Spirit Magazine as “One of the 11 small-but-mighty dance companies outside of LA and NYC,” Dissonance Dance Theatre (DDT) is the only nationally-recognized, Black-managed contemporary ballet company between New York City and Atlanta. Founded in 2007 under the artistic direction of Shawn Short, DDT has built nearly two decades of artistic impact — and has met each season with resilience and creative purpose.
The 2024–2025 season brought significant challenge. A 70% reduction in funding — driven by shifting government priorities — required DDT to scale its programming, operating a focused Fall season for its 18th year. The 2025–2026 season presented a new set of obstacles, as sweeping federal DEI program eliminations rendered multiple funding streams inaccessible to Black-managed organizations. Rather than retreat, DDT leaned into artistic innovation.
Through a landmark collaboration, DDT joined the renowned Folgers Theatre as a creative partner in the five-month rehearsal process for Julius X — reaching thousands of patrons and affirming the company’s place at the forefront of Washington, DC’s professional arts landscape. Additionally, DDT remastered Company D, its celebrated documentary chronicling the company’s humble beginnings, making it newly available for audiences everywhere.
Now, DDT looks ahead with intention. The 2026–2027 season — marking the company’s historic 20th Anniversary — is a bold celebration of its African American contemporary modern roots. Featuring beloved repertoire alongside world premiere works, the season honors the fullness of the Black experience through the power of dance.
DDT’s story is one of artistry, perseverance, and purpose. Twenty years strong — and still moving forward. #ddtdc #ngomadc #danceindc #dissonancedancetheatre
Ngoma Center for Dance is proud to be a FY2026 grantee with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities! Arts funding is limited in these troubling times. Stay tuned for Dissonance Dance Theatre’s Season 19 Spring season! We thank all who made this possible! #grantwriting #funding #artsfunding #keephopealive
We want to thank @wildsidemediaco for this look Inside “Julius X” with our Founding Director Shawn Short!
Local choreographer Shawn Short of @ngoma_ddtdc and its contemporary ballet company @dissonancedance calls @folgerlibrary ’s “Julius X” the remix of Julius Caesar and Malcolm X’s lives put together.
Told though the lens of the American Civil Rights Movement, “Julius X” finds bridges the vast gap between ancient Rome and Harlem in the 1960s.
@wildsidemediaco ’s @monicaclarealford caught up with Short on the Folger Theatre stage to hear his thoughts on the difference between movement and dance, what it was like to develop the choreography his first fight scene and why he’s so drawn to this bold new play.
Stay tuned for part two of our conversation with Short, coming soon, and visit folger.edu or the link in @wildsidemediaco ’s bio for more on “Julius X,” at Folger through October 26.
•••
• interview footage + cover photo by Wild Side Media photographer @cedriccraig
• packaged content by @darciezudell + @drewhoffmaster
Dissonance Dance Theatre collaborates with Folgers Theatre on its newest production, Julius X! DDT’s Founding Artistic Director Shawn Short joins the design team as the production’s Choreographer.
Julius X
Tue, Sep 23 – Sun, Oct 26, 2025
$20-$90
This bold new play takes Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Julius Caesar and reworks it through the lens of the American Civil Rights Movement, focusing on the story of Civil Rights leader Malcolm X and drawing parallels between ancient Rome and 1960s Harlem.
Playwright and poet Al Letson, a Peabody Award-winning journalist and the host of the Reveal podcast, champions Shakespeare’s original text, amplifying it with his own verse.
#folgers #shakespeare #ddtdc #choreographer #dancer #wdc
It’s wonderful to see our Lidia, grow from and young girl into a dedicated teen. She might be the next DDT! Soon she will be in the industry and making great things happen for herself. It takes a village.#upperlevelstudent #ngomadc #ngomaddt #dancer #ballerina #hortonworks
First day of classes! Dissonance Dance Theatre’s official school @thengomaschool starts classes today! Students from Academy Level 1 group up and take a photo after class. Classes are still enrolling! Link in bio! (Website)
#ngomadc #danceinpgc #dancers #collegeparkmd #umcp #blackhairstylists #dance
Ngoma/DDT is changing with the times. It’s been awhile since we’ve posted (we have been working in the shadows). Our Founder/Director Shawn Short speaks to the coming changes you can expect in the upcoming months.
Dissonance Dance Theatre will change operations from Full Time to Project Based. Interested? Complete our project dancer form in bio/website ().
Summer DanceLab 2025 is canceled due to budget cuts and government R.I.F.s. See you next summer!
Ngoma/DDT has a new relationship with Bowie State University! Stay tuned for more information.
Stay lifted during these changing times, and we thank you for your continuous support of Ngoma/DDT and its programs. #ngomaddt #ddtdc #dance #dc #washingtondc #dancers
