SWAC Keynote

Keynote Speaker Carla Perlo

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Carla Perlo Bio

Carla Perlo is the founder, visionary leader and Executive/Artistic Director of Dance Place, one of the nation's foremost presenters of dance. Ms. Perlo's work at Dance Place has been vital to the development and support of a growing dance community in Washington, DC since 1980. The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities recognized Dance Place's contributions for "excellence in service to the arts" with the Mayor's Art Award in 1986. As a dancer, choreographer and teacher, Ms. Perlo has had an active career for over twenty-five years. As a solo performer, artistic director of Perlo/Bloom and Company and most recently of Carla & Company, Ms. Perlo continues to teach dance and lecture at universities, colleges and community centers throughout the region including American University, George Mason University, George Washington University and Montgomery College.

Ms. Perlo serves the field of dance regionally and as a panelist, lecturer, and arts consultant. She has worked with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Maryland States Arts Council, the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and The National Performance Network among other organizations. From 1995-98 she served as the national coordinator of DanceAfrica, America, an eight-city consortium of festivals presenting dance, music and culture of the African Diaspora. Ms. Perlo has been honored with the Tony Taylor Award for Outstanding Service to the Field of Dance presented by the Washington, DC Cultural Alliance in 1988, the Pola Nirenska award for outstanding contributions to dance in 1995, Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian Magazine in 1997 and was recognized as a "Hometown Hero" by WETA-TV in 2001.

History of Dance Place

DC Wheel Productions, Inc. (DC Wheel) was founded in 1978 as a touring educational and Performing Arts Company, which toured the public schools in the Greater DC Metropolitan area. From 1980-1985 the organization developed and operated a cultural community center called Dance Place in a rented facility located at 2424 18th Street NW, DC in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. In 1986, the organization was forced out of its Adams Morgan location due to gentrification and quadrupled rents. In order to secure the organization's future, DC Wheel purchased and renovated its permanent home located at 3225 8th Street, NE in the Brookland neighborhood. With ownership of its own building, DC Wheel increased development of artistic and educational programs drawing many citizens and new business into its Brookland neighborhood.

The heart of the organization has resided in linking Arts, Education and Community in a rich, diverse atmosphere of nurturing support. In 2002, DC Wheel expanded its campus to include three rented facilities located adjacent to its main space in the Brookland Studios to serve as an additional office space, a teaching studio and a creative education center (CEC). A wide variety of programs have been generated throughout Dance Place's twenty-five year history – feeding the development of a vital community center while simultaneously growing a reputation as a national and international presenter of high acclaim. Dance Place has served as a vital catalyst in parenting, partnering and supporting the growth of individuals, families, schools, organizations and business in the DC area. Also, Dance Place has played a significant role in the creation of a model program for underserved youth and in the development of the DC dance community. Dance Place has enhanced the reach of its national presence while strengthening its connections to DC and its immediate neighborhood. Dance Place has become a strong community arts center and an important thread in the city's cultural fabric, making Washington, DC a safer and more vibrant city in which to live.