DanceMonth is ...

DanceMonth is a citywide celebration of the movement arts in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Neither a festival nor a showcase, it is a way to focus on the richness of dance that is already an intrinsic part of our lives.

DanceMonth began in 1993 when Rozann Kraus approached Kenneth Reeves, then Mayor of Cambridge, with an idea. The Mark Morris Dance Group was coming to Cambridge for a 6-week residency, and Rozann wanted to make sure it went well. She realized that it would be nice not just to honor a visiting international artist but to also recognize the hard-working local artists who add so much to the city all the time.

The first DanceMonth began on the steps of City Hall in May 1993. Mayor Reeves read from the leather-bound document, officially proclaiming May to be DanceMonth in Cambridge. Mark Morris received a Key to the City. Massachusetts Avenue was closed to traffic between City Hall and the Dance Complex so everyone could dance down the street from City Hall to the party at 536 Massachusetts Avenue.

The nuns from Nunsense were there, along with most of the elected officials, the Police Commissioner, and lots of dancers of all shapes, ages, sizes, and styles, all bopping to the irresistible music of Stan Strickland, Jerry Bussiere and Friends -- still making musical magic at the DanceMonth Kickoff Parties. There was a printed guide to all the ongoing dance activities in Cambridge, and tickets to Nunsense to be raffled.

Now in its fifteenth year (!), DanceMonth is still DanceMonth, only more. Award-winning artist Fritz Klaetke creates a beautiful poster/calendar, and DanceMonth in the Schools pairs dance teachers with classrooms for curriculum based movement workshops. Many studios offer a day of free classes as part of a DanceMonth Open House, and every week sees many concerts and workshops.

Especially for the 9-to-5 crowd, the Tuesdays@Noon series offers performances and luncheons during the lunch hour. Dance Distractions are spontaneous eruptions of movement in choreographically under-used venues, and have become as gratifying as that first ice cream day of Spring. And speaking of ice cream, Toscanini's is one of the many generous sponsors of DanceMonth.

Still a collaboration between the Mayor's Office and the Dance Complex, DanceMonth is now a Cambridge tradition and a most eagerly-awaited herald that Spring is finally here, and here must be Cambridge.

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