Winner of the 2009 Washington, DC Mayor's Arts Award for
Artistic Excellence, the highest award given by the District of Columbia.

“A brave and talented troupe willing to take risks..."
- The Washington Post

"A life raft for dance talent..."
- Dance Magazine

"A modern dance company that can compete
with the best..."
- The Washington Post

CityDance Ensemble is a professional contemporary dance company based in Washington, DC. Promising its signature power, passion, and purpose at every turn, the company performs athletic, challenging repertory by choreographers from the United States and around the world.

Under the leadership of Founder and Artistic Director Paul Gordon Emerson, Executive Director Alexe Nowakowski, and Rehearsal Director & Choreographer-in-Residence Christopher K. Morgan, CityDance Ensemble blends strong technique and physicality with a dynamic mix of energy, emotion, and humor to deliver performances full of integrity, expression, and life.

Since its inception in 1996, CityDance has grown from a group of part-time dancers to a professional company of eight full-time, salaried professional dancers who hail from the Juilliard School, Kirov Academy of Ballet, and other world class schools and companies, earning a reputation as "Washington's preeminent modern dance company” (The Washington Times). The company has been named as a “Top 25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine (2003) and has won the DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Emerging Artist (2003), Innovation in the Arts (2005), and Excellence in an Artistic Disicpline (2009).

CityDance Ensemble is an artistic partner at the Harman Center for the Arts, performing an annual season at the Harman Center in downtown Washington, DC. The company is also a founding resident partner at the Music Center at Strathmore, the "jewel in the crown" (The Washington Post) of Washington's performing arts music centers. Additionally, CityDance has an annual season at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The company tours both nationally and internationally, bringing its “breathlessly innovative” (Dancer Magazine) performances to audiences around the world.

Professional Summer Intensive

June 7-20, ages 18+

Spend your summer with CityDance Ensemble.

Register today!