By Angela Blue
325 Granby St., Norfolk. 757-626-3262. TRDance.org
Founded: 2005
Number of Employees: 30 on staff and 18 volunteers for their MixMo program
What They Do: The TRdance Center houses two professional dance companies, TRDance and Virginia Ballet Theatre, as well as an academy with over 300 registered students. The TRDance Center and its partnerships reach over 5,000 children yearly. The Benjack Studio Theatre, their own performance venue, has housed over 300 performances by local arts organizations and provides an affordable venue for performing groups. From theatrical spectacles and original productions to educational programs, TRDance is the go-to dance company with a rich heritage of dance tradition and creative ingenuity.
How They Help: Partnership has been a mantra for TRDance since the doors opened. Their partnerships include the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Arts Festival, Virginia Opera, Virginia Stage Company, Chrysler Museum, Virginia Chorale, Virginia Children’s Choir, The Governor’s School for the Arts, Young Audiences of Virginia, Down Syndrome Association of Hampton Roads, CHKD, Old Dominion University, Autism Society of Tidewater Virginia, Tidewater Community College, The Attucks Theatre, The Williams School, Norfolk SPCA and the Richmond Ballet. It is through these partnerships that dance and the power of dance education have found its place in the heart of Coastal Virginia.
Unique to the TRDance Center is their Mixed Abilities in Motion (MixMo), an umbrella program for TRD’s dance education and therapy programs for individuals of mixed physical and intellectual abilities including Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, severe intellectual or physical disabilities and autism spectrum disorder. MixMo was launched with four core outreach programs serving children and adults with special needs, including Adaptive Dance, St. Mary’s Home Partnership, MixMo Ballet and Movin’ and Groovin.’
Todd Rosenlieb Dance is proud of the many contributions and donations to other arts, civic and social advocacy organizations including the annual “Arts For Life” celebration raising money for AIDS awareness and the LGBT Life Center, “Puppy Pilates” to raise money for the SPCA, sponsorship of Hampton Roads Pride’s “Out in the Park” event, United for Children’s Young Park Summer Dance Program and an annual MixMo performance at the Virginia Zoo for their Day of Disabilities.
TRDance donates thousands of dollars in gift certificates and performance tickets to groups raising money for their own organizations. No organization is an island.
To our company, community impact looks like: a community center for the arts that serves as a safe haven and promotes the ideals of community service and civic responsibility, celebrates diversity and continually finds new ways to serve the underserved in our region.
