The Gallaudet Dance Company

The Gallaudet Dance Company is a performing group of approximately 15 dancers. All members of the company are undergraduate or graduate students at Gallaudet University, the world's only accredited liberal arts university for deaf and hard of hearing students. Each dancer's background is different—both in terms of hearing loss, preferred communication mode, secondary school education, and current major field of study as a University student. But all the dancers are excellent communicators. They rely on their vision as their primary mode of communication and communicate through their dancing in a range of styles, including dance that uses American Sign Language as its foundation. Gallaudet University itself is a bilingual community where students, faculty, and staff communicate with each other in both American Sign Language and English. The Gallaudet Dance Company has just celebrated its 50th Anniversary, Spring 2005.

(Photography by Astrid Riecken - Washington Times.)

The company is not able to satisfy all of the many requests it receives for two reasons. First, the dancers' primary responsibility is to their liberal arts studies. Secondly, the company is self-sustaining and requires financial support for its performances. The company is acclaimed for performances at the White House, and on stages in Egypt, Israel, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Peru, Barbados, St. Lucia, Brazil, Guatemala, South Korea, the Bahamas, and France.

(Photography by Matt Kohashi.)

For booking information, please click on "Bookings" on the top of the page.  Please note that the company books 6 to 12 months in advance. For more information on dance techniques for deaf and hard of hearing dancers and/or our teaching methods, click on "Techniques" and/or read article by Dr. Diane Hottendorf and Ms. Sue Gill-Doleac entitled "Deaf Dancers Celebrate 50 Years of Dance! Teaching Dance to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students: The Gallaudet University Way," Dancer Magazine, March 2005, 42 - 45.

(Photography by Ben Baylor/Department of Physical Education, G.U.)

Delta Zeta Dance Studio Contract

If you wish to rent the Delta Zeta dance studio, please review the contract at http://perec.gallaudet.edu.  Click on "Beyond the classroom."

Thank you for visiting our web site.  For more information, please continue reviewing the dance company web site (click above headings and/or click on video clips) or call 202-651-5591 V/TDD.

(Photography by Astrid Riecken.)

The Gallaudet Dancers

Available Videotapes

Celebration of Deaf Dance (1995; 20 min.) presents some of the best and special moments of the Gallaudet Dance Company from its 40 year history.

Previews

Fundamental Dance Signs (1991; 21 min.) presents basic dance signs for ballroom dance, ballet, tap, and creative movement.

Techniques
Dance Techniques for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Dancers.

Contact Us!
Telephone, E-mail or Write the Gallaudet Dance Company.

  Last modified Oct. 17, 2007 Copyright © 1997, All Rights Reserved