Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company is committed to furthering contemporary dance as an accessible and valued art form through performance and dance education that raises the standards, deepens the understanding, and promotes personal connections with dance. The Company pursues this overall vision through: performing innovative original works and commissioning choreographers of exceptional talent; providing dance education for all levels and outcomes; touring regionally, nationally, and internationally; training artists as performers, educators, and choreographers; and developing dance audiences. Ririe-Woodbury is dedicated to ongoing inclusion across race, gender, culture, spirituality, identity, age, ability, and experience. We are committed to fostering equity, diversity, access, and inclusion for all. The Company stands against racism and continues to engage in meaningful internal dialogue to make measurable changes to our policies, procedures, and programs to meet all of these goals.
Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company is Utah's most established institution for contemporary dance. The Company actively embraces and commissions the work of contemporary choreographers, tours worldwide, and develops dynamic education and community outreach programming. Through performance and educational undertakings, the Company pursues its mission to make dance a viable part of everyone’s life. Over the span of its history, Ririe-Woodbury has toured nationally and internationally, always advocating the philosophy that "dance is for everybody."
Ririe-Woodbury was founded in 1964 by two Utah women, Joan Woodbury and Shirley Ririe, who were both professors of dance at the University of Utah. Their passions included performance, choreography, and pedagogy. This focus was accompanied by a deep commitment to dance as a valuable art form and its importance as a component of a well-rounded education for children. Over the years, the Company has grown from its beginning as a local entity, into an internationally renowned contemporary dance company, having performed in every state in the United States, as well as in South Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, the British Isles, and throughout Europe.
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