Columbia City Jazz Dance Company
Encyclopedia
The Columbia City Jazz Dance Company (CCJC) was formed in 1990 by artistic director Dale Lam
and was named one of the "Top 50 Dance Companies in the USA" by Dance Spirit magazine for the 2002/2003 season. The Company has an active community outreach program and performs over 20 performances each year in Columbia and smaller cities in South Carolina, often performing for audiences that may have never seen a dance performance of any kind.
In addition to public performances in South Carolina communities and schools, CCJC completed a five week tour of China during July 2006, 30 shows in Singapore during the winter of 2000, danced for the European Cultural Month festivities in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, the 1999 Tanzsommer Festival in Innsbruck, Austria, and has performed during the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C. for a number of years.
CCJC holds an established "Master Instructor Series" each year by bringing in a number of internationally known guest artists to teach master classes, which are open to any dancer from any studio that wishes to attend. Past instructors have included Nick Lazzarini
, Danny Tidwell
, Travis Wall
, Ivan Koumaev
, Mia Michaels
, Mandy Moore
, Ray Leeper, Desiree Robbins, Doug Caldwell, Liz Imperio, Jason Parsons, A.C. Ciulla, Dee Caspary, and others.
Entry into CCJC is by audition, which is held at the end of each season in May, and again at the beginning of the season in late July or August.
The Columbia City Jazz Dance Company is supported in part through a Tier III Grant made possible by contributors to the United Arts Fund of the Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties, the City of Columbia, and the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives funding from the National Endowment of the Arts.
Dale Lam
Dale Lam is a member of the dance faculty at the University of South Carolina and the founder, artistic director and choreographer of the , named "One of the Top 50 Dance Companies in the US" by . She has a BA in Theatre and Speech from the University of South Carolina and received additional...
and was named one of the "Top 50 Dance Companies in the USA" by Dance Spirit magazine for the 2002/2003 season. The Company has an active community outreach program and performs over 20 performances each year in Columbia and smaller cities in South Carolina, often performing for audiences that may have never seen a dance performance of any kind.
In addition to public performances in South Carolina communities and schools, CCJC completed a five week tour of China during July 2006, 30 shows in Singapore during the winter of 2000, danced for the European Cultural Month festivities in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, the 1999 Tanzsommer Festival in Innsbruck, Austria, and has performed during the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C. for a number of years.
CCJC holds an established "Master Instructor Series" each year by bringing in a number of internationally known guest artists to teach master classes, which are open to any dancer from any studio that wishes to attend. Past instructors have included Nick Lazzarini
Nick Lazzarini
Nick Lazzarini , an American dancer. He is best known as the first season winner on the Fox reality show So You Think You Can Dance. He is a trained dancer in jazz, lyrical, hip hop, ballet and modern dance styles.-Early life:...
, Danny Tidwell
Danny Tidwell
Daniel Arnold Tidwell is best known for being the runner-up on Fox's third season of So You Think You Can Dance in 2007....
, Travis Wall
Travis Wall
Travis Michael Wall , an American dancer and dance instructor specializing in contemporary dance and jazz dance. He is best known for his 2006 appearance as a competitor on the second season of the television show So You Think You Can Dance, which airs on the Fox Network. As of 2009, he is...
, Ivan Koumaev
Ivan Koumaev
Ivan Koumaev is an American dancer.Koumaev was born in Khabarovsk, Siberia, Russia and moved to Mill Creek, Washington when he was seven years old. He started dancing at age 11, after watching the film Breakin....
, Mia Michaels
Mia Michaels
Mia Michaels is an American choreographer best known for her judging and contemporary choreography on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance . She has worked with musical artists such as Celine Dion, Madonna, Tom Cruise, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, and Prince...
, Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore (choreographer)
Mandy Moore is an emerging contemporary, jazz choreographer and performer whose work has been seen on television, in film and on the concert stage. She was nominated for an Emmy in 2005 and again in 2011 for choreography performed on the television show So You Think You Can Dance.Moore was one of...
, Ray Leeper, Desiree Robbins, Doug Caldwell, Liz Imperio, Jason Parsons, A.C. Ciulla, Dee Caspary, and others.
Entry into CCJC is by audition, which is held at the end of each season in May, and again at the beginning of the season in late July or August.
The Columbia City Jazz Dance Company is supported in part through a Tier III Grant made possible by contributors to the United Arts Fund of the Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties, the City of Columbia, and the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives funding from the National Endowment of the Arts.