Festival Dance is pleased to welcome Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) to kick off the 2023-24 Great Performances Series.

RDT, founded in 1966 in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a professional modern dance repertory company dedicated to the creation, performance, perpetuation and appreciation of modern dance.  For over 57 years, RDT has pushed the boundaries of modern dance, while preserving and celebrating its legacy. 

Known worldwide for its collection of dance treasures, RDT is both a museum and contemporary gallery representing the scope and diversity of modern dance, past and present.  From the early pioneers of the art form to today’s cutting edge choreographers, the company maintains one of the largest collections of modern dance classics in the world.  As a repository for this rich heritage, RDT is a resource center and laboratory for contemporary dancers, choreographers, visual artists, writers and composers.

In addition to public performances, RDT produces a variety of community-based programs and has a long-standing commitment to arts-in-education.  Outreach activities include lectures, informal performances, teachers’ workshops, open rehearsals, annual summer workshops and year-round classes which all serve to train and ignite the creative voice in people of all ages.  At its home in the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, the company contributes to the cultural, social, and economic vitality of the community. RDT remains committed to building bridges of understanding that de-mystify the art of dance, making it a meaningful part of the cultural environment regionally, nationally and internationally.

Joining RDT on the stage will be students from the Dance Program at the University of Idaho.  The students will present an original work developed under the guidance of RDT choreographer Nicholas Cendese.