TURNING

TABLES

ABOUT

The dance world can be exclusionary, eliminating the opportunity for minorities to succeed and envision themselves as dancers. Turning Tables was created with a goal to bridge the gap between minorities and dance. Through educating audiences on discriminatory dance practices, fostering dance opportunities to underrepresented youth, exposing dance as a viable career option, and giving deserving artists the opportunity and resources to succeed, Turning Tables hopes to make the dance space more equitable and transparent. Turning Tables strives to give minorities visibility to dance so that they can feel as though they are equally capable to participate and succeed as their more advantaged counterparts. Turning Tables is about changing the perspective on how society views dance as an art form.

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A SEAT AT THE TABLE

Turning Tables was founded 6 years ago as a direct response to the discriminatory practices embedded in the dance world at large. Issues of underrepresentation of minorities in dance spaces, biases toward minority dancers and their capabilities, and unequal standards being held against minority dancers are seen in many different corners of the dance world and they prevent most dancers of color from being able to succeed in the field.

Each year, Turning Tables hosts "A Seat At The Table", a thought-provoking and catalyzing dance show that invites dancers, artists, and creative thinkers to choreograph based on the five pillars of Turning Tables: Underrepresentation, Bias, Standard, Acceptance, and Pride. A Seat At the Table invites audience members to take a seat at the table and learn about the discrimination that exists within the dance world in order to enrich their understanding of the world around them.

2018

2019

2021

2022

OUTREACH

  • BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF GREATER DALLAS

    Turning Tables partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas in 2019 to implement a local dance outreach program in order to expose underserved minorities to dance and to socialize the art form as viable within their environments.

  • SITT: SUMMER INTENSIVE BY TURNING TABLES

    In the Summer of 2020, SITT gave dancers the opportunity to virtually train with Alysia Johnson, Michelle Gibson, Gregory Dolbashian, Kevin Pajarillaga, Bridget L. Moore, and Mike Esperanza in a variety of styles, such as Ballet, Contemporary, Modern, Jazz, Repertory, and African.