CU-Boulder Contemporary Dance Works (CUCDW), the graduate dance tour company that performs throughout Colorado,  celebrated  20 years on the road on May 6th with a performance on campus in the Charlotte York Irey Theatre. The anniversary performance, a sampling of the repertory they perform on tour this season May 9-14 in the Trinidad area, included a broad spectrum of dance forms and styles including ballet, contemporary dance, West African, hip hop and jazz.

The mission of the company is to bring innovative dance performances and classes to areas of the state that have minimal exposure to dance. Under the direction of dance faculty members Nada Diachenko, CUCDW has been touring the state during the summer since 1991 to present classes in public and private K-12 schools, local dance studios, and arts, recreation and senior centers. In their interactions with community members and students, the dancers have provided insights into the art of dance through informal discussions between audience and performers, lecture demonstrations, special topics workshops and classes in dance technique, choreography, drumming, creative movement for children, and injury prevention.

During the past 20 years the group has successfully helped to educate communities about the art of dance, build larger dance audiences, and provide a positive relationship between the community, and the university. CUCDW plans to continue to offer tour residencies in Colorado for another 20 years in support of the university and their Flagship 2030 outreach goals.