Dear CDD Community,
What a season! As we close the curtain on 2025–26, we’re overflowing with gratitude for you — the people who showed up, cheered, funded, and moved alongside us. Together we danced through headwinds: an arts landscape under pressure, wild weather, tight budgets — and still, we soared. Here’s what we built together.
Artistry & Performances
We brought bold choreography to stages across the region:
- Sips and Stories at Paul Taylor Dance (November) — an intimate evening of dance and dialogue that pulled our audience closer than ever.
- The Legacy Project: A Dance of Hope at the Morris Museum (December) — a residency packed with movement classes, a member event, and performances that sold out to capacity, including a special student matinee.
- Where Deep Waters Cross with Jersey City Theater Center (March/June) — a thrilling weave of African American and Jewish stories at White Eagle Hall, featuring Jersey City Poet Laureate Rashad Wright. We returned to Jersey City’s Voices International Festival Conference with The Fire and The Rhythm and the deeply human NOW, choreographed by Juel D. Lane.
- The Power of One at NJPAC’s Mainstage (May) — The World Premiere of The Hero Within: The Story of Max Heller, Mary Mills and Miracles, Co-Produced by NJPAC with generous support from The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, was a dance-theater triumph on the power of individual courage and collective action.
- Festival Mainstays — we closed the season proud, representing CDD at the Bryant Park Picnic Performances and the 25th Annual Dumbo Dance Festival, dancing at both their Gala and Grand Finale.
Education & Community Impact
We planted movement in classrooms and public spaces across every generation:
- School Residencies at Union County APA, Elizabeth Public Schools, and Plainfield Academy (PAAAS) — plus brand-new partnerships at George Washington Elementary in Union City (Hudson County Arts in Ed grant), Cicely Tyson Performing Arts School in East Orange (NJSCA special initiative grant), and the Holton-Arms School for Girls in Maryland.
- Dance Union Festival & Dance on the Move — now in its 9th year with Union County’s HEART grant, bringing high-energy training and performance to the Day of Dance at Frank J. Cicarell Academy, Westfield Senior Housing, Linden Parks & Recreation, and local middle schools.
- Wellness & Access — masterclasses for Community Access Unlimited’s ACE Program, community classes at NJPAC and Community First Initiatives in Springfield, and Contemporary Modern Dance Cardio & Core for seniors at the West Essex YMCA.
A Milestone Benefit
In April, you gathered at the Maplewood Country Club for our REACH 2026 Annual Benefit — and blew past our goal by 25%. That generosity now fuels our educational programs, dancer contracts, and the commissions still to come.
Presenting the world as it is and as it can be, Carolyn Dorfman Dance celebrates our common humanity through the power of dance.
Thank you for being the heartbeat of this company. The best is still ahead — we can’t wait to share it with you.
With deepest gratitude,
Anita Thomas and Carolyn Dorfman