Bowen McCauley Dance Company: Imaginative Contemporary Dance

BMDC’s professional company has been in residence for 23 years at the Maryland Youth Ballet in Silver Spring, MD and engages in community outreach activities through its popular K-12 school programs and performances. BMDC’s diverse roster of award-winning dancers, with an equal number of male and female artists, are recognized for their athleticism, excellent technique, and graceful movement quality. A BMDC school performance includes several dance pieces, linked by narration from the stage by Founding Artistic Director and Choreographer Lucy Bowen McCauley. This year, BMDC offers new dance pieces that complement student learning in STEM subjects, featuring a larger ensemble of 8 dancers.

Bowen McCauley Dance Company (BMDC) of Arlington educates, entertains and inspires people of all ages. BMDC engages in community outreach activities through its popular K-12 school programs that incorporate elements of music, narration, and movement. The company offers interactive performances that feature five professional dancers (three women and two men) and original pieces, along with narration from the stage by Founding Artistic Director and Choreographer, Lucy Bowen McCauley.

Founded in 1996, BMDC is renowned for its corps of professional dancers and the unique and sublime choreography of Lucy Bowen McCauley. The company collaborates with world-class musicians, artists and designers. BMDC performs regionally and nationally and has presented at Festivals in such places as Jacob’s Pillow, New York City, Germany, Mexico, and China. Closer to home, the professional company performs at the Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, historic Shakespeare Lansburgh Theatre, and Harman Theatre, and is in residence at the Maryland Youth Ballet in Silver Spring, MD. The company has collaborated with numerous dance and musical groups, including the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, The Cantate Chamber Singers, The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, The Chamber Ensemble, and the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra.

Artist’s website: Bowen McCauley Dance Company

Virtual program options available – contact us for more information.

Performances:

BMDC offers interactive performances featuring two or three dance pieces from its extensive repertoire. Audience participation is facilitated by narration from the stage highlighting elements of the music and movement. Comparisons are drawn between partnered and solo performances, or different musical genres – all linked to how dancers move differently based on a particular musical composition. School programs may include the following options (with other repertoire favorites available upon request):

Lissajous, a dance piece commissioned by Drexel University College of Engineering, is a 10-minute work which re-imagines engineering with a first-ever look at the intersection of engineering mechanics and dance movement. The piece demonstrates the science behind the creative process and the interconnectedness of math, engineering, and the arts. Lissajous is set to an original music score, To Say Pi. Supplemental virtual offerings include the following:

• Human Circles to Spirographs – BMDC offers a FREE companion curriculum, Lissajous: The Influence of Pi (one student lesson that focuses on 6-8th grade and a teacher’s guide that also provides suggestions for K-5 and 9-12 students). Curriculum is aligned with Virginia SOLs and meets Common Core Standards for 6th Grade.
• Virtual check-ins with the BMDC dancers currently in rehearsal.

Dances of the Yogurt Maker (8 dancers) was choreographed by Lucy Bowen McCauley with music by living Turkish Composer Erberk Eryilmaz. Unique rhythms and sounds with complex choreography create a rousing dance that transports the audience to a different place.

Dancing Through the Decades (5 dancers) explores the music and dance movements that shaped our culture beginning with the 1950’s Twist and culminating to the current decade with a tribute to the award-winning Broadway musical, Hamilton! The piece demonstrates a deeper learning as it relates to students’ lives, and a greater understanding of how different generations can connect through music.

A Tribute to Hamilton features five dancers performing 2 of the songs from the Broadway hit musical based on the life of founding father, Alexander Hamilton! The piece engages students and demonstrates the interconnections among diverse and generational populations. This piece may be performed on its own or in combination with Dancing Through the Decades.

Single $895/Back-to-Back $1245

Larger ensemble available – contact us for pricing and information.

Fees are for daytime school programs in Maryland, Washington, DC and Northern Virginia only.

Evening, weekend, workshop and non-school fees differ – please contact us.

Additional travel fees apply.

Workshops:

Programs for students and teachers are tailored to specific age groups and ability levels and may connect dance to storytelling, poetry, and other curriculum topics, while boosting confidence, body awareness, and coordination. 

Please contact us for Program Fees.

Additional travel fees apply.