DDT Resident Choreographer Kareem B. Goodwin Premieres New DBDT Commission at Publick Playhouse
Image: Dallas Black Artistic Director Richard Freeman Jr. with DDT Resident Choreographer Kareem B. Goodwin, and DDT Founding Director Shawn Short
April 15th, 2025 – Washington, DC
Building the Beat — Commissioned by Dallas Black Dance Theatre — April 26, 2025
Contact:
Shawn Short, Director
202-540-8338
sshort@ngcfddt.org
Ngoma Center for Dance and Dissonance Dance Theatre (DDT) proudly announce the premiere of Building the Beat, a new work choreographed by DDT Resident Choreographer Kareem B. Goodwin, commissioned by the internationally recognized Dallas Black Dance Theatre. The work will make its area premiere on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at Publick Playhouse in Cheverly, Maryland, before its world premiere in Dallas, Texas.
Building the Beat explores the pulse at the heart of every collective — the steady, subtle rhythm that holds communities together. The work meditates on individuality within the fold, the importance of showing up for one another, and the enduring power of togetherness even when synchrony is lost. As the program note reflects: “Togetherness isn’t perfect, but it endures. It breathes. It echoes. It carries us forward.”
“Through daily phone calls, honest conversations, and unwavering belief, Shawn guided me each step of the way. His support anchored me in moments of uncertainty and sharpened my clarity when decisions felt heavy. Even while Dissonance was on pause, the organization remained a pillar. It gave me standing power and vigor. It grounded me. I would like to thank DBDT’s Richard Freeman Jr, and the whole DBDT organization for their belief in me and this great opportunity.”— Kareem B. Goodwin, DDT Resident Choreographer
Goodwin’s selection by Dallas Black Dance Theatre — one of the most respected Black concert dance companies in the nation — represents a significant milestone for both the choreographer and for DDT’s Resident Choreographer Program. Dallas Black Dance Theatre Artistic Director Richard A. Freeman Jr. commissioned Goodwin following an introduction made through Ngoma’s ongoing engagement with the field, including its participation in the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) Conference earlier this year. Goodwin was the only Washington, DC-based organization represented in IABD’s nationally recognized professional audition space at the 35th Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Publick Playhouse presentation is part of a banner season for Goodwin, who has also been selected as choreographer for the American College Dance Association 2026 Festival, joined Drexel University as Adjunct Professor, and assumed the role of Artistic Director at The Pointe! Dance Studio. His achievements include recognition as a Princess Grace Award nominee in Choreography (NYC) and recipient of Philadelphia’s Ellen Forman Memorial Award.
DDT’s Resident Choreographer Program provides sustained mentorship, choreographic development support, and performance opportunities for exceptional dance artists. The program is designed to cultivate new voices in contemporary dance while creating meaningful pathways for dancers of color in the professional field. Past resident works have been presented at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Atlas Performing Arts Center, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The commission of Building the Beat by Dallas Black Dance Theatre stands as the program’s most visible national commission to date.
“Kareem has put in extraordinary work, and this commission is the result of years of dedication and growth. DDT’s Resident Choreographer Program exists precisely to create moments like this — to give talented Black choreographers the infrastructure, the mentorship, and the stage they deserve. We are immensely proud to see his voice reach Dallas Black Dance Theatre and audiences across the country.”— Shawn Short, MFA, PGC in Business, Founding Artistic Director, Dissonance Dance Theatre & Ngoma Center for Dance
PRODUCTION CREDITS — Building the Beat
Choreography: Kareem B. Goodwin
Music: Sage DeAgro-Ruopp
Costume Design & Execution: Rachel Murray
Lighting Design: RaChelle Conley-Lister
Commissioned by: Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Richard A. Freeman Jr., Artistic Director
Resident Program Support: Dissonance Dance Theatre / Ngoma Center for Dance
Area Premiere: Saturday, April 26, 2025 | Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Rd, Cheverly, MD 20784
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Ngoma Center for Dance is the home of Dissonance Dance Theatre (founded in 2007) and its award-winning programs based in the Washington, DC area. DDT is named “one of the 11 small-but-mighty dance companies outside of LA and NYC” by Dance Spirit Magazine. Evoking emotional experiences in the audiences we touch, is the only East Coast, nationally recognized, Black-managed contemporary ballet company between NYC and ATL. For more information, visit www.ngcfddt.org