Where We Show Up
From the halls of Howard University to the stages of the Lincoln Theater, Ngoma uses dance to amplify the voices of communities that matter.
Ngoma has brought professional-caliber dance to stages and spaces across the DMV — health expos, community conferences, wellness events, cultural celebrations, scholarship forums, and civic gatherings.
Our teaching artists provide free classes to youth and perform in partnership with nonprofit organizations throughout the Washington, D.C. area, ensuring that cost is never a barrier to experiencing the transformative power of dance.
From 2009 to 2020, Ngoma reached approximately 600 to 800 DC area residents annually through these venues and partnerships. After returning from the COVID pause in 2023, that reach has scaled to 5,250+ residents — a momentum that signals what is possible as the work continues to expand.
Artistic collaboration with Cynthia Gauthier (Super Bowl choreographer) as co-choreographer alongside Shawn Short as Principal Choreographer. Performance commissioned for a national audience at the USCA 2017 main stage. The Gilead video remains a sample of this commissioned work.
DDT dancer Damon Foster performed for former Mayor Vincent Gray at a Kwanzaa Celebration — one of many civic engagements that have anchored Ngoma's work in DC's Black cultural calendar.
- Howard UniversityPerformances and educational engagements
- Lincoln TheaterDC's historic Black cultural stage
- Health Expos & Wellness EventsDMV public-health and community programming
- Cultural CelebrationsKwanzaa, Black History Month, heritage events
- Civic GatheringsMayor's events, scholarship forums, civic ceremonies
- U.S. Conference on AIDSNational stage, 2017 — 2,000+ attendees
- Community ConferencesLocal and national conference performances
ME · The Clarice Opera House, 2018
A landmark community production that brought concert dance and street dance arts together in the DC region — the brainchild of Founding Director Shawn Short.
Ngoma School students and community dancers — embodying Ngoma at its core: an organization that opens its arms wide and invites the full community to create, perform, and celebrate together.
MD Park & Rec Heritage Division — and Ngoma Center for Dance.
Community Spotlights
Press coverage, festival programming, media appearances, and donor stewardship — the moments that document Ngoma's reach across the DMV and beyond.
Shawn Short on Fox News covering the Velocity DC Dance Festival at Shakespeare Theatre's Harman Hall, Gallery Place — reaching 3,000 residents.
DDT performed at this Black wedding trade show at the DC Spy Museum — featuring 60+ Black businesses and 200+ patrons.
Shawn Short interviewed about Ngoma School programming at the College Park, MD program site — serving more than 200 students annually.
DDT's Black and Silver: A Black LGBT Experience Festival honored community LGBT activist Michael Saint-Andress — impacting 400 patrons across five years.
Board Chair Corey McDougle speaks with Ngoma supporters at the Malmaison Canal venue in Georgetown.
Pro Bono Arts Consulting
600+ hours donated to Black dance organizations locally and nationally — building stronger, more equitable foundations across DC, MD, VA, NY, and TX.
In 2013, Founding Director Shawn Short began advocating for the future of an equitable arts community by providing roughly 60 hours per week toward pro bono projects — helping Black-managed dance entities build the capacity to partner, collaborate, and share resources with Ngoma.
Arts impact is not solely education and performance. Creative economics and equitable realities reside hand in hand — an essential path to arts ownership and equality for Brown and Black organizations.
Areas of consultation include 501(c)(3) formation, board development, grant capacity, production management, presenter acquisition, equipment acquisition, and digital assets management.
Ngoma assisted EPT (Founding Director Shawn Rawls) in acquiring 501(c)(3) status, building grant capacity, board development, production management, and digital assets infrastructure.
International Association of Blacks in Dance
In keeping with its mission of developing a diverse community of artists, Dissonance Dance Theatre is a member of the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) — joining the national network of Black-led dance institutions in 2016.
Outreach is not a program — it is how we work.
Community engagement is woven into everything Ngoma does. From mentorship and youth showcases to media appearances and collaborative performances, your support directly funds free youth classes, pro bono consulting hours, and the community productions that bring DC together.