Velocity’s Bridge Project – Alyssa Boone (Image: Megan Xeal)
By Danielle Marie Holland
Velocity Dance Center has announced its 2022 season, its first season without a dedicated home on Capitol Hill. Interim artistic and managing director Erin Johnson shared with CHS how much the company has gone through in the past few years. “We went through two pretty substantial leadership transitions, we left our old space, we turned 25.”
Velocity left its Capitol Hill space on 12th Ave and has since developed a new strategic plan for what comes next. While its 25th season will be across a variety of venues, its future home will most likely not be on the Hill.
“We’ve laid the groundwork for the next three years,” Johnson said.
The center has been examining how it serves the community, and more so, understanding how to do so as the pandemic continues. Drawing from community surveys and forums, Velocity has crafted a new mission vision values that will be launching with the upcoming Spring Series.
Through these community engagement efforts, Velocity has heard how fundamental the space has been to the community and plans to utilize partnerships towards capacity building and eventual ownership, with a capital campaign.
“We’re really going to shoot for the stars here because we want to see Velocity around for the next 25 years. I think that the dance community deserves that,” Johnson said.
Those hoping Velocity remains in the Capitol Hill neighborhood are going to have to mentally prepare for what seems to be inevitable.
Symone Sanz, communications associate, reflected personally on the loss of the Capitol Hill space. “I feel like Capitol Hill is so rich in art and is so supportive in ways among the community, but when it comes to rental space, it’s really an exhausting thing,” Sanz said. “So that’s left us looking for other spaces. I think we might have to look outside of Capitol Hill for something that’s more sustainable and affordable.”
The 12th Avenue location was the second Capitol Hill home Velocity was priced out of, their first being the Odd Fellows building. Providing affordable rates to Seattle’s large dance community was a key component of the Velocity identity and one that has not been sustainable amid soaring rents, ongoing development, and gentrification.
For Sanz “owning a space is our highest priority. I think that’s really going to establish some long-term routes so that we can start to not focus on paying rent every month.” Despite the unknown, Velocity moves forward with an exciting 2022 Season, traveling in multiple partnerships from a variety of locations, covering Capitol Hill venues to Georgetown.
Meanwhile, there is still dance on 12th Ave even with Velocity’s exit. Exit Space School of Dance has moved in with a focus on instruction and renting its space to performers. Exit maintains adult programs and includes a staple of the industry that Velocity never turned to — children’s dance classes.
Artistic director Marlo Martin has grown Exit into “a center for dance education and performance opportunities for the beginning student through professional level dancer” and has been part of Velocity’s festivals over the years.
Aachix̂Qağaduug
Velocity’s focus for the spring is “to work in partnership with other Seattle arts and culture organizations to catalyze new work creation for Seattle-based contemporary dance artists, while presenting pandemic-era dance projects that underscore the resilience and ingenuity of dancemakers.”
This kicks off with The Bridge Project, January 27-30 at 8 PM at Base: Experimental Arts + Space | 6520 5th Ave S #122nd. Choreographed by Elise Beers, Aachix̂Qağaduug, Ashley Menestrina, and Stasia Coup (Artie Thomas), this project is part of Velocity’s Residency Programs, a 4-week residency and performance program for movement-based artists new to making work, or who have been making work in the greater Seattle area for three years or less.
COVID protocols in place, there are 40 tickets available for each performance. Masks and proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within 48 hours are required to attend. Livestream tickets will be available for purchase as well.
There will also be a few opportunities to catch up with Velocity again here in the neighborhood with duo G^2‘s performance of King Lear In The Forest at Northwest Film Forum coming up in February.
Learn more at velocitydancecenter.org.
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