Since 2006, the dancers of Missouri Contemporary Ballet have fused art and athleticism, delivering some of Colombia’s most dynamic performances.
Throughout this time, Founder and Director Karen Mareck Grundy has shaped the organization, emotionally combining fundamentals, collaboration and showmanship. This summer, the troupe will both nod to its pioneering work and prepare for the future by renaming the Mareck Center for Dance.
The change will take effect July 1, according to a press release this week.
Stemming from a conversation the organization’s board of directors had in 2020, the change acknowledges several realities, the statement said. The current name seemed constricting, with the focus on Missouri “limiting the extent to which the dance company, in particular, could grow,” he notes.
And extending the name to its dance school has obscured the teaching of other dance styles, the statement added. The change ultimately helps to understand that MCB’s performance and education businesses exist under one “roof,” according to the release notes.
Prior to establishing the company, Mareck Grundy learned and then performed a diverse palette of styles, finding both nuance and dynamic gestures available through ballet, jazz and modern dance.
She aspires and strives “to provide dancers with a positive yet disciplined space to discover their core core and expand their hearts and minds, while allowing them to explore diverse dance styles,” she said in the press release.
Upcoming events on the company’s calendar include a June 15 collaboration with the Missouri Symphony Orchestra during its Symphony in Motion program, kicking off the Hot Summer Nights Music Festival.
Visit the company online at https://missouricontemporaryballet.org/.
