Part service organization and part professional dance company, the Capitol Movement Project aims to provide accessible, quality dance training to underserved communities in DC. Originally founded in 2005 as a dance concert by the same name, the organization manages numerous community outreach initiatives in the form of school partnerships, performance opportunities, and scholarships to students in need.

We recently chatted with the Capitol Movement Project’s Co-Founder Stephanie Jojokians to discuss Saturday’s performance, the company’s mission to increase access to dance education, and the current state of DC’s dance community.

vDC: Stephanie, give us a sense of what we can expect to see during Saturday’s Late Night event.

Our professional company will be performing a piece called “Torn” which is a contemporary jazz trio. It’s very fluid , emotional, and passionate but it is also very technical. While I always like to leave the meaning up to the audience, the theme of the piece is about relationships and centers on a love triangle.

vDC: Great answer! I love that you leave it up to the audience to interpret what they are about to see. In addition to the professional company, Capitol Movement is known for community outreach relating to accessibility issues in dance education. What are some of your current initiatives?

We offer free dance classes in the DC public schools as afterschool programming. Currently, we are working with Kenilworth Elementary School again and their kids get a chance to perform for our free “Day of  Dance” event. Every year the night before our major show at the Lincoln Theatre, we have a show from 4 to 6pm for 1,000 – 1,200 kids that would otherwise never be able to see a dance concert. We bus them in and the Kenilworth kids get a chance to perform for their peers. It’s really exciting for them!

We’ve also worked with schools over the summer like Horizons at Maret; we always work with them. This year we are adding a new school and are now waiting to get that confirmed. Generally, we try to go to the kids, teach them dance, see if they are excited and if they are then we’ll pull them into our WNBA or NBA programs, the Junior Wizards or the Mystic Mayhems, so they can get their first performance experience. And it’s hip-hop, so it’s something they that like and can relate to. If they like it from there, they can start getting into ballet and formal training.

Since we try to open the door and level the playing field in dance, we also give scholarships to dancers so that they have an opportunity to train on an elite level at schools like the Debbie Allen Dance Academy or the Boston Ballet Summer Conservatory.

vDC: How many kids choose to pursue dance on a more intensive basis?

Honestly, it’s really only been a handful – we’ve only been around since 2004. Off the top of my head, I would say we have ten now that are in our pre-professional program who are very motivated and inspired to continue their training with us. We offer a diverse range of classes, but we also recommend that they experience other teachers and choreographers as well.

vDC: Since your organization is a relative newcomer to the DC scene, what are some of the challenges you currently face?

For us, we still feel like we have a long way to go. This year, we’ve taken some steps to try to develop the company more intensely. Now, we have a “home” in our own studio  and are requiring that our company members become more serious about their training.

It’s also a very challenging time financially, especially if you have a mission to make services affordable or free to those who can’t afford it at all. It’s hard when granting organizations or private donors aren’t able to help in the way they did in the past and you still have to stick to your organizational mission. That presents a huge challenge for us right now given the services we provide.

vDC: In thinking about those issues, what needs to happen in DC to make it a better place for artists to present their work?

I am very excited about seeing companies collaborate more. I think that the economy has forced people to work together and  it’s created a better collective environment for everyone instead of having people take the position that “This is our program and it’s all we’re going to do.”

Joint initiatives like VelocityDC are really great for us. When we first started, I remember that the Washington Ballet Board Chair Kay Kendall told me, “You know, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. A lot of us have done some of these things already. Talk to us and maybe we can work together.” I think that has stuck in my head the most over the years and I really appreciated it because it’s true.

vDC: That’s definitely great advice and so many of our artists have echoed that sentiment. With that in mind, what do you think the lasting effect of VelocityDC will be for the DC area?

I’m hoping that it helps not only the dance community in terms of exposure and performance opportunities, but also the audience as well. Hopefully it will influence them to explore a wider variety of things to see and be a part of in the city.

The Capitol Movement Project will be performing during VelocityDC Late Night on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 at 10:30 p.m.

Want to see them live at Harman Hall? Don’t miss out – Get your tickets now!