JD Dance Company

I’m 2 years old today! 🎂🐶🎉 Can I get a ?

Throwback! Can’t wait til I’m back with my friends 🥰


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We can’t say enough good things about our sponsors! .art team & volunteers, WOW. We are beyond grateful and don’t have the words to express our gratitude. We’re in awe of your commitment to seeing this vision through—thank you for taking a chance on this first annual event, we can’t wait for next time! 🥰🙏👏🙌

this event wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity and faith the grants team placed in us to see this festival happen! Thank you for awarding us this micro grant, we hope we did you proud!

Still amazed by the incredibly artistic, delicious and inspiring food vendors & artisans at ! It was a true honor to see these take a chance on a 1st annual festival, we are so grateful to you and hope to see you back next year! 🙏

We couldn’t have asked for a better MC than for the first annual ! Thank you for your kindness, energy, humor, positivity, and celebration of the amazing dance troupes, judges, sponsors, vendors hosts and volunteers throughout the day! We hope to see you back next year!

Thank you also to the amazing technical team Maurice Sams & Irving Ramos for all of your help in keeping the show alive and well! 🙏
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Thank you to our esteemed judging panel

We knew finding judges who were passionate and well-versed in was key to bringing this festival to life, and wow did you all come through! We appreciate you immensely and hope to have you back next year!!
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ONE. MORE. DAY! (Tix in bio) 2023 = multicultural dance competition, performances, workshops, food vendors, artisan hall, art exhibits & more! Don’t miss this first annual festival .art produced by Sunday June 25th 10am-6pm, sponsored by .art

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Workshop Announcement: by & 👏 We can’t wait for this one! Get your workshop tickets at the link in bio!

Kalpulli Tlaltekuhtli & Semillitas Learning Community partners to teach Danza Mexica as an ancestral community offering.

Kalpulli Tlaltekuhtli is a Danza Mexica collective based in East Los Angeles, carrying on the indigenous Mexican traditions from Axochiapan, Morelos and Tenochtitlan. En unión, conformidad y conquista, Kalpulli Tlaltekuhtli centers families and children as they pass down the oral histories and ritual healing inherited from their elders.

Semillitas Learning Community is an indigenous-centered Spanish-immersion alternative learning space for niñxs + Librería/Colectiva Shop located on . Semillitas provides an early education alternative learning space for niñxs to learn an introduction to ancestral teachings, and learn, maintain or reclaim Spanish as a form of culture and language preservation.

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Workshop Announcement: by & 👏 We can’t wait for this one! Get your workshop tickets at the link in bio! #562

Workshop Announcement: by 🔥 We can’t wait for workshops! About MahKween:

James MahKween is from Atlanta, GA. He graduated with a BFA in Musical Theater from American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA). After graduating, MahKween has been setting and reaching goals. He has performed with several artists and company’s some being Lula Washington Dance Theatre, JazzAntiqua, and Kouman Kele African Dance and Drum Company,and BrockusRed . Recently, he has been developing his own choreography. His choreography has been shown at NAACP ACT-SO 2014 & 2015, Highways Performance Space, DANCESCAPE,DanceSpot LA, Tri-Art Festival, Sol-Cal Dance Invitational,Carnival Choreographers Ball, and HHII Dance Festival. MahKween has also produced his own showcases REFLECT, F.E.M., Love Inclinations and CatCall!

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Workshop Announcement: Urban with Chelsea Diaz of 💃🏻 Tix at link in bio! About Chelsea:

Chelsea (McIntyre) Diaz is an independent artist and professional dancer based in Long Beach, CA. She began her artistic career at an early age, creating and selling sculptural, photographic and multimedia works from elementary school onward. She graduated from CSU long Beach in 2015 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture/New Genres, and served on the Arts Council for Long Beach Board of Directors from 2019-2021. Her work focuses on psychoanalysis, abjection and interpersonal communication, and takes form across multiple mediums.
Chelsea began dancing Hip Hop, Polynesian and Bellydance in high school, and became a young performing professional while in college under the direction of Pu’alani’s Polynesian Paradise. She joined CSULB Salsa Team and was a core member of the performance and competition team from 2010-2015. She also studied circus arts, specifically pyrotechnic performance arts, under the legendary Scorch fire troupe.
Chelsea met Jose Diaz in 2013 and began a professional Ballroom and Latin dance partnership with him in January, evolving into a relationship and eventual marriage in 2022. She is the assistant director (a volunteer position) and a core choreographer and instructor at JD Dance company since 2014, and serves as the primary marketing and outreach coordinator.
She and Jose have led their students to multiple championships and countless opportunities for the low-income community of greater Long Beach, and hope to expand their tutelage through the first annual Long Beach Cultural Dance Festival in 2023.

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Workshop Announcement: with Jose Diaz of 🔥 Tix at the link in bio! About Jose:

Jose Diaz is a professional dancer, choreographer & instructor living and working in Long Beach, CA since 1992. He began his dance career with Ballet Folklorico de Mexico at 5 years old, & at the age of 18 became a professional in that discipline. He then went on to study Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Lyrical & African dance styles at Long Beach City College.

At age 22 he was hired & trained by Arthur Murray Dance Studios as a Ballroom Instructor and Pro/Am Competitor, which led him to multiple championships and took him to competitions & conventions in Italy, Mexico, England, France, Hawaii, & across the continental U.S.

Meanwhile, he also joined a prestigious Salsa & Latin dance company, Salsabor Y Cache, and studied & performed professional with the “grandfathers” of L.A. Salsa, such as Francisco Vazquez & Rogelio Moreno. After 8 years with Arthur Murray & Salsabor Y Cache, he chose to develop his own dance company in his neighborhood of North Long Beach, & officially named it JD Dance Company in 2012.

With his dance partner-turned-wife Chelsea, they have served the impoverished greater Long Beach areas by providing low-cost yet high quality dance classes, private lessons, choreography, performances & competition opportunities to low-income families & students of all backgrounds, (dis)abilities & experience levels. They never turn away a willing student, and will sponsor those who are eager to learn regardless of any potential lack of financial resources.

JD Dance Company is proud to be 4x National Champions in Latin, Hip Hop, Ballroom & Ballet Folklorico dance styles, and also educate their students in Western & AfroLatinx dance technique, as well as Bellydance & Polynesian styles. They are actively performing & competing throughout the year & across Southern California.

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Workshop Announcement: by .bollypop of Mumbai! We are so thrilled to have her as an instructor at 🙌 Sign up for her workshop at the link in bio! About Isha:

Isha, a talented individual from Mumbai, India, embodies the artistry and diversity of dance. With a passion for movement and dance forms, she is a trained Indian folk dancer and certified Bollypop fitness instructor.

Having spent a decade immersed in Indian classical Bharatanatyam and Indian folk dance forms, Isha honed her skills in the heart of Bollywood cinema. Her tireless pursuit of excellence led her to master the intricacies of these traditional art forms, infusing her performances with grace and authenticity. She has showcased her talent as a choreographer breathing life into traditional Indian folk dances and captivating audiences with their vibrant energy.

Isha's passion for dance knows no bounds, as she has also shared her expertise internationally. Through exhilarating Bollywood dance workshops in New York, Utah, California she has introduced aspiring dancers to the infectious rhythms and dynamic movements of Indian cinema and culture.

Workshop Announcement: by Pat of 👏 This traditional form is unique & fun for the whole family! About Pat:

I started going to Scottish Country dance class in 1997. In 2009 I got my teaching certificate from the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society based in Edinburgh, Scotland. I currently teach SCD at the Tustin Parks and Recreation Community Center and organize dance demonstrations for local festivals.

We’ve seen it in action and we can’t wait to bring this to 😁 sign up at the link in bio! #562

Announcing the Workshop by Chatiera “Cookie” Ray of 🔥 We can’t wait for this one! More about Cookie:

Chatiera “Cookie” Ray, a creative and innovative dance professional with an extensive background in Ballet, Jazz, Afro-Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Modern techniques. Complemented by knowledge and experience in community development, producing, choreography, and artistic curation, is a Cleveland native that transitioned to Long Beach, California in 2013 to expand and explore her career in dance and youth development. Chatiera went on to do other dance productions as well as exploring her teaching capacities.

2015, Chatiera realized that she wanted to do something bigger than just perform. That’s when the CRayProject was established and her creativity excelled! Since then, Chatiera has created many works and has had the opportunity to collaborate with other Performing Arts organizations and companies around the United States. A lot of her work has been performed with LA Unbound, RAW Artists, Lula Washington Dance Theater, MOD ARTS (New York), Long Beach Playhouse Theater, and more.

Chatiera has developed many Performance Arts programs within Los Angeles County for After-School programs, Recreation Centers, and local non-profits. She is known in the city of Long Beach for her annual dance production PINS and Seasonal summer Dance Festival, The Long Beach Black Dance Festival (better known as LBBDF). Chatiera continues to dance and create for the betterment of the communities she serves and as an outlet to share her artistry to the world.

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Announcing our Workshop Line-Up! First up: by of Move and Radiate Inc! Sign up at the link in bio. About Mar:

Move And Radiate, Inc. is an inclusive belly dancing company with a mission to provide a space that welcomes & celebrates all body types, ethnicities & level of experience without shame or judgment. I do so by teaching a belly dance fitness class (online & in person) that is beginner friendly. My class will provide you with a fun way to get your body moving without feeling like it is a workout or a chore. My classes empower women to show up for themselves, push their limits and prioritize their mental and physical health. Many students have testimonies about their personal development, getting stronger, regaining their self-esteem and improving their mobility.

I also direct a belly dancing troupe that performs locally/nationally - giving women of color the chance to participate in this art form with open arms and lots of love and support. I intentionally seek out women of minority groups to represent the diversity & uniqueness of who we are as a people. But I must say, it is deeper than belly dancing. My work redefines what it means to be a woman of color - taking back cultural power and lifting the burden of oppression placed on my communities. I am showing women that it is okay to embrace their culture, their bodies and their skin color. My class teaches my students the importance of movement and empowers them to go against what has been built to keep us quiet and controlled. It is the fitness/dance class and environment you did not know you needed until now!

We are so thrilled have Mar & her crew join us at ! 🙌

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Living my best life in Venice 💕🐶

Dance, Performing & Martial Arts Group are encouraged to register for performance slots! Submit your application by June 12th or sooner—space is limited!

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A different kind of dance comp! Register now thru June 12th for (link in bio)

Vendor Applications are open! Apply by June 5th at 5pm. https://airtable.com/shrL6MXJX1yWsa5qk

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Pre-sale tickets are now available until June 4th! Get your discounted admission tix for the 1st annual Cultural Dance Festival June 25th .art , (produced by ) link in bio!

Announcing the 1st annual Long Beach Cultural Dance Festival! A one-day multicultural dance convention featuring competitions, performances, dance workshops, artisanal vendors, food trucks and more! Happening June 25th at MOLAA in Downtown . Produced by & .art, sponsored in part by Join the event as a dancer, teacher, sponsor, vendor, or audience member—registration and tickets are now available at the link in our bio!