PressRoom

Promote

Preserve

DDF is an Atlanta-based non-profit (tax-exempt) 501(c) (3) organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Black Dance in American culture. With a mission to celebrate, promote and preserve the legacy of Black dance, DDF will provide an annual festival in Atlanta, Georgia that showcases local and regional talent and presents master classes, lecture demonstrations, concert performances, artist residencies and community outreach programs in collaboration with local, regional, national and international professional dance companies, organizations and individuals.

A resident of Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Long is the author of The Black Tradition in American Dance (1989). Renowned scholar of language and the arts Richard Long is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Long attended Temple University, where he received his B.A. in 1947 and his M.A. in 1948. He conducted post-graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania and at Oxford, England, and Paris, France. From 1957 to 1958, he studied at the University of Paris on a Fulbright Scholarship. He went on to earn his Ph.D. from the University of Poitiers in 1965.

Long began his career in academia teaching English at West Virginia State College and Morgan State College. While completing his doctoral work, he also worked as a lecturer at the University of Poitiers. Upon returning to the United States, he taught English and French for the Hampton Institute and directed its College Museum. From 1969 to 1971, he lectured in Afro-American studies at Harvard University. The following year, he worked as a visiting professor of linguistics for the University of North Carolina. Subsequently, he taught English and Afro-American studies at Atlanta University from 1968 to 1987. From 1973 to 2002, he was a professor at Emory University's Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts. In addition, he has worked as a visiting lecturer to universities in West, Central and South Africa, and India.

Long serves on the editorial boards of several publications, including the Langston Hughes Bulletin, Phylon and the Zora Neale Hurston Bulletin. He served as president for the College Language Association and the Southeastern Conference on Linguistics. Dr. Long is a former board member for both the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of African Art and the Society of Dance History Scholars. He is also a lifetime member of the High Museum of Art. He founded the Triennial Symposium on African Art, Atlanta University's Annual Conference at the Center for African and African American Studies, and the New World Festivals of the African Diaspora. He was a U.S. committee member at the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture in Lagos, Nigeria, from 1971 to 1977 and has acted as a consultant for both the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Long's published works include Black Americana (1985), Black Writers and the American Civil War (1989), The Black Tradition in American Dance (1989), African Americans: A Portrait (1993) and Grown Deep: Essays on the Harlem Renaissance (1998). His work has also been included in more than twenty anthologies and encyclopedias of African American culture.

In his role as Honorary Chair, Dr. Long will convene a group of dance professionals locally and nationally to participate in a series of panel discussions to explore the history and traditions of Black Dance in America and its emergence as an art form that celebrates African American culture and heritage. In addition, a formal black tie special event will be the opening night celebration of this weekend event slated for mid-October 2006 where the program will honor and celebrate pioneers in the field of Black dance to include a special tribute to Dr. Long and select others. The festival will also showcase local dance companies. From liturgical, to African, to hip-hop, the festival will present the best of Atlanta in an exciting format geared towards the movers and shakers in the dance industry.

Conceived and developed by special events producer Carol Lloyd, the Dynamic Dance Festival is an event that has been nurtured through Ms. Lloyd’s passion for dance and her recognition of the contributions that pioneers like Dr. Long have made to this field. “We’re merely vessels for the creator. Once you understand that concept, then you understand your role in it -- which helps to define your purpose. This festival will bring a lot of people together at the right time, in the right place, and for the right reasons” states Ms. Lloyd. Having Dr. Long serve as Honorary Chair for this inaugural event will ensure the long-term viability of this festival as a cultural institution for the dance community as a whole. An international treasure, Dr. Long is the leading scholar and critic on Black dance and has amassed and compiled a priceless collection of Black dance memorabilia and history.

# # # # #