Jeraldyne blunden biography

Jeraldyne Blunden (nee Kilborn) (December 10, 1940 – November 22, 1999) was the founder and artistic director of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.
Jeraldyne Blunden was the founder and artistic director of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, the oldest modern dance company in Ohio.
Jeraldyne Blunden was a choreographer, a dance instructor, and an artistic director.

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Jeraldyne's Legacy: The First Men of DCDC

Jeraldyne Blunden established DCDC as a force of African American dance in the Dayton community and across the nation with a group of amazing and talented young women, but something was still missing. As the women were taking to the stage, impressing upon the community the beauty and power of black dance, there was a need of male dancers to elevate the company to the next level. Holding an open call in the community for men interested in dancing, Jeraldyne began the journey to cultivate a group of young men who would be more than a prop to hold up the women. The goal was to create a crop of men who would stand on the same technical and performance level as the women, bringing in more opportunities for choreographic expression. It all began with a class dedicated to introducing the benefits of dance to young male athletes and a dream that DCDC would perform on international stages.

Each of the men came to the company from different walks of life but ended up creating a strong basis for the male legacy to stand upon.

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Help honor DCDC founder Jeraldyne Blunden with a U.S. postage stamp.

DAG is excited to announce an opportunity for you to join our letter-writing campaign to honor DCDC Founder Jeraldyne Blunden on a U.S. postage stamp. Below is a sample of the letter in support of the Jeraldyne Blunden US Postage Stamp. You may use as is, or you may personalize by adding your own thoughts, embellishments, and/or life-changing events, to the body of the letter. Click the link below to download and sign your copy of the letter.

Mail your signed copy to us at:

Dayton Contemporary Dance Company

840 Germantown St.

Dayton, OH 45402

We invite you to share this appeal with your friends and family, requesting they download then mail, as well. We want to flood the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee with thousands of letters of recommendation.

Thank You

An argument for the creation of a U.S. postage stamp honoring Jeraldyne Blunden

Overview

Jeraldyne Blunden (1940–1999) was the founder and artistic director of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.

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Dayton Contemporary Dance Company History

Jeraldyne Blunden Founder and Artistic Director

Jeraldyne Blunden was a visionary who began her dance training under the guidance of Josephine and Hermene Schwarz, founders of The Dayton Ballet. They helped Ms. Blunden gain access to greater opportunities, including summer scholarships to the American Dance Festival, where she studied with Martha Graham, Jose Limon, George Balanchine and James Truitte, teachers who later became her professional peers and personal friends. That exposure to the greater dance world shaped her vision for the future. She studied at the American Dance Festival and performed with the Dayton Ballet, Antioch Summer Theatre and the Connecticut College Dance Theatre Workshop. The Schwartz sisters believed deeply in Ms. Blunden’s dreams for the future of dance, and eventually gave her control of their dance school at the historic Linden Center. Through her work, she provided opportunities for her beloved Dayton dancers, sending them to train at Dance Theatre of Harlem, ADF, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and o