The Dance Company of the National Center of Afro-American Artists event flyer (ca. 1970s)

“For so long the black dancer has had no opportunity such as the current situation offers—where they can grow as artists, not trying to be liked but being themselves, being proud of their own heritage and constantly aware of an audience, not living in a vacuum.”
– Billy Wilson, choreographer, Dance Company of the NCAAA

Founded in 1968, the National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAAA) was created to address the absence of a comprehensive, national institutional center for African American artists. As a Boston-based, professional, multi-disciplinary arts organization, the Center filled this void. The Center became not only a regional platform but also a national one for African American visual and performing artists.

Formed at the inception of the NCAAA, the Dance Company was created to provide a venue for traditional and contemporary African and African American dance forms, as well as other types of modern dance. The professional troupe also served as mentors and models for students at the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, and actively worked to raise the visibility of African American dance in the United States. From the National Center of Afro-American Artists records.

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