Elizabeth Ramsey, originally from Toledo, Ohio, entered her eighth season as a dance artist with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company this year. She graduated from Wright State University summa cum laude with a BFA in dance, and was also a member of DCDC's second company for three years. She has attended several prestigious training programs throughout her career, most recently traveling to Tel Aviv, Israel, learning and training in the Gaga Technique under the dancers of the Batsheva Dance Company, and Ohad Naharin himself.
In addition to performing several of DCDC’s historical works such as “Vespers” by Ulysses Dove and “Children of the Passage,” choreographed by Donald McKayle and Ronald K. Brown, she has returned to DCDC2 as a teacher and choreographer. Her work has been featured in productions all over the state of Ohio, including those at the Toledo Ballet and Toledo School for the Arts, as well as Wright State University's Spring Dance Concert, the University of Dayton Dance Ensemble's Spring Concert, and a collection of DCDC company performances. Additionally, in 2021 she was named Resident Choreographer for the School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she also co-directs the junior dance ensemble. Elizabeth is an inaugural member of Dayton’s own Dayton Dance Initiative, a dancer-led collaborative project featuring the professional artists of DCDC and Dayton Ballet. Most recently, her DDI-created work “Love Letter for Mothers” was awarded first place in SALT Contemporary Dance’s SHAPE Choreography Festival.
Her experience with making dance for film includes her choreography for the WSU film department in a work titled "Anesthesiaphobia," which premiered at the Dayton Art Institute in 2015, as well helping in the creation of many DCDC projects that have surfaced as a result of the pandemic. In collaboration with DCDC’s mission to extend dance education and outreach into a virtual space, she created a science-based lecture demonstration designed to help engage and teach children about the effects of climate change. This work now exists as a part of DCDC’s online education database.
Get to know Elizabeth
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Seasons with DDI?
This will be my sixth season (right?! Did we start this in 2019?)
Company affiliation: DCDC
What inspires you in this world? Why do you dance?
I'm very inspired by dance, and how movement can communicate emotion in a way words can fall short. I can get taken away by dance, both as a performer and a viewer, and I love that so much. Inside of dance, I’m inspired by humanity. I love telling stories and giving a viewer the opportunity to feel seen, or to have a platform to process and heal.
What do you love about DDI?
It’s rare that as an emerging choreographer you get the opportunity to work with dancers at this skill level, and with the level of artistic input they contribute. It makes DDI feel very special for me, and every piece I’ve produced over the past six years have all felt very precious because of how intimate and dedicated the space becomes. It’s also refreshing to work with professionals you aren’t used to working with throughout the year! We get to watch each other on stage, but the collaborative aspect makes it that much more enjoyable.
Favorite small business in Dayton:
Present Tense Fitness, Val’s Bakery, Grist