CAMBRIDGE, MA: The Dance Complex Board of Directors is delighted to welcome and introduce career long arts administrator and artist Peter DiMuro as The Dance Complex’s new Executive Director. From a pool of dynamic and qualified candidates, Peter distinguished himself with his unique combination of experience leading an international touring dance company, leading service organizations, collaborating with artists, mentoring dancers, developing relationships with producers and funders alike, all in addition to an extensive career performing on stages all across the world. “We are excited about Peter’s arrival and look forward to the wealth of innovative initiatives he has proposed and the terrific ideas for engaging the community and building further partnerships across the city and state, “David Dance, President of the Board of Directors of The Dance Complex states and adds, “Peter’s bio reads like a veritable ‘Who’s Who?’ in contemporary dance, and we feel so fortunate to be the future beneficiary of Peter’s vast network and extensive experience.”
The Dance Complex
Located in the historic Odd Fellows Hall, in Cambridge, MA; The Dance Complex is a volunteer-based, artist run organization dedicated to promoting, advancing, and sponsoring artistic endeavors, creative work and education in dance and the movement arts. The organization, formed from the hard work and collaboration of members of the dance community, lead by pioneering founder Rozann Kraus, has been a model of a successful volunteer-based community engaged in dance study and making since 1991. Culturally, The Dance Complex is a process; we are members of the arts community establishing a resource, referral and support center that is responsive to a wide diversity of needs for both professional dancers and those who enjoy moving.
“This community has made an incredible living, breathing monument to dance in Central Square”, Peter offers. “I look forward to guiding us to a next phase of development.” Through his appreciation of diverse ideas, approaches and people, as Executive Director, Peter will sustain and build positive relationships with other arts organizations, dancers, instructors, the City of Cambridge, and all who are committed to dance. In addition to leading the staff in the identification of best practices and future frontiers for The Dance Complex, the Executive Director will oversee all administrative and programmatic elements of activity.
A biography for Peter appears below. We look forward to introducing Peter, along with upcoming plans at the start of the fall season early in September. Stay tuned for details.
Sincerely,
David Dance
Chairman of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors: Anne Brown Allen, David Dance, Richard Getz, Mary McCarthy, Jayne Murphy, William Parsons
Peter DiMuro – Biography
Peter DiMuro gladly returns to Boston, where his first professional performance was with Gerri Houlihan’s Boston Dance Project at The Dance Complex of Cambridge. Ruth Birnberg, Susan Rose and Concert Dance Company (dancing the works of Deborah Wolf, Bebe Miller, Lucinda Childs, Wendy Perron, Keith Terry and many others) also provided Peter mentorship early in his career.
He has since woven a career as a choreographer, director, teacher, facilitator and arts practitioner/engager, touring and teaching internationally from Honk Kong to Pigeon Forge, TN, and places beyond and in-between. His Peter DiMuro Performance Associates and his fifteen-year collaboration, including 5 years as Artistic Director, with Liz Lerman Dance Exchange laid the foundation for his current creative umbrella, PDM: Public Displays of Motion, that develops and performs artistic works and cultivates dance/arts literacy, advocacy and engagement.
Peter’s work has appeared on tour and been commissioned by leading presenters, including The Kennedy Center/DC, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center/MD, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Dance Place/DC, DanceNOW at Joe’s Public Theatre/NY, Dance Umbrella, the Emerson Majestic, Bates Dance Festival, American Dance Festival, AURAS Dance/Lithuania, as well as on a nationally aired television commercial for the National Institute on Aging. As a collaborator and artistic lead at Dance Exchange, he directed seminal projects in the company’s history, including “The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Project” and the 17-city tour of “Hallelujah Project”, both engaging communities in dialogue and action to make dance/theatre. “Near/Far/In/Out” and “Funny Uncles”, both dealing with issues bridging straight and LGBT communities, toured nationally. He directs and choreographs for theatre, stage, on-site, cabaret and coaches performance. For the Massachusetts Cultural Council, along with its then Executive Director Mary Kelley, Peter designed and executed the Elder Arts Initiative, offering exchange of ideas and training among artists and caregivers working with seniors.
He was named a White House Millennial Artist in 2000, a 1995 Mayor of Boston/ProArts Arts Award recipient, and his work has received grants from the National Performance Network, the Mass Artists’ Foundation, Mass Cultural Council, MetLife Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2010, he represented the US as an emissary for the Department of State in Madrid, teaching and adjudicating an international competition for emerging artists. Peter has taught several summers at the Cornerstone Theatre Institute/LA, American Dance Festival and Bates Dance Festival and adjudicated several American College Dance Festival Association regional conferences. He has been affiliated with Tufts University (artist in residence), Drexel University (associate professor), Michigan State University (guest artist/commissionee), American University, Emerson College, Boston University, The Boston Conservatory, and several college programs throughout his career.
A believer in the multiple roles artists develop to re-create definitions of their own artistry and the field’s re-definition of artmaking, Peter created several programs for artist development and audience literacy through his directorship of Dance/MetroDC, a local service organization and a regional branch of Dance/USA. He has served on the boards of the Dance Umbrella/Boston, National Performance Network, Dance/USA, Capitol Region Educators in Dance Organization, and as a mentor and panelist for New England Foundation for the Arts, Maryland State Arts Council, D.C. Commission for the Arts. He is host and creative consultant to VelocityDC, an annual DC based showcase for the region’s eclectic dance companies.
He received an MFA in Dance from Connecticut College under Martha Myers; a BFA in Theatre from Drake University, early study with Sally Garfield, and continued study in New York, Boston and at the American Dance Festival.
Originally from Round Lake, IL (population, circa 1970: 250), he is the youngest of three children, the son of the Chief of Police (Dad, born in East Boston) and a machinist/gal Friday (Mom). He has a niece named for the Crayola crayon, Sienna.