Wonderbound

Wonderbound is a celebrated leader in the Denver arts community and one of the most stable contemporary ballet companies in the nation. Comprised of twelve exemplary dancers from across the country, Wonderbound is a contemporary dance company that lives at the convergence of tradition and innovation, vulnerability and courage, and intimacy and openness.

The organization has forged lasting partnerships across the community and works with more than 35 cultural organizations and creative businesses annually. Wonderbound nurtures the development of dancers, choreographers, musicians, composers, writers, designers, visual artists, and theater technicians, employing upwards of 60 local artists during a typical season.

THE COMMUNITY

Created in 2016, Wonderbound’s Pari Passu, or “equal step,” program offers weekly hour-long interactive dance/movement sessions with the homeless population. The program is facilitated by Wonderbound’s Registered Dance Movement Therapist Heather Sutton and utilizes dance as an instrument for social change— serving as an organic catalyst for the participants to reintegrate into the community by providing a sense of purpose, connectedness and relevance. Partnering organizations include St. Francis Center and Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.

Through its Community Education Programs, Wonderbound presents highly interactive programs for 20,000 children in 40 schools each year. These performances are highly interactive experiences featuring athletic choreography by Artistic Director Garrett Ammon and the dynamic Wonderbound dancers. Wonderbound’s Community Education Programs are unique in the arts world, as the students are engaged in dancing with the Wonderbound dancers and are asked to generate new movement with their peers, something that differentiates Wonderbound from other arts organizations. Wonderbound offers these programs at no cost to the participating schools.

As Wonderbound’s Community Education In-Theater performances usually take place in February and April, and its In-School programs usually take place in May. It is likely that the organization will need to conduct these programs virtually in 2021. To achieve this, Wonderbound will build upon the digital work already achieved during 2020’s Stay-At-Home orders and improve upon how this programming could be delivered. In this regard, Wonderbound has entered into a partnership with Mental Health Centers of Denver via Dr. Carl Clark to aid in distributing new videos to a broader swath of the community.

In non-COVID times, Wonderbound’s annual numbers served are comprised of the following communities:

• 8,000 patrons at productions
• 20,0000 students through Wonderbound’s Community Education Programs
• 600 homeless individuals through Wonderbound’s Pari Passu program in collaboration with St. Francis Center and Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
• 1,450 individuals through auxiliary events

Through its productions and Community Programs, Wonderbound serves a diverse population in terms of ethnicity, socio-economic status and age:

• Racial Minorities: 40% (African American, Latino, Asian American and Multi-Racial)
• Low-Income: 35%
• Age: 30% ages 1-18; 30% ages 19-40; 40% ages 41 and above