The aim of the fundraising is cover the purchase and renovation of the former Moorland YMCA, which is being turned into a permanent home for the company's rehearsals, training, and dance education.
The new building allows the company to increase the number of students it trains from 300 to 1,000.
The historic 32,000 square-foot building is located in Dallas's Arts District, near the Dallas Symphony, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Nasher Sculpture Center, as well as a new performing arts center. The building was once the only public accommodation for African Americans in Dallas, and has had such prominent visitors as Muhammad Ali and Justice Thurgood Marshall.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre was founded in 1976 by Ann Williams, and performs a mixed repertory of modern, jazz, and African-style works. Its repertory includes works by Alvin Ailey, David Parsons, Elisa Monte, and Alonzo King.