Velocity Dance Center is turning 10 years old. The organization is more famous in national dance circles than its own neighborhood. So, for its 10th birthday present, you should learn the following nine things about Velocity:
One: The dance center (which offers classes for the public and hosts performances by local, national, and international dance stars) is having a fundraising birthday party this Friday, April 7, in the Century Ballroom.
Two: Velocity is getting a new executive director to replace cofounders KT Niehoff and Michele Miller—who are resigning for the same reasons that drove them to start the organization. "We came from New York," Niehoff said. "I wanted a place to dance and Michele wanted a place to teach. There wasn't one, so we started Velocity." Now Niehoff is leaving to concentrate on her company (Lingo dancetheater) and Miller will focus on her teaching at Cornish. Twenty people have applied for the position of executive director. Eighty applied for the recently available administrative-assistant position.
Three: Miller also holds a second-degree black belt in Kajukenbo Kung Fu, which was invented in 1947 in Oahu's violent Palamas Settlement to deal with local crime and, according to Wikipedia, "to help people defend themselves from U.S. Navy sailors who would drink and fight with the locals."
Four: In 2003, Velocity won the first-ever Stranger Genius Award for Arts Organization.
Five: The hardwood floors in Velocity's theater—on the second floor of the Odd Fellows building—are beautifully scarred by hundreds and hundreds of tiny pockmarks. "Somebody went crazy with a staple gun," Niehoff said. "A handful of us spent a week, all day and all night, just pulling up staples."
Six: Velocity's national profile is higher than its local profile. "My national colleagues all know and respect it," said Lane Czaplinski, artistic director at On the Boards. Is its relative local invisibility a Seattle thing or a dance thing? "I think that's pretty common for arts organizations," Czaplinski said. "But Velocity is definitely a hub of activity in a city that has a significant dance scene, even compared to larger cities."
Seven: Seattle does, in fact, have a nationally significant dance scene. When the National Dance Project wanted to begin a program to strengthen the infrastructure of hot regional dance communities, it chose Seattle as the city and Velocity as the institution.
Eight: The furniture in the foyer is gorgeous—dark, thick wood chairs and tables. Niehoff's partner is a furniture dealer. She will not take the furniture with her.
Nine: That Velocity, a relatively small temple to a relatively small experimental art form, will survive a handoff from its founders is a testament to Niehoff and Miller's ability to build a sustainable, necessary organization. "Thanks for the compliment," Niehoff said. "But it's really a testament to Seattle. Now we have a strong contemporary dance scene that needs this place."
