Liz Lerman Leaving Takoma Park; Studio to Focus on Local Engagement

Internationally known dancer and choreographer Liz Lerman will be leaving her Takoma Park studio July 1, but that doesn't necessarily mean bad things for the city.

While Lerman is moving on to a job at Harvard, among other consulting opportunities, the Dance Exchange, with move back to the focus it had at its inception 35 years ago, to serve the community locally, Dance Exchange Communications Manager Emily Macel Theys said.

"Initially the Dance Exchange was about the community it was based in, but it became more about the communities it could go to," Theys said.

In recent years Lerman has toured so much that the studio has lost its community focus. Now the function will be more hyperlocal, Theys said.

Cassie Meador, a nine-year Dance Exchange veteran will be taking over for Lerman and she is in step with the local focus.

“The nature of where work is happening is changing. As the landscape of touring shifts, dance artists are looking at other ways of supporting and developing their work,” Meador said. “For us that means a renewed commitment to the community where we’re based.”