Sarasota Dance Company

Leymis Bolaños Wilmott and Rachael Inman began working together in Florida State University’s graduate program in 2000. Not only did the two share an Arabic heritage, most importantly, they shared a vision to collaborate, create, and celebrate life through movement expression. They both spent time developing programming for the FSUdanceSARASOTA initiative, and in 2002 Bolaños Wilmott and Inman founded Fuzión Dance, the first professional contemporary dance company in Sarasota. In 2006, they formed Fuzión Dance Artists as a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. After a decade of establishing its presence under the continued Artistic Direction of Leymis Bolaños Wilmott, Fuzión Dance Artists became Sarasota Contemporary Dance. The organization felt it was time for a change, and under this new name have become a mainstay arts organization in the region.

Sarasota Contemporary Dance (SCD) is recognized for its extraordinary level of high-energy, contemporary dance and collaborative performances. In addition to a variety of community collaborations and performances at local venues, SCD has also been presented at the Alabama Ballet Center for Dance, John F. Kennedy Center, Dennis C. Moss Theater, Merce Cunningham Studio Theatre, and the Ailey City Group Theatre.

The company presents a combination of works by the Artistic Director and Guest Choreographers such as Adele Myers, Lisa del Rosario, Ana Maria Alvarez, Melissa Cobblah Gutierrez, Micheal Foley, Bliss Kohlmyer, Tania Vergara Pérez, and Alyson Dolan. Recent collaborations include “SCD+EnSRQ,” the expansion of “Jehanne” with composer Mark Dancigers, and a regional tour of “The Cuban Project”.

2024-2025 marks the company’s 19th season. Additionally, the company offers a variety of movement modalities and inclusive dance classes, including an established ongoing Dance for Joy class at Aviva Senior Living and most recently at the Historic Leonard Reid House in Newtown in partnership with the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition.

The company is celebrating seven years in its state of the art, dance studio and performance venue – located in the Rosemary District of Downtown Sarasota. It is also home to Sarasota Contemporary Dance Ensemble (SCDE), a training company for aspiring dancers led by company members Xiao-Xuan Yang Dancinger and Melissa Rummel.