From April 10–12, Dayton Ballet and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) shared a stage during Rhythm of the City, a once-in-a-generation collaboration at the Victoria Theatre. Dayton’s unique cultural contribution to funk music was expressed through the creative intersection of the classical European art form of ballet and contemporary dance rooted in the African American artistic tradition.

Live music was performed by the Deron Bell Band. The soundscape for the dancers showcased recordings by Lakeside, the Ohio Players, Zapp, and other bands that emerged out of Dayton in the 1970s. Dayton’s funk legacy was front and center, with the high-energy movement of the dancers and the music bringing the audience to its feet and moving in an immediate, embodied expression of belonging and inclusiveness.

The arts reflect who we are and who we wish to become. DCDC founder Jeraldyne Blunden observed that we have created “boundaries for race, religion, and culture. If we can get past that, we can realize there is much more in life that connects us.” This inclusive sentiment is echoed by Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) President and CEO Patrick Nugent, who noted that “the arts are for everyone.” The union of the three distinct artistic forms showcased in Rhythm of the City offered a powerful example of inclusive democracy in action.

This event marked the third year of a partnership between the Kettering Foundation’s Democracy and the Arts focus area and the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance. The DPAA has made a specific effort to include programming celebrating diversity and inclusion each performance season, ensuring that a wide range of voices, perspectives, and cultural traditions are represented on stage. As part of our partnership, the foundation provides complimentary tickets to a performance that expresses our mission of advancing inclusive democracy. The guest list for Rhythm of the City was developed in collaboration with local organizations and included community members and educators who may not typically attend arts performances. Kettering also collaborated with local public radio station WYSO on an episode of its program, Culture Couch, where DCDC Chief Executive and Artistic Director Debbie Blunden-Diggs and Dayton Ballet Artistic Director Brandon Ragland discussed the importance of the Rhythm of the City collaboration.

In 2025, the Democracy and the Arts partnership with DPAA was a concert by the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus that featured the choral work Seven Last Words of the Unarmed by Joel Thompson, which was inspired by the final words of seven unarmed Black men: Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., Trayvon Martin, Amadou Diallo, Michael Brown Jr., Oscar Grant III, John Crawford III, and Eric Garner. Bookending the piece were two contrasting works by Lili Boulanger and Fauré’s expressive and beautiful Requiem. In 2024, the foundation partnered on a concert that celebrated Black Music Month with performances of Dances in the Canebrakes, a piece by Florence Beatrice Price, the first Black woman to receive national attention as a symphonic composer.

Joni Doherty is senior program officer for Democracy and the Arts at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. Dorie Watts is program associate for Democracy and the Arts at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation.