Our History

Room To Move Dance, Inc. (RTMD) was founded in New York City in 1981 by artist director/choreographer Amy Gately as a contemporary dance company. The company relocated to Atlanta in 1984 where it began to fulfill the wider vision of its founder to include lecture demonstrations, workshops, educational performances, and community activities as well as concerts that produced collaborative works. RTMD gave its first concert in Atlanta at the Nexus Theatre in the Spring of 1985. Since then, the company has produced full-length programs at the 14^th Street Playhouse, Seven Stages, the Alliance Studio Theatre and the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.

From 1986 to 1989, RTMD participated in the Fulton County Arts in Education program throughout the schools in Metro Atlanta. In the 1990's, the company changed its outreach emphasis to work with senior citizens programs that include classes and performances designed to give seniors an outlet for creative expression through dance.

At the end of 1988, the company entered a new artistic phase. Image Film and Video co-sponsored with RTMD a video multi-image presentation entitled "Dance Frameworks." The program consisted of computer-enhanced dance footage "Heavier than Air" and a video sequence of a new RTMD work, "Parallax", by director Amy Gately. The presentation also included a new work entitled "Tucson" by guest choreographer Nicole Livieratos.

In September of 1991, RTMD produced "Georgia to Georgia Dance Exchange", hosting the Georgian National Dance Company from Tbilisi, Soviet Georgia. On the shared program, Gately's choreographic new work "On the Lookout for the Bizarre, Fantastic, Mysterious and New" was premiered.

RTMD expanded further by producing "Three Premiers, Three Choreographers" in April 1992, at the 14th Street Playhouse. The new works of Nicole Livieratos, Robin Williams and Amy Gately were presented to the Atlanta community. Also at the 14^th Street Playhouse, in February 1993, the first collaborative efforts of poet Edith Finegold and Ms. Gately were showcased in the creation of "Stretching for Truth", a merging of the traditions of classical dance and Hebrew prayer.

RTMD's 1994 season included the premier of a new work, "The Reckoning." It was the first dance concert given at the Alliance Studio Theatre. This performance was done in collaboration with Gardenhouse Dance Company. And in 1995, RTMD produced "from imprints", a dance in three segments, which interprets and builds upon the images found in sculpture, "imprints", by artist Jin Soo Kim.

The 1996 season centered on a new work, "Masque of the Red Death," based on the writings of Edgar Allen Poe. 1997's season allowed RTMD to continue its presentation of Poe's words through dance and music with the premiere of "Region of the Shadows." In 1998, RTMD produced a new work with original music based on the five diverse dictionary definitions of the word, relief.

RTMD was commissioned by the High Museum in January of 2000 to create five dances based on visual art found in the museum's permanent collection. The intent of the project was to highlight the museum's new emphasis on art groupings and the connection of art forms to the lives of viewers. Entitled, "Rhythmic High", the series of performances grew from an artistic vision that blends art, dance, and music. All five dances culminated in performances in the atrium of the High Museum in June of 2000. Over 5,000 people experienced "Rhythmic High." This collaboration continued through 2002.

In 2001-2002, RTMD entered its first year of collaboration with the Penderecki String Quartet and renowned pianist Piotr Folkert at the Rialto Performing Arts Theatre. In March 2003, the collaboration with Penderecki's continued with two premieres at the 14^th Street Playhouse. The selected pieces included Plainsong, a dramatic contemporary ballet based on the five characters in the book "Plainsong" by Kent Haruf and Intimate Letters, music by Czech composer, Leos Janacek. In February of 2004, RTMD premiered Blossoms and Veneers at Georgia State University Florence Kopellf Music Recital Hall, once again with the Penderecki String Quartet for a third year of collaboration with the quartet. Blossoms and Veneers focused on the work of renowned artist and architect Amy Landisberg and her visual art and sculpture by the same name.

RTMD 2004-2005 season introduced a new collaborative aspect with Lyra String Quartet, based out of Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. Two premiers were given in October 2004. They included the Marsailes Suite, a dance inspired by the music of Winton Marsailes' Octoroon Balls. This program was repeated at GSU Florence Kopleff Music Recital Hall. In May of 2005, RTMD premiered a new ballet, Little Seamstress, with the Penderecki String Quartet at the Chaddick Center for the Performing Arts. This ballet was inspired by the short beautiful novel, "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" by Dau Sijie, and included compositions by six composers, contemporary andmodern.

RTMD's 2006 season was an outstanding one, featuring the premiere of Refuge, a two-act play written by Sara Robinson with direction by Amir Levi and choreography by Amy Gately.

RTMD'S 2007 season Quiet Passion with the Penderecki String Quartet included two world premieres "Water Passion" and "Cake".