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The Portland-based contemporary dance company Shaun Keylock Company announced it has acquired Conduit Dance Inc., a nonprofit dance service organization that closed in 2015.
“I have long admired Conduit Dance as one of the most significant responses to the necessity of dance in Portland, offering so many different opportunities for artists to create, perform, and share their work,” stated Shaun Keylock, founder and artistic director of SKC, in a press release. “I am excited to carry on the legacy of this important institution as we continue to build our capacity and advocate for the next generation of dance makers in our community.”
According to SKC, the acquisition will enable it “to gain its nonprofit status and preserve more than 20 years of Portland dance history through the company’s programs.” In the press release, Tere Mathern, former artistic director of Conduit, expressed approval for the fusing of the two organizations.
“I am grateful to find a way to support a new generation of dance artists and carry-on Conduit’s legacy,” said Mathern. “The impressive work that Shaun has already accomplished, and a commitment to dance sustained during one of the most challenging periods in our lifetimes, gives me confidence that SKC will be at the center of a rejuvenation of contemporary dance in our region.”
Keylock is currently developing several new projects with SKC. Most recently, he choreographed the American debut of When the Sun Comes Out, a queer chamber opera directed by Portland Opera’s Alison Moritz.