VTDance
Artistic Director, dancer, choreographer and teacher Vincent Thomas received his MFA in Dance from Florida State University and a BME in Music from the University of South Carolina. Prior to pursuing his graduate degree at FSU, he taught music in Columbia, SC and danced with Dancework Jazz Company, serving as principal dancer and Associate Artistic Director. He was a scholarship student and staff assistant for the American Dance Festival (‘95-‘97), and returned to ADF (1999) to assist teaching Community Crossover. He has danced with Dance Repertory Theatre (FSU), Randy James Dance Works (NY/NJ), Liz Lerman Dance Exchange (MD), is a guestemperformer withemeDGEWORKS Dance Theater (DC) and an adjunct artist for Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. Vincent’s choreography has been presented at national and international venues including Diverse Works (TX), Flynn Performance Space (VT), contemporary Arts Center (CA), Music Hall (MI), Jack Guidone Theatre at Joy of Motion (DC), Lisner Auditorium (DC), National Museum of Women in the Arts (DC), Towson University (MD), Artscape (MD), Wilkes University (PA), Takoma Theatre (DC), Gordon Center (MD), Theatre Project (MD), the Baltimore Museum of Art (MD), Center for the Arts at George Mason University (VA), the Urban Bush Women Summer Institutes, the 2005 International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference (CA), Barcelona and Madrid, Spain, and the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scotland. He presented his solo “Prelude/Frustration in a Martini” at the 2003 Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Arts and Cultural Heritage Division Twentieth Annual Choreographers’ Showcase, a gala concert of dances selected for their choreographic excellence by a panel of nationally recognized adjudicators, at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (MD). In June 2005, he premiered “Primavera Portena” in collaboration with the Ahn Trio for the 2005 Bands of America Summer Symposium. Vincent is a recipient of a 2007 and 2005 Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award in Choreography, 2005 City Arts Humanities Individual Artist Grant, 2004 Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award in Solo Dance Performance, and a 2004 Henry C. Welcome Fellowship. Vincent was selected as one of eleven choreographers from around the world to convene for the 2005 Omi International Dance Collective (NY). He is the 2006 recipient of two MetroDC Dance Awards- erging Choreographer and Outstanding New Work for the Grandmother Project, and a 2006 Maryland State Arts Individual Artist Award for Choreography. He is presently a faculty member for the Urban Bush Women Summer Institutes (NY) and an Assistant Professor at Towson University (MD).