*Are you familiar with Lula Washington? If you are not, unfortunately, you are not alone. Her story is fascinating. At age 22, the married, new mom was turned down by UCLA because they felt she was too old to begin a dance career.
She and her husband, Erwin Washington, wrote what was obviously a compelling appeal to UCLA, which made the retiring Dean of the school want to meet her. UCLA reversed their decision, let her attend as a dance major and the rest is literally history.
In 1980, after graduating from UCLA, Lula and Erwin opened the Lula Washington Dance Theatre in the inner-city of South Central Los Angeles and have been enriching the community, city, country and world with its presence ever since. Lula, the Artistic Director and her dance theatre have performed all over the world and have received countless awards and accolades.
As part of their yearlong 40th-anniversary celebration, the Lula Washington Dance Theatre will be performing at the Wallis in Beverly Hills from January 30-February 1 and trust me when I say it is something people should want to experience. I have attended performances in the past. They were always very dynamic and passion-filled.
The upcoming performances promise to be no different, as they perform a piece specifically created to commemorate Lula’s 40th anniversary, as well as a tribute to Martin Luther King and original works created by super talented choreographers, some who honed their crafts at the Lula Washington Dance Theatre and have moved on to choreograph for major dance groups worldwide. It will definitely be a show worth seeing.
Lula Washington has the same passion she had 40 years ago when she first opened her dance theatre. We all know it is hard to stay motivated over the long haul, so the fact that she has managed to stay afloat for four decades is a testament to her passion and fortitude. I recently had a telephone interview with Lula in preparation for her upcoming 40th Anniversary celebration and asked, after 40 years, where she finds the motivation to continue.
She didn’t need to think before responding, saying, “I’m always inspired by the dancers that we have here that come to work with us and their energy and their passion and wanting to be a part of the organization, but mostly we do what we can by giving back and trying to fulfill a need and that’s very meaningful; to provide opportunities for dancers to have a voice and create work that people are interested in seeing and providing a space, a cultural space in our community for the cultural arts.”
The thought that “art should be in every community” is also what has kept Lula Washington going for four decades, sharing, “Being in the heart of the African-American community, we provide cultural enrichment to young people who would never have the opportunity.”
Being a dance company in the inner city does not come without its challenges. According to Lula, “Funding has always been a challenge, since Day 1. When I started the company, funding was an issue. Even now, 40 years later, it’s still an issue, because the United States does not have a real good history of supporting the arts. Other countries support their arts much, much better.
They are state-funded by programs where your artist can make a living in the performing arts.” She added, “Funding is always being cut, so you can never know what you’re going to have in terms of a grant or money you might get from a foundation from year to year.” The new tax laws that made donations less advantageous for donors did not help the situation and donors are not donating to the arts as much as in previous years. Another challenge Lula mentioned was not having recognition.
According to Lula, “The dance community has to always have recognition and support because more people know about MTV and So You Think You Can Dance has a bigger reputation than the cultural arts. So, you really don’t see what I do on television, so it’s not reaching the masses. You’ll see me if you come to the theatre.” The problem is small dance companies do not have the budget to advertise like major companies, like the ballet, so they are at a disadvantage.
Lula wants people to understand, “Arts, wherever they are, are in every community and art can only survive if we have partners and those partners can be individuals that come and see the show. The partners can be people who sit in the audience and decide to bring their children to the dance studio.”
She continued on, saying, “We need the support of the community; not just me, but any community arts organization needs the support of the community.” She shared that the funding that was once available is no longer available and asks people to, “Examine their hearts and souls to see what they can do to help art groups continue.”
Lula is, “very excited about the Wallis because they are investing in the local art community by providing an opportunity to do more than a one night stand.” She continued, saying, “Normally, the local groups only get to do one night, so we feel very honored that they are allowing us three nights.”
The Lula Washington Dance Theatre is more than just a dance company. They are one of the founding members of the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), an organization which among other things has a yearly festival which provides access to artists of color and gives them a chance to see other dance groups that they would not otherwise be able to see.
This year’s event is in Philadelphia later this month. Part of the festival is a discussion of things that affect dancers and dance companies. The Lula Washington Dance Theatre performs at each of the festivals. They have also hosted the event four times. The Lula Washington Dance Theatre also mentors young people.
Erwin Washington has mentored young people in art administration and they have gone on to very high paying positions. Their daughter, the Co-Artistic Director, who is being groomed to take over the family business, is also a mentor. Not only does she mentor young people in dance, but also letting them know about college and dance life balance.
The dance company serves a vital and worthwhile purpose in the community. There are plenty of parks in the community, where children can learn and practice sports, but the same cannot be said of places in the community where those same children can learn about the arts. According to Lula, “Art should be in every community.” She added, “Every community should have a way to express themselves creatively and have art a part of their daily life.”
As part of Lula Washington’s legacy, she would like people to remember that she, “Did work that was exciting and dynamic and honest and created dances that spoke to the community and provided a place where anyone could come and learn dance, no matter how old you are what your weight size was. Any little girl could come here and study ballet and not feel bad and put on a tutu if that’s her dream.” She also wants people to remember she shared her space, meaning she allowed other artists to come in and put on shows. She ended with, “We hope people remember we made a difference.
If you too want to make a difference, PLEASE support the arts. You can begin by coming to the Wallis in Beverly Hills, January 30 – February 1 and seeing the good work and talent that is coming out of the Lula Washington Dance Theatre. The Wallis is a beautiful complex that brings topnotch performers. Come see for yourself.
For more information on Lula Washington Dance Theatre, visit https://www.lulawashington.org/.
Marilyn Smith is a Los Angeles based writer/reviewer. Contact her via [email protected].
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