Lula Washington Dance Theatre

The Lula Washington Dance Theatre is focused on ensuring that the joy and structure of dance is available to all children. It is created to offer the inner city youth in South Los Angeles an opportunity to dance, if they so desire, whether they can afford to pay for dance classes or not. The Lula Washington Dance Theatre – Long Term Sustainability Fund was established as a result of generous donations from Beulah Frankel Tillisch, a pioneering art designer and production director of stage, film, and television in both Hollywood and New York.

It was her gratitude for a successful career, nurtured by a very necessary scholarship awarded her in early childhood by Manhattan’s professional school of dance & theatre, The Neighbor Playhouse in New York City, that inspired Beulah’s need to give back. The scholarship was not in recognition of a special dance talent, but rather to enhance her impressive drive. Lula Washington Dance Theatre serves as this same purpose perfectly, making it possible for children to experience the discipline, self confidence and creative expression that dance provides. The fund underwrites dance training for inner city children ages 3 to 25 who study at the Lula Washington Dance Theatre School in South Los Angeles. It supports students as they move into Lula Washington’s Children’s and Youth Dance Ensembles; and her Apprentice Ensemble. These groups perform all over the city, giving youth a creative outlet for their talent and valuable experiences as cultural arts ambassadors to the community. Some youth continue on as young adults to perform with the world acclaimed Lula Washington Dance Theatre, touring company. These young dancers in the company need to continue training to hone their skills, just like a professional athlete. This fund also supports that training.

About the Dance Theatre

The Lula Washington Dance Theatre has toured across the United States and around the world with performers who began as children at the Lula Washington Dance Theatre School. Lula Washington’s Dance Theatre has been in existence since 1980. The non-profit organization owns its facility at the corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and Coliseum Street in South Los Angeles. The fund is designed to make sure that this organization continues to do its good work for years and decades to come.

Lula Washington was awarded Maria Shriver’s “Minerva Award” and the UCLA Chancellor’s Community Service Award for her dan

ce work with youth, and for her Company’s dance performances. Lula holds a Masters degree in dance from UCLA. She choreographed movement for James Cameron’s movie, “Avatar”, and for Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” movie. Lula is one of the founding five of the International Association of Blacks In Dance, which works to bring youth into the world of professional concert dance. Your contribution to the Lula Washington Dance Theatre’s Long Term Sustainability Fund will support Lula’s on-going Legacy of dance in Los Angeles. Donate today!

To learn more about Lula Washington Dance Theatre, please go to its website at http://www.lulawashington.org.

To make a secure, tax-deductible donation online, click on the button below. You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Lula Washington Dance Theatre. Checks should be mailed to:

California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

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Contributions to the California Community Foundation represent irrevocable gifts subject to the legal and fiduciary control of the foundation’s board of directors. This charge will appear on your credit card statement as a payment to “Calif Comm Fdn – CCF”. In addition, California Community Foundation incurs a third-party administrative fee of 2.7 percent for credit card contributions. The foundation will charge the fee directly to the individual fund.