Huntington Dance Theatre

Huntington Dance Theatre was established in 1981 as a pre-professional dance school and performing company. That year, HDT premiered The Nutcracker ballet, a show that the company has been performing annually for over thirty years.

Since its inception, HDT has taught classical ballet and pointe technique, the basis of all forms of dance. Over the years HDT has seen growth in both studio size and number of students, and now teaches many different forms of dance including creative movement, contemporary, hip hop and adult dance.

HDT's studios are located in the middle of downtown Huntington, West Virginia and HDT has the privilege of holding its performances at the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse at Marshall University. Huntington Dance Theatre performs two large-scale productions annually: The Nutcracker, as well as a Spring Concert of original works of choreography. In addition to Nutcracker and Concert, HDT's students and company perform in venues such as the Huntington Museum of Art's Holiday Open House, the Culture Center in Charleston and at various schools, among others.

HDT students regularly attend West Virginia's annual Dance Festival and HDT hosts summer intensives with nationally-recognized ballet and modern instructors. HDT students are annually accepted by audition to the Governor's School for the Arts and participate in the SCORES festival at Marshall University. HDT fosters relationships with other community arts groups including The Huntington Museum of Art, Marshall University Department of Theatre and the Art Center School of Dance.

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