To Inspire, Educate, and Entertain through the experience of outstanding contemporary dance.
Dance Kaleidoscope, under the leadership of Christel DeHaan Artistic Director Joshua Blake Carter, presents four unique main stage performances each year with diverse work created by industry leading choreographers.
Showcasing athleticism and technical expertise, Dance Kaleidoscope leaves the audience feeling invigorated and moved every time they take the stage. Now in our 53rd season, Dance Kaleidoscope is Indiana’s longest-performing professional dance company and was founded in 1972 as an ensemble to perform in Indiana schools in partnership with Young Audiences of Indiana.
Dance Kaleidoscope embraces diversity, equity, inclusion and access. We believe our DEIA work is instrumental in the fulfillment of our mission and values. We recognize our responsibility to be an open and welcoming organization that is accessible to broad and growing local and national audiences.
We strive to create a culture where people from all backgrounds can collaboratively learn, work and serve. Dance Kaleidoscope strives to remove barriers that prevent historically excluded populations from working, learning, or dancing with us. We’ve joined forces with other Indianapolis cultural institutions through the Access Pass Program to make dance experiences accessible with $2 tickets and deeply discounted dance class tuition fees.
We are committed to addressing the challenges and opportunities of our future in a culture that honors what is unique in all of us.
Christel DeHaan was a dedicated leader and generous philanthropist in Indianapolis, and prior to her passing in 2020, she shared her desire to close the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation and expend its corpus through Legacy Gifts to organizations with whom she had special relationships. Christel supported and believed in Dance Kaleidscope’s artistic excellence. We are so proud to accept this Legacy Gift and in perpetuity, have named our Artistic Director in her honor and memory.
Collaboration and community engagement are vital components of Dance Kaleidoscope. Dance Kaleidoscope has collaborated with the Damien Center, Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Ballet Hispanico, Phoenix Rising Dance Company, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
In 2019, Dance Kaleidoscope began construction to create an artistic home in the Circle City Industrial Complex. Today, the company and staff work together under one roof, and Dance Kaleidoscope School offers 34 weekly classes to 209 students. We also make our studio available to community groups and artists.
In partnership with Arts for Learning, Dance Kaleidoscope enables students to discover dance through educational programs. Four times a year, you’ll find Dance Kaleidoscope performing on the Eskenazi Health Main Campus as part of the Marianne Tobias Music Program. Dance Kaleidoscope is proud to support other nonprofit organizations that advance racial and socioeconomic equity and make our community a better place to live and work, such as the Damien Center, the Firefly Children and Family Alliance and the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir.
“It’s humbling to be retiring at the end of the 50th Anniversary Season. We’ve been reflecting on the past but mostly we are all looking forward together to an exciting and sustainable future for Dance Kaleidoscope.”
— DAVID HOCHOY
David Hochoy retired from his position as Artistic Director at the end of the 2022–2023 season. In honor of his 32 years of service to Dance Kaleidoscope, the Board of Trustees named him Artistic Director Emeritus. This planned retirement coincided with Dance Kaleidoscope’s 50th Anniversary Season.
