Members of Dallas Black Dance Theatre: Encore! perform Thursday, June 20, 2024, at The Ector Theatre. The event was hosted by Odessa Arts and the Black Cultural Council of Odessa as part of Odessa’s Juneteenth celebrations. (Jennifer Guerrero|Odessa American)

The Dallas Black Dance Theatre will return to Odessa during the annual Juneteenth Celebration.

The DBTD: Encore! company will perform at the Ector Theatre June 19. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the performance starts at 7 p.m.

Executive Director of Odessa Arts Randy Ham said the performance is free.

“We’re always excited when they come to town,” Ham said.

The first time they came, it was five or six years ago, it was pre-COVID and it was during Black History Month and it was “really great.”

They are usually booked during Black History Month, but Ham said they are typically available during Juneteenth “which surprised me and made me very happy,” Ham said.

“It’s our way of working with the Black Cultural Council to do something artistic and culturally significant for Juneteenth,” he added.

Nycole Ray is the artistic director, Ham said.

“She is amazing, and she … creates a theme through her choreography and the different dances that she puts together, the different numbers and the costumes and everything it’s a real feast for the senses. You’ve got visuals and you’ve got the music, and they really tell a beautiful story,” he added.

He added that he loves being in the audience for these performances.

“It’s the whole package for us. It’s very turnkey. We signed the contract with Dallas Black Dance Theatre. We signed the contract with the Ector. We do the marketing, we unlock the doors. They come in, they rehearse,” Ham said.

He added that they usually sell out.

Odessa Arts works with the Black Cultural Council and Joanne Davenport Littleton.

“Joanne and I are really good friends, and we’ve done some really great work together. I’m very proud of that partnership,” Ham said.

“She has done so much for this community for so many years, and she really pours her heart into making Juneteenth the best it can possibly be. I’m happy that we get to play a small part in that,” he added.

This year, the Black Cultural Council was also awarded a Cultural Tourism grant by Odessa Arts.

“They’re one of our grantees. I get to talk a lot about the initiatives that Odessa Arts does, but I’m also very proud of the granting program that we’re able to grant hotel occupancy tax to so many cultural entities in order to enrich the lives of not only our citizens, but our cultural tourists. This is where I’m going to work in the fact that nonprofit arts agencies contributed $33.5 million to the local economy last year,” Ham said.

He also lauded the city for its support of the arts.

“They have been incredibly supportive since day one. It’s exciting to see them not just supporting the things that we’re doing, but to come to us with their own ideas about what they would like to see in the community. That shows some true vision for the community, on top of the energy industry and on top of the sports industry, I don’t think that these things are diametrically opposed, that we can all work in harmony to enrich the lives of our citizens, as well as the people visiting here,” Ham said.

On a side note, Odessa Arts will be moving from the Copper Rose building as it is up for sale to Toby and Sondra Eoff’s old office on Lee Avenue.