TFDT offered its inaugural performance in June 2001, at New Jersey’s acclaimed George Street Playhouse.
The organization has received sustained multi-year granting in support of its artistic efforts from the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, as well as grants from the Dodge Foundation, EJ Grassman Foundation, AT&T, and a broad base of public and private sector support.

From its inception, the work of the company has received acclaim from critics statewide. Robert Johnson of The Star-Ledger describes Loungway’s work as “elegant and evocative,” and “darkly romantic.” Karyn Collins, Chair of the National Dance Critics Association proclaimed that his work “shows tremendous promise….and bodes well for the future of dance in New Jersey.”

The following is a list of past performance and projects accomplished by Terra Firma Dance Theatre. Currently, we are working on preparing our Fall 2007 season, which will feature the restaging of OYOU, our performance and education based full-length work. Please return to this page for periodic updates and developments, as well a calendar of upcoming performances.

April 2007
Artistic Director, Stuart Loungway, serves as Artist in Residence at the Purnell School, located in Pottersville, NJ. Syllabus consisted of contemporary ballet technique and composition.

February 2007
Premiere of the full-length work OYOU (of you, of us and the deconstruction of the observational other) at the East Brunswick Vocational Arts High School. TFDT received significant funding from the Dodge Foundation and the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commision to present a work that focused upon the demystification and deconstruction of dance performance and the inclusion of audience members. The work featured the choreography of Loungway and the original writing and direction of Louis Wells.

January 2007
TFDT presented a series of Lecture Demos and Performances at the Stuart Country Day School, in Princeton, NJ for Grades K-12. The performance included repertory from Webre, Loungway and Mack, as well as the performance of rarely seen “Pas De Quatre”. Each performance was followed by a structured Q&A session for students of the school.

November 2006
TFDT , in conjunction with the Metuchen Arts Council, presented a repertory performance at low-cost to members of the Middlesex Community.

Spring 2006
TFDT presented their Annual Repertory Season at the East Brunswick Arts High School.

November 2005
Marked the return of our emerging artists showcase, Dance Tapestry. Again, working in conjunction with Kathleen Flynn, Director of the East Brunswick Vocational Arts High School, TFDT presented the work of several of NJ’s emerging choreographers including Joshua Bisset, Cleo Mack and Molly Daly; provided master classes in ballet and modern technique, and hosted a well-attended, post-performance Q&A session with the audience and participating dance artists and choreographers.

April 2005
Mr. Loungway received a commission from the Adam Miller Dance Project, located in Hartford, Connecticut. The work received its premiere in NY at the Joyce Soho Theatre, and featured several of TFDT’s artists. The piece was reviewed favorably by the national dance publication, Dance Magazine.

March 2005
TFDT held a choreographic and compositional workshop in the devices and techniques employed by one of the world’s leading ballet choreographers, William Forsythe. Jill Johnson, a Principal Dancer with Mr. Forsythe’s company, Ballet Frankfurt, conducted the workshop. Several NJ artists participated, as well as drawing professional dancers from New York. An ancillary, but important, aspect of this program is that it serves as a wonderful “think-tank” and forum for the exchange and refinement of ideas and dance technologies between artists of different dance disciplines and career stages.

Spring 2004
TFDT worked in conjunction with Kathleen Flynn, Director of the East Brunswick Vocational Arts High School to present the work of several emerging choreographers in a program entitled Dance Tapestry. The evening featured work by NJ dance notables, Molly Daly, Cleo Mack and Joshua Bisset. In addition to the performances, the involved artists provided master classes to the students of the school.

Summer of 2003
TFDT was featured at the prestigious Philly “Fringe” Festival, showcasing the choreography of affiliated artist James Graber and the dancers of TFDT.

December 2003
TFDT enjoyed a tremendous success with their Dodge Foundation supported Orpheus and Eurydice, presented at George Street Playhouse and choreographed by Stuart Loungway and Cleo Mack. The project was a marked success, critically well received and was afforded considerable media coverage.

June 2002
The company presented its second annual production at George Street, featuring a world premiere by choreographer Cleo Mack, Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch in 2002,” and And So It Goes by Washington Ballet’s Septime Webre. This performance also featured Loungway’s haunting premiere Back…She’s Gone. The work was underwritten in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts 2002 Individual Fellowship in Choreography that was awarded to Loungway for his ballets, Chamber and Hot Blood Meets Cool Vapors.

February 2002
TFDT was featured in Manhattan’s Florence Gould Hall Ballet Builders/New Choreographers on Pointe. This prestigious event is at the invitation of a professional peer panel that review and select four choreographers from a pool of hundreds applying internationally. Robert Johnson’s Star-Ledger review of this event stated “Loungway’s choreography is packed with ideas and stands out.”