ADF and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in association with Thirteen/WNET New York, present the Emmy Award-winning documentary, Free to Dance: The African American Presence in Modern Dance. The three-hour documentary, chronicles the crucial role African-American dancers and choreographers have played in the development of modern dance as an American art form. Set against the cultural, social, and economic backdrop of American life from 1900, it is also a remarkable tale of the against-the-odds struggle by African-American dancers and choreographers for recognition and acceptance as highly talented and passionate performers. Free to Dance originally aired on PBS in 2001 as part of the Great Performances: Dance in America series.

The series was supported by The Ford Foundation, The National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Thirteen/WNET New York, Public Broadcasting System, and The National Black Programming Consortium.

Executive Producers: Charles L. & Stephanie Reinhart
Series Director: Madison Davis Lacy
Narrator: Blair Underwood

Visit the web companion to the Free to Dance at www.pbs.org