Grand Opening Schedule – Cleo Parker Robinson Center for the Healing Arts

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Denver, Colo., January 13, 2026
All dance performances sold out; video on demand Black History Month February 2026 of January 17 Raise The Roof Grand Opening Concert

For more information
Patricia (Pat) Smith/For Cleo Parker Robinson Dance
303.807.7086 | [email protected]

Media Preview Site Tours + Interviews: January 14, 2026 | RSVP to Pat Smith (see above)

Editor’s Notes: 1/ Follow-up interviews also available after the preview. See the schedule below with project/team principals at the Media Preview.
2/A full digital media kit will be available January 14 with B-roll, architectural photography, and detailed project background information from Pat Smith. She, Jonathan Deutsch, and Alex Lemke will staff the Media Preview with their principals.
3/ Why two addresses? 119 Park Avenue West and 2020 North Washington are currently distinguished because of fire code.

Where: Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Center for the Healing Arts, 2025 North Washington Street, Denver 80205

How/Format: Introductory comments, guided site tours by CPRD Team concurrent with scheduled and flexible interviews. Contact Pat Smith to schedule interview times so you can meet filing deadlines.

Who/Tour: Site Tour Locations/Project Principals

• Cleo Parker Robinson/CPRD Founder and Artistic Director and Malik Robinson/CPRD President + CEO: CPRD Flex Theatre (off of the Main Lobby); a unique blend of proscenium and Black Box with retractable seating
• Curt Fentress and Kahyun Lee/Fentress Studios: Freeman Studio (2nd level) bathed in color and light
• Brian Fitzpatrick/Mortenson VP and Tori Vendegna/Construction Site Manager: Lobby
• Hillary Harding, CPRD VP of Development and Communication and Gwen Brewer/CPRD Board Chair: Lobby near the donor wall art: the Junkanoo Queen by Jenn Goodrich
• Exterior photos/videography narration: Cleo and Malik in front of the East-facing solar cladding with Labanotation; this can be scheduled at Noon or by arrangement with Pat Smith.

When: Wednesday, January 14, 2026
10 a.m. – Introductory Comments by project principals (see list below)
10:30 a.m. – Guided site tours begin with CPRD Staff Hillary Harding, Colleen Curran, Micah Bursh, and Hanna Ghadessi
10:30 a.m. – Begin scheduled interviews with principals
Noon – Photo/video shoot with Cleo and Malik at the East-facing exterior solar cladding wall with Labanotation
1 p.m. – Media Preview Wrap Up (don’t miss the 3 p.m. Open Rehearsal and interview block with Lil’ Buck!)

Visuals: January 14
The entire facility! CPRD Flex Space Theatre, the Junkanoo Queen Donor Wall Art, the expansive Lobby, the 28-ft tall Freeman Studio with colored window fins to the exterior. Exterior East wall with photovoltaic (solar) panels layered with Labanotation choreography symbols. Open Rehearsal With Lil’ Buck.

Open Rehearsal Observation and Interview Time with Guest Artist/Choreographer Lil’ Buck
Watch Lil’ Buck (Charles Riley) as he creates a new work (The Process) with the CPRD Ensemble with a partial preview performance included during the sold-out RaisingThe Roof Grand Opening Concert January 17 at 7:30 p.m. (on-demand video of this performance will be during Black History Month, February 2026). He has performed in dance festivals throughout the U.S., including with the CPRD Ensemble at the 2021 Vail Dance festival in the Standing On The Shoulders World Premiere choreographed by Cleo Parker Robinson.
3 – 4 p.m. – Observe an Open Rehearsal with the CPRD Ensemble and Lil’ Buck
4 – 4:30 p.m. – Interview time Lil Buck. Dance Genre: Street style Jookin’ on point.

Thursday | January 15 | Private Showcase event | SOLD OUT | VIP Thank You to Aya and Sankofa Societies

What: A Donor Thank You and Art Unveiling of the Junkanoo Queen in the Main Lobby
CPRD Ensemble Dance Performance and Evening of Jazz featuring Grammy Award winner Dianne Reeves accompanied by Jazz pianist Billy Childs. Performances by Isaiah Collier, Saxophonist and Percussionist Tim Regis

When: Refreshments and appetizers begin 5 p.m.; art unveiling, transition to dance performance, intermission, and return to the theatre for the jazz performance. Wrap up 9 p.m.

Who: Filmmaker Nicole London in collaboration with Run and Shoot Filmworks

Where: CPRD Center for the Healing Arts Theatre

Why: See original art by Denver designer/illustrator Jenn Goodrich, dance and jazz by internationally renowned artists, and the transformation of the new CPRD Flex Theatre from a proscenium stage to a jazz venue as floor space is expanded with retractable theatre seats.

How: Limited media access; no seats available; we are mindful of fire code. Contact Pat Smith.

Friday | January 16 | CPRD Grand Opening Film Festival – Part I

When: 7:30 p.m.

What: We Want The Funk dance film and after-screening talkback with the filmmaker

Who: Filmmaker Nicole London in collaboration with Run and Shoot Filmworks

Where: CPRD Center for the Healing Arts Theatre

Why: About the film: Directed and produced by Stanley Nelson and Nicole London, WE WANT THE FUNK! is a syncopated voyage through the history of funk music, spanning from African, soul, and early jazz roots, to its rise into the public consciousness. Featuring James Brown’s dynamism, the extraterrestrial funk of George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic, transformed girl group Labelle, and Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat, the story also traces funk’s influences on both new wave and hip-hop.

How: Find tickets here!

Saturday | January 17 | GRAND OPENING Ribbon Cutting + Open House | Open to the public

10 a.m. – Ribbon Cutting; local dignitaries and public officials | Mayor Johnston, Senator Bennet, Councilman Watson
10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. – A Kim Bimestefer representing Governor Jared Polis; Open House for Self Tours
1:30 to 3 p.m. – Open Rehearsal (quiet observers only); Lil’ Buck and the CPRD Ensemble; other companies

Cleo Parker Robinson Healing Center Opening

Saturday | January 17 | SOLD OUT | Raising the Roof! Grand Opening Dance Performance

When: 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

What: Raising the Roof Grand Opening dance concert by Presenting Denver
Lil’ Buck will present a newly choreographed piece of The Process; it is set on the CPRD Ensemble. Its completed World Premiere performance is scheduled for the CPRD Legacy Spring Concert, 2026 Mother’s Day Weekend

Who: Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Lil’ Buck, ArtistiCO, Colorado Ballet, Schyleen Qualls, Poet; PHILADANCO!, Joan Myers Brown, Founder, PHILADANCO! —will be honored at this event. She was the founding principal of the International Association of Blacks in Dance, recipient of the National Medal of Arts.

Where: CPRD Center for the Healing Arts Flex Space Theatre

Why: Inaugural performance! Sharing our new stage with our wonderful fellow Colorado dance companies!

How: Media registration only with Pat Smith; SOLD OUT; limited space because of fire code
A video on demand of this performance will be available during February 2026 Black History Month.

Sunday | January 18 | Community Church Service + Reception | Public Invited

When: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

What: Dare to Believe “We are the World” Church Service, Dance Performance, Choir Performance, and Reception following service.

Who: Reverend Big T Hughes, Reverend Downing, Reverend Terrance Carroll, Cleo Parker Robinson Youth Ensemble, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Legacy Choir with Daryl Walker, Minister of Music

Where: Historic Shorter AME Facility, 119 Park Avenue West | Old CPRD Theatre
Reception after service next door in in the lobby of the new building at 2025 North Washington

Why: A community blessing connecting a new era of the Historic Shorter AME Facility to the new CPRD Center for the Healing Arts

How: Free of charge and open to the public

Sunday | January 18 |CPRD Grand Opening Film Festival – Part 2

When: 6:30 p.m.

What: Satisfied film screening

Why: The documentary of Tony winner Renée Elise Goldsberry after the meteoric success of Hamilton.

Where: CPRD Center for the Healing Arts, 2025 North Washington Street/New CPRD Theatre

Who: Filmmaker Melissa Haizlip in collaboration with Run and Shoot Filmworks

How: Find tickets here!

Friday | January 23 – Arts-In-Education full day of school outreach with neighborhood schools

When: 10 a.m. through 3 p.m.

What: Student outreach with movement/dance/global cultural education performances

Where: CPRD Center for the Healing Arts Flex Space Theatre

Why: Arts-In-Education outreach to underserved elementary/middle schools in nearby/walking distance neighborhoods near CPRD.

How: By registration only with Shelby Jarosz, Senior VP, CPRD Education Programs ([email protected]) or Mimi Patel ([email protected]).

Visuals: Photo/video opportunity with day-long sessions scheduled with neighborhood school groups: Curtis Park Elementary, Hallett Elementary, Whittier Elementary schools near CPRD/Five Points

Saturday | January 24 – CPRD Academy – Free classes all day for the Village! |

When: 8 a.m. through 5 p.m.

What: All genres of dance offered by the CPRD Academy! Open Levels

Why: Get to know the CPRD Academy where all students from 1 to 101 can dance!

Where: CPRD Center for the Healing Arts, 2025 North Washington Street/New CPRD Theatre

Who: CPRD Teaching Artists

How: Register in advance online here; class registrations, genres, and descriptions linked to the MindBody website.

About Cleo Parker Robinson Dance: 55th Anniversary Season 1970 to 2025/26

 Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (CPRD) is in its 55th  season in 2025/2026, serving the artistic and educational needs of the community. CPRD was founded with the belief that the language of dance transcends the boundaries of culture, class, and age. CPRD is a 501 © (3) non-profit, multi-cultural performing arts organization based in Denver, Colo. This institution is committed to bringing dance into the lives of diverse people. CPRD operations constitute five pillars:

Dance Ensembles: a modern dance ensemble (Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble) and second company (Cleo II) which tour both nationally and internationally, a Youth Ensemble, and a Junior Youth Ensemble. The professional ensembles tour locally and internationally; local performances also serve the seven-county members of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District communities.

A year-round Academy of Dance teaching more than 1,000 students of all ages, and collaborating with Metropolitan State University of Denver in a BA Dance degree program, an international summer dance institute (ISDI), and an in-school lecture demonstration and teaching residency series during tours.

Arts Development/Facility Rental in a renovated 240-seat CPRD Theatre and a new 240-seat Flex Space Theatre, also home to nearly 30 non-profit and arts organizations who rent it to develop, rehearse, and perform their work; a rebuilt stage with technology upgrades and a new sprung floor launched in January 2021 to enable rental groups to present their virtual performances; recent ADA updates included. The new CPRD Center for the Performing Arts is launching January 15 to 24, 2026 with a state-of-the-art Flex Space Theatre, four dance studios, an expansive Lobby and Café, and administrative offices. The adjacent outdoor CPRD Amphitheatre is home to the annual Mile High Dance Festival and scheduled outdoor dance classes and events.

An Arts-In-Education (AIE) outreach program with multiple curricula serving 240 schools and nearly 30,000 students, and the STREAM theatre technology program for middle school, high school, and post-secondary students (offered live and virtually by request). A post-secondary theatre tech apprenticeship certificate is now available endorsed by the Colorado Department of Labor.

Arts-In-Wellness (AIW): Expanding CPRD’s Arts Outreach into wellness, this new operations pillar creates collaborative partnerships in the areas of movement, health, civic engagement, and community events as well as policy development for arts advocacy in education and health equity. Moving AHEAD statewide arts advocacy programs and Mental Health is Wealth middle/high school civic engagement programs and internships engage 12 Denver Public Schools.

For more information, to buy tickets, attend classes, or organize school outreach programs, please visit cleoparkerdance.org or Cleo Parker Robinson Dance on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

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