CDC founder Susan Valencia directed The Civic Contemporary Dance Theatre (CCDT) in Portland Oregon during the seventies. This organization, a parks and recreation Dance center and school, presented original works for city wide cultural and performance events. Prominent master teachers and professionals regularly held workshops for the CCTD. Ms. Valencia worked with professionals from the Martha Graham School of contemporary Dance, The Charles Weidman Dance Company, the Portland Opera and many other local artists and professionals during her tenure there.

 

Ms. Valencia’s formative training was exclusively in classical ballet. During her college years at the University of Oregon where she earned BA in Dance, Ms. Valencia twice interrupted her schooling to train and dance in NYC. Later Ms. Valencia went on to do graduate work at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City continuing to develop her skill and knowledge in both modern dance and classical ballet.

 

Ms. Valencia’s expertise was further developed through her affiliation and accreditation with the Royal Academy of Dance (R.A.D.), during the late eighties and early nineties.  After six years of study and examinations, Miss Valencia received her TC and TC Diploma.  This enabled her to promote and provide the highest possible standards for teaching classical ballet within her own school as well as becoming  an R.A.D. faculty member for the Preparatory Division, Cornish College of the Arts.