In 2005, Dr. Bob E. Petres purchased the vacant Bainbridge Jr. High School gymnasium with the intent to renovate the building into a performing arts center in Richmond’s southside community of Manchester. Dr. Petres’ son, Rob Petres, then founded the Dogtown Arts Foundation and quickly began renovating the historic space into a performance center. In 2012, the Dogtown Arts Foundation was officially renamed Dogtown Dance Theatre. In 2015, Dogtown Dance Theatre saw the necessity to elevate the organization, and the theatre came under new Artistic Direction.

 

For the following 10 years, the focus of Dogtown Dance Theatre was to develop and expand the nonprofit’s outreach potential through carefully structured and intentional programming that empowers both Richmond artists and the Manchester community. Dogtown Dance Theatre was a home for performing artists to create and present their work while developing the skills needed to thrive. In 2022, the theatre closed its doors and transitioned into Dogtown Dance.

 

Now in its twelfth year as a non-profit, under the direction of the organization's Board of Directors, Dogtown Dance continues to seek to enliven our local community by encouraging expansive creative expression and education across diverse populations. The organization achieves this mission and vision by continuing to focus on the following core values: enrichment, intersection, and home.  

 

Dogtown Dance currently acts as a multi-faceted support system for the artists who participate in the Richmond dance community; Striving to facilitate the growth and progress of artists in this local community. Dogtown’s programs and initiatives help artists cultivate the professional and artistic skills needed to thrive in the performance industry. With the goal always being to encourage diversity in the arts while fostering the Richmond community's appreciation for art and expression in all of its forms. Dogtown's supportive, inclusive network of artists enriches and uplifts each other in taking steps forward together.

Most recently, Dogtown Dance has been working diligently to focus on infrastructure, sustainability, restructuring the board of directors, diversifying funding, and revitalizing the Richmond Dance Festival. The organization adapts to outreach needs, donor trends, and artist demands in order to continually find new and innovative ways to reach Richmond’s independent artists.