This series contains correspondence, financial records, a directory, membership material, fundraising and loan documentation. The material is dated from 1966-95.

The Metropolitan Dance Association (MDA) began in 1953 as the Modern Dance Council of Washington, D.C. The organization name change adopted in September 1979 reflected a shift to document local and regional dance heritage. Annual meetings of the Association featured performances and presentations by and about the regional dance community.

Among the activities undertaken by the Association was the Choreographers Showcase begun in 1958 to provide artistic opportunities to less experienced choreographers. The showcase was renamed Dance Showcase in 1978. The Association also sponsored a loan fund to provide financial assistance to dancers, choreographers, teachers and others in support of project relating to the advancement of contemporary dance in the Washington metropolitan area. Responding to the needs of its members, the Association contracted the services of a health and insurance organization to provide much needed insurance to those who might not have otherwise been able to afford it. The Associations' commitments to dancers, dance performance and dance heritage was recognized in its receipt of several grants.

This series contains correspondence, membership lists, contracts, and financial records. The material dates from 1980-94. The Dance Coalition was a non-profit corporation governed by a Board of Directors. It was conceived of as an umbrella organization for dancers and performers and functioned as a "home base" for several different artists. Membership was structured in two categories. Regular and associate memberships were available to choreographers, actors, dancers and people interested in movement arts. The Coalition offered rehearsal rates and opportunities to participate in group concerts and to produce events in its studio theater. The group rented space at St. James Parish on Capitol Hill.

This series contains programs, correspondence, flyers, reports, financial records, meeting minutes, and press releases. This material relates to the dance festival Washington Dance Directions. The series covers the festival for 1985 and 1986. Dance Directions was the opportunity for audiences in Washington D.C. to view a variety of modern dance performances as a sample of the type of work produced and performed in Washington, D.C. The performances featured a collaboration of local choreographers and dance companies to promote their work in the District of Columbia.

This series contains photographs, flyers, programs, posters, newspaper articles, and resumes. The material relates to the productions and work of the dance community in Washington, D.C. from 1980-90. The choreographers and dancers include Lucinda Weaver Hall, Lonna Wilkinson, Jack Guidone, Dianne Hunt, Jan Taylor, Susan Le Mieux, and Ron Paul and the companies include Upright Vertebrates, Maida Withers and the Dance Construction Company, the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Diane Floyd and Saturday Company, The Dance Place, The Dance Co-op, and Merce Cunningham Dance Company.