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Turner presents the Black History Month Congressional Award for Community Service to Debbie Bluden-Diggs. Photo courtesy of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.
Congressman Mike Turner (OH-10) presented the fourth annual Black History Month Congressional Award for Community Service to Debbie Bluden-Diggs at the recent International Association of Blacks in Dance Performance.
“For the past 40 years Debbie has shared her love and passion for dance with our community by establishing a dance education and dance repertoire within the Dayton City Schools,” said Turner. “At a young age, Debbie began training at the Schwarz School of the Dance and continued her passion for dance joining the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company at twelve years old, winning national recognition for her choreography by age 17. As DCDC celebrates its 50th anniversary, I am honored to recognize Debbie Bluden-Diggs with the fourth annual Black History Month Congressional Award for Community Service for her contributions to our community .”
Debbie Blunden-Diggs is the Executive Director of Jeraldyne’s School of the Dance, the cornerstone of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. She also works closely with the pre-professional company DCDC2. In 1990, Blunden-Diggs was appointed Associate Artistic Director, and in 2003 she became Deputy Director for Arts and Operations. In 2007, Blunden-Diggs became the company’s Artistic Director.
The past three years, during Black History Month, Turner has presented a Congressional Award to individuals for their commitment, service and contributions to the Miami Valley’s African American Community. Previous recipients include Mr. Jesse Gooding, Mr. Don Black, and Professor Jeremy Winston.
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