Visionary Dance Theatre, a dance company and school for the performing arts in the heart of La Mesa, announced a rebranding initiative to celebrate its 15th anniversary and the long-standing partnership of its founders, Spencer John Powell and Mickey Mounarath (pictured above).

As of January 2024, the name Mounarath Powell Dance will officially replace Visionary Dance Theatre and will represent the new organizational home of the Mounarath Powell Dance Theatre, Company, and Performance Space, Kidz Danz Kompany, Kidz Act Up, and Arts4Us.

The comprehensive transformation encompasses a new name, logo, and visual identity across online and print media, and is designed to provide a warm welcome to the community to discover all that MP Dance has to offer to students, performers, and audiences alike.

Spencer John Powell, the artistic director of MP Dance, said of the changes: “I believe the new name honors the past and makes way for a vibrant future. Mounarath Powell Dance commemorates my long-standing personal and professional partnership with Mickey Mounarath, our business director, and the lighting and technical director for our performances. I am so thankful to Mickey for helping to create a place and space for everyone in the arts and for connecting our community through the beauty, creativity, and power of dance. This is our way of sharing the story of how we started with the public. Our name may have changed, but our mission to provide a nurturing platform for a diverse group of emerging, professional, and veteran artists that will allow them to find creative freedom – and to ensure access to the performing arts for talented youth and individuals who would otherwise not have the opportunity, is still going strong.”

Along with the updated name, Mounarath Powell Dance launched its 2024 season of classes, auditions, and performances. Classes include ballet, tap, and dance for musical theatre, among others.

Auditions for the upcoming musical Willy Wonka Jr. start on Feb. 3, and follow hot on the heels of sold-out performances of Lion King Jr. and the Nutcracker at the end of 2023.

More information about how to attend a class or show at one of the few black-owned performance spaces in East County can be found at: mpdance.org.