Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance operates a 240-seat proscenium theater in Denver’s Historic Five Points neighborhood, housed in the renovated historic Shorter A.M.E. Church building. The three-level, 24,000 square-foot performing arts complex includes three dance studios, an amphitheater and the main theater space available for rentals.

Founded in 1970 by Cleo Parker Robinson and incorporated as a nonprofit in 1974, the organization has served the Denver community for over 50 years as a multicultural performing arts institution. The facility hosts a wide range of activities including concerts, lecture demonstrations, recitals, films, meetings, receptions, comedy, poetry and theater performances by local, national and international groups.

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance operates four organizational pillars: the professional CPRD Ensemble, the Academy of Dance school, the theater venue, and education programs. The ensemble performs nationally and internationally, holding an extensive repertoire including works by American dance icons Katherine Dunham, Donald McKayle, Alvin Ailey and Eleo Pomare.

The organization received the Colorado Theatre Guild Outstanding Regional Theatre Award in 2010 and numerous other honors throughout its history. Founder and Artistic Director Cleo Parker Robinson has received Colorado’s Governor’s Award for Excellence, Denver’s Living Treasure Award, and honorary doctorates from multiple Colorado universities.

In 2025, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance is completing construction on The Cleo Parker Robinson Center for the Healing Arts, a 25,000 square-foot expansion designed by Fentress Architects that will connect to the historic Shorter A.M.E. Church building, creating an expanded cultural hub for artistic innovation and community service in Denver’s Five Points.