Artist. Creator. Performer. Teacher. Designer. Photographer
Ihaiah Miller
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Diesel | Fusion Dance Theatre (DFDT) was founded on August 19th, 2005 by Ihaiah Miller and
Ms. Staci Long under the name Diesel Dance Company (DDC) in Jacksonville Florida. In its original conception, the Diesel Dance Company was to be a part of the performance leg of the Jacksonville nightclub, The Metro.
DDC acted as a community outreach program providing dancers with limited, if any, training, a venue to work and learn, as well as perform, dance. The original members were a small group of ten street dancers, alongside Ihaiah Miller and Stacie Long, who sought to express themselves through dance. The company performed for several functions, events, and pageants at the Metro nightclub as well as in local concerts around Jacksonville, Florida.
The company disbanded in 2007 after Staci Long passed away due to a tragic car accident and Ihaiah Miller moved to New York City to continue with his professional performing career. Ihaiah continued to produce work for DDC, and the company performed in various festivals and benefits including the 2007 Rhythms: Choreographers of NYC concert, the Jumpin Juniper Show at the Brooklyn Arts Exchange (2008) both in New York, and The Downtown Dance Project (2007-8) held in Jacksonville Florida.
In 2008, the Diesel Dance Company changed its name to Diesel | Fusion Dance Theatre (DFDT), was incorporated as an LLC, and became a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas as the company began working toward its 501(c)3 Nonprofit status. In 2009, DFDT performed for the Association for Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) conference, was a guest performer with the Sandra Cameron Dance studio performing at the historic 92nd St Y, and was invited to perform at the 14th Annual Lower East Side Arts Festival held at the Theater for the New City in New York.
The company presented work in the Emerging Choreographers Concert held in Jacksonville in 2009, and on August 11th, 2011, DFDT performed its first individually produced show in Jacksonville at the UNF Fine Arts Center. The company has continued to perform and produce work until 2017, developing a dance film for Ihaiah's work Ma' Bud Allah in 2013, and with work being presented at the Westin's Azul Pool & Bar White Affair Party and in Barbados.
Diesel | Fusion Dance Theatre was officially closed and the company folded in September 2017.