Lulu & Erwin Washington
Co-Founders, Lula Washington Contemporary Dance Foundation
“I do what I do because for me it’s important to provide opportunities to all young people and particularly young African Americans, so they can witness possibilities for themselves to actually become dancers, choreographers, artistic directors, educators, lighting designers, owners of their own dance studios, or leaders of their own dance companies. So, if I do all that I can to become successful, then I become living proof that they can be successful as well. I come from a low-income community. Communities of color must always have success stories and positive images of ourselves. Otherwise, youth from my community grow up feeling that the arts aren’t for them. But the arts are for them. The arts must be a part of every child’s life and experience.” —Lula Washington
“I support Lula in her dance work because I believe in what she is doing. I see her dedication, her altruism, her fierce determination to be honest in her choreography and to give tough love to her students. I see the impact that her teaching and her dance work have on students and audiences. I've loved seeing young people growing up and excelling in their life endeavors. I believe it is important for minority communities like ours to create and sustain high quality affordable arts institutions where young people can pursue their dreams for dance—and where audiences can build an appreciation for dance. It gives me pleasure to keep working and to help develop our next generation of leaders.” —Erwin Washington
Biography
Lula and Erwin Washington co-founded the Lula Washington Contemporary Dance Foundation in 1980 while both were students at UCLA. Lula was a dance major working on her master’s. Erwin was earning his MFA in screenwriting and playwriting, and was already an award-winning journalist, playwright, and author who had written on staff at the L.A. Times and Washington Post and for network television. Lula had already danced in the Academy Awards and in movies like Funny Lady with Barbra Streisand.
The couple established a year-round inner-city dance school offering scholarships to low-income families; a dance studio used by Lula’s company and also by other dance artists who needed space; and a professional touring dance company performing work that advocates against social injustices. Erwin and Lula produced the 1980 Works In Progress choreographers showcase series at Inner City Cultural Center; the 1992 Rainbow Outta This World Dance Festival; the 1984 Olympic Black Dance Festival. They hosted the International Association of Blacks In Dance Conferences in Los Angeles in 1992, 2005, 2011, and 2018. The company toured across America and to Israel, Russia, China, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Kosovo, Canada, and Spain. Lula choreographed the movie Avatar under a contract negotiated by Erwin that got Lula's entire dance company hired on the movie as part of the Na'vi tribe.