a SlingshotVideo production
Grounded: 6Over60
Grounded: Six Over Sixty ~ THE REAL INFLUENCERS ZOOMcast
Sunday September 6, 2026, at 2pm est
Are you seeking inspiration and a bit of encouragement to keep going? Take this opportunity to engage with acclaimed arts professionals and tap into their inspired wisdom.
Grounded: Six Over Sixty ~ The Dinner Party
NOW STREAMING celebrating six visionary senior artists in Washington, DC
Step into an intimate roundtable conversation about community, learning, creative passion, and the enduring role of the arts in Washington, DC. Grounded: Six Over Sixty brings together senior artists and creative leaders whose work reflects perseverance, mentorship, and cultural legacy.
Featured program: Roundtable Discussion, also known as The Dinner Party
Premiere: Sunday, August 16, 2026
Runtime: 54 minutes
The Dinner Party ~ (preview) 1min
Premier Date: Sunday, August 16th 2026
The Dinner Party ~ VENUE
Slingshot Video and the Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage (TMCSH) share a longstanding partnership rooted in storytelling, service, and the preservation of community legacy. Under the leadership of President Thomasina W. “Thommie” Yearwood, TMCSH continues to serve as a vital Washington, DC landmark where history, civic purpose, and cultural memory meet.
That partnership was recognized during TMCSH’s 2009 cornerstone ceremonies, when a DVD copy of Slingshot Video’s Phenomenal Women was placed in the Center’s 100-year time capsule, to be opened in 2109. The inclusion honors the power of women’s voices and preserves Slingshot Video’s contribution for future generations.
Historic Landmark Legacy
The landmark building traces its roots to the 1870s, when Black leaders organized to secure a meaningful YMCA presence in Washington, DC. Property on 12th Street NW was purchased in 1907, architect Sidney Pittman was hired, and President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone in 1908.
From the 1920s through the World War II era, the 12th Street Y served as a home for civic, business, youth, and service organizations, and welcomed many soldiers during the war.
Continuing the Legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall
Justice Thurgood Marshall and his legal team regularly met at the YMCA while preparing court arguments, helping build the foundation for the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision. Today, TMCSH continues that legacy through programs in civic engagement, STEAM, leadership development, diversity, inclusion, and social and economic justice, guided by the question: “What Would Justice Thurgood Marshall Do?”
Grounded: Six Over Sixty
This multi-media production is an invitation to a dinner party and full-hearted discussion with six colleagues, friends and fellow artists with a combined 200 years of rooted history in Washington, DC Arts & Humanities communities. Featuring archival and currant footage captured by Host, Denaise Seals.
Guests of Honor include Sheila Crider, Nancy Havlik, Deborah Riley, Sylvia Soumah and Maida Withers.
The project is supported in part by a generous grant from the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities.
Before the event, view The Dinner Party as a preamble and explore a powerful gathering of senior artists whose creative histories offer lessons in perseverance, mentorship, and cultural leadership. Take notes and come with questions for the conversation.
Explore a powerful celebration of six senior artists whose creative histories embody perseverance, mentorship, and cultural leadership in DC.
Public Offering
Part I - Public access to selected works from the video archive of Denaise Seals.
Part II - A free online premiere of The Dinner Party, a roundtable discussion with “The Six,” sharing reflections on longevity, relevance, perseverance, life in the District of Columbia, motivation, legacy, and the role of the arts in the future of civilization.
Part III - Ask-the-Artist virtual meetup—part reunion, part master class—drawing from a combined 200-year vault of arts education, creation, administration, and sustainability.
Six Over Sixty
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Sheila Crider
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Nancy Havlik
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Deborah Riley
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Denaise Seals
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Sylvia Soumah
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Maida Withers
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District of Columbia
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GROUNDED
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Six Over Sixty · Sheila Crider · Nancy Havlik · Deborah Riley · Denaise Seals · Sylvia Soumah · Maida Withers · District of Columbia · GROUNDED ·
The Six
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Sheila Crider
Independent Artist
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Nancy Havlik
Dance Performance Group/Quicksilver
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Deborah Riley
Teacher
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Sylvia Soumah
Coyaba Dance Theater
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Maida Withers
Dance Construction Company
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Denaise Seals
Videographer
Carla Perlo
Special Recognition - Carla Perlo
With deep appreciation, Grounded: Six Over Sixty offers special recognition to Carla Perlo — presenter, curator, consultant, teacher, founder of Carla Creative Inc., and Founding Director of Dance Place in Washington, DC.
Carla’s vision, leadership, and long-standing commitment to dance, artists, and community have helped shape the cultural life of Washington, DC in immeasurable ways. Through her work as a presenter, educator, advocate, and connector, she has created pathways for artists, audiences, collaborators, and generations of cultural workers to meet, grow, and thrive.
MY FRIENDS
With Gratitude
My career in Washington, DC has been immeasurably enriched by these artists. Through our collaborations, partnerships, and friendships, I have gained invaluable insight into creative process, witnessed character and craft in action, and documented work that is transformative, traditional, worldview-expanding, enlightened, and joyful.
Their work has made my work better. Together, these relationships and bodies of work have become a digital treasure trove—one that reflects personal bonds, professional achievement, and the enduring value of artists building community across generations.