Last month, Nimbus Dance Works—the Jersey City-based dance company and school focused on diversity and community engagement—celebrated the virtual opening of Nimbus Arts Center at the Lively, in the Powerhouse Arts District.

The evening included live-streamed performances, a virtual tour of the Arts Center; the premier of Nimbus’s 15th anniversary film edition of its signature dance, Memo; and scholarship presentations by Jersey City council members.

Founded in 2005 by Artistic Director Samuel Pott, Nimbus has grown from a small group of dancers producing low-budget performances in libraries and church basements to become the largest arts organization in Jersey City and one of the largest contemporary dance organizations in the state. It includes a professional company that has performed at prestigious venues across the country; an award-winning school of dance; outreach arts education programs providing dance to thousands of children annually; and a series of music, dance, theater and visual arts presentations.

In addition to serving as home base for Nimbus, the Arts Center will provide a base of operations for Jersey City arts groups and artists, including two resident partner organizations: Segunda Quimbamba, a cultural mainstay in Hudson County and leading voice for Bomba y Plena, Puerto Rico’s folkloric drum and dance tradition; and Molly Dunn’s new Youth Musical Theater organization, LUX performing arts. The Art Center’s visual arts gallery will feature an initial exhibition of dance photography by longtime Jersey City-based Nimbus collaborators, Megan Maloy and Joe Velez.