While the Miami Herald exposed the lack of use of the Little Haiti Cultural Center yesterday, the center’s resident dance companies were busy belying the news.

Yesterday evening at least, the Center’s lobby was bustling with fans sampling snacks before the gorgeous 270-seat theater was filled with dance enthusiasts and the stage electrified with movement. Rarely does such a wide variety of Miami dance come together on one stage. In an effort to raise money for the Haiti Relief effort, resident company Dance Now Ensemble invited the other dance companies sharing the space to offer a sample of their work as DNE inaugurated its 10th anniversary season.

That result alone suggests the value of the center. Anita Hope-Darbonne, who is apparently the Dance Coordinator of the City of Miami (City of Miami? Dance coordinator!), explained at curtain time that she was determined to invite resident artists who could represent all forms of dance to the center. While obviously not possible, it was a rare delight to see contemporary dance inspired by Brazil, Haiti, and the African American tradition on the same bill as traditional African and strictly contemporary dance.

It will be even more delightful if the artists in Brazz Dance, Laissez-Faire Dance Repertoire, Delou African Dance Ensemble, and DNE continue to come together the share their work and perhaps collaborate.

It would be astonishing if the Cultural Center could be brought around by dance. Dance, which costs so much to produce, and generates so little, if anything, of lasting economic value. While the visual arts have done so well bringing new money to so many depressed neighborhoods, could it be conceivable that dance might bring a new form of community? The energy on stage yesterday inspired such thoughts.

Certainly the Center’s residents are a collection of little dance companies that could. Not least Dance Now! which has shown a willingness to make the most of every opportunity to showcase the company’s work across South Florida. Next Saturday finds DNE in a more established institution, with a site-specific show reacting to the work on exhibit at the Bass Museum of Art. The company has teamed up with the Dade Heritage Trust and the north Beach Bandshell for future dates, all leading up to a culminating 10th Anniversary extravaganza at the Byron Carlyle. Miami certainly has the venues and the companies to make for a thriving dance scene. Just maybe there will be a miracle to bring them all together with a supportive audience.

Dance Now Ensemble presents Exphrasis: Art from Art on Saturday, February 20 at 12:30 and 2:30pm at the Bass Museum of Art, 2121 Park Avenue, Miami Beach. Free with museum admission; dancenowmiami.org; 305-975-8489.