Dance/NYC to Host 7th Annual Symposium

Dance/NYC, New York City's leading organization dedicated to promoting the knowledge, appreciation, practice, and performance of dance in the metropolitan area, today announced its seventh annual 2016 Symposium happening Sunday, February 28, 2016, at Gibney Dance Center's newly renovated downtown location, as well as a Disability. Dance. Artistry. Pre-Symposium on February 27. This Symposium is the only full-day gathering of dance leaders and supporters in the metropolitan New York City area. Four of today's leaders in the arts serve as the convening's keynote speakers: Misty Copeland of American Ballet Theatre, Virginia Johnson of Dance Theatre of Harlem, Edwin Torres, the Acting Commissioner of New York City's Department of Cultural Affairs, and Darren Walker of the Ford Foundation.

This year's Symposium invites participants to explore questions of community and economic development, education, and technology that are central to the future of New York's cultural sector. "In seeking answers to these questions, we will also extend organizational initiatives focused on increasing racial equity and access and inclusion to the arts for disabled New Yorkers," says Lane Harwell, Executive Director, Dance/NYC. "Underpinning the work is an commitment to identifying, removing, and preventing inequities in the cultural sector and in helping artists advance social justice."

During the Pre-Symposium on Saturday, February 27, Dance/NYC will release findings and recommendations from its new report, Disability. Dance. Artistry., host a screening of the groundbreaking film, Invitation to Dance, and unveil new online resources to drive access and inclusion for disabled New Yorkers. (Visit Dance.NYC for more information about this evolving initiative).

More than 400 attendees will gather for panel discussions, case studies, interactive workshops, individual legal and management consultations, a networking lunch, and more. Some of the day's highlights include discussions about education led by Dance Educator and Advocate Jody Gottfried Arnhold; trends in New York's creative sector led by Adam Forman of Center for an Urban Future; public spaces for dance led by Susan Chin of Design Trust for Public Space; topics concerning racial equity with Holly Sidford of Helicon Collaborative, Amy Fitterer of Dance/USA, and Camille A. Brown of Camille A. Brown & Dancers; and more.

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