Danceworks Chicago to Receive MacArthur Foundation Grant

DanceWorks Chicago (DWC) is among 13 Chicago-based arts organizations to receive a grant in support of cultural exchange from the MacArthur Foundation's 2014 International Connections Fund.

"MacArthur created this exchange program to recognize and enhance Chicago's role as a global city," says Julia Stasch, interim president of MacArthur. "The International Connections Fund enables Chicago's vital arts and culture sector to help build that reputation while strengthening their contribution to audiences in Chicago and internationally."

Inspired by kindred spirits and shared values with the Bundesjugendballett (BJB), the National Youth Ballet of Germany, based at the Ballettzentrum Hamburg, home of the Hamburg Ballett, DanceWorks Chicago will collaborate on a rich creative residency in spring 2015. After a 3-city tour to Germany, DWC will travel to Hamburg for a two-week cultural exchange with BJB filled with classes, rehearsals, performances, professional development, community events, and the joint creation of a dance. From DWC Artistic Director Julie Nakagawa, "Different ideas, fresh energy, new challenges, mutual inspiration = powerful shared experiences which will have an impact beyond our time together in the studio. We are grateful to be part of a vibrant community of dance that crosses boundaries of time and space."

"It is going to be very exciting to blend the qualities and expand the horizons of the young artists from DanceWorks and BJB...honoring the art of dance by respecting our differences and exploring our mutual possibilities can only enhance and enrich our lives," shares Kevin Haigen, Artistic Director, BJB. "The three H's of the BJB: Honesty, Humanity, Humility."

Founded in May 2007, DanceWorks Chicago is an organization committed to building a foundation for the individual artistic growth of dancers and choreographers, providing a laboratory from which early career artists propel themselves and the art form to a new level through training, collaboration, mentorship, and performance. Led by Artistic Director Julie Nakagawa and CEO Andreas Böttcher, DanceWorks Chicago is dedicated to creating an environment conducive to nurturing experiences of significance for everyone from artists to audiences. To learn more about DanceWorks Chicago, visit www.danceworkschicago.org.

Founded in 2011 and led by General Director John Neumeier and Artistic Director Kevin Haigen, the Bundesjugendballett consists of eight dancers from around the world, ages 18-23, creating and presenting its own repertoire in a variety of traditional and non-traditional spaces. Based in the Ballet Centre Hamburg, they build on the tradition of classical ballet through the exploration of other dance forms in a robust artistic environment, enriching the dance and culture of the city and country. To learn more about Bundesjugendballett, visit www.bundesjugendballett.de.

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