13 Harkness Dance Center Artists Receive National Dance Project Grants

​The 92nd Street Y, New York has revealed that 13 artists and companies with ties to the 92NY Harkness Dance Center — including performers, artists in residence and educators — have received awards in the National Dance Project's final grant cycle. The awards highlight 92NY's longstanding and continuing role in supporting dance artists through residencies, performances and education programs.

The Harkness Dance Center has been a home for dance since the 1930s, supporting and nurturing artists like Martha Graham, Kathleen Dunham, and Alvin Ailey at the beginning of their careers; Mainstage artists now perform in the historic spaces where modern dance was born. The Artists in Residence program provides space for dancers and choreographers to explore cutting edge ideas in movement, and the Dance Education Lab (DEL) leads the way in dance education by providing training and support so educators can experiment, create, learn and innovate.

Production Grant recipients — $75,000 each

Naomi Funaki: 2025–26 Artist in Residence; 2026–27 Mainstage artist; School of Dance guest teacher.

Keerati Jinakunwiphat: 2025–26 Artist in Residence; School of Dance guest teacher.

Brian Golden: Current Artist in Residence.

David Dorfman Dance: 2024–25 Mainstage artist; decades-long relationship with the Harkness Dance Center, including School of Dance and DEL guest teaching and artist residencies.

Soles of Duende: Featured in the inaugural Uptown Rhythm Dance Festival in the 2024–25 season; Leonardo Sandoval Guest Artist in a DEL Movement Sentence Choir.

Limón Dance Company: An 80-year history with 92NY, including our 150th anniversary performance in 2024, Harkness's 90th anniversary season-closing event in 2025, and work with the School of Dance and frequent DEL collaborator.

Bridgman | Packer Dance: 2026–27 Mainstage artist.

Omar Román de Jesús: Featured in our 150th anniversary performance; 2024–25 Artist in Residence and Mainstage artist.

Finalist Award recipients — $10,000 each

Annie Rigney: 2022–23 Mainstage artist; 2023–24 Artist in Residence.

Ailey: A 70-year history with 92NY, including our 150th anniversary performance, gala participation, and frequent DEL collaborator, including the new Ailey Arts in Education curriculum collaboration on Grace.

Ephrat Asherie: Two-time Artist in Residence and two-time Mainstage artist; additional connections through EWA, gala participation, the School of Dance, Dance Education Laboratory, and School Engagement.

Roderick George: 2022–23 Mainstage artist; 2023–24 Artist in Residence; featured in the 90th anniversary Art Bath performance in 2024.
Urban Bush Women: 2024-25 Mainstage artist; DEL collaborator.