NEFA's National Dance Project Awards $1.6M for New Dance Production and Touring

The New England Foundation for the Arts has awarded $1,606,350 through the National Dance Project (NDP) to support the creation of 18 new dance works that will tour the United States.

These dance works will be created by choreographers and companies with exceptional artistic voices and at different stages in their career, all of whom have a track record of professional production and touring. Eighteen projects were selected out of 124 competitive applications by a panel of national dance leaders who serve rotating three-year terms. The projects will receive Production Grants ranging from $30,350 to $45,000 for the creation of a new work, plus $12,000 in unrestricted general operating support for each U.S.-based artist recipient. A total of $630,000 will be awarded to U.S. nonprofit organizations through Presentation Grants when they are ready to tour.

NEFA Executive director Cathy Edwards noted, "The impact of the National Dance Project in the creation and distribution of new dance works in the United States is extraordinary. This sustainable model, supported by visionary funders at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, has been critical to the choreographic landscape in the United States."

Since 1996, NDP has been a primary system of support for the contemporary dance field, supporting the creation and touring of new dance works. In a field that has been historically under-funded, NDP remains the only national program dedicated to supporting individual dance artists and companies in a broad range of genres, whether established or emerging. To date, including these awards, NDP has supported the creation of 359 new dance works, partnering directly with more than 350 U.S. presenting organizations to bring high caliber dance projects to all 50 states, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each year, 20 to 25 different dance projects are featured in engagements in an average of 250 communities across the country. These touring engagements create new connections between community members and artists, offer unique opportunities for artistic growth, and increase access to the arts and the creative process. NEFA's National Dance Project Production and Presentation grants are generously supported with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The 2015 NDP grant recipients are:
Ann Carlson, Santa Monica, CA for "Doggie Hamlet"
Aparna Ramaswamy/Ragamala Dance Company, Minneapolis, MN for "They Rose at Dawn"
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Aspen, CO for "Silent Ghost "
d. Sabela grimes, Los Angeles, CA for "ELECTROGYNOUS"
Dance Theatre of Harlem, New York, NY for "Francesca Harper/DTH 2016 New Work"
Emily Johnson/Catalyst, Minneapolis, MN for "Then a Cunning Voice and A Night We Spend Gazing at Stars"
Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group, Brooklyn, NY for "CITIZEN "
Gerard & Kelly, Brooklyn, NY for "Modern Living"
Jess Curtis/Gravity, San Francisco, CA for "The Way You Look (at me) Tonight"
Jody Kuehner, Seattle, WA for "one great, bright, brittle alltogetherness"
Lucinda Childs Dance Company, New York, NY for "Lucinda Childs: The Sun Roars Into View" Malpaso, Havana, Cuba for "New Work by Aszure Barton"
Mark Morris Dance Group, Brooklyn, NY for "Layla and Majnun"
Michael Sakamoto, Iowa City, IA for "Soil"
Morgan Thorson, Minneapolis, MN for "Still Life"
Pick Up Performance Co(s), New York, NY for "Live Archiveography"
Sidra Bell Dance New York, White Plains, NY for "MÖNSTER OUTSIDE-Sidra Bell Dance New York in Collaboration with New Tide Orquesta"
zoe | juniper, Seattle, WA for "Clear & Sweet"

To learn more about the grantees and their projects, visit http://www.nefa.org in August for a directory of current NDP projects with tour support available, look for the 2015 National Dance Project publication available in early September, or contact program manager Sara Nash at 617.951.0010 x512 or snash(at)nefa(dot)org.

About NEFA
NEFA builds connections among artists, arts organizations, and funders, powering the arts to energize communities in New England, the nation, and the world. NEFA is a nonprofit that operates in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the New England state arts agencies, with additional funding from foundations, corporations, individuals and other government agencies.

NEFA's work is accomplished through grantmaking, services, and initiatives which strengthen and advance the national arts infrastructure. For more information, please visit http://www.nefa.org or call 617.951.0010.