Ballet Hispanico Receives $500,000 Award from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Leadership Grants Program for Dance

Ballet Hispanico is one of 18 dance companies recognized by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) through the first-ever Leadership Grants Program for Dance. This all-new initiative supports the self-defined, long-term goals of organizations that have demonstrated excellence in and sustained commitment to the field of dance.

Grantees distinguished themselves by the quality of their choreography, the impact of their touring on communities across the country, and the successful expansion of their own initiatives and educational programming. DDCF is now providing each organization with flexible funds that encourage them to build upon the unique courses they have already charted and to continue to pursue their vision for the long term. This new support will enable grantees to realize their plans to increase organizational capacity, execute new artistic initiatives, strengthen data and evaluation systems, or other strategies that they have determined will best lead them to continued success.

Ben Cameron, program director for the arts at DDCF, said, "These grants support dance companies and dance presenters that have been leaders, both artistically and organizationally, thinking creatively about reaching audiences in exciting new ways. We are honored to support their work with these flexible grants, designed to help them achieve their self-defined, long-term goals."

Eduardo Vilaro, artistic director of Ballet Hispanico, said, "The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation enables dance companies such as Ballet Hispanico to explore their work more deeply, resulting in innovative choreography, training, and new dance works that inspire and transform our shared culture. As Ballet Hispanico's artistic director, this grant signifies a call to action that I accept with great relish."

The 18 organizations are: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (New York, NY), Alonzo King LINES Ballet (San Francisco, CA), AXIS Dance Company (Oakland, CA), Ballet Hispanico (New York, NY), Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) (Brooklyn, NY), Danspace Project, Inc. (New York, NY), Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (Chicago, IL), Jacob's Pillow Dance (Becket, MA), The Joyce Theater (New York, NY), Margaret Jenkins Dance Company (San Francisco, CA), Mark Morris Dance Group (Brooklyn, NY), ODC (San Francisco, CA), Stephen Petronio Company (New York, NY), Ragamala Dance Company (Minneapolis, MN), STREB (Brooklyn, NY), Paul Taylor Dance Company (New York, NY), Urban Bush Women (Brooklyn, NY), White Bird (Portland, OR).