FY2015 Mark Ryder Original Choreography Grant Applications Now Available

Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) has announced that applications for the FY2015 Mark Ryder Original Choreography Grant Program are now available. This program was established at the bequest of Mark Ryder's family, in honor of his life's work, to recognize individual creative expression, and to provide financial assistance to choreographers to create new original work. A fund has been established at the Columbia Foundation to enable monies to be awarded for this purpose in perpetuity. The grant award recipients will be announced at HCAC's Annual Meeting and Grant Awards Ceremony in September 2014. The minimum grant amount will be $500.

Mark Ryder was an established dancer, choreographer and leader in the dance community. He danced alongside Martha Graham in the 1940s until founding the Dance Drama Duo - later called the Dance Drama Company - with Emily Frankel. Mr. Ryder went on to teach dance in the 1960s at Goddard College in Vermont, served two years as chairman of the dance department at the University of Maryland, College Park beginning in 1974, and retired from teaching in 1988. After moving to Howard County in 1975, Mr. Ryder also became very involved in choreographing local productions. Mr. Ryder believed individual expression to be the most important part of the creative process for both choreographer and dancer and that more is learned through being a part of the process and actively participating in it than by simply being taught the movements or viewing the final product. He passed away in July 2006 and is survived by his wife and family, who wish to honor his legacy by offering an annual competitive grant award to choreographers through HCAC.

Please refer to the guidelines for criteria and other requirements. The application and guidelines for the Mark Ryder Original Choreography Grant Program are currently available to view and download at www.hocoarts.org. Hard copies are available for pick-up at the Howard County Center for the Arts in Ellicott City, MD. Please e-mail info@hocoarts.org or call 410-313-ARTS (2787) for more information. The deadline to submit applications is June 18, 2014.

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