LA STAGE Alliance Announces LA DANCE ADVANCE Program

LA Stage Alliance has announced LA Dance Advance, an initiative to increase connections between Los Angeles area dance artists with regional and national audiences.

Approximately seven to nine LA-based dance companies and choreographers will be selected for this nine-month program, which will run from October, 2011 through June, 2012. Participants will conduct self-assessments, work with a coach, attend workshops, network with their peers, develop a plan for audience growth, and apply for small implementation grants.

LA Dance Advance will address the fact that dance has long faced challenges in Los Angeles, including a lack of community connections and support structures. As a result, LA dance companies and choreographers have often experienced difficulty developing local followings as well as generating in or out of region booking opportunities.

The inaugural season of this program will select seven to nine dance companies and choreographers located in Los Angeles County, with a demonstrated capacity to reach audiences, and who are at a threshold of audience growth; organizations that are poised for increased touring opportunities, as well as those already actively touring but seeking to perform more in the Los Angeles area. Participants can be non-profit, unincorporated, or for-profit dance companies, or individual choreographers employed by, or volunteering for, a dance company. Dance companies and choreographers interested in applying should visit LASTAGEAlliance.com to submit a letter of intent; deadline is Friday, September 16, 2011. LA Dance Advance includes small implementation grants, but is not primarily a funding program. This initiative is not intended for dance companies and choreographers that already have a well-established capacity for both local performing and touring, emerging dance artists, or those whose primary focus is dance education, or students enrolled in a degree program.

LA Dance Advance is a collaboration of three organizations: LA Stage Alliance (program administrator), the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (financial and professional support), and the Southern California Dance Futures Fund (dance-specific leadership and assistance). Funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit LASTAGEAlliance.com/DanceAdvance.