Rennie Harris Puremovement: Rome & Jewels with Extended Residency
Artist: Rennie Harris
Total Project Expenses: $52,332
DanceForce Funding: $10,000
Audience: 3,602
Counties: Oswego, Onondaga

Over a period of six days in late September, Rennie Harris Puremovement participated in one of the most ambitious campus and community residencies ever presented in Central New York. In addition to two public performances of Rome & Jewels at SUNY Oswego’s Waterman Theatre, a total of thirty-one associated activities (lecture/demonstrations, master classes, public discussions, class visits, group receptions and media events) were offered in Oswego and Onondaga Counties.

Flamenco Vivo and CLANDESTINO
Artists: Carlota Santana and Alex Escalante
Partnering DanceForce Member: Carlota Santana Total Project Expenses: $33,680
DanceForce Funding: $10,000
Audience: 1,750
Counties: Onondaga, Oswego

Carlota Santana and Flamenco Vivo:
In the fall of 2009, together with my colleague Cheryl Wilkins-Mitchell, Avrakotos had an opportunity to visit Kaatsbaan and see first-hand a Flamenco Vivo performance and talk with the company’s Artistic Director Carlota Santana about building a meaningful engagement. They creatively imagined what a residency might look like that would function on a number of different levels and extend our reach to diverse audiences: the community, Spanish language students at the college, the local high school, dancers and guitarists. Designated “the keeper of Flamenco” by Dance Magazine, Santana is committed to using Flamenco to build bridges between cultures, a goal that is crucial in a community that is rural and where less than 2% of the population is non-Caucasian. She has re-envisioned and re-invigorated this dance form by presenting new music, dramatic works, and a mixture of various dance vocabularies.

Specifically, this engagement has been designed to include: performance, a lecture/demonstration at Oswego High School, a College Hour program open to the campus and community, a special workshop for Syracuse-based dancers studying Flamenco, a dance workshop for students in the campus Del Sartre Dance Club in which a dance will be taught to later be incorporated into their annual recital, a talk-back by Santana following the performance, and five in-classroom workshops presented in Spanish with each including a guitarist, dancer and singer.

Alex Escalante:
In partnership with Onondaga Community College, SUNY Oswego will continue to develop an initiative designed to make the arts more central to the curriculum through an exploration of the theme of “The Arts, Identity and Diaspora.” Faculty from the two institutions will first encounter the work of Alex Escalante in a two-day intensive workshop in May, 2009 that is designed to facilitate a meaningful engagement when Escalante returns in the spring of 2010 to present a re-staging of CLANDESTINO, a piece first presented by Dancespace Project at St. Mark’s Church in NYC in 2008.

Inspired by attending the immigration rallies in the spring of 2006, Alex Escalante’s evening length work, CLANDESTINO, explores the struggle to maintain one's culture regardless of borders, boundaries, passports or green cards. Escalante, a son of Mexican immigrants, uses the personal narrative of his parents' decision to leave their homeland as a springboard for a wider investigation of illegal migration. The work comments on the current issues facing the undocumented including; the border fence, border crossing deaths, mass deportation and the criminalization of the undocumented laborer. Accompanied by an original film shot in the border towns of San Diego and Tijuana. CLANDESTINO’s score celebrates the vibrance of Mexican culture through its use of contemporary Mexican popular music. The highly energetic movement vocabulary is inspired by the social dances that accompany these musical genres. Through the combination of dance, music and film CLANDESTINO sheds light on the 12 million undocumented people currently estimated to be in the U.S. The result is a piece which asks the audience to explore and acknowledge their own views associated with this seemingly invisible population.

Step Afrika and Gallim Dance
Artists: Step Afrika and Gallim Dance
Total Project Expenses: $38,182
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 3,240
Counties: Onondaga, Oswego

Step Afrika! (Aug. 29-30, 2010): A performance by Step Afrika is planned to take place in the Campus Center Arena on the first day students return to campus. ARTSwego is working collaboratively with the Student Association Programming Board and the SUNY Oswego Orientation with each providing 1/3 of the cost. The performance on Monday, August 30 will be preceded on Sunday by two sets of Step Dance workshops (4) with each workshop accommodating 50-60 students. Step Afrika! will also offer an intensive for two SUNY Oswego Step Teams that will open for the performance. This engagement is supported in part through direct subsidy from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. The performance will be offered free-of-charge to the campus and community, serving as an introduction to the arts, to dance and – importantly – to the opportunities for the creative participation of students. It is anticipated that this will lead to an evening of "Dancing with the Stars" later in the year as a student-initiated and student-driven event. As the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping, a unique dance tradition created by fraternities and sororities at African American colleges in the early 1900s, we anticipate that this performance will resonate deeply and serve to welcome students to campus and suggest the greater world awareness that they can expect to gain through their years in college. Importantly, it positions the arts and dance as playing an important role on the campus and in the community.

Gallim (Dec. 1-3, 2010): Despite the administrative problems that Andrea Miller has encountered with a recent engagement with another DanceForce member, knowing that the issues encountered have been resolved and with her recent decision to sign with IMG Artists to handle bookings or the company I have decided to include Gallim in the upcoming season. I had an opportunity to see the company perform at Jacob's Pillow this past summer and then snippets of the company's work at the NYS DanceForce meeting this past summer. I feel that her work will resonate with students and the dance community in the region.

Founded in 2006 by Andrea Miller, Gallim Dance is a New York City based company whose mission is to create, to play inside the imagination, to find juxtapositions of the mind and body that resonate in the soul, to investigate our limitations and pleasures, and to realize the endless human capacity for inspiration. Miller's work is simultaneously kinetic and intimate expressions of the self and its inner mosaic of weakness, desires, and struggles. Her use of extreme physicality – movement that shifts between explosive power and contained tension – creates an experience where the dancers appear to exist at the edge of their limits.

This engagement is designed to include a day of residency work in Syracuse and embrace the dance program at Syracuse University, West Genesee High School and Manlius Pebble Hill School. The residency program will also include a lecture/demonstration for students in the Oswego School District, as master classes offered at the college and at two local dance studios. We will provide a bus to transport students from the Syracuse area to the performance on Friday night in SUNY Oswego's Waterman Theatre.

UpStream/Kaatsbaan Space Grants
Artist(s): Erica Essner Performance Co-Op, Lynn Barr Dance Theatre, New York Theatre Ballet, Julian Barnett Project, Pam Tanowitz Dance
Total Project Expenses: $28,620
DanceForce Funding: $10,000
Audience: 1,110
Counties: Ulster, Dutchess, Columbia, Greene

This project involved residencies, workshop performances, open rehearsals and performances by Erica Essner Performance Co-Op, Lynn Barr Dance Theatre, New York Theatre Ballet, Julian Barnett Project, and Pam Tanowitz Dance. Ulster, Dutchess, Columbia and Greene County communities were served. 1,020 people attended. All ages and people were target audience. The purpose of the project was to introduce upstate audiences to emerging and established dance companies, artists and styles and to provide working space for dance artists. Company artistic directors and staff at Kaatsbaan planned the project and timelines. Projects took place in October and November of 2008 and finished in May of 2009. All primary artists played a direct role in the project. Barnett and Tanowitz residencies were in partnership with DTW and Danspace projects. It was not possible to host companies without DanceForce support.

Kaatsbaan Space Grants
Artist(s): TBD
Total Project Expenses: $14,780
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 400
Counties: Dutchess, Ulster, Columbia

Kaatsbaan will select 5 dance choreographers/companies to be in residence at the center for a period of one week to ten days. Studio space, housing, and kitchen use, as well as all facility costs will be provided. Each company will be required to hold one 1-1.5 hour open rehearsal or workshop performance for the general public. Kaatsbaan generally draws between 50 and 100 people to such performances. I am seeking partnerships with other DF members for assistance in the selection process and residency participation. Kaatsbaan Space Grants offer needed space to dance artists and an opportunity to experience a mid length residency for emerging companies.

Kaatsbaan Residencies/Performances 2010-2011
Artist(s): Jeanne Bresciani, Zvi Gotheiner, Paz Tanjuaquio
Total Project Expenses: $15,995
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 700
Counties: Dutchess

Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, Inc. will host and present creative/work residencies, open rehearsals, studio showings, and performances by 7 contemporary modern dance performing artists: Paz Tanjuaquio, Jeanne Bresciani with Livia Vanaver and Jody Sperling, and Zvi Gotheiner.

Paz Tanjuaquio will be in residence at Kaatsbaan March 1 through 7, creating new works for her company. For the general public, there will be an open rehearsal on March 4, at 2 pm. Admission is free.

Jeanne Bresciani, Livia Vanaver, and Jody Sperling will be in residence beginning May 17, to create a collaborative performance showcasing the technical and performance styles of three 20th Century modern dance legends; Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis, and Loie Fuller. Free workshops will take place during the week and performances will be held on May 22 and 23. Tickets are $25, and $10 for students at the door. The performances will be filmed as instructional tools for Kaatsbaan's Extreme Ballet summer training program.

Kaatsbaan will host Zvi Gotheiner's dance company for a residency in the fall of 2010, which will include the creation of a new work, repertory rehearsal, open rehearsals and performances. Dates to be scheduled. In past years, Zvi has created works while in residence at Kaatsbaan as a collaboration with the New York State Council on the Arts Dance Program.

Residencies are of significant importance to established as well as emerging dance companies as they provided space and time for the creative and rehearsal process. They offer emerging companies the experience of working in a professional environment with quality dance facilities available for long uninterrupted periods of time. All companies provided open rehearsals, studio showcases, and/or professional performances for the general public while in residence. Open rehearsals and studio showcases are generally free to assist attendance by all economic groups.

Dance Theatre of Harlem
Artist: Dance Theater of Harlem
Total Project Expenses: $10,175
DanceForce Funding: $10,175
Audience: 2,525
Counties: Suffolk, Nassau

The performance by the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble occurred on August 1st, 2008 at the Chapin Rainbow Stage as part of the 2008 Huntington Summer Arts Festival at 8:30 PM. The lecture-demonstration occurred at the Huntington Center of Performing Arts on July 31st at 3 PM. Over 2,500 residents of Nassau and Suffolk County attended the performance and the lecture demonstration.

Huntington Arts Council wanted to present ballet during the Summer Arts Festival to reconnect with ballet and dance enthusiasts on Long Island. Project planning began in January of 2008 and consisted of Edward Schoelwer for the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Inc. and Diana Cherryholmes and Mary Pentacost for the Huntington Arts Council.

The project was successful in many ways, increasing community participation beyond our normal demographics as seen by the large audience of 2500 people at the performance. The audience greatly enjoyed the performance saying they "extraordinarily loved it" as well as other statements of enjoyment. This was the first performance by this company and helped refine their administrative and production procedures as well as reframe a formerly school program into a stage production. The audience demographics for the performance were 65% Caucasian, 16% Hispanic, 15% African American and 10% Asian. This ensemble currently use their experience at the Huntington Summer Arts Festival to secure future tour dates.

Electronic Dance Outreach
Total Project Expenses: $10,540
DanceForce Funding: $2,960
Audience: 3,000
Counties: Kings, Nassau, Suffolk

Utilizing Electronic media (website, Facebook, and flip camera's) we will solicit and train individual community members and send them to performances. When possible (with approval) they will film a 2 min. segment of dance, and/or will interview outgoing audience members as the the performance. These clips along with narrative provided by the community members will be uploaded onto Facebook and the Huntington Arts Council website. All community members will have to attend a training program, check out the flip camera and provide a program report with narrative.

Nego Gato Afro Brazilian Music and Dance Ensemble
Total Project Expenses: $6,560
DanceForce Funding: $4,500
Audience: 4,080
Counties: Suffolk, Nassau

Nego Gato Afro Brazilian Music and Dance Ensemble brings audiences the rich African influenced rhythms and dances of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, an area known for customs deeply rooted in the traditions and spirituality of ancestral Africa. Founded by Nego Gato, who grew up in Salvador immersed in the magical sounds of street musicians, carnival, and Candomble ceremonies, the ensemble sizzles as it showcases the energy, vibrancy and magic of Brazil.

Repertoire includes the ensemble’s signature performance From Africa to Brazil, Afro-Brazilian fold dances; the stick and machete wielding Maculele; and the acrobatic Capoeira. All dance is accompanied by live music and narration.

Nago Gato Afro Brazilian Music and Dance Ensemble is scheduled to perform on July 12th, 2009 a Sunday, during the 44th Huntington Summer Arts Festival. This performance of unique and authentic native Afro-Brazilian Music and Dance will pull residents from both Sulfolk and Nassau counties. We estimate 2080 total participants from Suffolk and Nassau County

Bridgman/Packer
Total Project Expenses: $8,424
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 1,100
Counties: Suffolk

Bridgeman/Packer have a history of working in the Huntington & Northport Community. They will perform a solo program, followed by a Q&A. The rehearsal is open to the audience. Principal artists are Guggenheim Fellows Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer. They are acclaimed for their innovative choreography and integrated video technology that explode the partnering form into a magically populated stage where image and reality collide.

The significance is to have a dance media performance which in full hasn't ever been performed in the past during the Huntington Summer Arts Festival.

Gallim Dance
Artist: Andrea Miller
Total Project Expenses: $26,500
DanceForce Funding: $6,000
Audience: 1,470
County: Monroe

This is a three phase project with Gallim Dance:
1. Planning (beginning February 1, 2009)
2. Creative Residency: Gallim Dance will be in residence at SUNY Brockport for 2 to 3 weeks and offer a Technique and Repertory Workshop for the first week. This provides rehearsal time in preparation for the company’s July 6-12 Jacob’s Pillow performances.
3. Performing residency (3 performances) in Hartwell Hall, SUNY Brockport with 4-7 days of residency activity. The focus of this phase will be a research project about meaningful pre and post performance audience development experiences for uninitiated dance audiences.

Where's the Dance? Making and Viewing Dance in Unexpected Spaces
Artist: Monica Bill Barnes
Total Project Expenses: $9,500
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 930
County: Monroe

The focus of this project is the development and presentation of dance in unexpected spaces -- new uses of familiar venues and new venues never considered as dance performance spaces will be open for consideration. The relationship of dance content to performance venue will be addressed in public conversations, workshops, and performances. While members of the Village of Brockport community will especially benefit, activities and performances will be open to all; it is hoped that regionally based dancers and choreographers as well as College at Brockport faculty and students will participate. The College at Brockport, with excellent facilities for rehearsals, workshops, and other presentations, will be the center of preparatory activity. Other locations will be selected in consultation with the artist(s).

Possible venues include include local Erie Canal parks and Brockport's Sunday farmer's market. One project goal is to create opportunities for local citizens to experience dance in familiar, though perhaps totally unexpected, spaces. Brockport is recognized for its commitment to commissioned public art and the sites of these works will be considered as possible performance locations.

While late summer or early fall 2010 performances are most likely because of weather, other times (perhaps late spring 2011) may be more appropriate. Serious consideration will be given to a two year plan after the guest choreographer is selected and the initial planning meetings take place.

DansTrax: Celebrating a Legacy of Dance

Artists: Robert Battle, James Kinney, Victoria Marks, Barbara Mordente
Total Project Expenses: $19,890
DanceForce Funding: $10,000
Audience: 370
Counties: Suffolk

New York State DanceForce member Nancy Duncan (CoDanceCo, Inc.), in partnership with CoDanceCo's Advisory Group comprised of Brookhaven Town dance artists/educators Danielle Angrisani, Nuala DeGeorge, Claudia Dickson, Diane Giattino, Barbara Mordente, and Colleen Murphy, launched the first Brookhaven Community Dance Festival--DansTrax '08: Celebrating a Legacy of Dance--August 17-20, 2008.

Over four days the festival featured a series of technique classes, choreography workshops, a dance film showcase featuring two of Victoria Marks' acclaimed dance films "Outside In" a "Mothers & Daughters", and three informal performances. DanceForce funds supported the setting of three works. "Dancing to Music", choreographer Victoria Marks, was performed by four professional dancers from the Brookhaven community who participated in CoDanceCo's 2008 DansLab with Ms. Marks and rehearsal assistant Kristen Smiarowski. "Crunchy Granola" (an excerpt from Bob Fosse's "Dancin'" staged by choreographer James Kinney) and Robert Battle's etude "Battle" set by Erika Pujic and Stephanie Vertichio were both taught during the festival. Additional works were set by the following local choreographers: Nuala DeGeorge/Stephanie Vertichio, Barbara Mordente, Colleen Murphy, and Stephanie Pitocco. Guest ballet teachers were Long Island's Kathy Kairns-Scholz and Amy Sybil.

At the 5:00 pm performance for DansTrax, festival partcipants honored long-time mentor, dancer, choreographer, and former Brookhaven Theater Dance Guild (BTDG) President Forest Bonshire. Sixteen BTDG alumni from three states came together to re-stage and perform Bonshire's tap work "You're in the Army Now, Mr. Jones". The alumni dance was performed at all three festival performances. Also featured were fifth grade students from North Babylon Union Free School District performing dances from CoDanceCo's Dancing Classrooms in-school spring residency.

In addition to support from the NYS DanceForce, DansTrax garnered support from the Suffolk County Community Arts Re-grant Program under the auspices of the Suffolk County Alliance of Arts Councils, Steve Levy, County Executive; donation of space by Stage Door School of Dance; Brookhaven School of Dance, and Reflections Dance Academy, and many in-kind contributions from the Long Island choreographers.

Extending DanceForce Activity into Non-represented Regions
Artist: Bridgman/Packer Dance
Total Project Expenses: $40,900
DanceForce Funding: $10,000
Audience: 863
Counties: Albany, St. Lawrence

This project included two residencies with Bridgman/Packer Dance - one week at SUNY Potsdam (October 14-21) and four days at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center (October 22-25). The Potsdam residency included three master classes, one lec/dem, a public performance and the setting of a work on dance majors following an audition process. At UAlbany, the residency consisted of two master classes, a lec/dem, a voice workshop, an open rehearsal, a professional development session and two performances - one for the general public and one for area high school students.

The main partners in the project were both from SUNY Potsdam - Kathy Olsen from the Community Performance Series and Robin Collen of the Theatre and Dance Department. Since both residency locations were university campuses, college students were a prime target. Additionally, since both sites present programming targeted to the general population of the community in which they reside, adults, seniors, families and students in secondary education were also target participants and audience members. All in all, 863 individuals were impacted by this project.

Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer were the main artists involved in this project. Their collaborators also participated in both residencies: filmmaker Peter Bobrow, Grammy Award-winning percussionist Glen Velez, Obie and Bessie Award-winning cellist Robert Een and acclaimed composer/saxophonist Ken Field. Many local artists partook in the residency activities and attended the performances in each location.

Residencies at UAlbany and SUNY Potsdam
Artist: Gallim Dance
Total Project Expenses: $40,250
DanceForce Funding: $6,850
Audience: 1,000
Counties: Saratoga, St. Lawrence

This project utilizes one New York State based dance company for two very different residencies in two separate counties.

From February 21 to 23, Gallim Dance will be in residence at SUNY Potsdam. The community partner for this part of the project is the college's Department of Theatre and Dance. Activities include multiple master classes for dance and theatre majors as well as a public performance. (see listing under dates of activities)

From June 10 to 26, Gallim Dance will be in residence at Skidmore College. The community partner for this part of the project is the college's Office of the Dean of Special Programs. Activities will include teaching as part of a Summer Dance Intensive for college students and a week of creative time for the company to develop new work that will premiere at the Joyce Theatre in August.

Also built in to this project is the opportunity for Skidmore personnel to travel to SUNY Potsdam in February to see the company's performance, observe their work with the students and/or for planning meetings.

Originally, this project was to include a residency for Gallim Dance at UAlbany. Due to scheduling and communication issues, this part of the project will not be realized in 09-10 but may be rescheduled for 10-11.

Collaborative Choreography with LehrerDance
Artists: Elaine Gardner and Jon Lehrer
Total Project Expenses: $10,850
DanceForce Funding: $10,000
Audience: 824
Counties: Erie

This project involved a month-long creative residency at Nichols School in Buffalo NY by Jon Lehrer's Buffalo-based company LehrerDance, during which Elaine Gardner and Jon Lehrer collaboratively choreographed a new 11-minute work based on Buffalo themes, using early blues music. In addition to the residency, the company did two performances -- one private and one public -- and a number of different interactive activities with the students ranging from grades 5 through 12.

One goal of the project was to establish conditions for a creative process in which Lehrer and Gardner would stretch themselves artistically, and to work together as a choreographic team. The second goal was to provide support and professional development for Lehrer and the dancers from his company, and to urge them towards a model of paying dancers professional fees and working on a salaried rehearsal schedule.

The project took place during the entire month of May 2009. Lehrer and Gardner planned the residency six months in advance.

The dancers were all profoundly grateful for the opportunity to work in a new way and to receive rehearsal pay, which LehrerDance was not in a position to offer at this point in its development. The dancers were also appreciative of the fact that they received a different kind of company class (conducted by Gardner) and exposure to a different choreographic style.

Creative Residency and Danspace Project Performances for Two Choreographers
Artist(s): Julian Barnett, Yoshiko Chuma
Total Project Expenses: $45,476
DanceForce Funding: $5,500
Audience: 844
Counties: Dutchess

Danspace Project supported residencies for two choreographers and their companies in 2008-09 at Kaatsbaan International Dance Center in Tivoli, NY. The focus of the residencies was the creation of new dance works, and the project culminated in the artists' premieres during Danspace’s 2008-2009 season. The selected artists were Julian Barnett, whose residency took place November 3-9, 2008 and new work, “Sound Memory” premiered at Danspace March 19-21, 2009, and Yoshiko Chuma/The School of Hard Knocks, whose residency took place March 30-April 5, and presented a two-week performance of “POONARC: Not About Romanian Cinema” at Danspace, June 4-6 & 11-13, 2009.

Residency and Performances with Sondra Loring's Upriver/Downtown Dance
Artist: Sondra Loring
Total Project Expenses: $6,200
DanceForce Funding: $4,500
Audience: 425
Counties: Columbia, Dutchess, Ulster, Kings

Danspace Project partnered with Sondra Loring’s Hudson-based company, UpRiver/Downtown Dance on three projects from December 2008 through June 2009. The projects included an audience interactive performance of How to Make a Dance at the Hudson Opera House (P1); a dance concert titled Cajole Care Curse at Bard College (P2); and a workshop and lecture demonstration performance entitled Big Brush/Small Dance also held at the Hudson Opera House (P3).

P1: UpRiver/Downtown Dance’s new work, How to Make a Dance, was performed three times between 5 – 8pm on December 6th, 2008 on the third floor space at the Hudson Opera House during Hudson’s well-known WinterWalk Festival. The Hudson Opera House’s space has yet to be renovated and is unheated, but its crumbling walls, old opera stage, and balcony are stunningly beautiful. The piece was performed by five dancers and two musicians. Words were shown on an easel that succinctly described each section. In one section, the audience was invited to participate by becoming directors.

P2: UpRiver/Downtown Dance Company presented a dance concert entitled Cajole Care Curse (CCC). The performance ran for two nights, May 28th & 29th, 2009. CCC is a work that invited text, image and sound to intersect in a multi-layered collision. The project was unusual for the company in that the dancers (Ashley Hartka, Amii Legendre, Sondra Loring, Anne Mulvaney & Jill Ann Schwartz) collaborated throughout the winter making ‘chapters’ for the final piece. The piece was performed in the Old Gym at Bard College, which has a history of presenting experimental work. The company partnered with the Old Gym to serve the Bard community, and the general population of the surrounding Hudson Valley communities.

P3: A Workshop and Lec/Dem Performance entitled Big Brush/Small Dance was held on June 5th, 2009 in partnership with the Hudson Opera House. The two-part event consisted of a free workshop for kids and teens, followed by an open performance for the general community. Artists included choreographer Jill Ann Schwartz and big brush calligrapher Barbara Bash.

Creative Residencies and Danspace Project Performances for Three Choreographers
Artist(s): TBD
Total Project Expenses: $56,755
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 855
Counties: Dutchess, New York

Danspace Project will support residencies for three choreographers and their companies in 2010-11 at Kaatsbaan International Dance Center in Tivoli, NY. The focus of the residencies are the creation of new dance works, and the project culminates in the artists' premieres during Danspace Project’s 2010-2011 season.

The names of the artists are yet to be determined. Danspace Project's Executive Director, Judy Hussie-Taylor, will select three choreographers from Danspace's 2010-2011 season.

Kaatsbaan International Dance Center is the community partner involved. The residencies serve New York City-based choreographers and their dancers. Participant artists receive rehearsal space, housing, food, transportation, a stipend for themselves and their dancers, and administrative support. The residency time has a direct impact on the quality of the work produced, and Kaatsbaan provides an ideal environment for the artists with its large and well kept studios and generous accommodations.

The residency benefits local Hudson Valley community members, who are invited to attend an open work-in-progress showing at Kaatsbaan. The showing incorporates a post-performance discussion with the audience. Danspace developed a new relationship with Kaatsbaan last year, and is looking forward to continuing the partnership which proved very fruitful for the artists and audience who attended the showing. New York City audiences also benefit from this project which culminates in the artists' seasons at Danspace Project.

Dates and times of the showing at Kaatsbaan and the premiere at Danspace Project are to be determined. The target audience for this project is Hudson Valley audiences and New York City-based artists and audiences. A total of approximately 855 people will participate in this project.

Planning Phase for "Movable Points of Entry"
Artists: Doug Varone and John Toth
Total Project Expenses: $8,003
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: n/a
County: Erie

The planning phase for "Movable Points of Entry" will directly involve dancer/choreographer Doug Varone, media artist John Toth, Burchfield Penney Art Center (BPAC) Executive Director Ted Pietrzak, BPAC Associate Director & Head of Technical Services, and Dance Force member Margaret L. Kaiser. This is a three-year project that will support the commissioning of a new work of art, "Movable Points of Entry" (MPOE), that is intended to engage audiences in two separate aesthetic experiences: visual/aural and visual/aural/kinesthetic, that when combined, result in a richly textured understanding of the artistic process. The multi-media experience will occur in the BPAC Contemporary Project Space, followed by a dance performance across the street in Rockwell Hall Performing Arts Center, which uses elements of the media installation as the impetus for kinesthetic expression, as well as the performance environment.

The planning year will support the artists’ initial collaboration by enabling them to become more familiar with each other’s work and by enhancing the process during which their artistic visions intersect to create a new work of art. The planning year is also intended to provide the co-producers the opportunity to prepare a strategic administrative plan that clearly articulates the depth and breadth of the project. This strategic plan will be used for several purposes: (1.) to identify the creative development and community engagement phase (year 2) and the additional community/organizational partners (i.e. Buffalo State College Dance Department, the Arts in Education Institute of WNY, SUNY at Buffalo Media Studies Program, etc.) who will participate in the project; (2.) to develop a realistic project timeline and project budget; and (3.) to identify multiple funding sources to support years 2 & 3 that can be leveraged with Dance Force and BPAC funds. (Please note that BPAC is dedicating funds from their RendezBlue arts festival budget to support this project.

It is anticipated that this project will impact: students and teachers throughout WNY, both high school and college; the cultural community, including local artists--dancers, musicians, and media artists; and, the general, diverse community of WNY. NYS Dance Force funds will serve as the catalyst to leverage considerable funding from the private and public sectors, on a local, state, and national level. This new work of art has the potential to bridge the gap between the visual/intermedia arts community and the dance community by providing a common ground for artistic expression.

Movable Points of Entry
Partnering DanceForce Member: Elaine Gardner
Artists: Doug Varone, John Toth
Total Project Expenses: $20,020
DanceForce Funding: $16,000
Audience: 680
County: Erie

"Movable Points of Entry" (MPOE) is a three-phase project. The title of the piece speaks to the various entry points through which an audience member can experience the work of intermedia artist John Toth and dance/choreographer Doug Varone: visual/aural and visual/aural/kinesthetic.

The viewer's experience begins with a multi-media installation that simulates a multi-planet environment at the Burchfield Penney Art Center (BPAC). The viewer then moves to a dance performance (at a Buffalo State campus performance venue) that presents elements of the planet installation as the impetus for the kinesthetic expression. Although each experience is capable of being a stand-alone presentation, it is the progressive experience from the visual/aural to visual/aural/kinesthetic that promotes a more complete aesthetic experience for the viewer.

It is intended that this installation will tour to planetariums as well, with the dance performed on-site. We are currently in conversation with administrators at both the HaydenMuseum/Rose Planetarium and the Planetarium at UNC (University of North Carolina). We will also tap into the science world, engaging in important conversations with scientists/astronomers. In addition, the Lincoln Center Institute is interested in dialoguing about the educational implications of this piece as a focal work under study for their aesthetic education program. A key component of this piece will be the use of technology, both in the installation and performance, as well as in the community engagement plan (i.e. the use of podcasts, twittering, website interaction, etc.).

Phase 1 is the Planning Phase, during which Doug and John work to define themes and ideas and beginning to plot out design elements. The partners are entering into this creative conversation at various points of this planning year. Phase 2 is the Creative Development Phase. This will occur throughout the year, however, a creative residency week will happen in Buffalo at Nichols School in the dance studio of Pick of the Crop Dance a week in late fall. During this week, Doug will provide 4 informal showings and 2 workshops. We will work closely with the dance departments at Buffalo State College as well as UB. John Toth will be working with college media students as well. We estimate that 680 people will attend these planned events. This collaboration represents the first of its kind in Buffalo, combining media and dance in multiple venues yet connected in theme and artistic intention.

dre.dance/In It For Life - Phase I
Artists: dre.dance, In It For Life
Total Project Expenses: $3,000
DanceForce Funding: $2,000
Audience: 2,010
Counties: Monroe

This project will be a 1 1/2-2 year effort to begin building a younger audience base of high school students not already steeped in dance to appreciate concert dance. It begins with the artists from dre.dance and In It For Life viewing their work by June 2010, if not before, which will begin the dialogue between artists. In fall 2010, In It For Life will set movement on selected high school students using hip-hop/house - a more social/street genre; dre.dance will follow using the same high school students and take the set movement, molding and moving it into the realm of concert dance/contemporary modern dance. The outcome hopefully will be that of the participating students having a new understanding of concert dance and beginning to embrace it and morph into future dance supporters.

dre.dance (New York, NY) and In It For Life (New York, NY) will be the artistic organizations used to set work on the high school participants; Marylee Miller, Dance Dept./School of the Arts (Rochester, NY) will assist in creating the tools to screen and choose the participants. Since there will be some adjustments and school closings, the schools that will participate in this project from the Rochester City School District might not be confirmed until this summer/fall 2010.

In the interim, having the artists travel if needed to see each other's work, creating the screening tools, meeting/ discussing/creating project logistics and applying for a grant from the Rochester Area Community Foundation will be the bulk of the planning year.

Once the students are chosen they will not only physically participate, but will attend several dance performances throughout the length of the project, discussing and writing about what they view. They will also be asked to keep a journal documenting their journey throughout the project.

Flamenco Vivo
Artist: Carlota Santana Flamenco Vivo
Total Project Expenses: $25,543
DanceForce Funding: $10,000
Audience: 2,011
Counties: Oneida

The Mohawk Valley Dance Partnership, a consortium of Hamilton College, Arts in Education Institute and Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute, presented residency Carlota Santana Flamenco Vivo in a series of master classes, school performances and a public performance. Beginning July 08, representatives of the company, two dancers and two musicians, presented a workshop and short performance for teachers attending the Arts in Education Institute Summer Session. From that performance, the teachers selected Flamenco Vivo as the work of art for study. Typically each class room is visited by a teaching artist four times in preparation for the school show. 1186 students attended the two day time shows that were presented on 02/26 and 02/27/2009. The public performance was attended a capacity audience of 650.

Our project this year, despite the dire economic situation, was a great success. We had no idea that the public performance would attract many new audience members. Several people asked me where they could sign up to get mailings regarding our upcoming performances. At least 20-30 people had never been to an event at Wellin Hall in the past. We did benefit from the connections made by Hamilton College alumni who brought their students by the bus load to the performance. From the perspective of the Arts in Education, this was a perfect teaching opportunity; the curricular connections--cultural and historical--that could be made thru the art work were endless.

Lar Lubovitch Dance Company
Artist: Lar Lubovitch Dance Company
Total Project Expenses: $29,400
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 1,530
Counties: Oneida

The Mohawk Valley Dance Partnership will present the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company during in a combination of workshops, master classes, school performance, and a public performance during the coming 2010-11 season.

On June 30, 2010, members of the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company will offer a brief demonstration of the Lar Lubovitch repertory for public school teachers from Oneida and Madison County who are participating in the Arts in Education Summer Institute. Teachers and teaching artists will then participate in a workshop conducted by the company members.

On Friday, February 10, 2011 the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company will perform a one-hour, school show for 900 students at the Stanley Center for the Arts in Utica, NY. The majority of these K-12 students of Oneida County are from inner-city, low income families who speak English as a second language or rural families with little or no access to the performing arts, especially dance. In conjunction with this performance, several teaching artists will work closely with public school teachers to develop curriculum to study the work of art. Several workshops and activities will conducted in the classroom prior to and after the performance to enhance the student's understanding and enjoyment of the performance.

The Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute and Hamilton College will each host a master class for their students. Approximately 50 college students and 25 area high school age students will attend.

The culminating event will be the public performance on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at Hamilton College. Members of the company will conduct a pre-performance workshop that is free and open to the public.

Dance Infusion
Artists: H. T. Chen, Elena Mosley, Andrew Bryant, Stephanie Weber
Total Project Expenses: $9,000
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 2,055
Counties: Columbia, Greene, Ulster, New York, Albany

Two consecutive weekends in Hudson are designated for the Hudson Arts Walk event. This gives us the opportunity to increase the dance presence with performance and participation.

Time Table of Activities

September 9, 16, 23, 30, Oct. 7: KDD collaborated with 25 dancers from the Kingston Energy Dance Team providing a series of dance workshops with rehearsal for Oct. 10th performance of Hip Hop Afro-Fusion.

October 10th:
3:00 pm: Community Drum Circle with improvisation dance-KDD and invited guest artists-Rumpus in the Wild, Schenectady, NY.
8:00 pm: Kuumba Energy Project gave an outstanding performance for the Columbia County Arts Walk Concert opening reception. The radio station captured the live music and I had a film crew for documentation.

October 11th: Youth Show Case, featuring Hip Hop Afro Fusion local youth. This was a fun presentation directed at families with children. The presentation was followed by a workshop with great participation. This was held at 359 Columbia Street, the old Cannon Ball factory.

October 17th: 12:30 pm, KDD provided participatory dance & drum workshops for families at the Hudson Area Library as part of the family arts celebration of Arts Walk.

II Dance Collaboration 2010
April 2010: KDD will collaborate with Columbia Greene Community College and the Hudson City School District to present H. T. Chen & Dancers. “Dancers Are Real People” will be the theme when interacting with students from the Hudson Schools on April 22 & April 23. Workshops planned in 1) Calligraphy, 2) Chinese Cooking and 3) Creative Dance will provide insight to dancers and their many talents and connect them to performance, via non-dance experiences. H.T. Chen and Dancers will provide one educational format performance at the Hudson Schools and one evening performance for general audiences at the Columbia Greene Performing Arts Building.

Spot Light on Dance
Artists: Savannah Lowry, Zach Morris, Tom Pearson, Daniel Ulbricht
Total Project Expenses: $9,324
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 550
Counties: Columbia, New York, Queens

I On Sunday, August 8th, two professional ballet dancers from New York City will arrive at the Valley Academy of Performing Arts in West Taghkanic, NY to do a performance/demonstration, question and answer session with the audience, and also to teach a master class. This event would be open to the public and to dance schools throughout Columbia, Albany, Greene, Dutchess, and Ulster Counties as well. This experience would serve to heighten awareness and educate the public regarding professional dance careers and professional dance training in regards to classical ballet. New York City Ballet Company artists include soloist Savannah Lowry and principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht. Dance Performance/Demonstration 1-1:30pm, Q & A 1:30 -2pm, and Master Advanced Beginning Ballet Class 2:30-4pm. The Hudson Valley Academy of Performing Arts is located at 957 Route 82, Ancram, NY 12502.

II On Saturday, December 4th, Bessie Award-winning choreographers Zach Morris and Tom Pearson and Bessie Award-winning composer Kris Bauman will be presented by NYS DanceForce member Kuumba Dance and Druma as part of a three day residency in Hudson. Zach, Tom and Kris are the driving force behind Third Rail Projects and will perform “Anthem” at the Hudson Opera House, Hudson, NY. Anthem is a new site-adaptive, community-specific work that grapples with the multi-faceted (and sometimes contradictory) aspects of our national identity and an insuppressible love for the myth of modern America. Forging connections between seemingly disparate communities, eras, and individuals, and utilizing iconic American tunes, original music, and mash-ups, the piece entwines WWII naval battles, 1950’s nostalgia, Ponderosa steakhouses, Al Green, Miller High Life, heartbreak, arena rock, and that general Niagara Falls, broke-down-honeymoon feel. This site specific performance of six dancers will allow the audience to move freely through the space/building and interact with dancers in a unique way. This experience will take place between the hours of 6-8pm. On Sunday, community partner Hudson Opera House will host a Master Class.

Partners in Dance Member Support and Regrant Project
Partnering DanceForce Member: Toni Smith
Total Project Expenses: $68,783
DanceForce Funding: $19,018
Audience: 7,115
Counties: Saratoga, Washington, Warren, Albany, Schenectady, Rennselaer

Partners in Dance received an allocation of $10,000 for 2008-09 as well as an additional contribution of $8,800 from DanceForce Member Toni Smith. Some funds ($5000) were used to cover artistic expenses for the DanceForce Showcase at the June 2008 meeting in Saratoga Springs. The remaining funds were used to support the consortium’s mission of maximizing the audience for each year’s Capital Region dance season through initiatives (member grants) in youth and adult education, as well as to partially support administrative personnel, meeting expenses and honorariums for professional development. The remainder of these expenses as well as all other activities and functions of Partners in Dance (web site, fundraising, etc.) are funded through member dues and donations.

Three member meetings were held in October 2008, February 2009 and June 2009 with 46 members in attendance. Professional development included sessions on reaching out to new and non-traditional audiences; using technology both in the creation of dance and in outreach to young people to encourage their participation and attendance in dance; and a discussion with a local dance critic about the state of dance audiences, dance reviews/previews and outreach.

In response to current economic issues, Partners in Dance members and Managing Partners have also initiated discussions and brainstorming sessions about additional possible funding sources both for PID and its members.

Operational Budget
Total Project Expenses: $9,400
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 812
Counties: Saratoga, Washington, Warren, Albany, Schenectady, Rennselaer

DanceForce member Partners in Dance will direct its $6,000 allocation to its Operational Budget. It is anticipated that DanceForce funds will be used primarily to fund projects for 2009-10 and some funds will be used to partially support administrative personnel as well as meeting expenses and honorariums for professional development. The remainder of these expenses as well as all other activities and functions of Partners in Dance (E-letter, web site, fundraising, etc.) will be funded out of its overall operating account and potential other sources. Projects will support the consortium’s mission (maximizing the audience for each year’s regional dance season through initiatives in youth and adult education) and historically have involved 1,000 or more participants of all age groups. Funded projects must: relate to a presentation of dance in the regional dance season through adult or youth education, be submitted by a paying member of Partners in Dance (see list below), engage multiple funding sources, reflect the involvement of multiple partners (i.e. artists, administrators, organizations, schools etc.), demonstrate a history and interest in sustaining regional dance activity and include activities that take place in New York State. In addition, grant requests on project proposals may not exceed 40% of the overall budget of the project.

Projects are determined by a panel process and will be reviewed by the panel on September 15, 2009. Partners in Dance recognizes that a reorganization of responsibilities must occur to absorb the projected decrease in funding. Historically, the panel process was biannual. Due to the decrease in funding for 2009-10 the panel will meet only once.

Partners in Dance Member Support and Regrant Project
Total Project Expenses: $9,350
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 1,175
Counties: Saratoga, Washington, Warren, Albany, Schenectady, Rennselaer

Since its inception, Partners in Dance has focused on member support in the form of professional development and a regrant program to maximize audiences for each years regional dance season through initiatives in youth and adult dance education and historically as involved one thousand or more participants of all ages. The managing partners plan three general membership meetings per year to encourage networking amongst members and provide professional development workshops. A separate grant panel which consists of Partners in Dance members receives and reviews project proposals submitted by fellow Partners in Dance members. These projects support the mission of Partners in Dance in sustaining regional dance activities through adult and youth education. In the past Partners in Dance has funded collaborative projects involving local dance companies, storytellers, musicians, writers, poets and encouraging non-dancer community members to participate in performances. Additionally Partners in Dance has elected to become a non-profit corporation and seek tax-exempt status which will not change the functionality of the organization. This change will enable Partners in Dance to seek additional independent funding in the future.

Kaatsbaan Residency
Artists: Melanie Maar, Pam Tanowitz
Total Project Expenses: $10,000
DanceForce Funding: $10,000
Audience: 320
County: Dutchess

Dance Theater Workshop partnered with the Kaatsbaan International Dance Center in Tivoli, NY to provide choreographers Melanie Maar and Pam Tanowitz with weeklong creative residencies at Kaatsbaan. The focus of the residencies was the development of new dance works in preparation for the artists’ seasons at Dance Theater Workshop. The artists received transportation, housing, food, rehearsal space, a stipend and administrative support. The residency culminated in work-in-progress showings by the companies at the Kaatsbaan Studio Theater. The target audience included members of the local community as well as dance enthusiasts and artists.

The goal of the creative residencies was to support the development of new dance works in preparation for the artists’ seasons at Dance Theater Workshop. Melanie Maar’s residency occurred March 2-8, 2009. Approximately 160 people attended the showing and participated in the discussion. Her new work, Phenomenal Bodies, premiered at Dance Theater Workshop April 2-4 (on a shared evening with Keith Hennessy). Pam Tanowitz’s residency occurred November 10-16, 2008. Approximately 160 people attended the showing and participated in the discussion. Her new work, Be In the Gray With Me, will premiere at DTW June 18-20, 2009. Dance Theater Workshop, Kaatsbaan, and the artists were involved in the planning process.

The residencies were successful on many levels. The artists found the time at Kaatsbaan as “a pivotal point” for development of their work. The work-in-progress showing was successful in that it gave local community members the opportunity to see the first presentation of exciting new work and to participate in discussions with the artists. The artists found this feedback to be instrumental in their preparations for the premiere at Dance Theater Workshop. The residency prepared the artists to present a more developed and enriched work to our audiences here in New York.

Melanie Maar described her experience at Kaatsbaan as having a profound impact on her creative development as an artist. Melanie reflected: “Since we usually work in New York City, having the space and time to let the process unfold, to allow for a more organic way of letting the material come together and having time to bond between the people involved, was highly appreciated. I am not sure how the piece could have come together without that time of intense work and spontaneous developments, without creating dinners together and exchanging experiences and ideas at the end of the day.” Similarly, Pam Tanowitz reflected "The gift of time and studio space at the residency enabled the company to work in a concentrated period with out distractions. The residency gave us a head start in the extensive creative process with the dancers. My collaborative process with dancers is integral to the work, I tailor the movement to each dancer, while at the same time challenging them and highlighting their strengths to push the work forward."

The time at Kaatsbaan and the beauty of the setting became an integral part of the work created by Melanie Maar and her collaborators. She provided this inspiring story about her time there: “Instead of rehearsing one afternoon after the showing, I decided for a communal walk. The sunlight over the Hudson during that walk ended up inspiring the idea and entire spectrum of light designed for the piece.” This sort of inspiration is a key element of why we work to provide artists with residency experiences. Investing in the process of creating art is a rewarding way to enhance the eventual outcome of an artist’s work and to help that artist to find the full range of their abilities.

Kaatsbaan Creative Residency
Artists: Faye Driscoll, Judith Sanchez Ruiz
Total Project Expenses: $8,000
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 320
County: Dutchess

Dance Theater Workshop will provide Faye Driscoll and Judith Sanchez Ruiz each with one-week creative residencies at Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, Inc. in Tivoli City, NY. The focus of the residencies is the development of new dance works in preparation for their seasons at Dance Theater Workshop. The artists receive transportation, housing, food, rehearsal space, a stipend for themselves and their dancers, and administrative support. The residencies will culminate in open work-in-progress showings by the choreographers and may incorporate post-performance discussions with the audience. The target audience includes artists and dance enthusiasts, as well as members of the local community. The Kaatsbaan Studio Theatre is a 160-seat space with a performance floor the size of the stage at the Metropolitan Opera House. With stadium-style seating of only 7 rows and 22 seats in a row, each audience member is guaranteed an intimate dance experience.

Dance Theater Workshop identifies artists poised at a significant stage of career growth who can take unique advantage of the creative time that the residency offers – time and space to create, unhindered by the pressures of competition, economics, and production deadlines. Programs that nurture an artist’s process are becoming increasingly rare, and simultaneously more necessary than ever as resources and funding for these artists are scarce. Dance Theater Workshop is widely acknowledged as a center for the development and presentation of new dance artists, and DTW is committed to supporting artists at all stages of their careers and phases of creative development. In addition, the partnership with the NYS DanceForce provides early creative residency time to support a deep and thoughtful exploration of ideas.

Flamenco Dance Residency/Performance/Arts Education
Artist: Carlota Santana
Total Project Expenses: $38,795
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 2,740
County: Bronx, Oswego, Westchester

This is a three part project:

$2,000 for our residency at SUNY/Oswego in order to continue our outreach with the student body. We will give workshops to students of the Spanish department as part of the cultural history of the art form. This enriches their understanding of the Spanish language and culture. Classes will be given in both Spanish and English. A dance Master Class will be held at the Community Folk Arts Center in Syracuse to help extend the residency to outlying areas in reach of the Oswego community. Residency dates Nov 3-6. 2009.

We will use $2,000 to extend our residency in Mamaroneck, New York, March 7, 2010 at Emelin Theatre where we will do both a pre-performance talk and post performance reception and talk with the audience. One Master class will also be given. These 3 activities would not have happened if not for Dancefore support Here we are serving the general dance community and hpe to reach out to the larger Hispanic community.

$4,000 will be used to support our new pilot project:
Project Olé: Flamenco for Students with Disabilities is a new initiative that will build on Flamenco Vivo’s extensive arts education programming by increasing access to the arts/dance for disabled students. Our principal partner school, JM Rapport in the Bronx, serves approximately 632 students from grades 6-12, all of whom have disabilities. These include emotionally disturbed students, learning disabled students, and mentally retarded students, including students with Downs Syndrome. Because the student body consists solely of disabled students, opportunities to interact and communicate with non-disabled peers are few. Thus classes for this ten-week residency that will be held at the JM Rapport High School and classes from the neighboring regular High School will become part of this weekly residency program. The JM Rapport HS is a minority high school with a student population which is 61% Hispanic and 35% African American, with the remaining 4% comprising white, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Native American. Our goal is to introduce flamenco dance to this marginalized community of students, and help them interact with other local students through the sharing of dance classes.

SUNY/Oswego Nov 4-6, 2009
JM Rapport HS February-April 2010
Emelin Theatre Mamroneck March 7, 2010

Southern Tier Flamenco Residency
Artist: Carlota Santana
Total Project Expenses: $13,000
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 1,190
County: Allegany, Broome, Steuben

In March 2011 we will produce the following:
- A 3 day residency in the Southern Tier including Broome, Steuben and Alllegeney counties.
- A school showing in Binghamton(TBD) and travel to Corning for an open welcoming reception for Artists and community at 171 Cedar Arts Center.(Thursday)
- A daytime school show for children and a Master Class at Alfred University (Friday)
- An evening a "tablao" style concert at 171 Cedar Arts (Friday)
- A daytime two master classes one in music(guitar/singing) and one in dance (Saturday)
- An evening a "tablao" style performance at 171 Cedar Arts (Saturday)
- A Matinee for families entitled a "Polka Dot Party" with post performance meet the artists for an autograph. Kids will be asked to dress in their most flamenco style cloths! (Sunday)

These activities will be performed by Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana's professional company.
One goal is to provide this community with a new and diverse art form, introduce flamenco to the community of the Southern Tier, and engage the community in a new way. We will also use this opportunity to invite legislators to make them aware of DanceForce activities.

Ithaca LoveShoe II Festival
Artists: Anita "Rokafella" Garcia, Marion Ramirez, Jung Woong Kim, Antonio Ramos
Total Project Expenses: $18,663
DanceForce Funding: $10,000
Audience: 1,632
Counties: Tompkins

The Ithaca Loveshoe Festival and Dance Residency took place during a several month period beginning in July 2008, and ending in November 2008. There were two outdoor performances on July 12 at 4pm and 6pm featuring the artists Marion Ramirez and Jung Woong Kim. A weekend performance took place on July 20 at the Ithaca Common Ground, a nightclub and community center.

This performance featured guest artists Antonio Ramos and his dance partner Ian McGowan. It also featured local artists Ruby Max Fury, Christopher Westfall, and Jim Self. On July 22 there was a performance at Cornell Schwartz Center's proscenium theater that included guest artists Jane Gabriels and Anita "Rokafella" Garcia. It also included local artists Janice Kovar, Jeanne Goddard, Steven Stull, Jim Self, Phil Kim, Djani Johnson and Kelvin Kim. Anita Garcia taught two master classes on July 22 and 23. Finally, from October 26- November 2 , Marion Ramirez, Anita Garcia, and Sita Frederick were in residence at Cornell's Department of Theater Film and Dance. They each taught two class and presented an informal performance of new work. In addition, Anita "Rokafella" Garcia performed at Cornell's Bailey hall as a special guest during a Hip Hop Conference.

Dance Residency at Cornell
Artists: TBD
Total Project Expenses: $6,990
DanceForce Funding: $2,000
Audience: 2,050
County: Tompkins

Dance residency at Cornell March 5-15, 2010. The dance artist (tba) will be in residence for ten days teaching classes, rehearsing with students and faculty, and performing in the annual main stage production at Cornell's Schwartz Center. The original artist, Glen Rumsey (former Cunningham dancer, choreographer and club performer), has an unresolvable conflict in March 2010 and will not be able to participate. Another artist with similar skills and experience will be chosen as soon as possible. The theme of the performance concert is mixing modern dance and popular forms into a full show which includes choreography and performances by Cornell students and faculty. Dance Force member Jim Self is directing the concert. In addition the concert will include set, costume and lighting designs by Cornell faculty designers. The classes will focus on movement styles used in the concert. There will be two open dress rehearsals.

New York State Dancing Green
Artists: Paz Tanjuaquio, Jonah Bokaer, Jeanne Goddard, Norm Johnson
Partnering DanceForce Member: Paz Tanjuaquio
Total Project Expenses: $10,000
DanceForce Funding: $6,600
Audience: 400
County: Kings, Queens, Tompkins

This fiscal year will include site-specific dance events in the Ithaca Festival June 3-6, 2010. The focus of dancing green is to draw attention to sustainability and green issues through the use of dance performance while minimizing the use of fossil fuels. Hence, the outdoor, site specific nature of the project. I am collaborating with Colleen Wahl ( NYC based artist and former student of Cynthia Williams) who stages "movement choirs" and "mob- dance" workshops that build into community performance events. These dances are usually short and simple to allow participation by non-dancers from the community as well as trained movers and performers. Typically, a workshop will be two hours long and include group choreography developed around a specific subject or concern--- In this case, sustainability. At a later point the participants of the workshop teach the dance to several other members of the community and everyone comes together at a specified time/place for a performance. There will be a video component as well, documenting the event, and also to be used as a tool for teaching the dance to a wider group of participants. The video will be posted on the web and made available to the target audiences.

The term "Movement Choir" has roots in historical Modern Dance, having been developed by Rudolph Laban as a tool for energizing a broader community of artists, performers and activists to address the issues of the time.

In addition to the "movement choir/mob dances," NYS Dancing Green will have other aspects. In particular, I am developing a giant puppet dance presentation that can be seen from long distances and performed in outdoor venues. Once again, the content focus in on sustainability and green issues. The scale of the puppets is similar to "Bread and Puppet Theater," with a similar story-telling approach that is available to a wide constituency--- children, adults, students and other communities.

The puppet dances can be staged alongside the "mob dances." For instance, an afternoon of dance events would include: puppet dances, mob dance workshop, and similar activities.

All projects related to NYS Dancing Green are meant to be models for combing dance and sustainability. The ultimate goal is to partner with sponsors and venues across NY State, eventually having some sort of Dancing Green event in all 62 NY counties.

New York State Dancing Green/Part II
Artists: Jim Self, Colleen Wahl
Total Project Expenses: $12,300
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 800
Counties: Cayuga, Seneca, Tompkins

The 2010/11 portion of this project is the second part of a multi-year project (2 or more years) calling attention to the 'Green' movement through the use of the dance medium. The primary idea is to promote performance and educate the general public about 'Green' projects and the art of dance. It takes place primarily in outside venues such as ball fields, festival grounds, village commons, and other like spaces. It will also take place in 'Green' buildings in urban areas. A primary emphasis will be on avoiding fossil fuels, gas and electricity-- promoting the physical body walking, dancing, and other like activities.

Part two, like part one will include Mob Dances created and directed by Colleen Wahl of NYC, and puppet dances created by Jim Self of Ithaca in collaboration with designer Norm Johnson of Ithaca. Each event will also include movement workshops and sustainability education sessions.

The project is intended to reach a wide general audience including college students, seniors and kids. In the initial stage of the project, there will be approximately 800 in the target audience. Each activity is designed to include as many people as possible as dancers, participants and spectators. The "mob dances" are specifically designed and created to include large numbers of community members performing short simple dances. These dances in turn will be documented on video and posted on You Tube and similar venues to maximize visibility and reach a larger audience.

The New York State Dancing Green Project events will be promoted and organized using a number of new digital technologies and web based marketing tools. Generally, each "Mob Dance" is created by a small group of workshop participants led by Collen Wahl. Each individual then teaches the dance to several other people, who may in turn teach it to a new group of people. When the "final" dance is done, it can include all the participants and the people they have taught, as well as new people on site the day of the event. Digital video clips posted on web venues such as You -Tube will be used as a teaching tool, to promote the event and document the final performance.

Additional marketing and promotion will include Facebook notices, e- blasts, and other social sharing web sites. In addition, the events will be promoted with conventional posters, flyers, radio spots and word of mouth. Each event will have printed material with information regarding "green" initiatives and events and other information related to sustainablity and dance.

NYS Capital Region Dance Season Calendar
Total Project Expenses: $1,111
DanceForce Funding: $959
Audience: 3,000
Counties: Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren, Fulton

The 2008/09 Capital Region Dance Calendar is a two color, brochure/poster that lists 62 dance events, of which many have multiple performances that will or have taken place in NYS' Capital Region. Three thousand, glossy, card stock were printed and half were folded for mailing and tabling at venues and popular meeting spots in the region. Forty Dance companies and fifteen performance venues are listed on the calendar. The piece was sent direct mail to 350 members of the Dance Alliance who are consistent dance concert attendees. The remainder were provided for venues and public sites for distribution. The target audience is "ticket buyers" old and new. The calendar serves as the only single listing of all dance events in NYS' Capital region which includes upwards of seven counties and a population of approximately one million people. The involved partners included members of Partners in Dance: Capital Region Dance Sponsors, which is a network that includes upstate presenters, arts organizations and individuals who program dance.

2010-2011 Capital Region Dance Calendar
Total Project Expenses: $1,450
DanceForce Funding: $1,200
Audience: 2,500
Counties: Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer

The Capital Region of NY is the home of over seven dance presenters, several dance companies, dozens of arts organizations, all of whom use dance in their programs. The regional dance audience is spread over four to seven counties, all within a thirty mile radius of one another. The Capital Region Dance Calendar is a single document that lists all dance performances and festivals in Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties on a single 8 1/2 X 14 brochure/poster. Dance presenters engage in their own respective marketing plans, however there are only two locations where all dance programming is collectively listed: The Capital Region Dance Calendar and the Partners in Dance Website. The 2010-2011 Capital Region Dance Calendar will list the dates, times, location, contact information for all dance events in the region over a 12 month period. The calendar typically includes over 40 events and 15 venues. Data will be collected May to July, 2010. The calendar will be designed, printed, folded and distributed in August/September of 2010. The total number of calendars will be 2,500. They will be distributed by direct mail to select lists of dance enthusiasts. Calendars will be provided for all the presenters and arts organizations for dissemination in their communities. This project engages individual presenters with one another, encourages communication and develops audiences for dance in upstate New York.

Risa Jaroslow in Ulster County
Artist: Risa Jaroslow
Total Project Expenses: $17,500
DanceForce Funding: $10,000
Audience: 110
Counties: Ulster

My 2008-2009 DanceForce project was entirely devoted to empowering New York City choreographer Risa Jaroslow as she endeavored to establish a second home for Risa Jaroslow & Dancers in Ulster County. The project was opportunistic in a positive sense in that it leveraged several happenstances and opportunities that together jump-started the endeavor.

Risa has a second home in rural Ulster County and was familiar enough with the metaphorical landscape to see there were possibilities to make it work—a small community of artists and arts consumers, including some expatriates from downstate, and the beginnings of an arts infrastructure. This latter involved, principally, an arts activist named Ev Mann who had been designated to transform a 19th-century Carnegie library in Kingston into an arts center, and a modest satellite network of dance teachers and spaces. These actual and potential resources did not prove the leg up we hoped they would be. The missteps were instructive and salutary, and point the way forward.

Second, Risa had a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) Site Lines commission to create an outdoor work for the NYC Municipal Building at the foot of Chambers Street. She was able to make a version of the work to present in front of the Ulster County Office Building in Kingston (July 2 and 3, 2008; she also showed a version of the piece at the 2008 DanceForce convening in Saratoga Springs).

Finally, as a participant in Pentacle’s Advancement-Reinvention-Creativity (ARC) infrastructure support program, Risa meshed ARC’s strategic planning process and resources and “implementation” funds with the efforts enabled by DanceForce funds. Mathematically, the effect was arithmetic, but the synergy somehow made the total more than the sum of the parts.

Dance Literacy for Adult Non-Dancers
Artists: Risa Jaroslow, David Neumann
Total Project Expenses: $8,000
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 300
Counties: Ulster, Kings

Ivan Sygoda and the collaborating artists named below will organize two public events designed to foster the self-confidence of concert goers as they encounter less-expected idioms of contemporary dance.

The first involves choreographer David Neumann and his Advanced Beginner Group, which will premiere “Big Eater” at The Kitchen in New York City on March 4. On Monday evening March 1 (date and time to be confirmed after finalization of technical and crew schedules), the company will run the new work for an invited audience who will then be encouraged to articulate their perceptions and reactions, both positive and negative, appreciative and puzzled, on the theory that chinks in the armor offer ways in.

The second involves Risa Jaroslow and Dancers and a follow-up to previous DanceForce-enabled activities as Risa and her company build a second home for themselves in Ulster County. On Saturday, April 10 at a time tba during the afternoon, Risa and her dancers will present work-in-progress excerpts of a new work, “The Partner Project,” at the High Meadow School in Stone Ridge, NY, near Kingston. The attendees will be encouraged to discuss aspects of the new work that may puzzle them and to locate by such means their own gateways into the work.

DanceForce Artists in Residence at TOPAZ ARTS
Artists: (To Be Determined By Open Call)
Total Project Expenses: $14,000
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 1,800
Counties: Queens

The DanceForce Artists-in-Residence Program at TOPAZ ARTS is a new initiative that will offer four choreographers an artistic home for 1-2 months during the 2009-2010 Season. Selected through an open call, each artist will be given time and space with special opportunities specifically tailored to each artist’s needs. Along with 50 hours of rehearsal space and a small stipend, each resident artist will have several options to share their work - a showing, open rehearsal, or artist talk – creating a chance for each artist to hone in on their art and articulate their vision to their audience. The serene and private space at TOPAZ ARTS offers concentrated time to create, as well as an artistic home with amenities such as a kitchen, lounge and wireless connection for breaks and meetings, each artist given key access and use of facilities during their residency.

Artists will be selected through an Open Call for Choreographers. A panel consisting of professionals within the dance field will choose participants with the criteria based on commitment to their work, strength of proposal, and selecting diverse artists at various stages in their career. The Open Call will be available to choreographers throughout New York State. The first round of residencies will occur in the Fall 2009 which will culminate in a showing scheduled for November 2009. The second round will occur in the Winter 2010 with the opportunity for showings in Spring 2010. Each showing will be coupled with a Visual Arts exhibition, providing opportunities for possible collaborative projects, attracting new audiences, where we will reach out not only to different communities, but also to different areas of artistic disciplines. Estimated participants include the choreographers and their dance company members, as well as our audiences within our community of Queens, New York City, Long Island and the tri-state area.

Along with the residencies and activities at TOPAZ ARTS, during this first year with DanceForce, we will research and plan future collaborative projects outside of our region. Preliminary planning is scheduled with several DanceForce Members such as Jim Self/Cornell University where we will meet to discuss possible collaboration, developing the “seeds” of ideas for “green” projects and dance. TOPAZ ARTS is also interested in possible partnerships within the Long Island Region. TOPAZ ARTS is located in Woodside on the first stop along the Long Island Railroad. We will explore “Partners Along the LIRR” (PALs) – from DanceForce members such as Nancy Duncan in Patchogue and Diana Cherryholmes in Huntington to artist residencies in the Hamptons and Montauk for possible collaborations in the future. As we define and develop these projects for subsequent years, we will consider offering continued support to 1-2 of the artists that were selected in the 2009-2010 Artist-in-Residence project to sustain and develop their work over time. We hope to solidify future projects by early 2010.

DanceForce Artists in Residence at TOPAZ ARTS
Artists: (To Be Determined By Open Call)
Total Project Expenses: $14,000
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 800
Counties: Queens

The DanceForce Choreographers' Residency at TOPAZ ARTS is a creative development program that will offer four choreographers an artistic home during the 2010-2011 Season. As part of "Dance in Queens" a program initiated by TOPAZ ARTS in partnership with the Queens Museum of Art, the residency activity focuses on bringing dance to audiences in Queens County.

Artists will be selected through an Open Call for Choreographers. A panel consisting of professionals within the dance field will choose participants with the criteria based on commitment to their work, strength of proposal, and selecting diverse artists at various stages in their career. The Open Call will be available to choreographers throughout New York State. The first round of residencies will occur in the Summer 2010 with performances beginning in August 2010. New for this season, each artist will have the opportunity to choose designated locations within Queens (to be determined) - public spaces where they may develop, create and perform the work. Choreographers and their dancers will have access to rehearsal space at TOPAZ ARTS.

This project not only encourages new dance works, the program focuses on attracting new audiences, where we plan to reach out to different communities. Estimated participants include the choreographers and their dance company members, as well as audiences within Queens, New York City, Long Island and the tri-state area, with approximately 200 people for each artists showing.

Jody Sperling Time Lapse Dance
Artist: Jody Sperling Time Lapse Dance
Total Project Expenses: $8,530
DanceForce Funding: $7,000
Audience: 487
County: Ontario

This project was a three-day teaching and performing residency (March 24-27, 2009) featuring Jody Sperling and Time Lapse Dance. Her company members include Emily Lutin, Andrea Skurr, and Chriselle Tidrick as dancers and David Ferri, lighting designer. This residency included a master class in dance technique (3/25), a lecture on Loie Fuller (3/25), a lec/dem at North Street School (K-3) (3/26), a dance concert performance (3/27), and an artist-audience talk back session following the performance (3/27). Community partners included the HWS Dance Department, North Street Elementary School, and the Geneva NY and surrounding communities. Participant/audience totaled 487.

Richard Move
Artist: Richard Move
Total Project Expenses: $8,062
DanceForce Funding: $2,000
Audience: 253
County: Ontario

Richard Move was in residence for 3 days at Hobart and William Smith Colleges where he 1) taught a master class in Dance Composition "Dancing Words/Moving Text" Tuesday, November 4, 2008; 2)performed "Martha@FisherCenter.Dance" with guest artist/dancer Catherine Cabeen on Wednesday, November 5, 2008; and 3)answered questions about his performance, Martha Graham, and gender issues at a Roundtable Thursday, November 6, 2008.

The residency was sponsored by The Fisher Center for the Study of Women and Men as part of their 2008 lecture series on the theme "Animation," and the Dance Department of Hobart and William Smith Colleges with funding assistance from DanceForce. The Fisher Center also hosted a dinner reception following the performance for guest artists Move and Cabeen which included HWS Colleges' faculty who serve on the Fisher Center Board, Dance Department faculty and staff, and the concert production staff.

AXIS Dance Company
Artist: AXIS Dance Company
Total Project Expenses: $20,000
DanceForce Funding: $6,000
Audience: 600
Counties: Ontario, Monroe

Three day education/outreach and performance residency of AXIS dance, a wheel-chair and stand-up dancer integrated dance company. The company is touring four works: "Vessel," by Alex Ketley, "the beauty that was mine, through the middle, without stopping," by Joe Goode, "Foregone," by Kate Weare, and a new work by David Dorfman. AXIS radically changes the ways audiences view dance and begins new dialogues about the nature and identity of dance and the relationship of artists with disabilities to the world of art/dance/choreography. I am planning a lecture/demonstration for Geneva 4-5th graders; a workshop with an integrated population of differently abled movers, teachers, and dancers; significant outreach with the regional ARC and BOCES organizations; and possibly the company's residency will be part of a symposium on Disability and the Arts scheduled for April, 2010. All AXIS activities will take place between April 12-14, 2010 with a target audience of people from the differently abled community, special education educators and staff, dancers, contemporary dance enthusiasts, children, college students, general audiences. Across the various residency activities, the performance, and artists I expect the number of participants to be 600+.

Kate Weare Dance Company
Artist: Kate Weare
Total Project Expenses: $7,006
DanceForce Funding: $2,000
Audience: 190
Counties: Livingston, Tompkins, Ontario, Monroe

Three day teaching and performing residency with Kate Weare Company in conjunction with a three day teaching and performing residency at SUNY Brockport. While on campus company will offer master classes (2-3) times and dates to be determined; performance; audience talk-back session. Performance to include: The Light Has Not the Arms to Carry Us; Drop Down; and Bridge of Sighs. Performers to include: Andy Clarke, Douglas Gillispie, Leslie Kraus, Marlena Oden and Kate Weare. Technical Director: Philip Trevino. Performance Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. Estimated number of participants/audience members: 190.

Dance and Gender Symposium
Artists: David Dorfman, Don Halquist, Maura Keefe, Claire Porter
Total Project Expenses: $5,150
DanceForce Funding: $2,000
Audience: 290
County: Ontario

Two-day symposium on Gender and Dance, featuring master classes by dance artists Don Halquist, Claire Porter, and David Dorfman and lectures by dance scholars Maura Keefe, Cynthia Williams and other invited panelists. The two day symposium will culminate in a dance performance by selected artists whose pieces reflect upon or create conversation about the intersection of dance and gender. This project builds upon the new audience created by guest artist Richard Move (DanceForce project 2008) and partnerships with the HWS Colleges' Fisher Center, as well as attracting members of the lesbian/gay/transgendered community and dance and gender scholars. The significance of the project is in its explicit focus on dance as a medium for discussions of gender from scholarly, artistic, and educational perspectives.

Project Becoming: Geneva
Artist: Inspirit Dance
Total Project Expenses: $9,250
DanceForce Funding: $6,000
Audience: 380
County: Ontario

Project Becoming: Geneva is an outreach of a dance and education program founded by Christal Brown and Inspirit Dance Company which has successfully touched the lives of female adolescents in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Beacon NY, Harlem, and Charlotte, NC. Project Becoming guides young women through a creative process of self-actualization, building self-esteem through dance, discussion, and creative process exercises.

Working in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club of Geneva, the Geneva Middle School, the Geneva High School, Hobart and William Smith Colleges and the Geneva Partnership, my proposal is to bring teaching artists Christal Brown and members of her company Inspirit to Geneva for three visits: two weekend visits in March and April, 2011 to generate interest in the program and offer day-long workshops that introduce the company and the project to the Geneva community, and a week-long workshop in late June 2011 for 20 selected participants. The week-long workshop will culminate in a Project Becoming Geneva performance where the students will perform a dance/theater presentation that will showcase what they have explored for their families, friends, and community.

This project creates a new set of partnerships in the Geneva community: rather than take place at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, the workshops and performances will take place in the newly opened Boys and Girls Club community center, and rather than continue a focus on HWS Colleges' students, the participants will be Geneva teens, girls from an under-served economic population. The Project Becoming focus is on helping at-risk girls develop pride and self confidence through dance, movement, dialogue and creative process exploration. An emphasis is on interaction with the community; I see this project as having long-term positive effects on the community.