THE NEW YORK STATE DANCEFORCE
The DanceForce was founded in 1994 by Dance Theater Workshop Director David R. White, Pentacle’s Ivan Sygoda, New York State Council on the Arts Dance Program Director Beverly D’Anne, and other key partners around the state. The DanceForce was initially conceived as a think-tank to examine problems and opportunities facing the dance field within New York State. With the goal of re-energizing the art form, a group representing dancers, presenters, managers and art service organizations convened to focus on addressing the isolation of the state’s dance professionals by increasing the traffic of choreographers and dance companies within the state in meaningful ways. The issues raised included dance literacy, audience development and community cultural development.
Since then, the DanceForce has grown to become a statewide network of nineteen dance organizers committed to increasing the amount and quality of dance activity across upstate New York. Every year, our members create exciting and innovative projects in their communities to help move work to new regions and to knit together dance communities from around the state. These projects, for which the DanceForce provides core funding, include creative or teaching residencies, where an artist from outside the region will spend several days or weeks in a community rehearsing, giving classes and workshops and performing; audience education and development projects, including targeted marketing and joint marketing initiatives to raise dance’s visibility and intensive outreach with youth groups and the community at large; networking initiatives, where multiple arts organizations will work together to use their collective resources to better support dance activity in their area; and projects that link local communities with artists and companies from other regions.
An equally important aspect of the DanceForce’s mission is to bring together our members and other regional dance organizers to discuss challenges, share ideas, view new work and exchange information relevant to the field. Meetings are held twice annually—one in January and the other in the summer in a rotating location throughout the state—and include artist showcases, panel discussions with members and invited guests, organizational workshops and seminars, and topics of particular import in local communities. These meetings help to link cultural organizers and give them, and the dance communities they serve, increased tools to support dance in their area.
Where Is The DanceForce?
The DanceForce is truly a statewide network. Our members live and work in communities including Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, the Capital Region, the Mohawk Valley, Oswego, Ithaca, Geneva, Brockport, Buffalo, and Chautauqua County. DanceForce members often extend their projects beyond their home communities, resulting in coverage of many counties in New York State.
How Does It Work?
Each year, DanceForce members are allocated an equal amount—historically between $6,000 and $10,000 each—to use for designing, planning, and implementing one or more projects that bring dance artists to their community. Members have complete discretion over the scope and content of these projects, as long as they conform to the overall mission of the DanceForce. Members often engage local partners as they plan, fund, and implement projects, leveraging additional funds from corporations, foundations, individuals, and government agencies. The NYSCA Dance Program has been a key supporter of the DanceForce. The DanceForce has also been supported by funds from JP Morgan Chase, Philip Morris, the Altria Group, and other private foundations and individuals.
How Are Members Chosen?
The effectiveness of the DanceForce emanates in large part from the fact that its members function as individuals, not organizations. The vitality and breadth of the state’s current dance landscape owes much to the energy, expertise, and commitment these people have contributed. Because of this, the DanceForce strives to maintain stability and foster long-term relationships among its members.
When a vacancy does occur, we issue a statewide call to identify potential candidates. Representation of the entire state in all its geographic, ethnic, and cultural diversity is an important criterion for the overall organization. We also strive to maintain a mix of viewpoints and expertise, including dance artists, presenters, teachers, administrators, and freelance advocates.
How Can I Get Involved with the DanceForce?
The “point persons” for DanceForce projects are our nineteen members who live and work in communities throughout the state. Their contact info is listed on the DanceForce website at www.danceforce.org/members. Whether you’re looking to be an artist partner, a community partner, or audience member, the first step is to contact them. Find out what they’re doing and what their plans are for the future. DanceForce members are always thinking ahead and open to ideas for new projects.
What Do I Have To Do When?
DanceForce members’ projects run on a seasonal cycle; it’s good to be aware of this before approaching them with project proposals. It’s a good idea to focus on what you can bring to a project or partnership, in addition to what you might get out of it. Each member submits a proposal at the end of January for projects that will begin sometime after July 1 of that year and end before June 30 of the following year. So it’s best to contact members well in advance; turning a visionary project idea into a concrete proposal takes time, especially for new partnerships.
Some Of Our Community Partners
