Year: 2026-2027
DanceForce Member: Kim Engel
Artist: Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company
Community Partners: Bank of Greene County; Dance Alliance; Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company; Schenectady County Legislature; Upstate Coalition for a Fairgame
Audience: 780
Counties: Albany; Fulton; Montgomery; Rensselaer; Saratoga; Schenectady; Schoharie; Washington

In 2025-26, the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company initiated a performance series called Putting Out the Welcome Mat to celebrate its 35th anniversary season as well as to respond to the reduction of dance performances being presented by venues in the region.

The series’ name comes from the piece of equipment that allows these performances to happen in non-traditional sites. Interlocking rubber mat squares quickly create a danceable surface in each location. The mat flooring not only protects the dancers’ bodies but creates a central focal point for audience members to gather around and view the action. Its significance also comes from the ability to reach out and welcome audiences to see dance without encountering a major time commitment, the restriction of cost and the potential barrier of going to a theatre.

The 2026-27 series will see the company in 12 free performances spanning the season and taking place in locations such as community centers, campuses, office buildings, parks, playgrounds, galleries, museums, etc. They will be low-tech, simple events celebrating dance in its most elemental form. Performances will take place at sites where area residents are already gathered, offering audiences an up-close and personal experience with dance. Based on data from the 2025-26 series, it is anticipated that there will be approximately 65-75 viewers per event.

As in the 2025-26 season, the performances will be offered in the four counties of the Capital Region but in 2026-27 they will also expand to four contiguous counties for a more widespread reach.

Comments such as the following have led organizers to believe that this is a viable format for presenting dance and that it is much desired by the community:

“What a fabulous performance! I love the unexpected aspect. It really brought dance to me, rather than having to seek out dance – something that’s become harder and harder these days where I live.”

“This program brings dance to the people. I had the pleasure of watching a 30-minute performance at my favorite local coffee shop. It was wonderful to see the community gather to enjoy each other’s company in a casual setting reminding us that dance is all around us and for everybody to enjoy.”

“Ellen and her dancers were able to bring a small-staged but mighty program to people who may never have seen them if it weren’t for this series.”

“The dancers moved in harmonic grace as they created a magical space in the middle of the room. The crowd fell silent, captivated, as the dancers’ gyrations beckoned us into an imaginary place. My husband, who has struggled to appreciate modern dance, was truly mesmerized by the experience.”

This project serves to increase dance activity in multiple counties, celebrate a local resource, expose dance to a widespread population, potentially develop new audiences for dance and ensure that dance does not become an underrepresented art form in the Capital Region.