NDP Dance Lab in Minneapolis with grant from McKnight

The New England Foundation for the Arts will support a 10-day dance lab for Minnesota dance artists thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Minneapolis-based McKnight Foundation. The dance lab is part of the Regional Dance Development Initiative (RDDI) of NEFA’s National Dance Project (NDP). Since 2004, dance labs have been held in the Pacific Northwest, the San Francisco Bay Area, and New England.

The objectives of this initiative are to strengthen local and regional connections for dance by supporting professional development for choreographers and by developing ongoing relationships with presenting organizations. The Minnesota dance lab will be based at the Cowles Center in Minneapolis with Christine Tschida serving as Project Coordinator. “We are thrilled to have this opportunity to partner with our Minneapolis colleagues – to work in concert with the region’s dance artists, presenters, and funders and to help advance the goals of this community,” said Jane Forde, NDP program manager. 

For information on NDP, visit www.nefa.org; for information on the Minnesota Dance Lab, visit www.thecowlescenter.org. 
 
The Minnesota dance lab is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008; the McKnight Foundation; and NEFA’s National Dance Project.

The National Dance Project (NDP) has provided a system of support for the living, growing discipline of contemporary dance by supporting the production and touring of dance in the U.S. and beyond since 1996. To date, the program has awarded more than $17.3 million to 356 projects reaching over 200,000 audience members annually. NDP grants have supported more than 263 new dance works involving over 300 presenters of dance in more than 4,300 performances and 7,500 community activities. NDP has reached over 2.8 million audience members and funds tours to an average of 36 states annually.

NEFA's National Dance Project Production and Touring awards are generously supported by lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, with additional funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Community Connections Fund of the MetLife Foundation, and the Boeing Company Charitable Trust.

About NEFA
NEFA creatively supports the movement of people, ideas, and resources in the arts within New England and beyond, makes vital connections between artists and communities, and builds the strength, knowledge, and leadership of the creative sector.  NEFA is a nonprofit that operates with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New England state arts agencies, and from corporations, foundations and individuals. www.nefa.org.

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