NEFA's National Dance Project Announces Annual Awards

(BOSTON, MA) The New England Foundation for the Arts has awarded $1,790,000 through the National Dance Project (NDP) to support the creation of 20 new dance works that will tour the United States. 

Now in its third decade, NDP is widely recognized as one of the country’s major sources of funding and field building for dance, supporting both the creation and touring of new works. A panel of national dance artists and presenters selected these projects out of 148 competitive applications. The choreographers and companies from around the country include 19 U.S. artists, 12 of which are first-time NDP Production grant recipients, as well as one international collaboration. Each project will receive $45,000 for the creation of the new work, and U.S. based artists will also receive $10,000 in unrestricted general operating support. A total of $700,000 is allocated to support U.S. organizations to present these works.  

“These new dance creations will connect powerfully with audiences across the United States in the years to come, and we are excited to invest in these artists. We have introduced new initiatives such as community engagement awards and travel grants that will support the success of these projects even further,” said NEFA executive director Cathy Edwards. “This would not be possible without the continued support of our funders and partners.”

NDP has invested more than $37 million in funding to artists and organizations to strengthen partnerships and bring dance into communities across the U.S. To date, NDP has supported the creation of over 432 new choreographic works that have toured to all 50 states and Washington, DC, reaching over 3 million audience members.

NEFA's National Dance Project is generously supported with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with funding for special initiatives from the Barr Foundation, the Boston Foundation, and the Aliad Fund at the Boston Foundation.

The 2018 NDP Production grant recipients are:

• A.I.M, Untitled D'Angelo Project, New York, NY
• Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, LAZARUS, New York, NY
• Ashwini Ramaswamy, Let the Crows Come, Minneapolis, MN
• Baker & Tarpaga Dance Project, When Birds Refused to Fly, Philadelphia, PA
• Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company's Puebla: The Story of Cinco de Mayo, East Elmhurst, NY
• Charles O. Anderson/dance theatre X, (Re)current Unrest, Austin, TX
• Dance Theatre of Harlem, New Work by Claudia Schreier, New York, NY
• Dohee Lee Puri Arts, MU/巫: 9 Goddesses, Oakland, CA
• Embodiment Project, XXX rated planet: the epigenetics of femicide, San Francisco, CA
• Invertigo Dance Theatre, Formulae and Fairy Tales, Los Angeles, CA
• Jaamil Olawale Kosoko, Chameleon, New York, NY
• Liz Lerman, Wicked Bodies, Baltimore, MD
• Lucinda Childs, Wendy Whelan, Maya Beiser, the day, Beacon, NY
• Movement Art Is (Jon Boogz & Lil Buck), LOVE HEALS ALL WOUNDS, Las Vegas, NV
• Raphael Xavier, Sassafrazz: Roots & Mastery, Philadelphia, PA
• Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group, POWER, Brooklyn, NY
• RUBBERBANDance Group, Baumann Project (Working Title), Montreal, QC
• Solo Magic, Black Like Me: An Exploration of the Word Nigger, Seattle, WA
• Staibdance, fence, Avondale Estates, GA
• Wideman Davis Dance, Migratuse Ataraxia, Columbia, SC

To learn more about the grantees and their projects, visit the directory of NDP projects with tour support available on www.nefa.org, look for the 2018 program publication available in early September, or contact program staff at ndp@nefa.org.

About NEFA
The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in the arts to enrich communities in New England and beyond. NEFA accomplish­es this by granting funds to artists and cultural organizations; connecting them to each other and their audiences; and analyzing their economic contributions. NEFA serves as a regional partner for the National Endowment for the Arts, New England’s state arts agencies, and private foundations. Learn more at www.nefa.org.

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 CONTACT: Ann Wicks, 617.951.0010 x534