NEFA's National Dance Project Awards $940K for New Dance Works

(BOSTON, MA) The New England Foundation for the Arts has awarded $940,000 in National Dance Project grants to support the creation and touring of new dance works throughout the United States.

Eighteen dance artists and companies from across the U.S. were selected from 137 competitive applications to receive grants ranging from $36,000 to $43,000 for the creation of a new work. These awards come with additional funding that will support the touring of the new work; these funds are available to U.S. nonprofit organizations through the National Dance Project Presentation Grant program. The funding package also comes with $11,000 in unrestricted general operating support for each artist recipient, thanks to additional funding provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

“We are so pleased to be able to offer this comprehensive package of support to artists and to increase the amount of funding this year that goes towards creating new works,” said NDP program manager Sara Nash. “Thanks to the steadfast support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, audiences around the country will continue to engage with imaginative new dance works.”

Since 1996, NDP has been a primary system of support for the contemporary dance field, supporting the production and touring of new dance works.  In a field that has been historically under-funded, NDP remains the only national program dedicated to supporting individual dance artists and companies in a broad range of genres, whether established or emerging.  To date, including these awards, NDP has supported the creation of over 323 new dance works, partnering directly with more than 300 U.S. presenting organizations to bring high caliber dance projects to all 50 states, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Each year, 25 to 30 different dance projects are featured in engagements in an average of 250 communities across the country. These touring engagements create new connections between community members and artists, offer unique opportunities for artistic growth, and increase access to the arts and the creative process.

The 2014 NDP grant recipients are:

Artist/Company Project Title
a canary torsi | yanira castro, Brooklyn, NY Court/Garden
Alonzo King LINES Ballet, San Francisco, CA New Work by Alonzo King
Amy O'Neal, Seattle, WA Opposing Forces
AXIS Dance Company, Oakland, CA to go again
Beth Gill, Ridgewood, NY Core
Christopher K. Morgan & Artists, North Bethesda, MD Pohaku
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Denver, CO Bamboula
CONTRA-TIEMPO, Culver City, CA Agua Furiosa
David Neumann, Thornwood, NY I Understand Everything Better
Eiko Otake, New York, NY Eiko: A Body in Places
Faye Driscoll, Brooklyn, NY Thank You For Coming: Play [working title]
John Jasperse Projects, New York, NY Remains
Karen Sherman, Minneapolis, MN Soft Goods
Kota Yamazaki/Fluid hug-hug, Brooklyn, NY OQ
Miguel Gutierrez, Brooklyn, NY Age & Beauty Parts 2 & 3
The Seldoms, Chicago, IL Power Goes
Trajal Harrell, New York, NY THE GHOST OF MONTPELLIER MEETS THE SAMURAI
Twyla Tharp Dance, New York, NY New Work by Twyla Tharp

To learn more about the grantees and their projects, look for the 2014 National Dance Project publication, available in early September on www.nefa.org, or by contacting program manager Sara Nash at 617.951.0010 x512 or snash@nefa.org.

About NEFA

NEFA builds connections among artists, arts organizations, and funders, powering the arts to energize communities in New England, the nation, and the world. NEFA is a nonprofit that operates in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the New England state arts agencies, with additional funding from foundations, corporations, individuals and other government agencies.

NEFA’s work is accomplished through grantmaking, services, and initiatives which strengthen and advance the national arts infrastructure. For more information, please visit www.nefa.org or call 617.951.0010.

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CONTACT: Ann Wicks, 617.951.0010 x534