'RDDI: New England Now' Postponed

Indira is a Black woman in a bright blue blouse. She poses in front of city buildings.

Senior Program Director, Dance

As this time of uncertainty persists, we have made the necessary decision to adjust our timeline for Regional Dance Development Initiative (RDDI): New England Now.

As you may have already heard, Bates Dance Festival (BDF) has been cancelled for this summer and Bates College is closing its campus to any and all business as a result of COVID-19 precautions. BDF was our key partner in launching RDDI’s first gathering, the Professional Development Lab in July/August. We had hoped to move forward with our planning for RDDI: New England Now—by selecting 12 artists from the applicant pool and developing the program according to their specific needs. However, given that we will not be able to proceed with the Lab this summer, we are postponing the RDDI: New England Now selection and all subsequent program components. We intend to solidify plans in the fall in order to move the programming to 2021-2022.

We will reopen the application process at a later date to position the program with care around what our post-pandemic environment entails. While we hope all who applied will still be interested in participating, we understand that their priorities may change out of necessity. We also recognize that we cannot assume to know what will be relevant for regional dancemakers post-pandemic and will need to remain flexible regarding all components of the program.

As we realign the future of RDDI: New England Now, NEFA remains steadfast in our efforts to create a culture of abundance for dance makers across the region. We look forward to new possibilities that will foster the vital networks of artists, presenters, and communities needed to re-envision our arts and culture landscape and impact our ecology.

Thank You to our Partners, Collaborators, and Regional Advocates

In consultation with independent national arts strategist Jennifer Calienes, New England Now was also developed in partnership with various artists and organizational leaders that are committed to connecting New England communities to dance in all its styles, techniques, and innovations. We appreciate their investment to the program’s goals and acknowledge their contributions which helped the program advance in integrity. They include:

Programmatic Partners

Pre-Lab Activity Collaborators & Partners

Wesleyan Center for the Arts and the Wesleyan Dance Department
with a workshop facilitated by Deborah Goffe
The Dance Complex and New Movement Collaborative/Lion's Jaw Festival
Middlebury College in partnership with Vermont Dance Alliance
with a workshop facilitated by Christal Brown
Mechanics Hall with Portland Dance Month and Maine Moves
with a discussion facilitated by Riley Watts and Sara Juli

Regional Advocates

Maure Aronson
(Cambridge, MA)

John Andress
(Boston, MA)

Andrea Blesso Albuquerque
(Boston, MA)

Christal Brown
(Middlebury, VT)

Fiona Coffey
(Middletown, CT)

Sara Coffey
(Guilford, VT)

Shoshona Currier
(Lewiston, ME)

Peter DiMuro
(Cambridge, MA)

David Dorfman
(New London, CT)

Sharon Fantl
(Keene, NH)

Randal Fippinger
(Williamstown, MA)

Sarah Mae Gibbons
(Roslindale, MA)

Steven Raider Ginsburg
(West Hartford, CT)

Sue Killam
(North Adams, MA)

Steve MacQueen
(Burlington, VT)

Ariana Massery
(Becket, MA)

Aimée M. Petrin
(Portland, ME)

Sydney Skybetter
(Providence, RI)

Nicole Lynn Stanton
(Middletown, CT)

Aysha Upchurch (The Dancing Diplomat)
(Boston, MA)

David R. White
(Chilmark, MA)

Learn more about our regional advocates, including their affiliations.

New England Now is made possible with funding support from the Boston Foundation, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the Aliad Fund at the Boston Foundation.