Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation Hosts Gala at Cosmopolitan Club

Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation will mark its 16th anniversary during an annual gala hosted in the Grand Ballroom of the Cosmopolitan Club. This year's benefit committee led by Gala Co-Chairs: Jonah Bokaer, Celia Chou, Dorothy Tapper Goldman, William & Helen Little, and Paul McCann aim to raise $150,000 to support a diverse program that advances interdisciplinary dance, art, and live performance in the U.S. and internationally. Funds will be used to sustain two arts facilities in New York City, and one in Hudson, NY. During the evening's events Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation will highlight the achievements of three honorees in Grantmaking, Innovative in Choreography, and a special tribute to Mayor of Hudson, NY Rick Rector who championed The Hudson Eye inaugural festival, programed by Bokaer's foundation.

American Dance Abroad (ADA) is a national organization that works to expand international visibility for American dance. ADA has provided critical support to Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation over the years through their Rapid Response initiative and other grants and awards, including the Dialogue One Festival in Bulgaria, most recently in 2018. ADA Co-Founders/Co-Directors Carolelinda Dickey and Andrea Snyder, longtime national leaders in the field of American dance, will be recognized for their organization's outstanding achievements in grantmaking.

Nora Chipaumire a Zimbabwe-born choreographer and performer also based in Brooklyn will be recognized for her innovative and thought provoking body of work. Chipaumire's work confronts racial and gender stereotypes through her signature performance style. The artist's latest three-part work was a "live performance album," which focuses on a subject that Bokaer regularly revisits -- the coexistence of Europe and Africa, changes in human migration, and associated repercussions economically, and socially in the U.S. and worldwide today.

Following the tremendous success of Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation's inaugural multidisciplinary arts festival The Hudson Eye. Mayor of Hudson Rick Rector will be honored as an advocate and friend to the performing arts community in Hudson, NY. Through Mayor Rector's unwavering support The Hudson Eye provided a platform exposing the work of 33 artists as showcased by 14 participating venues with sold-out opening performances enjoyed by 6,000 attendees. This program stewarded a $50,000 anonymous grant into the Hudson, NY creative community and offered affordable artist-driven events to the community and visitors over ten days, during peak tourism season.