Lynne And Richard Pasculano Donate $50 Million To Lincoln Center For Contemporary Dance

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) today announced a $50 million gift from Lynne and Richard Pasculano in support of an expansion of contemporary dance at Lincoln Center. The gift represents the largest single programming gift in LCPA's history. This founding gift for The Pasculano Collaborative for Contemporary Dance paves the way for more of the most dynamic and innovative contemporary dance performances from across the globe to join the cultural crossroads of Lincoln Center – honoring the distinguished legacy of dance on campus and investing in the next generation of dance artists. 

“At its heart, Lincoln Center is a place for artistic collaboration and discovery,” said Steven R. Swartz, Chair of the Board of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. “The vision and generosity of Lynne and Richard Pasculano allows us to work alongside our fellow resident organizations and peers throughout the field to deepen this collaboration and discovery for contemporary dance artists and audiences. We are thrilled to be embarking on this new initiative alongside our phenomenal resident organization colleagues.” 

“Lincoln Center has long been home to many of the most innovative and beloved dance creators of our time – primarily, through the incredible work led by the New York City Ballet. But never have we had a dedicated commitment of this magnitude to ensure contemporary dance across genres will be a pillar of programming for decades to come,” said Mariko Silver, President and CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

“These are challenging times for the contemporary dance community, as we continue recovering from the height of the Covid pandemic. This Collaborative is intended to create new possibilities across the industry by catalyzing deep collaboration with dance makers and organizations across our campus, New York City, the nation, and the world. This generous and inspiring support from Lynne and Richard Pasculano will ensure the long-held dream of Lincoln Center as a home for contemporary dance can be more fully realized.” 

Silver added, “We are so grateful to the Pasculanos for their continued investments across Lincoln Center. Lynne and Richard walked alongside us during some of the hardest times in recent memory, providing critical funds as we opened up after the height of the pandemic. Now, they are inspiring and supporting us to deepen our engagement with a thrilling range of innovative dance makers and dance organizations creating today.” 

“This gift was inspired by our deep love for Lincoln Center and for contemporary dance, which is truly a family affair. My father, Harry Lebensfeld, supported Lincoln Center for decades, and we are proud to build on and expand this family legacy,” said Lynne Pasculano. “Lincoln Center's investment in free and choose-what-you-pay programming is building new audiences for the performing arts. Since New York is the greatest city in the world for contemporary dance, we want to be sure that as many New Yorkers as possible can experience this phenomenal creativity at Lincoln Center.” 

“We hope this gift will inspire others to give to the performing arts, and to dance, which we believe are some of the best parts of New York City life,” said Richard Pasculano. “Investing in the great dance artists of our time will help ensure that Lincoln Center is a leader of cultural innovation and exchange for decades to come, and that New Yorkers from all walks of life can be part of the incredible artistic energy that defines us.” 

An Artistic Advisory Committee will work with the LCPA programming team led by Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer Shanta Thake to shape the Collaborative's activities for greatest impact and inclusivity within the ever-expanding contemporary dance sphere. 
Current Artistic Advisory Committee members include Kyle Abraham, Jody Gottfried Arnhold, Misty Copeland, Alicia Graf Mack, Lane Sugata, and Eduardo Vilaro. 

Series in both the winter and summer, new commissions, opportunities for emerging dance artists, including those at The Juilliard School, and investments in audience engagement will all be part of a holistic vision to expand the global dance community's home at Lincoln Center, collaborating with industry colleagues to complement the vibrant work happening across New York City. 

“So many of the world's greatest dancers have made New York City their home, and so many of them are integral parts of Lincoln Center's incredibly rich history of modern and contemporary dance,” said Shanta Thake, Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. “It is our intention to honor this legacy and build upon it so that the great dance makers of today working across the expanse of contemporary dance are at home here. We look forward to continued collaboration across campus, to deepen service to these artists and their communities, and elevate contemporary dance across our campus.” 

Damian Woetzel, Juilliard's President, said, “Having spent much of my life on Lincoln Center's campus—first as a student, then as a dancer with the New York City Ballet, and now as president of Juilliard—this generous gift is especially meaningful. As we look forward to the exciting creative possibilities their support will make possible for the next generation here at Juilliard, we are deeply grateful to Lynne and Richard Pasculano and to Lincoln Center.” 

“New York City Ballet's home, the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, has been one of the world's premiere venues for dance since opening its doors in 1964, with NYCB premiering nearly 400 choreographic works on the Theater's stage. We look forward to the many new opportunities for creative collaboration that Lynne and Richard Pasculano's extraordinarily generous commitment will make possible, and the chance to build on the tradition of exceptional artistry and excellence in dance here at Lincoln Center,” said Katherine Brown, Executive Director, New York City Ballet and the David H. Koch Theater.
“Contemporary dance accounts for a huge amount of archival material at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, making our Library at Lincoln Center a world-class destination for artists, researchers, and scholars.

We're so thrilled that Lynne and Richard Pasculano have generously donated to Lincoln Center to build on this legacy, and we couldn't be more excited to work with Lincoln Center to expand accessible contemporary dance events on the campus,” said Roberta Pereira, Barbara G. and Lawrence A. Fleischman Executive Director of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. 

“What an exciting moment for our treasured dance community,” said Misty Copeland, Board Member of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. “The possibilities that live within this new Collaborative are truly thrilling. We are so grateful to the Pasculanos and look forward to working with the many dance artists – both near and far – who will be part of this initiative for decades to come.”

Additional details, including 2026 programming and performance dates, will be announced in the coming months.

Contemporary dance is core to LCPA's programming vision, embracing a range of global communities and drawing from the history of creativity on the Lincoln Center campus. Recent and upcoming presentations include international companies Aakash Odedra Company, Akram Khan, Boy Blue, Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and Huang Yi; the U.S. based Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Lil Buck, and Ragamala Dance Company; New York City companies A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham, Buglisi Dance Theatre, Ephrat Asherie Dance, GALLIM DANCE, Kinetic Light, Ladies of Hip-Hop, Heidi Latsky Dance, Les Ballet Afrik, Music from the Sole, and Urban Bush Women; the BAAND Together Dance Festival (Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theater of Harlem); as well as providing a home for the Bessie Awards and Archive of Dance, a new augmented reality experience co-presented with the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

About Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) is a cultural and civic cornerstone of New York City. The primary advocate for the entire Lincoln Center campus, our strategic priorities include: fostering collaboration and deepening impact across the Lincoln Center resident organizations; championing inclusion and increasing the accessibility and reach of Lincoln Center's work; and nurturing innovation on stage and off to help ensure the arts are at the center of civic life for all. LCPA presents hundreds of programs each year, offered primarily for free and choose-what-you-pay, including many specially designed for young audiences, families, and those with disabilities. 

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