Mark DeGarmo Dance Receives Grant from Harkness 2021

Mark DeGarmo Dance received a Harkness Foundation for Dance project grant for their 12-year-old Virtual Salon Performance Series (SPS) 2021. Mark DeGarmo Dance Eventbrite Events. The program went international to global locations in the COVID-19 environment. This ongoing program of Mark DeGarmo Dance,offered since 2009, solidified greatly in 2020 due, surprisingly, to technologies which became ubiquitous due to COVID-19. Greatly expanded response from the local, regional, national, and international dance communities indicated to MDD that there is a great unmet need, opportunity, and interest in presenting works-in-process with public, democratic, anti-racist practice and reflective discourse to support democracy and democratic values, diversity, equity, inclusion, and sovereignty.

The grant supports the Series, curated by Dr. Mark DeGarmo, PhD, BFA, Founder, Executive & Artistic Director, Mark DeGarmo Dance for support of 84+/- indigenous, senior, Latinx, immigrant, LGBTQIA+, African Diaspora, artists with disabilities, and other dance artist applicants:

• Marketing and Promotion for up to a year following each salon.

• Feedback via a Critical Audience Reflection Process that nurtures works-in-progress through a facilitated dialogue among dance artists, peers, and audiences.

• Mentoring: Ongoing career guidance in audience development, technology, network-building, and sustainable practices.

MDD took SPS virtual and global in 2020 in response to COVID-19. With limited marketing and resources, 425 artists and groups applied to us for 51 slots (97 artists total) for 2019-20. 2,126 artists to date have engaged with our latest Call for Entries FB posting. Artists programmed for the 2021 series, broadcast on the first Thursday of each month, so far have come to us from countries including Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo, England, Latvia, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, and Uganda.

The Harkness Foundation for Dance is a private grant-making foundation dedicated to invigorating and supporting the dance art form, predominantly in New York City. Since its inception the Foundation has contributed significantly to the dance field, extending grants to over 560 organizations. There are four major areas of support: Dance creation, Dance presentation, Dance education. Dance medicine/other services to the dance field. The Foundation supports dance companies, dance presenting organizations, dance education organizations, and dance service organizations.