RIOULT Dance NY Launches Public Phase Of $6 Million Capital Campaign

RIOULT Dance NY, a critically-acclaimed New York City-based modern dance company, announced that it has launched the public phase of its $6 million capital campaign. To date, members of the RIOULT Dance NY Board of Directors and Chairman's Council, foundations, and New York City and State entities have made gifts and commitments in excess of $3 million to the "Campaign for the RIOULT Dance Center." The Campaign began in the fall of 2016 and expects to reach its goal in 2021.

The goal of the Campaign is to support the buildout and operation of a new home for RIOULT Dance NY in an 11,000 square foot space located at 34-01 Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens in the historic Kaufman Arts District. The new space, known as the RIOULT Dance Center, includes five state-of-the-art studios, one that converts into a 100 plus-seat black box theater and a second that doubles as public space, along with administrative offices for the dance company's operations. The Center will provide the first "brick-and-mortar" home for the Company; a school for the community with dance classes for children and teens; dance and fitness classes for adults; and a place for professional dancers to train, rehearse, and perform. The RIOULT Dance Center, designed by the New York City-based architectural firm Architecture Outfit, is scheduled to open in October 2018.

"The opening of the RIOULT Dance Center marks a significant milestone in the history of this company," said Hope Greenfield, Chairman of the RIOULT Dance NY Board of Directors. "We have long sought a permanent home for our professional company of dancers, and we can now proudly offer the Queens and greater New York City arts communities a world-class dance facility and school for performance, teaching and rehearsal."

"We are delighted to have reached the halfway point towards meeting our Campaign goal in under two years," said Harsha Murthy and Jill Scheuer, RIOULT Capital Campaign Co-Chairs. "It is gratifying to see the extraordinary support that the Campaign has received from not only our Board of Directors, Chairman's Council members and long-standing patrons and friends, but also the new contributions that have come in from foundations, corporations, individuals and the larger community. While the doors to the studio open in October, much work remains to complete all phases of the Dance Center buildout and to grow programming within the space and in the community. We look forward, as we move out of the 'quiet phase' of the Campaign, to having other donors join us in reaching our goal and supporting the exciting dance, education, and community programs that the Center will offer."

RIOULT Dance NY is grateful to the following institutions for supporting the Campaign for the RIOULT Dance Center: the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, New York State Council on the Arts with the Support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, Alice Lawrence Foundation, Booth Ferris Foundation, Gordon and Harriet Greenfield Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, New York Community Trust, and Zlotoff Generations Fund.

"I see the RIOULT Dance Center becoming a destination of endless possibility and enrichment for not only our Company's dancers but for the local Queens community, the New York City dance community and for the art of Dance," said Pascal Rioult, RIOULT Dance NY artistic director. "Building on the reputation of RIOULT Dance NY, the RIOULT Dance Center will provide high- caliber dance education, welcoming students of all ages and at all levels from toddlers to professional dancers and develop future performers, choreographers, teachers, and audiences. We also are committed to honoring and expanding the diversity of Queens through our programming. Our aim is to create a destination percolating with creativity, a place to dig deep into the shared human experience, create art, and inspire. We are so happy with the warm welcome that our new neighbors have shown us as we prepare for opening the RIOULT Dance Center."

ABOUT RIOULT DANCE NY: RIOULT Dance NY fast became an established name in modern dance with a reputation for bringing the sensual, articulate and exquisitely musical dance works of Pascal Rioult to audiences worldwide. The dance company, founded in 1994 and based in New York City, is led by the husband-and-wife team Artistic Director/Choreographer Pascal Rioult and Associate Artistic Director Joyce Herring - both former Martha Graham Dance Company principal dancers. With an established repertoire of over 45 dances that expands each year with Pascal Rioult's new work, RIOULT Dance NY has presented its New York Season at The Joyce Theater and tours nationally and abroad. In addition, in-school arts education and community outreach have been integral to the company since its inception, introducing students and families to the art of modern dance. www.rioult.org and www.rioult-dance-center-campaign.org