RIOULT Dance NY Receives NEA Grant to Support New Work POLYMORPHOUS

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu announced today that RIOULT Dance NY is one of 919 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant. RIOULT Dance is recommended for a $10,000 grant to support the creation and presentation of Artistic Director, Pascal Rioult's new work entitled Polymorphous.

Polymorphous, will enjoy its world premiere at DeBartolo Performing Arts Center in Notre Dame, IN on February 6-7, 2015. Set to selections from J.S. Bach's "The Well Tempered Clavier," Polymorphous explores the subjectivity of perception through movement and technology. The work takes on the very idea of polymorphism -- referring to the act of something that assumes or occurs in various forms.

Working with video artist Brian Beasley and set designer Harry Feiner, Pascal Rioult will integrate media through a number of available technologies such as computer processing, simulation, animation, video, and image processing. Four dancers - two male and two female - will serve as both the performers and objects of illusion in the dance.

NEA Chairman Jane Chu said, "I'm pleased to be able to share the news of our support through Art Works including the award to RIOULT Dance NY. The arts foster value, connection, creativity and innovation for the American people and these recommended grants demonstrate those attributes and affirm that the arts are part of our everyday lives."

"It is a great honor for my dance company to receive a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for the creation of Polymorphous. I see it as recognition of the quality and endurance of my artistic output. Most importantly, it will allow me and the dancers to create a new work to share with our audiences," said Pascal Rioult

Art Works grants support the creation of art, public engagement with art, lifelong learning in the arts, and enhancement of the livability of communities through the arts. The NEA received 1,474 eligible applications under the Art Works category, requesting more than $75 million in funding. Of those applications, 919 are recommended for grants for a total of $26.6 million.

For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, visit the NEA website at arts.gov. Follow the conversation about this and other NEA-funded projects on Twitter at #NEAFall2014.

RIOULT Dance NY, celebrating its 20th Anniversary in the 2013-2014 Season, fast became an established name in modern dance with a reputation for bringing the sensual, articulate and musical dance works of Pascal Rioult to audiences worldwide. The twelve-dancer company, based in New York City, is led by 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 40 dances that expands each year, RIOULT Dance NY presents an annual New York Season 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