Dance/NYC Announces Disability. Dance. Artistry. Residency Program

Dance/NYC and its program partner Gibney have announced the Disability. Dance. Artistry. Residency Program, made possible by the generous support of the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation. Dance/NYC will award residencies to up to ten (10) disabled dance artists and/or disability-led integrated dance companies. The purpose of the residency program is to expand opportunities for dancers with disabilities, including spinal cord injury (SCI) and other impairments, and to advance accessibility and equity for disabled dance artists within the larger dance, residency, and presenting communities.

Dance/NYC remains committed to delivering regranting programs that address disparities in the dance field by continuing to fill gaps in the availability of resources where they are most needed. It believes the dance ecology must itself be just, equitable, and inclusive to meaningfully contribute to social progress and envisions a dance ecology wherein power, funding, opportunities, conduct, and impacts are fair for all artists, cultural workers, and audiences. Dance/NYC's approach cuts across its public programs and all aspects of its operations.

The Residency Program responds directly to Dance/NYC's research, Performing Disability. Dance. Artistry.(Dance.NYC/PerformingDDA18), which underscores the need and opportunity to engage residency centers in the professional development and training of disabled artists and to provide critical training to presenters, driving mentorship and shared learning among artists and presenters. It also recognizes the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on disabled dance workers, as highlighted by its recent publication Coronavirus Dance Impact Informational Brief(https://bit.ly/DNYC_COVID_DanceImpactBrief).

In an effort to ensure every aspect of the program is informed and led by disabled dance artists, Dance/NYC gathered feedback from disabled dance workers across its network and is working with disabled choreographer and artist-engineerLaurel Lawson of Rose Tree Productions who has expertise in disability arts, access, mentorship programming, and facilitation.

"As we continue to respond to the tectonic shifts that the global pandemic has wrought on our sector, Dance/NYC remains focused in our efforts to ensure that disabled artists can continue to develop their artistry and have access to the resources they need to thrive. ," said Alejandra Duque Cifuentes, Executive Director, Dance/NYC "The time is now for our sector to seed the current and next generation of disabled arts workers, as we continue to center disability as a positive artistic generative force."

"The Disability. Dance. Artistry. Residency program has consistently led in service to disabled dancers and I am happy to bring my work as an artist, researcher, and organizer in support of the program's continued growth, in support of disabled artists, and in support of the field as a whole," said Laurel Lawson, Director, Rose Tree Productions.

"Gibney is proud to partner with Dance/NYC on this important program and to continue our work supporting disability artistry. We are committed to making our space and resources accessible to all, and this initiative plays a key role in supporting disabled artists in our field," said Gina Gibney, Founder, Artistic Director & CEO, Gibney.

Applications are now open for individual disabled dance artists and/or integrated dance companies led by people with disabilities to apply for residencies during the period of December 6, 2021 through March 5, 2022. Residencies will be awarded to up to ten (10) disabled dance artists and/or integrated dance companies to support their creative process. These residencies will be hosted in New York City by Gibney, but eligible applicants may be based outside of the metropolitan area. Given the continued impacts of the COVID-19 coronavirus, both in-person and digital residencies will be available.

Benefits include an honorarium of $5,000 per participant, an additional stipend of $1,000 for personal care assistant(s) or any accessibility needs, up to 36 hours of rehearsal time, a ten-class card at Gibney, an informal public engagement opportunity, ten hours of goal-directed mentorship or professional development consulting from an expert in the field, participation in cohort convenings, and marketing support.

Applications will be considered for only one residency program, per applicant. A copy of the applicant's U.S. IRS Determination Letter, which proves the entity's 501(c)(3) designation or tax-exempt status under Internal Revenue Code Section 170(c)(1) is required, or proof of fiscal sponsorship. The program's goals are artistic, and applicants with primarily therapeutic or educational goals will not be considered. Additional information about eligibility and application requirements are now available on Dance/NYC's website at Dance.NYC.

The deadline for application submission is October 10, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

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