Perenchio Foundation Supports BODYTRAFFIC With $1 Million Grant

BODYTRAFFIC, the Los Angeles-based contemporary dance company founded in 2007, has received a $1,020,000 multi-year General Operating Support Grant from Perenchio Foundation. The funding will strengthen BODYTRAFFIC's Los Angeles operations, performances, training programs, and community outreach.

Perenchio Foundation's General Operating Support Grants provide flexible funding to Los Angeles County arts organizations to bolster operational resilience. With a commitment for multiple years, these grants aim to help arts organizations address immediate needs, strengthen infrastructure, plan from a place of greater confidence and stability, and build capacity for a long-term future in the region.

"The organizations in which we are investing have a proven track record of artistic excellence, community partnerships, and steady leadership. What is often missing for such organizations is the kind of stable, multi-year funding that allows them to fully plan for the future," Perenchio Foundation Chief Executive Officer Stephania Ramirez said. "Our grants are designed to fill that gap with sustained, flexible support."

"We are so incredibly grateful for this support from Perenchio Foundation. This kind of multi-year operating support for arts organizations is rare and essential. We take great pride in being L.A.'s dance company. This support gives us room to strengthen, to dream, and to explore new ways of connecting with our Los Angeles community," shared BODYTRAFFIC Artistic Director Tina Finkelman Berkett.

Since its creation in 2007, BODYTRAFFIC has become acclaimed across the U.S. and the world, touring regularly. In 2020, the company underwent a strategic shift, envisioning a significant expansion of performances, programming, and outreach in its home community of Los Angeles. BODYTRAFFIC established a home season, performing at touchstone locations across L.A. The company's 2024/2025 This Reminds Me of You home season doubles the number of performances offered at Audrey Irmas Pavilion at Wilshire Boulevard Temple (September 26, 2024), The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (December 6-7, 2024), Skirball Cultural Center (March 18-19, 2025), and Avalon Hollywood (June 4-5, 2025).

"BODYTRAFFIC strives to embody the creative essence of Los Angeles in everything we do- we want our work to reflect and connect with the spirit, voices and diverse cultures of our home city. Over the past few years we have been deepening our engagement, investment, and connection within our Los Angeles community. This commitment will only grow and expand over the next few years," Berkett shared.

BODYTRAFFIC actively cultivates opportunities for youth and historically excluded populations in L.A. to connect with the company. Within Los Angeles, efforts include movement workshops, educational performances, and open rehearsals. The company encourages lifelong learners through Creative Aging classes at GRoW@The Wallis and Pasadena Senior Center, teaches the freedom of movement at L.A. County High School for the Arts (LACHSA), and educates on alternative creative futures at Everybody Dance LA! (EDLA) and A Place Called Home. Additionally, BODYTRAFFIC provides free mainstage performances to youth throughout L.A., by offering 100+ free home season tickets to students from LACHSA, EDLA, and A Place Called Home.

BODYTRAFFIC's Summer Program (ages 18+) brings talented emerging and early career dance artists from around the world to Los Angeles to advance their craft with the company's Artistic Director Tina Finkelman Berkett, company dancers, and acclaimed guest faculty. The 2024 guest faculty roster included Juel D. Lane, Martha Nichols, and Tamisha Guy. BODYTRAFFIC's Teen Program selects the most promising 13-17-year-old dancers from around the country for an intensive designed to inspire authentic self-expression through rigorous technical training combined with discussion sessions on building a future in dance. BODYTRAFFIC's Winter Program is a weeklong intensive workshop with a focus on the specific needs of dancers, such as "Choreography and Mental Health" (2023) and "Finding Your Success in Dance" (2024).

BODYTRAFFIC is not driven by one singular choreographic voice. The company endorses established and new choreographic voices and aims to be a home for an eclectic range of choreographic styles and perspectives. The company has worked with renowned choreographers including Kyle Abraham, Sidra Bell, Alejandro Cerrudo, Fernando Magadan, Ohad Naharin, Matthew Neenan, Hofesh Shechter, and Micaela Taylor. During its 2024-2025 Los Angeles season, BODYTRAFFIC will perform world premieres by Juel D. Lane, Trey McIntyre, Joan Rodriguez, and Jordyn Santiago.

About BODYTRAFFIC

BODYTRAFFIC, an internationally-renowned dance company from Los Angeles, has been a dynamic force in contemporary dance since its founding in 2007 by Artistic Director Tina Finkelman Berkett. Known for technical prowess and versatility, BODYTRAFFIC artists expertly master a repertoire that spans ballet, contemporary, modern, Afro-Cuban, and hip hop genres. The company thrives on a collective of diverse perspectives and styles, bringing to life the visions of accomplished choreographers like Kyle Abraham, Sidra Bell, Alejandro Cerrudo, Fernando Magadan, Trey McIntyre, Ohad Naharin, Hofesh Shechter, and Micaela Taylor. BODYTRAFFIC aims to champion both established and emerging voices, serving as a home for a diverse range of styles and perspectives that tell vital stories. By blending local and global perspectives, BODYTRAFFIC reflects the rich diversity of its home city while pushing the boundaries of dance.

BODYTRAFFIC has performed in over 30 states and 20 countries, including as cultural ambassadors to Israel and Jordan during the Obama administration as well as South Korea (2016), Algeria (2017-2018), and Indonesia (2018). The company views its work as a testament to BODYTRAFFIC's commitment to elevating dance beyond mere performance, transforming it into an exploration and celebration of ideas and spirit. This dedication is further demonstrated through a passion for education, as BODYTRAFFIC mentors and uplifts more than 700 students annually through various programs, ranging from youth-focused movement workshops to professional development for established artists. This holistic approach underscores the company's belief in the transformative power of dance as a vehicle for personal and collective growth.

Photo: SNAP by Micaela Taylor; by Tomasz Rossa

 

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