10HL Looks To The Future; Re-Emergence Embodies Inclusion To Address All Identities

10HL Founding Artistic Director Randy James has stepped down from his role. His vision, generosity, years of hard work and dedication cannot be overstated, nurturing the company's artistic excellence and national stature, shaping nascent artists, providing a platform for conversations surrounding gender and expanding the role of men in dance.

Associate Artistic Director Alex Biegelson will step int the role of Interim Artistic Director. He and Executive Director Betsy Sobo will jointly lead the administrative team until the company is operational on all levels and/or new Executive and Artistic leadership is in place and fully transitioned. Both have been with the company since its founding in 2012 and will ensure continuity. Our dancers are committed and excited for the next phase of 10HL. The company is strongly positioned to re-emerge from the Covid19 pandemic hiatus both financially and artistically, once again boldly commissioning new works and serving as a platform for investigation of the male role in dance today.

We will remain a male repertory dance company, building upon our history of aggressive commissioning of new works, and remain committed to delivering bold and challenging work in both theatrical and educational settings that is directly aimed at challenging expectations, affirming all identities, and providing a safe space to do so.

President Carol Byrne noted, "We are fortunate to have the support of our artists, leadership and community who very much want to see us succeed and build upon the legacy that Randy James created for us. It is in our hands to ensure this and we believe strongly that our partners in the field will make this journey with us as we hold each other up during such challenging times. I am pleased to report that we are free of debt, have a cash reserve and are actively raising funds. We will fully investigate and implement best practices that encourage creative operating models that are achievable, nimble and lean while sustaining our artists and creativity. We are fortunate to have a company that is comprised of mature and talented artists and we are pleased to utilize their exceptional and visionary artistry in the interim."

As a company we have chosen to embrace this pause to take the opportunity to address our role in identity, culture, ethnicity, sexuality and class. We affirm supporting and contributing to diversity, equity, inclusion and access in our field within the framework of exceptional dance. We are examining our role in embodying a relevant, broad, and dynamic spectrum of male perspectives to move forward within this context.

Our path to date includes these actions:

• We have retained Just-in-Time Consulting through our partners at The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation to guide us through the process of devising a realistic and valuable Plan of Action to achieve our goals.
• These dialogues have become the new paradigm for all future communications for the company.
• We are in continued dialogue with our funding, education and presenting partners as well as our patrons who are committed to our goals and vision, and invested in our future success.
• The dancers of 10HL are working collaboratively to generate digital programming and content.

As the safety of our artists and community at large is paramount, programs and services will emerge as virtual presentations and evolve to in-person as conditions allow. Dance Education will continue to be a vital part of our mission and vision. In preparation for when schools and the public at large are able to welcome us either virtually or in person, we are devising meaningful programs for all ages including adults that reflect our stance on inclusion within the framework of dance artistry.

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