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Contact: Ann Norris
202-833-1717 x13
anorris@danceusa.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2004

GREATER METRO DC DANCE COMMUNITY GETS BOOST FROM MAJOR REGIONAL FOUNDATION
Local Dance Community to receive instrumental services

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 9, 2004 – Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance, announced that it will receive an initial $50,000 grant from the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation to launch a service provider for the Washington, DC metro area. The new project director will focus on raising the visibility of the dance community and making information for and about dance in the DC metro area accessible to dance professionals and to the public. The project will also provide mentorship and professional development opportunities for artists to share skills and experiences that build on the existing talent of the DC metro dance community.

“The metropolitan DC region has an incredible array of talented choreographers and dance companies engaging in a broad range of dance from classical to ethnic to modern. There are more than 180 dancemakers in the region. In making this grant, Meyer’s goal is to strengthen the dance community, make it more visible to the public, and create a real buzz nationally and internationally about the quality of dance here. We want to put this region on the map as one of the significant dance hubs in this country,” said Katherine Freshley, senior program officer at the Meyer Foundation.

The creation of this new service provider comes as a response to a recent needs assessment conducted by Dance/USA and a series of town hall meetings that determined the greatest needs of the community and how best to address them. The predominant needs identified include:

• opportunities for professional development;
• collaborative marketing efforts;
• development of a website.

“Nesting a project director at Dance/USA will help root a centralized dance service provider who can attend to the needs of this important cultural community as well as bridge connections to dance professionals across the country,” said Andrea Snyder, Executive Director of Dance/USA.

Tentatively dubbed “Dance/MetroDC,” the project will build on elements of the successful model of Dance/NYC now in its third year, a branch of Dance/USA serving the dance community in New York City. Some of Dance/NYC’s successes include a comprehensive online calendar of dance activities and events happening in the city, a study of the economic activity of dance in NYC, successful advocacy for the dance community, and filled-to-capacity professional development workshops and seminars.

Members of the DC metro dance area are already talking about the possibilities. “I’m excited about how this program will help to ensure the strength and longevity of the community. This is definitely a step in the right direction,” said Douglas Yeuell, Executive Director of Joy of Motion Dance Center. Brooke Kidd of World Arts Focus/Joe’s Movement Emporium in Mount Rainier, MD is encouraged, “Support for continued action in the regional dance community is extremely valuable for all dance organizations. The Meyer Foundation has shown tremendous leadership in ensuring that the dance community can have investment and growth to achieve economic stability." Cheles Rhynes, founding director of the Metro DC Dance Awards and managing director of Mason/Rhynes Productions, thinks that the support of the project “should help to bring even more awareness to the quality and depth of dance in the metropolitan DC area and additional audiences to the year-round performances happening at a venue near every neighborhood; it is a much needed and much anticipated addition to the arts community.” Brian Williams of Step Afrika! is a voice for the up and coming, and comments, “Dance/USA's efforts will strengthen existing dance companies in the Metropolitan area and give emerging companies and dancers a leg to stand on.” With a real sense of community, Jane Franklin of Jane Franklin Dance in Arlington, VA says, “The dance community needs a positive voice to represent us all as we work together from inside and all sides of the beltway.”

The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation is one of the oldest and largest foundations in Greater Washington. Each year Meyer invests time, energy, and millions of dollars in talented nonprofit leaders and their organizations in order to strengthen our region's communities. Meyer identifies promising organizations early on, supports their leaders, strengthens their management, and connects them with the money and other resources they need to do their work effectively.

In support of its mission to advance the art form of dance, Dance/USA is grounded in the conviction that the concerns and aspirations of dance artists and institutions can be addressed effectively through active, cooperative endeavors with its membership, the broader dance field, and with other performing arts disciplines. Since its founding in 1982, Dance/USA has evolved to become the sole national service organization representing the great variety of organizations and dance genres that exist in the field.  Membership today includes over 400 ballet, modern, ethnic, jazz and tap companies, dance service and presenting organizations, artist managers, educational institutions, business affiliates and individuals, both nationwide and international.  Core programs and servicesconsist of Public Communications in the form of publications, and web, email and media communications; Advocacy on Capitol Hill in support of federal policies designed to strengthen arts organizations and individual artists, in the media to represent a unified voice for the field, and in the philanthropic community to articulate the field’s needs; Research andInformation Services in the form of statistical information on professional dance through data research and needs assessments; Professional Development workshops, training seminars and annual meetings; and Special Projects.