Minnesota Mapping Project - Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2005

Dance/USA to Conduct Census of the Minnesota Dance Community
$40,000 Grant from Mcknight Foundation Funds Study

Saint Paul, MN, October 26, 2005 – Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance, will be conducting a first-ever comprehensive census of dance-makers and dance teachers throughout the state of Minnesota. With the support of a $40,000 grant from The McKnight Foundation the Minnesota Dance Mapping Project will be an essential first step toward increasing the understanding of dance’s presence in Minnesota, as well as improving the availability of information that can be utilized by artists, presenters, funders, educational institutions, researchers, cultural planning organizations and other stakeholders.

Minnesota is considered one of the leading dance communities in the United States because of the quality of its artistry, the diversity of dance forms present, and the strength of its teaching and presenting institutions. This project will gather baseline data about dance throughout the state and will yield real information to combat misperceptions about the relationship of the art form to the general public and can be a useful audience development tool. Results from this mapping will assist Dance/USA in its effort to be of greater and better service on a regional level, whether by supporting advocacy efforts on behalf of the Minnesota dance field or by providing professional development opportunities designed specifically to improve the capacities of artists, administrators, presenters, and other dance professionals in the area.

The Minnesota dance community has grown dramatically over the past three decades. Many culturally-specific entities, smaller companies, independent choreographers and rural dance-makers around the state are not plugged into existing channels and thus do not show up on many radar screens. It is important to give them a face, a place, and a voice. Similarly, institutions that teach dance in Minnesota have never been formally catalogued. By contacting all these entities for inclusion in a comprehensive census, this project will help to bridge these disconnects. Says Neal Cuthbert of the McKnight Foundation, "This project offers an extraordinary opportunity to put a factual face on the superb dance community with which Minnesota is blessed."

In consultation with an advisory group to be drawn from Minnesota’s leading dance and arts professionals, Dance/USA’s researchers will investigate the variety of dance that exists throughout Minnesota. Research assistants based in Minnesota who know the area will engage with the community to gather census data. Dance/USA’s Director of Research and Information, John Munger, will head the project, aided by Co-coordinator Catherine Baumgartner. Munger has conducted similar census projects in Chicago, New York City and the Washington, D.C. area and is considered a national expert in dance research. Coincidentally, he is also a long-time resident of Saint Paul and an active participant in the Twin Cities dance community. The census research will begin in February 2006.