Washington, DC, April 19, 2006- Dance/USA , the national service organization for professional dance, announces the selection of 13 companies and individuals from the Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul and San Francisco communities who have received Access Dance/USA scholarships to attend the 2006 National Roundtable being held in Portland, Oregon, June 21-24.

Access Dance/USA is a scholarship program designed to increase the reach of Dance/USA’s professional development services to smaller companies and individual artists by subsidizing attendance to Dance/USA convenings (Council meetings and Roundtables). Access Dance/USA participants will be paired with mentors who will act as guides during the National Roundtable and as references following the conference to help those new to Dance/USA get the most out of their experience.

More than 20 potential Access Dance/USA participants submitted applications that were reviewed by a committee of current Dance/USA Members. F unding for the $1,000 scholarships was made possible by the James Irvine Foundation (Los Angeles community), the McKnight Foundation (Minneapolis/St. Paul community), and the Hellman Family Foundation (San Francisco community). Dance/USA will continue to foster opportunities in other communities for future Access Dance/USA scholarships.

The recipients of the scholarships are listed below:

▪ Los Angeles:

• Sara Wookey, independent choreographer, Wookey Works
• Keith Glassman, choreographer and artistic director of Keith Glassman Dance and Performance
• Deborah Greenfield, choreographer and artistic director of Rosa Negra Flamenco
• Michelle M. Mier, executive director for the L.A. Contemporary Dance Company
• John Pennington, artistic director of Pennington Dance Group
• Regina Klenjoski, choreographer and artistic director of Regina Klenjoski Dance Company

▪ Minneapolis/St. Paul:

• Deborah Jinza Thayer, independent choreographer
• Galen Treur, dancer and administrator for the Live Action Set

▪ San Francisco:

• Judith Smith, artistic director of AXIS Dance Company
• Barry Hessenius, executive director of Alonzo King’s: LINES Ballet
• Jo Kreiter, artistic director of Flyaway Productions
• Lauren Jonas, artistic and executive director of Diablo Ballet
• Wayne Hazzard, executive director of Dancer’s Group

Dance/USA’s 12th National Roundtable will focus on seeking solutions. Together, dance professionals will explore the shifting environment for dance creation, presentation and education. We will investigate the adaptation, evolution and change that will prepare our organizations and our field with new approaches to: the new audience reality, the work, infrastructure, the new philanthropy, and touring and presenting. The Roundtable will begin with a plenary session led by Eric Booth—arts keynote speaker and futurist. His summary of the major national trends that are likely to impact the dance world will set the context for our discussions throughout the Roundtable. Our accomplished issue track leaders will guide participants through a series of professional development sessions and forums to help explore the future that we want to create together. The end result will be the identification of actions each of us can take to ensure that we proactively face the future. In addition, the Roundtable provides opportunities to create a new network of colleagues and reconnect with friends in the field. We take the occasion to recognize the accomplishments of leaders in the field at our Honors Celebration dinner and offer live performance showcases of local artists. You can find out more about the agenda and Roundtable events by visiting the website at www.danceusa.org/meetings/index.htm.