• Dive Into International Exchange at this Year's Annual Conference
• Dance/USA to Honor Carmen de Lavallade and Dick Caples
• Advocacy Update

Dive Into International Exchange at this Year's Annual Conference

At this year's Annual Conference, you're invited to choose from a series of break-out sessions focused on ARTISTRY, MANAGEMENT, AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT, and INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE. These sessions will provide hands-on learning, paired with philosophies and success stories from the field. You can mix and match sessions from the four tracks to make this your Conference.

Watch your inbox over the next month as we highlight each of the four tracks, plus make other surprise annoucements. Featured today are break-out sessions from the international exchange track.

International Exchange
As technology makes the world a smaller and more accessible place, the opportunities for international artistic exchange are easier to envision but are still difficult to realize. Learn more about cultural diplomacy and how it is shaping the future of our field. This track will dive into the challenges and opportunities of international touring, making it easier for participants to employ dance as a tool for transforming perceptions and initiating conversations among disparate people.

Cultural Exchange and Diplomacy (Thur, June 17, 1-2:30pm)
Panelists: Frank Hodsoll (Moderator), Principal, Hodsoll and Associates; Sarah Frankland, Deputy Director, British Council; Ferdinand Dorsman, Netherlands General Director for Cultural Affairs USA.

International Perceptions of American Dance (Thur, June 17, 3-4:30pm)
Panelists: Pennie Ojeda (Moderator), Director, International Activities, National Endowment for the Arts; Kajo Nelles, Director of NRW Landesbüro Tanz and Internationale Tanzmesse NRW; others TBA.

International Export Strategy for American Dance (Fri, June 18, 2-3:15pm)
Participants: Carolelinda Dickey, Performing Arts Strategies; Lisa Booth, President, Lisa Booth Management; others TBA.

The Value of U.S. Embassies to American Dance Artists (Fri, June 18, 3:45-5pm)
Panelists: Ken Tabachnick (Moderator), Consultant; others TBA.

Overcoming Borders (Sat, June 19, 9-10:30am)
Participants: John Ashford, Director, Aerowaves; Laura Kumin, Director, Certamen Coreográfico de Madrid, others TBA.

REGISTER NOW!
Reserve your place at the 2010 Annual Conference today! Remember, emerging leaders and first-time attendees receive 10% off their full Conference fee.

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Dance/USA to Honor Carmen de Lavallade and Dick Caples

Dance/USA is pleased to announce this year's receipients of the Dance/USA Honor award and "Ernie" award.

Renowned dancer/performer Carmen de Lavallade will receive the Dance/USA Honor award in recognition of her extraordinary and lasting contributions to the field, including her performances with the Lester Horton Dance Theater and Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, as well as on film, television, and Broadway.

Dick Caples will receive the "Ernie" award, a tribute to the unsung heroes of the dance field named for the late Ian "Ernie" Horvath, for his extraordinary 26 years as executive director of the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, his dedicated service on several boards (including Dance/USA), and as a legal advisor for artists.

Both awards will be presented on June 18, 2010 during the Dance/USA Honors Celebration as part of the Dance/USA Annual Conference.

read the press release

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Advocacy Update
Members of the House and Senate, Spring District Work Period
Now is the time to schedule meetings with your members of Congress in their home districts. Both the House and Senate are currently on spring break! To contact your legislators, visit: http://theperformingartsalliance.org/performingarts/home.html

Two New Tax Benefits To Employers who Hire and Retain Unemployed Workers
Two new tax benefits are now available to employers hiring workers who were previously unemployed or only working part-time. These provisions are part of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act enacted into law on March 18 (HR 2847). Employers who hire unemployed workers this year (after Feb. 3, 2010 and before Jan. 1, 2011) may qualify for a 6.2-percent payroll tax incentive, in effect exempting them from their share of Social Security taxes on wages paid to these workers after March 18, 2010. This reduced tax withholding will have no effect on the employee’s future Social Security benefits, and employers would still need to withhold the employee’s 6.2-percent share of Social Security taxes, as well as income taxes. The employer and employee’s shares of Medicare taxes would also still apply to these wages. http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=220326,00.html

Health Care Reform Legislation
President Obama has signed the health care reconciliation measure (HR 4872), completing Congress' work on health care reform. The first part of health care reform legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), was signed into law on March 23. Health care reform legislation is estimated to cost $940 billion over ten years and to reduce the federal deficit by $138 billion over the same ten years. Dance/USA has created a special webpage dedicated to health care reform legislation that will be updated regularly with key provisions and resources. Visit the Dance/USA webpage on health care reform here: http://www.danceusa.org/healthcarereformlegislation

Congress Urges the State Department to Support Arts Programming
In the FY 2010 appropriations conference report on Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs at the State Department, Congress urged the State Department "to expand exchange programs and activities in the visual arts, performing arts, film, arts education, arts management, and cultural studies." The report goes on to say that "the funds for expanding arts programs and activities be awarded on a competitive and transparent basis in accordance with all applicable rules and regulations." For several years, Dance/USA has advocated through coalition activity for increased cultural exchange opportunities and for increased transparency in how those opportunities are funded. To view the conference report, visit: http://docs.house.gov/rules/omni2010/hr3288cr_divf_jes.pdf

Legislative "Asks" for FY 2011
Ever wonder what Dance/USA is advocating for on Capitol Hill? Each year, as part of the Legislative Planning Committee for Arts Advocacy Day, Dance/USA helps craft legislative issue briefs on a variety of arts policy topics. All of the updated legislative briefs are now online! Visit the Dance/USA Arts Advocacy Day website at: http://www.danceusa.org/artsadvocacyday

Arts Education and the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has set a speedy timeline for reauthorization of ESEA, formerly known as the No Child Left Behind Act. Dance/USA, in coalition with the Performing Arts Alliance, is urging Congress to: Maintain the arts in the definition of core subjects of learning; Improve federal data and research regarding arts education; Require states to annually report the status and condition of arts education; and Improve dissemination of the results of projects funded through the Dept. of Education Arts in Education Programs. To learn more about the ongoing Senate hearings on Education Reform, visit:
http://help.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=45361c35-5056-9502-5deb-a3d743977e08

For more advocacy news, visit the Dance/USA advocacy website.

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