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May 12, 2010

The Conference is Coming! Are You?
Five weeks and counting till the Dance/USA 2010 Annual Conference! Have you registered yet?

Don't miss this opportunity to spend four days immersed in the dance field -- learning, sharing, networking, and exploring. We've lined up a great set of speakers who'll lead break-out sessions in MANAGEMENT, ARTISTRY, AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT, and INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE.

Did we mention the opportunity for networking? Check out this list of current attendees!

And, of course, a dance conference wouldn't be complete without some actual performances. We're thrilled to announce the DC-area artists performing in Dance: Yes We Can! (the DC Host Committee Performance Showcase) at the gorgeous Lansburgh Theatre in downtown Washington.

Dance: Yes We Can! Showcase Artists
Bowen McCauley Dance
CityDance Ensemble
Coyaba Dance Theatre
Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance
Gesel Mason
Janaki Rangarajan
Karen Reedy Dance
StepAfrika
The Washington Ballet
Urban Artistry

Book Your Room!
After all this excitment, you're going to need a place to crash. Book your room now at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City! They've given us a great group rate (just $149 for single, double, triple, or quadruple occupancy).

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 Board of Trustees Announces Champion Award Recipients
The Dance/USA Board of Trustees looks forward to honoring the first-ever Champion Award recipients at this year's Annual Conference. This new award celebrates a local champion of dance from the Annual Conference's host city. It is given to an organization, business, foundation, or individual in the host city whose achievements, leadership, and support have sustained and/or significantly advanced dance in their home community.

The inaugural recipients of the Champion Award in Washington, DC are The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation. These foundations have demonstrated a long-standing commitment to the dance field in Washington, DC and have provided critical support to programs that strengthen and serve the local dance community.

The nomination process for the Champion Award was open to all Dance/USA members from the Washington, DC metropolitan dance community as well as members of the 2010 Annual Conference Host Committee. The award recipients were chosen by Dance/USA’s Board of Trustees.

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Dance/USA Awards 14 Scholarships to the 2010 Annual Conference
Dance/USA announces the selection of 14 individuals from the New York City dance community who have received an Access Dance/USA Scholarship to attend Dance/USA’s 2010 Annual Conference. The Access Dance/USA Scholarship program provides funding for member and non-member dance administrators and artists to attend a Dance/USA Annual Conference. Access Dance/USA participants are paired with a mentor to help orient and guide them through Conference activities such as plenary sessions and council meetings. Post Conference, mentors are a resource to ensure those who are new to Dance/USA get the most out of their membership experience.

Funding for this year’s scholarships was made possible by Dance/NYC through a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The recipients of this year’s Access Scholarships are:
Anna Amadei, Elsie Management
Roman Baca, Exit 12 Dance Company
Christy Bolingbroke, Mark Morris Dance Group
Megan Bruskewicz, Independent Dancer/Dance Blogger
Lori Byargeon, Design Brooklyn
Eveline Chang, Pentacle
Betsy England, skybetter and associates
Jennifer Garda, Dance New Amsterdam
Irfana Jetha, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company
Liz LaCause, Rioult
Stephanie Mas, Gina Gibney Dance
Jody Oberfelder, Jody Oberfelder Dance Projects
Christina Paolucci, New York Theatre Ballet
David Sadowsky, Elisa Monte Dance

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Michelle Burkhart to Leave Position as Director of Dance/NYC
Michelle Burkhart, director of Dance/NYC, will be leaving New York City by the end of July to accompany her husband as he takes on a new, exciting position in southern California. Michelle has put all her energy, passion and attention to bringing Dance/NYC forward with new programming ideas and a vision for a stronger future. She worked tirelessly on behalf of the New York dance community and will be greatly missed.

Dance/USA has begun the search process to fill the Director of Dance/NYC position.

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Rough Waters Survey IV Closes in 10 Days!
Don’t forget! The Rough Waters Survey IV closes Friday, May 21. If you have not already completed the survey, please take 12 minutes to let Dance/USA know how your organization is faring this season. Just click on the link below to access the survey or copy and paste the website address into your web browser to take the survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/RWSIV

The Dance/USA research staff thanks you for your time and participation.

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Advocacy Update
Senate Holds Oversight Hearing on U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services
On Tuesday, May 11, the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration held an oversight hearing on USCIS. Senator Hatch (R-UT) questioned USCIS Director Mayorkas about O and P visas, the ARTS Act, the increase in Requests for More Evidence and denials of artist visas, and the inconsistent processing at the California Processing Center. Director Mayorkas responded that he is fully aware of the challenges that petitioners are experiencing and he is working to fix the problems. He stated that USCIS is beginning a broad review of the O and P visa processing system. Senator Hatch underscored that the problems surrounding artist visas are hurting the cultural affairs of our country and that his staff receives a lot of work from constituents on this issue. Other subcommittee members at the meeting included Sen. Feinstein (D-CA), Sen. Cornyn (R-TX), Sen. Sessions (R-AL), Sen. Franken (D-MN), and Sen. Leahy (D-VT).

Let’s Move Initiative & Dance
The Let’s Move Initiative, spearheaded by the First Lady Michelle Obama, has released a task force report on Child Obesity. The report discusses nutrition, lifestyle and physical activity. The Boston Ballet’s partnership with local public schools is mentioned as an example of Expanding Learning Time models in Massachusetts. The report also lists dance as a “lifetime activity” that can be offered by schools, programs and after-school activities. To read the report visit: http://www.letsmove.gov/tfco_fullreport_may2010.pdf

To learn more about the Let’s Move initiative, visit: http://letsmove.gov/blog/index_1.html

FY11 Senate Budget Resolution
On April 21, the Senate released their budget resolution summary which adopts a $3.7 trillion budget, and outlines spending priorities for the appropriations process. The budget resolution includes a one-year extension for both the Estate Tax and the IRA Charitable Rollover, which expired on December 31, 2009. It is still unclear if the House will move forward with a formal budget resolution for FY2011.
http://www.independentsector.org/uploads/Policy_PDFs/FY2011ChairmanSummary_042110.pdf

House Appropriations Chairman and Arts Advocate, David Obey (D-WI), Announces Retirement
After serving more than 40 years in Congress, Representative Obey has announced he will be retiring from Congress. In his role as the House Appropriations Chairman, Congressman Obey was a strong advocate for federal support of the arts. During the stimulus debate, he argued in support of the $50 million in NEA stimulus funding: “There are five million people who work in the arts industry. And right now they have 12.5% unemployment—or are you suggesting that somehow if you work in that field, it isn’t real when you lose your job, your mortgage or your health insurance? We’re trying to treat people who work in the arts the same way as anybody else.”

IRS Video on Health Care Reform and Small Business
In addition to the comprehensive IRS site on tax provisions in health care reform, you can now watch IRS videos on YouTube. To watch a web-chat between U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Small Business Administrator Karen Mills, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChZxszgS_1M

NEA’s Open Government Page
The National Endowment for the Arts continues to update its Open Government page in an effort to make the agency's work more transparent. The page includes links to such topics as the NEA webcasts and the Art Works blog. To explore the NEA’s Open Government Page visit: http://www.arts.gov/open/index.html.

Dance/USA’s Advocacy website is continually updated with legislative news and resources. Visit our site often to learn about federal advocacy news affecting dance organizations in America. https://www.danceusa.org/newsactionalerts

Questions about the Advocacy Update? Email Dance/USA Government Affairs Director, Amy Fitterer, at afitterer@danceusa.org.

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