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May 28, 2009

Important Information for the 2009 Dance/USA Annual Conference

Hundreds of dance professionals are headed to Houston for the 2009 National Conference, and you need to be part of the Movement! It's not too late – register online until 5pm Friday, May 29, or walk-up registrations at the conference are welcome! Remember, we are ‘Going Green’ and minimizing the amount of paper materials. As such, all essential conference materials are available for download at This Link or the links below!

By going green, Dance/USA has committed to nurturing our planet, but the focus of the Conference is to nurture and support your artistic spirit! Engage in it Live… Discuss it… Curl-up on a comfy sofa and watch it in the Film Lounge…! Below are just a few of the ways you can experience Dance at the Conference:

  • Wednesday, June 3 – 7:00pm HOUSTON DANCE INSIDE OUT Performance!
    Join us after the opening reception across the street at Discovery Green for the Houston Dance Inside Out performance. Houston Dance Inside Out celebrates the vibrant dance community of Houston through a riveting performance showcasing contemporary jazz, flamenco, ballet, Guinea style from West Africa and so much more.
    Performing Companies: Ad Deum Dance Company, Exclamation Dance Company, Houston Ballet II, Houston Metropolitan Dance II, Koumankele African Dance and Drum Ensemble, Mitsi Dance Company, Soniquete Flamenco Dance Company
  • DAILY - 9:00am-1:00pm Film Lounge: Faces of Houston
    Faces of Houston is a documentary featuring Houston area dance companies discussing and portraying through video footage the diversity within our community. This wonderful documentary contains company directors speaking on behalf of their style of dance and why it is important to the cultural growth of Houston and of their specific genre of dance itself. We hope that this brief glimpse into the great and diverse city of Houston through ten talented dance companies reveals what Houston has to offer artistically.
  • DAILY - 4:00-6:00pm Film Lounge: Forward Motion
    Co-produced by The British Council and South East Dance in the UK, Forward Motion is a package of high quality British screen dance expertly curated into three programmes. Featuring historic, seminal and ground breaking films, Forward Motion creates a moving snapshot of Britain’s prolific screen dance industry.
  • Saturday, June 6th - 11:00am – 12:30pm Break Out Session F.
    Let's Talk About "The Power of Movement": A workshop on critical thinking and writing about dance.
    With the proliferation of blogs, Twitter and other formats for writing about dance, everybody is a critic. But the power of the pen (or keypad) is only as powerful as the critical insight the writer brings to the conversation. This workshop will use the previous night's performance showcase "The Power of Movement" to explore the "power of words" in engaging audiences through media.
    Moderator: Alicia Anstead

LEARN NOW… the capacity-building opportunities at the Conference are an essential part of arming yourself to do business in the new economy! REFRESH NOW… enjoy inspiring dance showcases! CONNECT NOW…Interface with hundreds of dance professionals! REFLECT NOW… salute this year’s Honors and Ernie Award winners who have paved the road for you! REBUILD NOW… and partake of hundreds of hours of workshops and councils to strengthen the core of your organization.

MAKE YOUR MOVE… REGISTER NOW!
Online registration closes at 5pm, Friday, May 29. Walk-up registrations at the conference are welcome!

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Government Affairs Sessions at the 2009 Dance/USA Annual Conference

The New Form 990 – How to prepare for it and how to file it
Saturday, June 6, 11:00am
The IRS has redesigned the Form 990 that nonprofit dance organizations must complete for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2008. The new Form has been exponentially expanded with increased reporting for governance, compensation, and non-cash contributions, as well as many other areas. It is crucial that you understand the changes so that you may complete the Form correctly and with a view to its public availability. This session will aim to give an overview of the new Form with a focus on areas of specific concern to the dance field and an extended question-and-answer period. Please be sure to bring your copy of the Form and related schedules as limited copies will be available on-site. Download a copy of an outline covering the essential changes to the Form and Schedules here.
Presenter: Amanda Adams

Dance is Part of the Solution – New Ideas for Effective Dance Advocacy
Thursday, June 4, 11:15am
This session is inspired by dance company administrators who worked on the Obama campaign, and who helped lawmakers shift from seeing the arts as “pork spending” to seeing the arts as job generators, ultimately leading to the restoration of NEA funding in the stimulus bill. Expect to leave the session feeling re-energized and empowered to take action creatively and collaboratively in support of the arts and dance. We’ll strategize on how to borrow from President Obama’s most effective campaign tactics, hear advocacy stories that will get your creative juices flowing, and brainstorm ideas for taking grassroots action in your own communities – locally, regionally and nationally.
Presenters: Matthew Keefe, Jen Abrams, Peter DiMuro, Amy Fitterer

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Dance/USA Journal Seeks Contributors

Contribute to Dance/USA’s flagship publication, Dance/USA Journal. Is there an idea or issue that you would like to explore in an upcoming issue of Dance/USA Journal? Is something brewing in the field that needs to be addressed? Here’s your chance. The Journal is accepting contributions of essays and articles of between 800 and 1,800 words. If you are interested, please contact Lisa Traiger, editor, Dance/USA Journal at lisatraiger@aol.com.

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