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The California DanceMaker Grants, funded by The James Irvine Foundation and administered by Dance/USA, provide funds on a competitive basis to support the artistic development of individual dance artists of merit in California. This initiative provided ten $10,000 grants per year in 2001, 2002, and 2003. The objective was to enable the recipients to further their artistry through either the treatment of traditional forms or the creation of new work. Artists were chosen for their artistic potential and their vision for the proposed new work as it reflected their overall artistic goals.
We are pleased to provide descriptions of some of the projects funded in 2001 and 2002, including comments by the artists regarding how the grant impacted their work and their communities. In our efforts to keep the dance community informed, we will continue to share the results of California DanceMaker Grant projects with periodic updates of artists' reports on the Dance/USA website.
Ten Dance Artists Receive California DanceMaker Grants Totaling $100,000
LOS ANGELES, CA - Dance/USA and The James Irvine Foundation announce the third year of California DanceMaker Grant (CDG) awards of $10,000 each to 10 California-based dance artists, to support the creation of new work. The grantees are:
- Kawika Alfiche, San Bruno
- Gina Angelique, San Diego
- Rande Dorn, West Hollywood
- Heidi Duckler, Los Angeles
- Adriana Gainey, Los Angeles
- Robert Gilliam, Los Angeles
- Sue Li Jue, Oakland
- Nancy McCaleb, La Jolla
- Deborah Vaughan, Oakland
- Brenda Way, San Francisco
CDG was created in 2001 as part of the second three-year, $1 million grant to Dance/USA from The James Irvine Foundation; it was designed to complement the Irvine Fellowships in Dance, developed in 1997. Both programs now function under the umbrella of The Irvine Dance in California Program, which provides funding and support to the California dancemaking community. The goal of the program is to foster artistic excellence among a diverse group of dance artists. It is administered by Julie Carson in Los Angeles for Dance/USA.
Reviewing the process and list of grantees, Andrea Snyder, executive director of Dance/USA, concludes, "What an extraordinary achievement! Over the last six years, The James Irvine Foundation has steadfastly supported artistic development of dance in California. With this round of grantees, a total of 44 deserving choreographers have benefited from the Foundation's vision and largess. Dance/USA, administrator of both the Irvine Fellowships in Dance and California DanceMaker Grants, has been pleased to distribute a total of $1,380,000 during this time."
The application review process for the California DanceMaker Grants began with an open request for consideration from applicants meeting criteria outlined in the program guidelines. Ninety-four dancemakers responded with applications; of those, 10 were selected based on their individual artistic potential and the clearly articulated vision of their proposed new work. Grants were awarded on a competitive basis and will be fulfilled over a period of one year.
A broad group of experienced national and regional advisors assisted the Irvine Foundation and Dance/USA in the review process. Advisors to the 2003 process included:
- Jeremy Alliger, Executive Producer, Jeremy Presents, Boston, MA
- Maureen Hall, Teacher/Adjudicator/Examiner of Irish Dancing, Fresno, CA
- Maria-Isabel Herrera, Professor, Chicana/o Studies, California State University at Northridge, and Dance Ethnologist, Oxnard, CA
- Lily Kharrazzi, Dance Ethnologist, San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, San Francisco, CA
- Patrick Makuakane, Founder and Director, Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu, San Francisco, CA
- Amy Stillman, Director, Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies, Ann Arbor, MI
- Ranee Ramaswany, Artistic Director, Ragamala Music and Dance Theater, Minneapolis, MN
- Wendy Rogers, Choreographer, Professor, UC Riverside, Riverside, CA
- Carlota Santana, Artistic Director, Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana, New York City, NY, and Durham, NC
- Amy Santo, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor, UCLA, World Arts and Cultures,
Los Angeles, CA
- June Wilson, Consultant/Manager, Englewood, CO
The mission of The James Irvine Foundation is to expand opportunity for the people of California to participate in a vibrant, successful and inclusive society. The Foundation was established in 1937 by James Irvine, the California pioneer whose 110,000-acre ranch in Southern California was among the largest privately owned land holdings in the state. With assets of $1.2 billion, the Foundation expects to make grants of $51 million in 2003 for the people of California. For more information on the Foundation, please visit www.irvine.org.
Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance, was founded in 1982 to advance the art form of dance through a variety of programs including publications, advocacy, information services, professional development, public communication, and regranting initiatives. A full description of services, data research, and programs are available at www.danceusa.org.
Press releases from previous grant cycles:
Questions should be directed to Julie Carson, Project Director, Irvine Dance in California, 8320 Lincoln Blvd., Box 120, Los Angeles, CA 90045; phone: 310/641-8090; fax: 310/641-8333; e-mail: jcarson@danceusa.org
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