THE NATIONAL COLLEGE CHOREOGRAPHY INITIATIVE
Supporting the Past, Present & Future of American Dance

Overview by Suzanne Callahan

In the year 2000, Dance/USA and the National Endowment for the Arts embarked on a new collaboration to support the past, present and future of dance creativity. Just two years later, this publication documents what has now become a fruitful collaboration among colleges, professional artists working in a range of choreographic styles, and the next generation of dancers working in every state in the country. Designed to foster appreciation for American dance creativity, the National College Choreography Initiative (NCCI) brought classic American dances of the past century and newly commissioned works to students and audiences in communities across the nation. College, university and conservatory dance programs in every state and the District of Columbia applied for support to engage artists, students and communities through one of two focuses. The first, Masterworks of the 20th Century, provided support for the restaging of works by historically significant choreographers, in order to bolster students' access to, and understanding of, the nation's diverse dance heritage. The second, Dances by Contemporary Artists, provided support for the creation or restaging of works by choreographers working today in order to introduce students to current styles and aesthetics and to encourage their own creative development.

For all projects, public involvement outside of the academic community was critical. Colleges were to make substantial efforts to involve the general public beyond the performance of the dance work itself. Activities such as panel discussions, lectures, open rehearsals, school performances, and video showings would allow students and general audiences access to the history of dance and the process of creating choreography. Scholars, educators, critics, historians, and artists would inform the public presentation of the dances. Finally, it was hoped that other organizations would join these collaborations, including musical ensembles, community-based dance organizations, presenters and other colleges within the particular state.

Measured Steps In the past year, 48 artists and ensembles have worked in every state in the country plus the District of Columbia to bring dance of the highest caliber to students; many of these guest choreographers brought in additional professional artists from their own companies to assist with teaching and reconstructions. A total of 43 dances have been restaged or reconstructed and another 44 new works have been created, as colleges opted to capitalize on this rare funding opportunity by commissioning multiple works. Over 6,000 college dance students benefited from being intensely involved in the creative process through one-on-one experiences with professional artists. An additional 9,000 college students in other areas of study and 13,000 young people who attend elementary or high school participated in events that reached far beyond campuses, such as school performances, workshops and lecture-demonstrations. Audiences that totaled over 112,000 were able to experience the artistry of choreographers, most of whom would not otherwise have appeared in their state, as they participated in well over 500 events, including over 300 performances as well as a wide range of community-based activities. Over 400 local artists working in various disciplines participated in collaborations and professional development with guest choreographers. The amount of additional support leveraged by grantees through cash and in-kind contributions exceeded $1 million, or more than double the size of the grants themselves. NCCI encouraged touring by providing opportunities for 46 artists to travel from their home states to other regions. With this support, not only could colleges in more rural states bring in artists from urban centers (Wendy Rogers toured from California to Montana and Lar Lubovitch from New York to Iowa), but artists could also tour from one region to another (Billy Siegenfeld traveled from Florida to Kentucky and Bill Evans from New Mexico to Wyoming).

Colleges, universities and conservatories applied for projects involving artists of their own choosing. In the summer of 2001, a panel comprised of artists, administrators, and college faculty members distributed $510,000 in funding, in $10,000 awards that went to one college or university in each of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia for projects that would take place during the 2001-2002 academic year. The result was a national initiative that has been strikingly successful -- NCCI far surpassed its goals, and has had a resounding impact that went well beyond what its creators envisioned.

Beyond the Numbers: NCCI's Impact from Artist to Student to Campus to Community

While the numbers above indicate the significant breadth of NCCI's reach, the real depth of its impact can only be conveyed by considering the extent of the changes that it engendered and the ways in which students, faculty and artists grew from their experiences. As students had rare, maybe even once-in-a-lifetime, opportunities to reconstruct and perform work of great artists such as Antony Tudor, Isadora Duncan, Pearl Primus, Jack Cole, Merce Cunningham, José Limón and Charles Weidman, they learned the roots of their own dance history. As they participated in creating new work by contemporary artists such as Ronald K. Brown, Wendy Rogers, John Jasperse, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, and Tere O'Connor, students learned about aesthetics, techniques and goals of artists working today and explored their own creative voices. As they developed close relationships with professional artists, young dancers were inspired to reexamine the role that dance plays in their own lives and the broader world, and to pursue professional training, sometimes with the NCCI artists who had mentored them.

As NCCI residencies progressed, the momentum that built on campuses and in communities was dramatic. Dance departments took risks that involved large project budgets and complex logistics in order to work with choreographers who, up until that time, may have been unaffordable. Outside the dance departments, cultural participation took place on many levels in the surrounding communities on and off campus: scholars provided information and context about cultures, history, trends and traditions, and the general public was enlightened about the value and diversity of artists' creative processes and the resulting products. Artists were able to build tours around their already subsidized visits to regions of the country. With the endorsement of NEA support, colleges leveraged funding through university budgets, private and government sources, and dance patrons. Local and even national press turned their attention toward campuses, resulting in coverage that ranged from college newsletters to citywide papers to The New York Times, National Public Radio, and CBS. The amount of residency activity increased exponentially as individuals and organizations joined in; students and volunteers collected tickets, ran rehearsals, took photos, wrote papers, cooked meals, transported dancers, hosted receptions and opened up their homes to visiting artists. As their students traveled from cities across the country to perform at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, college administrators turned their attention to the success of their own dance programs.

A National Dialogue

A sense of community and identity developed among some of the 51 grantees as they grappled with issues common to all in dance pedagogy, such as how to: mentor, pass on a legacy, encourage original thought and expression, plan residencies, mesh schedules, collaborate with each other and presenters, take risks, and revitalize the learning environment for their students. Finally, this year of activity and interaction sparked a dialogue at the national level among artists and educators as they consider future implications for dance as an art form and a curriculum-a dialogue that will likely continue on campuses, in studios, and among funders and policy makers long into the future.

A number of positive results occurred for choreographers. Several of them used this opportunity with students to revise existing dances, heighten their profile, or develop original material to be refined for professional dancers. Renowned choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar will focus an upcoming company season on choreographer Pearl Primus. Emerging artist Michael Thomas raised his own visibility by creating a work that was performed in a regional American College Dance Festival, and drew broader visibility at The Kennedy Center in May. And knowing that two sections of Antony Tudor's The Planets were reconstructed has prompted professional ballet companies to consider performing this long-lost work.

Perhaps the most dramatic changes occurred among the students themselves. They learned that they could accomplish far more than they thought possible when they were pushed, by themselves and their mentors, to achieve a goal. When asked to reflect on what other students might learn at NCCI residencies, participating students across the country frequently responded with the same advice, which is equally valuable in the studio and beyond: Go into it with an open mind. Take a risk. Be open to new experiences because they expand your thinking.

In this publication, the stories of five specific NCCI residencies are explored in some depth. These five, instructive in themselves, also are a reflection of the other 46 projects, and offer a number of insights into the overall program and its outcomes. Representing different states and dance forms, the particular projects also illuminate a few of the many issues that emerged on campuses for students, faculty and artists.

These stories are only a part of a much greater mosaic of widely varied activities that took place across the country. Throughout the year, however, one outcome became consistently clear across projects, and remains so: there is much to be gained by encouraging artists to pass on the fruits of their talents and passions, and to mentor students to one day do the same. The National College Choreography Initiative is delighted to have helped set the stage for this passing on of legacies, and for the creation of new ones; it is such cultural capital that is among America's greatest assets, both for its own people and for history.

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