Dance/USA’s Day of Giving | April 26

As Dance/USA’s Director of Government Affairs, I take an active role in advocating for the dance ecosystem’s needs, addressing our shared challenges, and supporting you in sharing your story to effect positive change for our sector.

One way I am asking you to take action today is with Dance/USA’s Day of Giving on April 26. This special day provides an incredible opportunity to come together and make a meaningful impact on the dance community.

At Dance/USA, we are dedicated to ensuring that dance is a powerful, thriving, and essential part of our nation’s cultural landscape. Our advocacy initiatives are central to this mission. These efforts include:

• Policy Advocacy: Working with lawmakers to secure funding and support for the dance ecosystem
• Research and Data Collection: Collecting and analyzing long-term data sets that are national in scope and presenting invaluable dance-specific research that cannot be found anywhere else.
• Policy Awareness: Sharing timely updates with our community on federal policies that affect our sector.

Recently, Dance/USA has been engaged in a multi-year process of assessment, listening, exploration, and dreaming to gain a better understanding of what it means to be in humble service to the dance ecosystem, and how Dance/USA might evolve to meet the needs of the field – in ways the organization is uniquely positioned to do.

After hearing from Dance/USA members and the greater dance ecosystem, we are now implementing new initiatives to address the critical need for our community’s voice to be heard and equip you with knowledge, skills, and language to do this work.

Throughout 2025, you can participate in a series of advocacy education opportunities that support you in becoming a better dance advocate.

• A brand-new, live and on-demand Dance Advocacy 101 webinar will provide you with the fundamentals of being an effective advocate for the ecosystem.

• Our Advocating Beyond the First 100 Days webinar will deepen your understanding and prepare you to go before legislators to encourage positive change in our sector.
• We are also designing tailored Advocacy Education Workshops to ignite local and state level representation of our community.

In your feedback, advocacy resources and professional development emerged as some of your top needs. This series of virtual learning opportunities is one way we are responding to your call.

On this Day of Giving, I urge you to make a gift that will fuel initiatives like these and ensure that dance continues to have a vital place in the cultural, educational, and economic life of our nation. Every donation helps us to:

• Advocate for policies that promote dance and the arts.
• Ensure that our voices are heard at the local, state, and national levels.
• Strengthen the infrastructure and resources available to dance artists, educators, and organizations.

Your support will help to ensure that Dance/USA continues to be a leader in advocacy for the dance community, amplifying our collective voice and advancing our shared goals.

On behalf of Dance/USA’s Board, team, and member community, I am incredibly grateful for your generosity, and every contribution counts. Will you consider making a donation of $25, $50, $150, or more to help continue our advocacy work for the future of dance?

Together, we can keep dance at the heart of our culture and community. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the arts and for being a champion of the dance world.

With gratitude,

Bertrand Evans-Taylor
Director of Government Affairs
Dance/USA