Stanford Lively Arts Receives Dance/usa Engaging Dance Audiences Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Robert Cable
650-736-0091
rcable@stanford.edu
STANFORD LIVELY ARTS RECEIVES
DANCE/USA ENGAGING DANCE AUDIENCES AWARD
Stanford, CA, October 13, 2009—Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional,
not-for-profit dance, has selected Stanford Lively Arts to be awarded funding by Engaging
Dance Audiences (EDA), the first national funding program and related study of audience
engagement practices focused specifically on the art form of dance. EDA was established through
the generosity of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The James Irvine Foundation. Out of
a rigorous national review of 179 idea submissions, 34 organizations were invited to submit full
applications, from which just nine were chosen by a national panel.
Lively Arts has been awarded $162,568 ($126,111 project support, plus $36,457 core
operating support) to produce four dance artist residencies and evaluate the various approaches to
audience engagement used in each residency. “This grant provides rocket fuel for Lively Arts and
our campus collaborators within the Department of Drama and Division of Dance,” says artistic
and executive director Jenny Bilfeld. “Residencies and a variety of immersive, experiential
activities have been among the most powerful ways to build audiences. We are grateful for the
significant grant support that will help Lively Arts deepen the impact of our efforts, and inform
our planning.”
During the current 2009–10 season, Lively Arts’ dance programming includes the Bay
Area debut of Christopher Wheeldon’s Morphoses dance company—in a program featuring new
works and live music—and the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet which takes on music by living
composers. In addition, choreographers Ralph Lemon and Ann Carlson will take part in Lively
Arts’ Art + Invention speaker series, a new collaboration with the Aurora Forum and the Stanford
Institute for Creativity & the Arts (SiCa). The series pairs iconic artists with bold thinkers outside
the arts in free conversations.
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In total, project support in the amount of $1,009,300 will fund all Dance/USA members
and consortia partners to develop new or refine existing engagement practices and share their
discoveries with the dance field. Additionally, a core operating support grant is being provided to
each recipient of project funding for Engaging Dance Audiences. The Doris Duke Charitable
Foundation is offering this additional, generous funding to provide greater stability to the arts
sector during the global economic crisis.
“EDA has been conceived to significantly increase the dance field’s capacity to engage
audiences by implementing and documenting the most effective and forward-thinking practices,”
comments Executive Director Andrea Snyder. “It proactively responds to increasing concerns
throughout our membership and the dance community at large about changes in audience
behavior. We hope the learning and outcomes from this pilot will catapult the dance field
forward.”
ABOUT DANCE/USA
Dance/USA, the national service organization for the professional, not-for-profit dance field,
sustains and advances dance by addressing the needs, concerns, and interests of artists,
administrators, and organizations. By providing services and national leadership, Dance/USA
enhances the infrastructure for dance creation, education, and dissemination. Established in 1982,
Dance/USA is a membership organization serving a broad cross-section of professional dance
(currently over 580 ballet, modern, ethnic, jazz and tap companies, dance service and presenting
organizations, individuals, and related organizations). Its member organizations range in size
from those with operating budgets of under $50,000 to over $50 million, and it is increasingly
engaging even smaller ensembles and individual artists. For over 25 years, Dance/USA has
provided a means for the dance field to communicate, share knowledge, and strengthen its voice,
while working to help shape cultural policy and community priorities. Learn more about
Dance/USA and its branch offices by visiting its Web site, www.danceusa.org.
ABOUT STANFORD LIVELY ARTS
Stanford Lively Arts curates experiences that engage artists’ and audiences’ imagination,
creativity, and sense of adventure. Founded in 1969 at Stanford University, we produce and
present music, theater, dance, spoken word, and multi-media events. We place a special focus on
innovation and risk-taking, and through commissions and premieres are an incubator and
destination for new work. Stanford Lively Arts plays a leading and collaborative role in the
university’s thriving vision of a sustained culture of creativity—one in which the arts integrate
with the academic disciplines, flourish as a vital part of campus and community life, and inspire
new perspectives on our lives and culture. Visit http://livelyarts.stanford.edu.
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