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Why IABD, DTH and Dance/USA Teamed Up for The Equity Project

The International Association of Blacks in Dance's annual audition for ballet dancers of color. Photo by E. Mesiyah McGinnis, Courtesy IABD

A newly launched initiative hopes to change the face of ballet, both onstage and behind the scenes. Called "The Equity Project: Increasing the Presence of Blacks in Ballet," the three-year initiative, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, is a partnership between Dance Theatre of Harlem, the International Association of Blacks in Dance and Dance/USA.

"We've seen huge amounts of change in the years since 1969, when Dance Theatre of Harlem was founded," says Virginia Johnson, artistic director of DTH. "But change is happening much too slowly, and it will continue to be too slow until we come to a little bit more of an awareness of what the underlying issues are and what needs to be done to address them."

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News

These 21 Organizations Are Banding Together to Increase the Presence of Black Dancers in Ballet

Major ballet companies are banding together for The Equity Project, to increase the presence of black dancers in ballet. Photo by Joseph Rodman, Courtesy DTH.

Twenty-one ballet organizations have come together to support the advancement of racial equity in professional ballet. They're all part of The Equity Project: Increasing the Presence of Blacks in Ballet, a new effort being led by Dance Theatre of Harlem, The International Association of Blacks in Dance and Dance/USA.

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News

Is the US Government Cracking Down on Artists' Visas?

Bereishit Dance Company had to cancel North American performances in 2017 due to a visa issue. Photo by Sanghun Ok, courtesy Bereishit.

In late March, The Joyce Theater's annual gala performance included a last-minute substitution: Blueprint, by choreographer Pam Tanowitz. The trio took the place of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's Faun, after two Paris Opéra Ballet dancers were unable to secure visas to appear onstage in the U.S.

"It was a shock," says Linda Shelton, executive director at The Joyce Theater. "In all 25 of my years here, I think we'd only been turned down once before. That was ages ago and we already had a feeling that dancer wouldn't be approved anyway, because of an issue with their passport. This was just a big, big surprise."

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Health & Body

7 Ways To Cope With Performance Anxiety

Your mindset can make all the difference. Photo via Unsplash

You're standing backstage, and your mind won't stop racing.

What if, after weeks of rehearsal, you suddenly forget the choreography? What if that terrible critic gives you yet another embarrassing review? Did you remember to sew your pointe shoes correctly? Why won't your partner stop cracking his darn hip joint? Why can't you stop freaking out?

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Career Advice

Become Your Own Best Fundraiser

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Although discussing money is often considered taboo, it's an essential skill for choreographers looking to produce work and directors wanting to build their companies. "Fundraising is a practice, like rehearsing a dance," says Stephen Clapp, executive director of Dance Metro DC, which provides support, promotion, education and advocacy for dance artists and organizations in the Washington, DC, area.

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Health & Body

7 Ways To Make Dancing in the Heat Less Miserable

Danza Contemporanea de Cuba. Photo by Quinn Wharton

Summertime, and the living is...steamy. Studios can be hot. Outdoor festivals can be grueling—especially once those stage lights turn on. When the temperatures rise, movement feels harder and your body fatigues faster.

What's a dancer to do? Follow these steps to make the heat less taxing on your body so that it doesn't keep you from dancing your best.

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Dancers Trending

The Most Influential People in Dance Today: Amy Fitterer

Courtesy Dance/USA

Former arts lobbyist Amy Fitterer is all about diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity—and making Dance/USA relevant for today's climate.

Since assuming leadership in 2011, Fitterer has worked to create programs that genuinely serve the needs of today's dance world. She's established the Institute for Leadership Training for emerging dance leaders, which has been enormously successful in empowering young dance makers and producers. Committed to ending racism, Dance/USA now offers ongoing racial equity training for its board, staff and the attendees at Dance/USA Annual Conferences. She's also responded to the enormous sector of the field that operates on a small budget with a Dance Business Bootcamp. She's retooled Dance/USA's re-granting program, Engaging Dance Audiences, to support a broader population and Dance/USA staff are available for house calls and will come to your community to ecosystem analysis research.

Under her leadership, Dance/USA genuinely serves the needs of today's dance world.

Read the rest of Dance Magazine's list of the most influential people in dance today.

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