DISABILITY. DANCE. ARTISTRY. RESIDENCY PROGRAM

Made possible by the generous support of the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs CreateNYC Disability Forward Fund, and the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, the purpose of the Disability. Dance. Artistry. Residency Program is to expand opportunities for dancers with disabilities, including spinal cord injury (SCI) and other impairments, and to advance accessibility and equity for disabled dance artists within the larger dance, residency, and presenting communities. Dance/NYC believes the dance ecology must itself be just, equitable, and inclusive to meaningfully contribute to social progress and envisions a dance ecology wherein power, funding, opportunities, conduct, and impacts are fair for all artists, cultural workers, and audiences. Dance/NYC’s approach cuts across its public programs and all aspects of its operations.

In December 2021, Dance/NYC announced the following recipients of funding:

• x
• Sonya Rio-Glick
• Ogemdi Ude
• Larissa Velez-Jackson / LVJ Performance Co.
• iele paloumpis
• Elisabeth Motley
• Elisa Hernandez
• David Lee Sierra
• Anna Gichan
• Alison Kopit

Grantees were awarded an honorarium of $5,000, an additional stipend of $1,000 for any accessibility needs, up to 36 hours of rehearsal time over the course of one week for in-person residencies or two consecutive weeks for digital residencies, a ten-class card at Gibney for in-person or digital dance classes, a 2-hour public activity with production support provided by Gibney, 10 hours of goal-directed mentorship or professional development consulting from an expert in the field, participation in two cohort convenings focused on professional development, and marketing support through Dance/NYC’s platforms. The 10 grantees were selected by a review panel and were among a competitive pool of 23 self-identified disabled dance makers or integrated dance companies led by people with disabilities that submitted applications in response to an open call. Key evaluation criteria included artistic excellence; potential to benefit from a residency; a commitment to justice, equity, and inclusion; and a diversity of participant types and perspectives.

Related Resources:
Announcement of Disability. Dance. Artistry. Residency Program 2021-2022 Grantees (December 21, 2021)
Announcement of Disability. Dance. Artistry. Residency Program 2021-2022 (August 19, 2021)
Review Panel and Panelist Guide