Background:

Dancing in the Streets, Inc. (DiTS)  is a Bronx-based non-profit arts organization founded in 1984. In 2015, the Mayor’s Office asked Dancing in the Streets to start the program It’s Showtime NYC! (IST) to provide work opportunities and career development for NYC’s subway and street dancers, as a legal alternative to dancing on the subways. Over the years, the program has evolved and grown through collaborative teamwork among the dancers, a small team of dedicated program administrators, outside consultants and advisors, a range of private and government funders and the Board of Directors of Dancing in the Streets. 

Position Summary: 

The Artistic Director will curate and oversee all aspects of IST’s artistic and select educational initiatives while honoring the dancers’ individual freestyle artistry and desire for creative input. This is a new position. As a teacher, mentor, and creator, the Artistic Director will provide a bridge from the studio to the stage, guiding dancers in performances and other work contexts, resolving professional challenges, and providing continuous encouragement for their growth, as individuals and a company. 

The position is Part-Time, Salaried; in-person and remote  

Reports to Executive Director, Dancing in the Streets

Up to 20-25 hours per week including 4-6 hours of scheduled rehearsals per week in NYC + preparatory work for shows

Candidates must be fully COVID-19 vaccinated. 

Use own computer and phone for work communications;

Some evening and weekend hours will be required

Ability to physically demonstrate dance movements to dancers

Preferred Education, Experience, & Training:

This is a culturally specific program. Having lived, experienced and/or directly worked with Black and African-American communities is required. The ideal candidate will have experience providing culturally relevant support to and advocacy on behalf of dancers who are Black, African-American, Latin-X, and/or from economically challenged communities.

7 years’ experience teaching/leading flexN, litefeet, krump, hip hop, bone-breaking, house, and/or other NYC street and club dance forms;

Strong knowledge of NYC street dance culture and history;

Proven record of strong time management and well-prepared rehearsals;

Experience choreographing dancers and producing performance pieces for performing arts, museums, festivals, and site specific contexts.

Ideal Candidate will have Knowledge, Skills, & Qualities:

Demonstrated artistic vision and forward thinking perspective on directions where street dance culture and artistry can grow;

Ability to recognize and foster leadership and other personal and professional skills in IST dancers;

Ability to lead independent freestyle dancers in organized, well-structured rehearsals while nurturing dancers’ creative input;

Ability to collaborate creatively with dancers while having professional vision, exercising artistic judgement and giving artistic direction and leadership with respect to 1) freestyle dance training 2) choreography 3) repertory and  4) bookings;

Ability to maintain and foster the group process with a warm, strong and supportive level of supervision;

Punctual; detail oriented; prompt and clear communicator;

Ability to maintain and creatively adapt repertory for performances that may be created by other choreographers and dancers;

Ability to introduce self-taught dancers, with little or no formal training, to  choreographic processes and professionalism. Ability to teach longer standing members of IST at the skill level where they are at; 

Diplomatic & able to relate well to a range of individuals including: street dancers, Board members, Program and Executive Directors, consultants and presenters;

Knowledge of dancer safety and injury prevention;

Ability to produce seasonal community events or jam sessions to create connections to NYC’s street dance community.

Core Roles and Responsibilities:

Schedule and lead 4-6 hours of weekly rehearsals and/or workshops (in select studios in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx) + show preparation as needed;

Conceptualize the artistic direction of IST’s staged dance performances, 7 to Smoke battles, in school and communities shows and camera based dance works;

Develop and choreograph 10-45 minute performance pieces and/or programs for showcase, school and festival bookings. Starting in year two, develop, choreograph and cast, at least annually, a full evening length (90 minutes) dance performance featuring full company;

 Teach and model how to develop choreographic works and maintain/enhance freestyle improvisational capacity for IST dancers and apprentices; 

Develop and maintain the IST repertory in collaboration with company, apprentice dancers, and guest choreographers;  

Cultivate relationships with larger street dance community;

Structure, produce and coordinate IST audition process, giving priority to dancers with history of hitting in NYC; 

Scout & recruit new dancers to audition for IST. 

Curate and assist guest dance training instructors, street dance history and teacher training instructors, guest choreographer and other creative consultants to enhance IST Program; 

Advise, communicate  and collaborate with Executive Director to diversify the range of performance opportunities and venues;

Advise on production, music, costume, for outside bookings;

Attend select performances and offer feedback to dancers;

Guide dancers and offer artistic input on digital dance content creation; 

Offer input and adhere to budgets; approve dancer payroll;

Prepare written reports including: monthly board updates, dancer evaluations, program progress reports; 

Teach company dancers and/or secure outside educators to teach dancers how to structure and facilitate in-school residencies in K-12 education and community settings; 

Teach company dancers how to produce recital and/or other forms of culminating performances for in school residencies; 

Teach IST dancers how to research, study and develop their movement skills and grow their historical and socio-cultural knowledge of their particular dance forms (ex. Flexn or Litefeet). 

Maintain COVID compliant work environment.

Administrative hours are flexible;  replies to emails and texts due within 24 hours.

Other Duties That May Arise:

Collaborate with IST and DiTS management team to develop, design & implement a 6 month curriculum to teach dancers essential entrepreneurial, administrative, socio-emotional, fundraising/booking and production skills necessary to create & maintain sustainable careers as movement based artists; 

Coordinate with the management team on recommending and hiring dancers for administrative and production work; 

Maintain, update and communicate policies concerning dancer attendance, promptness, and anti-sexual harassment;

Oversee photo/video documentation of select performances; 

Contribute ideas, insight and cultural perspectives to grant applications, bookings, marketing, codification of program structure and fundraising efforts;

Attend occasional foundation pitch meetings, press interviews & Board meetings. 

To apply:

Email cover letter, resume, and links to three videos (links should be accessible without passwords or special permissions) that demonstrate your choreographic skills and your dance abilities to: 

Honeychild Coleman, Managing Director, honeychild@itsshowtime.nyc  

Please label your email with Subject: Artistic Director

She will confirm receipt via email. 

Final candidates will be invited to prepare and offer 3 choreo/freestyle workshops to dancers at Mark Morris Studios as an audition-interview. They will also be invited to do a virtual Q&A with the larger group of dancers. Each final candidate will receive a $150 stipend to participate in these dancer sessions. 

For updates please visit: http://itsshowtime.nyc/workopportunities

Dancing in the Streets is an active Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law.