David LeShay
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
TDF
520 Eighth Avenue, Suite 801
New York, NY 10018-6507
T: 212.912.9770 ext. *320
D: 212.912.9649
davidl@tdf.org
tdf.org

NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release, please

TDF DEVELOPING NEW INITIATIVES TO GROW AUDIENCES FOR DANCE IN NEW YORK CITY

New York, NY – January 3, 2019 – As TDF, the not-for-profit organization for the performing arts, enters the new year, one of its goals is to develop new programs to cultivate a broader audience for dance, strengthening its myriad of audience building initiatives.

“As part of our 50th anniversary year, we took a comprehensive review of our programs and determined that a key area for growth and development was cultivating a broader audience for dance,” said Victoria Bailey, TDF’s Executive Director. “While TDF already works to erase barriers related to cost and accessibility, our new dance initiative will target the lack of awareness and knowledge of dance within communities at large.”

TDF is introducing a research and development project headed by Mary Madsen, a long time performer in the NYC dance community, to help it better understand ways to build dance patronage.

Collaborating with artists, presenters, current dance audiences, and non-dance goers is essential to the success of this project. Through interviews and research across all of these groups, TDF will develop new outreach programs that highlight dance as an approachable and attainable art form and in turn, expand audiences for dance beyond the scope of current attendees.

This research has been underwritten by a generous grant from The Howard Gilman Foundation. For further information about the project, please contact Mary Madsen at MaryM@tdf.org.

ABOUT TDF
TDF is a not-for-profit service organization, dedicated to bringing the power of the performing arts to everyone. Founded in 1968, TDF’s mission is to sustain live theatre and dance by engaging and cultivating a broad and diverse audience and eliminating barriers to attendance. TDF fulfills its mission with a variety of programs that expand access, cultivate communities and support the makers of the performing arts. Best known for its theatre- going programs (including the TKTS by TDF Discount Booths and TDF Membership Programs), TDF’s accessibility (including open captioned, audio described and Autism Friendly performances), school (serving over 10,000 New York City students annually), community engagement and information programs — as well as the TDF Costume Collection Rental and Research Programs — have introduced millions of people to the theatre and helped make the unique experience of theatre available to everyone. To learn more about TDF, go to: www.tdf.org.