Dance/NYC and its program partner Gibney are pleased to invite you to apply for the Disability. Dance. Artistry. Residency Program, made possible by the generous support of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs CreateNYC Disability Forward Fund and the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation. Dance/NYC will award week-long residencies to disabled dance artists and/or integrated dance companies at Gibney from May 21, 2020 through June 20, 2020.  The purpose of the residency program is to expand opportunities for dancers with disabilities, and to advance accessibility and inclusion within the larger dance, residency and presenting communities.

The Residency Program responds directly to Dance/NYC’s research, Performing Disability. Dance. Artistry. (Dance.NYC/PerformingDDA18), which underscores the need and opportunity to engage residency centers in the professional development and training of disabled artists and to provide critical training to presenters, driving mentorship and shared learning among artists and presenters.

Residency Components
Individual dance artists and/ or integrated dance companies (dance ensembles working with artists with and without disabilities) are invited to apply for a one-week residency during the period of May 21, 2020 through June 20, 2020. Residencies will be awarded to up to four (4) dance artists and/or integrated dance companies to support their creative process. These residencies will occur in New York City at Gibney, 280 Broadway.  Disabled dance artists or integrated dance companies, regardless of disability, are invited to apply. Dance/NYC will prioritize self-identification. No artist will be required to identify their impairment or provide verification in the application.

Each of the program participants will receive:
• An honorarium of $3,000 to be used at the discretion of the participant;
• An additional stipend of $750 for personal care assistant(s) and/or access needs;
• Up to 30 hours of rehearsal time over the course of one week;
• 10-class card at Gibney lasting 90 days;
• If desired, private or public studio showing, open rehearsal, public talk, and/or public class; and
• 10-12 hours of mentorship support from a colleague in the field.

Eligibility Requirements
Applicants are eligible to apply if they:
• Identify as a disabled dance artist and/or dance ensemble working with        disabled dance artists and/or integrated dance company;
• Are headquartered in the five boroughs of New York City, including, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island; and
• Provide a copy of their U.S. IRS Determination letter, which proves the entity's 501(c)(3) designation or tax-exempt status under Internal Revenue Code Section 170(c)(1), or proof of fiscal sponsorship. For details on how to become fiscally sponsored, please visit Dance.NYC.

Applicants are not eligible to apply if they are:
•An individual artist without a fiscal sponsor;
•An organization that is not focused on the creation and/or performance of dance; 
•An organization for which dance therapy is a primary function;
•An organization for which arts education is a primary function;
•An educational institution;
•A producer;
•A presenter;
•A festival;
•A service organization.

Funding Priorities and Review Rubric
Priority in grant selection will be given to applicants who demonstrate to a review panel:
• Above all, artistic excellence and potential to benefit from a residency;
• A commitment to justice, equity, and inclusion. The review panel will consider the role that historically marginalized groups—including disabled, African, Latina/o/x, Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA), and immigrant artists—play within the applicant pool and wider dance field. For information on Dance/NYC’s values and commitments on justice, equity, and inclusion, please visit Dance.NYC/equity/values; and
• Diversity of participant types and perspectives.

Proposal Specifications
Required materials include:
• Disability. Dance. Artistry. Residency Program Application Form
• Work sample (video)
• Proof of 501(c)(3) status or fiscal sponsorship
• Diversity Matrix

Submission Details
Dance/NYC is using an online application portal at dance.nyc.submittable.com. Before completing the application form, interested applicants are asked to first complete questions to determine baseline eligibility. If eligible, applicants will be prompted to complete the application.

Complete applications must be submitted online no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on April 3, 2020. Incomplete applications, hard copy submissions, and applications received after the April 3 deadline will not be considered.

Accessibility and Questions
Dance/NYC is committed to accessibility and the inclusion of disabled people in its programs. Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for assistance. If you have questions not already addressed on the FAQ page or need assistance accessing any part of this application, please contact us at artistresidency@dance.nyc. Please only send questions to this e-mail account. As appropriate, Dance/NYC’s responses to questions received will be added to the FAQ page.

Related Resources
Announcement of Disability. Dance. Artistry. Residency Program
(February 14, 2020)

About Dance/NYC (Dance.NYC)
Dance/NYC’s mission is to promote the knowledge, appreciation, practice, and performance of dance in the metropolitan New York City area. It embeds values of justice, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of the organization. It works in alliance with Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance.  Visit Dance.NYC/DDA for details on Dance/NYC’s Disability. Dance. Artistry. initiative.

About Gibney (www.gibneydance.org)
Founded in 1991, Gibney is a performing arts and social justice organization. Gibney's mission is to tap into the vast potential of movement, creativity and performance to affect social change and personal transformation. The mission comes to life through two thriving performing arts Centers, a stunning social justice Company, and impactful Community action initiatives. Gibney has emerged a cultural leader operating 55,000 square feet, including 23 studios and 5 performance spaces, across two Manhattan locations. Gibney Company is Gibney’s acclaimed resident dance ensemble whose members serve as not only as performing artists, but also as activists and cultural advocates. Gibney is at the forefront of mobilizing the arts to address social justice issues by working with survivors in shelters, youth in schools, and artists both on and off the stage.

About the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs CreateNYC Disability Forward Fund  (createnyc.cityofnewyork.us)
The CreateNYC Disability Forward Fund was launched in 2018 as a pilot initiative designed to support new and ongoing efforts to engage people with disabilities as artists, cultural workers, and audience members. By supporting new and expanded programs in a number of disciplines for a range of different disabilities, the new fund builds on recommendations made in the CreateNYC cultural plan released by Mayor de Blasio in July 2017 and reflects the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs’ commitment to working with cultural organizations to provide opportunities for all New Yorkers to engage in the arts. Learn more: on.nyc.gov/2DqtX8H. 

About the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation (SDrubin.org)
The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation was founded in 1995, and is primarily committed to providing grants and programmatic support for:
     •Access to art for a broad audience
     •Art in the service of social justice
     •Art in the service of social change and discourse
     •Under-recognized artistic practice

The Foundation supports arts and cultural organizations through grants to catalyze collective action, promote equality, contribute to advocacy and policy change and develop capacity for greater civic engagement.  The Foundation is also interested in supporting organizations outside of the arts whose programs seek to engage communities through cultural activities. Now in its fifth cycle, the art and social justice grant program will reward fifty-three New York–based cultural organizations for their artistic activism and engagement with social justice. Grants will provide direct support for exhibitions, educational programs, activist initiatives, artists’ projects, publications, and operations.