Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Weekly Advocacy Alert, December 2: Join Dance Rising NYC Hyper-Local Dance-Out!

By Dance/NYC

Weekly Advocacy Alert, December 2:
Join Dance Rising NYC Hyper-Local Dance-Out!

Photo: Dance Rising

Dance Rising Collective is producing their second dance-out on December 3rd and 5th to continue bringing attention to the dance field. Dance Rising invites all NYC dance artists in all styles to dance, record the dance and share online in a united moment of activation. Sign up for the hyper-local dance-out at bit.ly/DanceRisingSignUpDec, Thursday December 3rd and Saturday December 5th, 3pm-3:30pm, anywhere artists choose to dance and record. More information: www.dancerising.org. Learn more about Dance Rising in this New York Times article.

FEDERAL

1. Dance/USA is calling for the dance community to ask Congress to provide relief during lame duck session. Use Dance/USA online advocacy campaign to draft your message requesting:

a. To fund federal government for the remainder of FY2021.

b. Provide more specific pandemic relief for our nation’s businesses, nonprofit organizations, states, local communities, schools, hospitals, families, and individuals to address ongoing and long-term challenges related to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

2. A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a coronavirus aid proposal worth about $908 billion, aiming to break a months-long partisan impasse over emergency federal relief for the U.S. economy amid the ongoing pandemic, The Washington Post reports.

NEW YORK STATE

1. Sign on to #FundExcludedWorkers. This legislation is to tax billionaires to create emergency income, including retroactive payments for all excluded New Yorkers. Organizations can sign on here. Individuals can sign on here.

2. The State launched a new web application to help New Yorkers find state services and benefits. The "Find Services" web application was developed in partnership with Google.org, to assist New Yorkers in locating appropriate services with one streamlined web application.

3. The state Office of Court Administration has suspended all new jury trials and grand juries in New York State to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks wrote in a memo to judges, the Queens Daily Eagle reports.

NEW YORK CITY

1. Register to testify for Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Relations: The Impact of COVID-19 on Art and Cultural Educational Programming in New York City on Tuesday, December 15 at 10AM. Registration is due at least 24 hours in advance of zoom hearing. Written testimony may be submitted here up to 72 hours after the hearing has been adjourned.

2. Dance/NYC has been working with Nonprofit New York and coalition partners advocating to raise the threshold as a part of the A Place at the Table campaign. The campaign seeks to reduce barriers for nonprofits to engage in legislative advocacy. We need your support! Nonprofits can sign on as a supporter of Int. 2148-2020 to let New York City know you support nonprofit advocacy!

SIGN ON

3. For the ongoing Coronavirus Dance Impact Study, Dance/NYC is tracking studio & company closures to gain a better understanding of the financial impact the pandemic is taking on the dance sector. This data will be used to better document this historic time and to be able to advocate for aid to policy makers. Please email any closures that you know of in the dance community to research@dance.nyc. You do not need to be in charge of the organization to send a notification as Dance/NYC works to compile a list of closures.

4. COVID-19 Updates

a. All of NYC could become a COVID “Orange Zone”, the Gothamist explains what that means.

b. In-door gatherings limited to 10 people or less in NYS, CNN reports.

c. The positivity rate in the "micro-cluster" focus areas was 5.82%. The statewide positivity rate excluding these areas was 3.04%. To find out where the “micro-cluster” zones are, and to see what restrictions apply to each zone, please visit www.nyc.gov/covidzone. Use this look up tool to see if your address is in a hot zone.

d. Download the COVID Alert NY app today!

e. Remember to follow the “core four”—wear a mask, wash your hands, practice social distancing, stay home if you’re sick—and get tested! For information on free testing, personal protective equipment and more, visit the NYC Mayor's Office Coronavirus page.

5. Engaging in a community action in support of dance workers? Submit to be listed on the #ArtistsAreNecessaryWorkers Campaign Activations page. Visit the page for events, actions, and platforms that are independently led by the NYC dance community.

6. Dance/NYC hosts weekly dance field-wide calls to address our questions, needs, and plans for the future as a field. Calls occur every Thursday, 4:00 pm. – 5:00 p.m. Register!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES