American Masterpieces: Dance (AMD), a program administered by NEFA, is generously funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
American Masterpieces: Dance (AMD) is the dance component of a major initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to acquaint Americans with the best of their cultural and artistic legacy. The AMD project celebrates the extraordinary and rich evolution of dance and choreography in the United States. For the past three years through NEFA, AMD has sponsored 45 select projects and over
100 performances, tours, and educational programs that have reached large and small communities
throughout the United States. Future funding will be provided directly through the NEA.
American Masterpieces: Dance at NEFA
NEFA was selected to develop AMD in partnership with the NEA and DanceUSA
in 2005 based on its expertise in the design and delivery of performing arts
grants programs, such as the highly-respected National Dance Project. These
grants represent the third and final round of AMD funding through NEFA.
“NEFA’s history with national grant-making programs in dance has been key to
the establishment of AMD,” said Douglas Sonntag, Director, Dance, of the NEA.
Future Funding
The NEA will administer a program for supporting dance reconstruction and
re-stagings under its major initiative American Masterpieces: Three Centuries
of Artistic Genius. The dance component of American Masterpieces: Three
Centuries of Artistic Genius will continue to celebrate the extraordinary and
rich evolution of dance and choreography in the United States and build on the
knowledge, findings, and practices developed by NEFA during their development
and administration of the AMD program for the NEA.
Future grants will now be awarded by the NEA in two areas:
For dance companies, presenters, and festivals: the reconstruction or
restaging of significant American dance works and their performance at
home and on tour
For college and university dance programs: the restaging, performance, and
documentation of significant dance choreography in order to provide dance
students with access to the legacy of American dance history. While faculty
can assist with a project, the primary reconstructor/artist must be someone
from outside the campus.
The application deadline to submit applications electronically to the NEA is
October 24, 2008. All guidelines and details for this program can be obtained at
www.arts.gov/grants/apply/AMDance.html.
AMD Touring Grants support the distribution and presentation (touring) of AMD-funded projects. Performing arts presenters may receive fee subsidy grants for the presentation of any of the season’s
AMD-supported touring projects.
AMD Reconstruction Grants
If you have received an AMD Reconstruction Grant, you must complete a final evaluation form as stated in your award contract. This evaluation is due 3 weeks after the premiere of the work(s), or as otherwise stated on your award contract. The completed evaluation is needed before a final payment can be made on the grant.
American Masterpieces: Dance/Overview 
