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National Dance Project/OverviewThe
National Dance Project (NDP) provides a system of support
for the living, growing discipline of contemporary dance by supporting
the production and distribution of dance in the United States. NDP views
touring as central to the vitality of dance as an art form and structures
its granting process to link the creation and touring of new work. Through
the dedicated efforts of dance presenters
across the country, NDP helps audiences connect with the rich and varied
talents of choreographers and their companies.
In addition to its core programming, NDP has established international partnerships that provide opportunities for international artists to tour their work in the U.S., and for U.S. presenters to receive support for their presentation. Other NDP programming includes initiatives such as the Regional Development Dance Initiative (RDDI), the Center for Creative Research (CCR) and the Contemporary Art Centers (CAC). NDP is overseen by a group of 10-12 performing arts presenter Hub
Sites and is advised by five dance field leaders, or Advisors.
In immediate response to the changes, NEFA created a regional program in 1995 to support dance touring in New England called the New England Dance Project (Adobe PDF [19k]). The goal of this program was to develop audiences for dance in New England communities by supporting the touring of dance artists and companies to the region. But it soon became clear that this program needed the support of a national effort. NEFA began conversations with peers and advisors in the dance field to discuss the development of a national program. Dance/USA, the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, and many other peers participated in the design of the National Dance Project. As designed, NDP's purpose would be to link the creation and touring of new work, by building upon artist/presenter partnerships. This approach - linking all aspects of producing a dance work - was created to ensure that a diversity of projects would realize their full potential. Linking the support for creation and touring of work not only assists in meeting artists' and presenters' objectives, but also fosters the working relationships between the two. NEFA launched the National Dance Project (NDP) in March 1996 with a two-year leadership grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation provided support with a three-year grant for dance touring in New England, which was later renewed for another three years. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation provided funds for touring activity in the first two years. The Philip Morris Companies, Inc. provided support for touring from 1997-2002, and The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has granted generous support for production and touring activity from 2001-present. NDP was created at first to maintain, and later, to increase the level of dance activity that flourished in the U.S. prior to the congressional cutbacks of 1994. It is our ongoing desire at NDP to enable audiences in communities across the nation to experience the work of the most creative and compelling dance artists of our time. |
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For 30 years, a series of programs at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) supported dance creation and touring in the United States. As a result of the "culture wars" of the early 90's, congressional cuts to these programs left a void in financial support for dance that threatened the future of dance touring and - ultimately - dance as an art form.