NEFA’s National Dance Project Announces 2025 Production Awards

Tere O'Connor | photo by Maria Baranova

(Boston, MA) The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) awarded $2,000,000 through the National Dance Project (NDP) to support the creation of 20 new dance projects that will be shared across the United States. In addition, NDP has awarded $200,000 in Finalist Awards to 20 new dance projects. 

Launched in 1996, the National Dance Project (NDP) supports the creation and U.S. touring of new dance projects and connects artists, cultural organizations, and audiences across the nation, and has been one of the country’s major sources of funding for the field. The 15 NDP Advisors, made up of artists, presenters, producers, arts administrators, and cultural strategists, selected these projects out of a record 306 competitive applications; 65% of the awardees are first-time NDP recipients. Each artist/company receives $45,000 for the creation of the new dance project as well as $10,000 in unrestricted general operating support. Additionally, each grantee receives $10,000 to support Production Residencies for Dance and/or Community Engagement for their project. A total of $700,000 is allocated to support U.S. nonprofit organizations to present these projects through NDP’s Presentation grant.

"These 20 new dance projects – a third of which are first-time NDP grantees - offer a mirror that reflects multiple histories with deep inquiry while simultaneously advocating for a better present and future, said NEFA's senior program director, dance, Indira Goodwine-Josias. "Their various creative praxis aid in the elevation of experiences and narratives that unfortunately continue to be suppressed in our society, and offer intentional approaches towards advocacy while navigating grief, upholding ritual, and stewarding resilience."

NDP has invested more than $51.5 million in funding to artists and organizations to strengthen partnerships and bring dance into communities across the U.S. To date, NDP has supported tours of 820 choreographic works that have toured to all 50 states, Washington, DC, Guam, and Puerto Rico reaching over 3.7 million audience members in-person and virtually.

“At the Doris Duke Foundation, we strive to create an environment where artists can dream beyond the material limits of the modern performance ecosystem and be encouraged to take artistic risks,” said Ashley Ferro-Murray, program director for the Arts at the Doris Duke Foundation. “We are proud to come together with Mellon, NEFA, and all NDP advisors to support NEFA’s National Dance Project and make dynamic creation and production support more widely available to these artists.”

“We remain grateful to our colleagues at NEFA for their artful stewardship of the National Dance Project,” said Stephanie Ybarra, program officer for Arts and Culture at the Mellon Foundation. “The 2025 artist cohort is an expansive representation of the present and future of concert dance, and we are proud to partner with the Doris Duke Foundation in support of these projects.”

NEFA's National Dance Project is generously supported with lead funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation, with funding for special initiatives from the Aliad Fund at the Boston Foundation.

The 2025 NDP Production Grant projects are:

Project descriptions, work samples, and tour coordinator details are included on each grantee's listing in NEFA's directory. For questions, contact program staff at ndp@nefa.org.

Due to the intense work that goes into a final proposal, NDP finalists who do not receive a Production Grant receive a Finalist Award of $10,000 in unrestricted funding as an investment in their creative process, growth, and sustainability. 

The 2025 NDP Finalist Award projects are:

  • A Khmer Swan Lake (ក្ងានសួគ៌), Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Lowell, MA
  • Aluxes: Guardians of the Jungle, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, East Elmhurst, NY
  • Anima Mundi, Degenerate Art Ensemble, Seattle, WA
  • Infinite Slow Drive / Obsidians in the Wild, Brownbody, St. Paul, MN
  • Jamelgo by Diego Vega Solorza, LIMÓN DANCE COMPANY, New York, NY
  • Land and Us–Future Ritual, Dohee Lee, Oakland, CA
  • LOOK/OUT, Fox Whitney, Seattle, WA
  • MAN WOMAN, The Vangeline Theater, Brooklyn, NY
  • (may there be) Good Atmosphere Between Us: The Parables of NOW, amara tabor-smith, Oakland, CA
  • MOTHER, GALLIM, Brooklyn, NY
  • Phoenix Paradox, Sozo Impact, Oakland, CA
  • RoCoCoCoCo, laughing dances + goth cake conversation, Heather Kravas, Seattle, WA
  • SERMON, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Philadelphia, PA
  • Shine, Sekou McMiller, New York, NY
  • STONE BELLY, Marie Lloyd Paspe, Brooklyn, NY
  • The Grave's Tears, kNoname Artist - Roderick George, New York, NY
  • The Kitchen, Soles of Duende, New York, NY
  • this is the beginning, this is the end, Joanna Kotze, Brooklyn, NY
  • To Leave You, Robyn Mineko Williams and Artists, Chicago, IL
  • TRACKING PARALLEL, Heidi Latsky Dance, New York, NY

Learn more about the projects and the review process. 

About NEFA

The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in artists and communities and fosters equitable access to the arts, enriching the cultural landscape in New England and the nation. NEFA accomplishes this by granting funds to artists and cultural organizations; connecting them to each other and their audiences; and analyzing their economic contributions. NEFA serves as a regional partner for the National Endowment for the Arts, New England’s state arts agencies, and private foundations. Learn more at www.nefa.org.

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CONTACT: Ann Wicks, 617-423-1390

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