NEFA’s National Dance Project Announces 30th Anniversary Awards

NDP celebrates milestone with 30 Production Grants and 30 Finalist Awards

SOLE Defined | photo by BeccaVisionCreations

(Boston, MA) On the 30th anniversary of the National Dance Project (NDP), the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) announces $2,550,000 in awards to support 60 new dance projects through 30 NDP Production Grants and 30 NDP Finalist Awards.

NDP Production Grantees will receive a framework of support totaling $75,000, inclusive of $45,000 for creation/development, $10,000 in general operating support, and $20,000 reserved to support touring/sharing of their new dance project. NDP Finalists will receive $10,000 in unrestricted funding intended to support the continued creation/development of their proposed new dance project, as well as to address any sustainability needs. 

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.  

To date, NDP has invested more than $56 million in funding to artists and organizations to strengthen partnerships and bring dance into communities across the U.S. NDP has supported approximately 859 choreographic works that have toured to all 50 states, Washington, DC, Guam, and Puerto Rico reaching over 3.8 million audience members in-person and virtually. 

Two performers dance in each others arms.
Blue13 Dance Company - Artistic Director, Achinta S. McDaniel | photo by Slade Segerson

NDP Advisors selected these projects from a competitive pool of 280 applicants from 34 states, as well as Washington, D.C. and Guam. “Throughout the entire process, NDP Advisors remained grounded in the program criteria while uplifting representation across traditional and new dance forms and aesthetics, rigorous study/research, earnest storytelling, and commitments to community mobilization. It is because of their diligent work and care that we have a diverse cohort of grantees and finalists that reflect and strengthen the cultural and aesthetic diversities of today’s dance field,” shared Indira Goodwine, NEFA’s deputy director, national program strategy.

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.

“With the right support, dance artists have the tools to lead us to better and more ethical human centered futures,” said Ashley Ferro-Murray, program director for the Arts at the Doris Duke Foundation. “It is exciting to imagine what world-building solutions will emerge from this cohort of National Dance Project grantees, and we are proud to support the work alongside Mellon, NEFA and the NDP advisors.”

“The National Dance Project has left an indelible impact on the national arts community that extends far beyond the stage,” said Stephanie Ybarra, program officer for Arts and Culture at the Mellon Foundation. “We are proud to partner with NEFA, the NDP community, and the Doris Duke Foundation in support of this powerful cohort of dance artists.”

Learn about the 30 NDP Production Grant Recipients & Projects 

Four people are outside by a waterfront, three of them sit and one of them stands.

(may there be) Good Atmosphere Between Us: The Parables of NOW

amara tabor-smith
Oakland, CA
Five performers on a stage are mid leap with their arms raised over their heads and extended outwards.

4Four: The Rhythm Holds Our Stories

SOLE Defined
Capitol Heights, MD
A performer kicks up a foot while leaning against a television box on a dark stage.

BUNKER

jeremy de'jon guyton
Los Angeles, CA
A performer holds their hands above their head in a heart shape.

float. Phase I, Pleasure, & Phase II

7NMS/Marjani Forté-Saunders
Pasadena, CA
A person suspended in midair by a harness reaches upward with their left hand while touching a red rocking chair with their right.

FREEDOM COMES WHEN ONE WALKS THROUGH IT

Flyaway Productions
San Francisco, CA
A performer in a dark skirt drags a piece of orange cloth across a stage.

icchā

barkha dance company
New Hyde Park, NY
An Asian woman, in baggy pants, walks across a stage.

Ikigai

Naomi Funaki
Brooklyn, NY
Five hands poke out from a set of black curtains, each one holds a miniature globe.

Infinite Slow Drive / Obsidians in the Wild

Brownbody
St Paul, MN
Two colorfully dressed performers dance together in front of a background of gold and snowflakes.

Just Nuts

Jaime Carabetta/Pony Box Dance Theatre
Bronx, NY
A person stands in front of a white background wrapped in a dark cloth.

Keeper of Sadness

Solo Magic
Seattle, WA
A group of performers dressed in white dance together on a stage.

Land and Us—Future Ritual

Dohee Lee Puri Arts
Oakland, CA
A group of six performers are on a stage with their arms slung over each others shoulders. The one on the far right raises a leg and arm towards the sky.

Like A Bee

Keerati Jinakunwiphat
Brooklyn, NY
A drag queen dressed like a clown stands in front of a colorful background.

Metals and Matter of You

Jody Kuehner / Cherdonna Shinatra
Seattle, WA
In front of a tan colored background a long haired person wearing a golden top stretches out their arms to the front and back. Three pearls of great size are shown by their hands and left foot.

Perfume of the Pearl

April Sellers Dance Collective
Minneapolis, MN
A shirtless performer holds another from behind. Both have metallic bowls on their faces.

sada (صدى): what have these walls heard?

Meryl Zaytoun Murman
New Orleans, LA
From above, a person dressed in orange is shown looking upwards while standing on a floral patterned blue floor.

Shifting Sands, Imaginary Homelands

Blue13 Dance Company - Artistic Director, Achinta S. McDaniel
Los Angeles, CA
Three people dressed in black hold toilet plungers in front of their faces.

Snap Clap Flush

Brian Golden
New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA
Two performers crouch by a bright tube of light and inspect it.

Sonic American Census - working title

zoe | juniper
Seattle, WA and Los Angeles, CA, WA
In the dark, two dancers help another get off the stage. They wear the same color tank tops and pants of different cuts.

STONE BELLY

Marie Lloyd Paspe
Brooklyn, NY
Six people stand in a land. Four of them stand still while the two on the right dance.

The Front Line

David Dorfman Dance
New York, NY
A group of six dressed in green pose in front of a mustard colored wall.

The Kitchen

Soles of Duende
New York, NY
Two people in anachronistic clothing do a waltz in front of a black backdrop.

The Moor’s Pavane Reimagined by Akram Khan (working title)

Limón Dance Company & Akram Khan
New York, NY
A person in a white polo shirt drinks from a mug in front of a dimly lit curtain.

The Viagra Ballet

Madeline Maxine Roman
Chevy Chase, MD
On a stage a group of masked performers observe a person in a bright mask.

Too soon to discover planets, too late to discover islands

Orlando Hernández & The Knee-Heart Connection
New York, NY
On a dark stage, a person stands in front of a net that drapes from the ceiling.

WAIHONA KINO (Body Archive)

Tau Dance Theater - WAIHONA KINO (Body Archive)
Honolulu, HI
Two people sit on a square of tinfoil on a stage.

We Gather Here

Christian Warner
New York, NY
A person whose face has been painted white stands on a street, pointing at something offscreen. Eleven people look in the direction he's pointing.

Welcome to the Jungle or A microphone is power

Miguel Gutierrez
Brooklyn, NY and Los Angeles, CA, CA
A performer in a red skirt and black top strikes a post.

WHAT IF

Bridgman|Packer Dance
Valley Cottage, NY
A person in a fringed jacket stands in front of a curtain and stretches out a hand.

WITH OURSELVES, WITH EACH OTHER (WOWEO)

Maree ReMalia
Tulsa, OK
In a spotlight and on a road that appears to continue up the wall, a dancer does a flip.

YAHAIRA YAHAIRA

Omar Román de Jesús
New York, NY

Project descriptions, work samples, and tour coordinator details are included on each grantee’s listing in NEFA’s grantee directory, above.

Learn about the 30 NDP Finalist Award Recipients & Projects 

 

Learn more about the future of NEFA’s national programs.

Thirteen colorfully dressed performers strike poses in front of a pink backdrop.
Jaime Carabetta/Pony Box Dance Theatre | photo courtesy of Pony Box Dance

About NEFA

The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in artists and communities, fostering equitable access to the arts and enriching the cultural landscape in New England and across the United States. Founded in 1976, NEFA has grown into a vital national and international leader, advancing opportunities for artists and strengthening the arts infrastructure through grantmaking, partnerships, convenings, and knowledge sharing. 

NEFA’s work is made possible through generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the six New England state arts agencies, private foundations, corporations, and individual donors. As NEFA celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026, it continues to lead with creativity, resilience, and vision, affirming the vital role of the arts in civic life and advancing a cultural landscape where all people have equitable access to artistic expression. www.nefa.org

Contact: Ann Wicks, 617-423-1390

 

TagsDance, Performing Arts, Press Release

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