Meet the 2026 National Dance Project Advisor Cohort

The National Dance Project (NDP) Team is pleased to announce the 2026 NDP Production Grant Advisor Cohort. 

The NDP Production Grant is an annual funding opportunity that provides support for the creation/development and U.S. touring/sharing of new dance projects. NDP Grantees and Finalists are selected via an application and a grant panel review process that evaluates each project based on program criteria and NEFA’s values, while also considering the ever-evolving dance ecology.

Similar to the diversity of projects within an applicant pool, the selection of NDP Advisors considers geography, gender, cultural and racial equity, and includes both new and established leaders in the dance field. As artists, presenters, administrators, cultural strategists, curators, producers, educators, and more, NDP Advisors bring a range of lived experiences that inform their collective decision-making and support the equitable distribution of resources. The NDP Advisor Cohort serves one-to-three-year terms and are often called upon by NEFA as accountability and thought-partners. 

As NDP celebrates its 30 years of service to the dance field, we are proud of the indelible impact we have made through the NDP Production Grant. We remain committed to centering the agency of artists/companies to create and share projects on their own terms, foster intentional collaboration with presenters, and increase opportunities for communities to experience live dance in the U.S. and beyond. We thank this year’s NDP Advisors in advance for their commitment and care to this important work and look forward to what our final year of applications will offer. 

In 2026, NDP welcomes two new Advisors and two former Advisors:

• Aisha Ahmad-Post (EYE-sha AH-mid Post) 
  She/Her/Hers
  Executive Director, The Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts, University of Denver
  Land of the the Tséstho’e (Cheyenne), Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute) and Očeti Šakówiŋ (Sioux) Peoples (Denver, CO) 
• Shoni Currier (SHO-nee) 
  She/Her/Hers
  Director, Bates Dance Festival
  Land of the Wabanaki Confederacy (Lewiston, ME)
• Shira Greenberg (SHEAR-ah Green-burg)
  She/Her/Hers
  Founder & Artistic Director, Keshet Dance Company & Center for the Arts 
  Land of the Tiwa tribes. Currently home to 19 Pueblos, Navajo Nation, and Jicarilla Apache Nation (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
• Tariq Darell O’Meally (Ta-reek O Meal-ee)
  He/Him/They/Them
  Executive Artistic Director, BlackLight Summit & Artistic Director, Dance Place DC
  Land of the Piscataway and Pamunkey Peoples (Washington, DC)

We look forward to the continued service of eleven returning NDP Advisors:

• Ben Johnson (Ben John-son)
  He/Him/His
  Director, Department of Arts & Cultural Affairs – City of Minneapolis
  Land of the Dakhóta Oyáte and Ojibwe People (Minneapolis, MN) 
• Megan Kiskaddon (Meg-an Kis-kad-din)
  She/Her/Hers
  Executive Director, On the Boards
  Land of the Coast Salish Peoples, specifically the Duwamish Tribe (Dkhw Duw’Absh) (Seattle, WA)
• Brandi Norton (BRAN-dee Nor-ton)
  She/Her/Hers
  Iñupiaq; Curator of Public Programs, Bard College Center for Indigenous Studies
  Land of Stockbridge-Munsee Community
• Ben Pryor (Ben pr-AY-er)
  He/Him/His
  Director, Touring & Artistic Operations at A.I.M by Kyle Abraham
  Land of the the Osage, Monongahela, and Shawandasse Tulsa People (Pittsburgh, PA); Land of the Canarsie and Munsee Lenape Peoples (Brooklyn, NY); Land of the Matinecock (Glen Cove, NY) 
• Michael Reed (MY-kuhl r-EE-d)
  He/Him/His
  Senior Director of Programs and Organizational Initiatives, ASU Gammage
  Land of the Akimel O’odham and Pee Posh Peoples (Tucson, AZ)
• Vanessa Sanchez (Vah-ness-ah San-chez)
  She/Her/Hers
  Founder, Executive Artistic Director & Choreographer, La Mezcla
  Land of Ramaytush Ohlone People (San Francsico, CA)
• Nadhi Thekkek (Nuh-dhi Theh-kehk)
  She/Her/Hers/They/Them
  Artistic Director, Nava Dance Theatre
  Land of Chochenyo and Ramaytush Ohlone Peoples (San Francisco, CA and the East Bay)
• Aysha Upchurch (AY-sha Up-church)
  She/Her/Hers
  Artist, Educator, Speaker Consultant; Founder, The Dancing Diplomat
  Land of the Tonkawa, Apache, Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, Lipan Apache, Texas Band of Yaqui Indians, Coahuitlecan Peoples, and all other tribes not explicitly stated (Austin, TX)
• Tamara "Fákémi" Williams (Tam-ah-ra Will-e-ams )
  She/Her/Hers/Iya
  Founder and Artistic Director, Moving Spirits Inc. & Associate Professor, UNC Charlotte 
  Land of the Catawba, Sugaree, Cherokee, Coharie and Lumbee Peoples (Charlotte, NC) & Tupi-Guarani People (Salvador, Bahia, Brazil)
• Renae Williams Niles (Re-nay Wil-yuhmz Niylz)
  She/Her/Hers/They/Them
  Renae WN Consulting, Consultant/Creative Producer
  Land of Gabrielino Tongva, Gabrielino Kizh, and Fernandeño Tataviam Nations
• Daria Yudacufski (Dah-ree-uh You-duh-kuf-skee)
  She/Her/Hers
  Executive Director, USC Visions and Voices
  Land of the Tongva and Chumash (Los Angeles, CA)

Lastly, we send our deepest thanks to our outgoing Advisors for their hard work and dedication:

• Ann Brusky (Aen Bru-ski)
  She/Her/Hers
  Deputy Director of Programming, John Michael Kohler Arts Center
  Land of the Ho-Chunk, Potawatomi, Menominee, Oneida, and Ojibwe Peoples (Sheboygan, WI)
• Jerron Herman (Jerr-on Her-man)
  He/Him/His
  Dancer/Performer 
  Land of the Lenape People (New York, NY)
• Marisa Hollingsworth (Ma-risa Hall-ings-worth)
  She/Her/Hers
  Executive and Artistic Director, Presenting Denver
  Land of the Utes, Cheyennes, and Arapahoes Peoples (Denver, CO)
• Lori N. Jones (Lor-ri Jones)
  She/Her/Hers
  Director of Programming and Operations, Quick Center for the Arts
  Land of the Paugussett People (Fairfield, CT)

Please Note: Native Land Acknowledgements have been provided by NDP Advisors based on their location. Additional support has been provided by native-land.ca. The website strives to represent nations and Indigenous people on their own terms and recognizes that the map is a work-in-progress that relies on contributions from the community to fix any errors.