Emerge / Become / Move

Dance/USA made a joyful return to a fully in-person Conference in Atlanta from June 13–16. For four days, 424 creative workers spent time networking, participating in career development sessions, and experiencing performances that celebrated the breadth and depth of the local dance ecosystem.

The convening kicked off with the Welcoming Soiree and Honors Awards where attendees celebrated the lives and legacies of five visionary dance leaders who have had a lasting impact on the national dance ecosystem: Virginia Johnson, Artistic Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem; Judy Tyrus, CEO of ChromaDiverse; Nena Gilreath and Waverly T. Lucas, II, Co-Founding Directors of Ballethnic Dance Company; and Douglas Scott, Artistic/Executive Director of Full Radius Dance.

The next two days consisted of 25 breakout sessions during which participants engaged in illuminating workshops, contributed to challenging conversations, addressed shared problems, and ultimately left with practical skills and innovative ideas to help advance their work. Popular sessions included Beyond Categories; Resisting Tokenism and Holding Complexity and Tactical Guide to Achieve Engagement with Diverse Audiences.

We had the pleasure of opening each day with Grounding Keynote presentations from inspirational women. On Wednesday morning, Chief Visioning Officer of Steps and Stages Coaching and Founding Artist/Executive Director of INSPIRIT Christal Brown spoke about what it means to catalyze imagination into reality. On Thursday morning, Ayanna Hudson, Chief Strategy, Programs, and Engagement Officer at the National Endowment for the Arts, took the stage to discuss the future of NEA funding initiatives. Inclusion and Diversity Consultant Amber Cabral sat down with Dance/USA Executive Director Kellee Edusei for a Fireside Chat centered around embodying inclusive practices in our personal and professional lives.

On Thursday evening, Conference attendees immersed themselves in Atlanta’s diverse dance scene with a visit to Emory University’s campus for the 2023 Modern Atlanta Dance Festival. The sold-out performance hosted by Full Radius Dance featured 32 dancers in seven works ranging from a modern take on traditional Chinese dance to physically integrated movement.

On the final day of the Conference, Dance/USA members were invited to participate in The Exchange: A Conversation for Learning and Sharing where they learned about Dance/USA membership services and were given a space to dream about new ways in which the organization can best serve its member community. Then, seven member Council and Affinity Groups met in-person to discuss timely issues in their respective fields.

Thank you to all of the sponsors, speakers, performers, and attendees who helped make the 2023 National Conference a triumphant success!

• 424 Dance professionals attended the in-person conference

• 89 Atlanta-based performers

• 74 Breakout session speakers

• 30 Scholarships awarded

• 25 Breakout sessions

After 2023, Dance/USA will shift to a biennial Conference cycle, with the next Dance/USA National Conference taking place June 17–20, 2025, in Chicago. This intentional shift will give Dance/USA a greater opportunity to redesign our Conference environment to ensure attendees experience the Conference through a human-centered lens, strengthen our local and national partnerships, and deepen our connection with the host city.

Dance/USA 2023 Conference Sponsors

Arts Consulting Group

Arts Insurance Program

City of Atlanta Mayor’s O ice of Cultural A airs

Claremont Graduate University

Fulton County Arts Council

Georgia Council for the Arts

Harkness Center for Dance Injuries

Harlequin Floors

The National Endowment for the Arts

South Arts

Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts

Walder Charitable Fund

Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College