Dance/USA's 2023 Impact Report

2023 Impact Report

Vision

Propelled by our belief that dance can inspire a more just and humane world, Dance/USA will amplify the power of dance to inform and inspire a nation where creativity and the field thrive.

Mission

Dance/USA champions an inclusive and equitable dance field by leading, convening, advocating, and supporting individuals and organizations. Dance/USA’s core programs are focused in the areas of engagement, advocacy, research, and preservation.

Core Values

• Creativity

• Connectivity

• Equity

• Integrity

Core Services

Leadership & Learning

Dance/USA engages and activates its network through meaningful programs, convenings, and educational opportunities.

Advocacy

Dance/USA advocates for the increased visibility of, and engagement in, dance and for government policies that positively impact the dance field on a national, regional, and local level.

Research

Dance/USA provides rigorous, relevant, and accessible research on the dance field.

Archiving & Preservation

Dance/USA provides resources and programs to advance the archiving and preservation of America’s dance legacy.

Dear Friend,

I knew Dance/USA was at an inflection point as we entered 2023, teetering on the precipice of transformative change. And in the teetering, Dance/USA had to choose. Are we going to remain stuck where we are? Or, are we going to embrace the unknown by leaping o the precipice, trusting that we will make it to the other side?

2023 was the year Dance/USA took that leap. While we are certainly not on the other side of this moment of change, the past year has allowed us to cultivate deep relationships, pioneer innovative programming, and re-imagine how we manifest our core services.

As this pivotal year unfolded, it became clear that Dance/USA needed to celebrate the power of this community and document the transformational work that took place throughout 2023.

Therefore, it is my pleasure to share with you Dance/USA’s inaugural Impact Report. On the following pages you will explore the intricate ways in which Dance/USA served our member community and the greater dance ecosystem in alignment with our core values of Connectivity, Creativity, Equity, and Integrity.

You will read about the intensive 5-year financial trend analysis conducted by our Research Department, uncovering the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on dance companies. You will learn about some of the important conversations and valuable takeaways generated at the 2023 National Conference. And, you will discover how the critical restructuring of our Bylaws was catalytic in rooting our operational practices in equity.

The impact we have is profound, and it goes without question that these transformative changes would not have been possible without the support of our member community and dance advocates like you. Thank you for taking this leap with us; for supporting the essential work that needed to be done internally and in service to the dance ecosystem; for believing in the value of Dance/USA and its role within the broader arts and culture sector; and for being part of this community, which continues to show up for each other in ways I never could have imagined.

With your renewed support and ongoing engagement, Dance/USA will continue to lead, convene, advocate, and support the ecosystem that we all love. Please consider joining us in whatever way is most meaningful to you. This could be joining as an individual member or renewing your organization’s membership. This could be providing a tax-deductible donation of any size. Or, this could be participating as a panelist, attending a workshop, or joining us at a convening.

I extend my sincere gratitude to YOU and the many dancers, administrators, advocates, and allies like you who were an essential part of our transformative change this past year. I hope that you will join Dance/USA in making an impact on the dance ecosystem in 2024.

In humble service,

Kellee Edusei / Executive Director, Dance/USA

Dance/USA’s Profound Impact

Dance/USA’s work with and for the dance ecosystem continues to have an enduring and profound impact on us all.

Throughout 2023, Dance/USA touched thousands of dance professionals and organizations, supporting our collective vision to build and sustain a thriving dance ecosystem.

We built upon existing programming, shared vital information, found creative ways to connect, and fiercely advocated for the needs of our field. The result — a year filled with incremental shifts and grand evolutions all in an e ort to move us closer to our vision.

1,858 Members*

190 Organization members

*All individuals at member organizations receive Dance/USA member status.

187 Individual members

13

Assisted with 13 dance research inquiries made by members

24

Hosted 24 webinars and online events

40 Facilitated 40 fellowships to further the field

455

Published 455 Field Wide Resources, including Task Force on Dancer Health Informational Papers, funding resources, and job, audition, & internship opportunities

637

Engaged with 637 dance professionals through career development workshops and trainings

701 Convened 701 creative workers at in-person events

$363,500

Provided $363,500 in grant support to individual artists and dance companies across the nation

7,777

Had 7,777 views of The Bulletin, a dance ecosystem-wide resource newsletter

82

Hosted 82 member calls

835 members participating with

24

Distributed 24 publications of The Spin, a members-only newsletter

Dance/USA Membership has been vital to me because it is the primary conduit for me to connect with my national colleagues to exchange ideas and support each other via the a inity groups. Most importantly perhaps is Dance/USA’s recent e orts to move towards truly becoming a multicultural arts organization that champions equity and diversity in the field and across the organization. Becoming a member of Dance/USA helps me as an artist feel more connected to the dance field and not just in my region or community.

— Karen L. Charles, Artistic and Executive Director Threads Dance Project, Minneapolis, MN

Map of Dance/USA’s Member Community

No Members Few Members

Many Members

+57 International members

Hawaii Puerto Rico

Agent/Artist Representative (Booking Agencies)

Business A iliate

Dance Companies

Education A iliate

Individuals

International A iliates

Service Organization

Presenter

Councils & A nity Groups

Agents Managers, Producers & Promoters Council

Presenters Council

Service Organizations Council

Artistic Directors Council

Managers/Executives Council ($15 Million and Greater)

Managers/Executives Council ($3–14.9 Million)

Managers/Executives Council ($750,000–2.9 Million)

Managers/Executives Council ($749,000 and Less)

Archiving and Preservation A inity Group

CFO A inity Group

Community Engagement and Education Directors A inity Group

Company Managers A inity Group

Deaf and Disability A inity Group

Development Directors A inity Group

Marketing Directors A inity Group

Production Directors A inity Group

School Directors A inity Group

Creativity

Creativity inspires change. Dance/USA values our nation’s creative capacity and artistry to imagine and build a world we have never encountered and deeply desire.

Over the past three years, Dance/USA has invested deeply in centering the artistic voices of dancers and choreographers who have been marginalized and systemically excluded in our community through our Dance/USA Fellowships to Artists and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Female Choreographers in Ballet Initiative These two regranting programs celebrate the diverse viewpoints of artists from across the nation, embrace the transformative power of movement-based practices, and amplify the meaningful work of these creatives.

Dance/USA Fellowships to

Artists

2023 marked the conclusion of the second round of the Dance/USA Fellowships to Artists program. Funded by the Doris Duke Foundation, this national dance fellowship program provided unrestricted support to 30 individual dance and movement based artists with sustained practices in art for social change. These include community-building and culture-bearing practices, healing and storytelling practices, activism and representational justice practices, and more.

During the Fellowship period, Dance/USA supported the creation of Fellow-led initiatives in a manner that was emergent and collaborative. Fellows designed dream spaces and spaces of healing and rest. They planned moments of connection and discussion. They o ered each other mini-residencies, created collaborative projects, received professional consultations, and more. While Fellows were not required to participate in this programming, Dance/USA compensated them for time spent on these activities and covered programming costs.

Dance/USA Artist Fellow Demographics

20% Consider themselves Disabled artists

90%+ BIPOC artists

13% Identify as transgender/ gender non-conforming/ non-binary artists

Round Two Dance/USA Artist Fellows

MK Abadoo

Columbia, Maryland; Richmond, Virginia

Mesma Belsaré

West New York, New Jersey

Natalie Benally

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Phil Chan

Brooklyn, New York

Jemal “P-Top” Delacruz Chicago, Illinois

Tyde-Courtney Edwards Baltimore, Maryland

Peter Rockford Espiritu Honolulu, Hawai’i

Jenn Freeman | Po’Chop Chicago, Illinois

Gabriel “MoFundamentals” Gutiérrez

Los Angeles, California

Harrison Guy Houston, Texas

Dr. Julie B. Johnson Decatur, Georgia

Petra Kuppers Ypsilanti, Michigan

ShanDien Sonwai LaRance

Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico

cat mahari Chicago, Illinois

Muisi-kongo Malonga East Palo Alto, California

Kesha McKey New Orleans, Louisiana

Prathiba Natesan Batley Louisville, Kentucky

Christopher “Unpezverde” Núñez

Brooklyn, New York

Luis Ordaz Gutiérrez Austin, Texas

Nkeiruka Oruche Oakland, California

iele paloumpis Brooklyn, New York

Bhumi B Patel Oakland, California

Potri Ranka Manis New York, New York

Angelina Ramirez Tucson, Arizona

Vershawn Sanders-Ward Chicago, Illinois

Gema Sandoval

Los Angeles, California

Dr. Iquail Shaheed Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Shakiri

Sacramento, California

Olivier Tarpaga Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Anna Martine Whitehead Chicago, Illinois

BIPOC Female Choreographers in Ballet Initiative

Dance/USA celebrated the conclusion of the BIPOC Female Choreographers Initiative with the premieres of six new works by five choreographers throughout the first half of the year. This important initiative, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, aims to address inequities in ballet and amplify the BIPOC female choreographer’s voice.

Dance/USA disbursed re-granted funds to five ballet companies from across the country to commission work by BIPOC female choreographers. Nearly 6,450 people attended the 18 performances presented throughout the nation.

Sidra Bell

Nashville Ballet

Lucinda Bedford & Whispers

February 10–12, 2023

Sidra Bell

Nevada Ballet Theatre

Intimacy with Strangers

February 18–19, 2023

Natrea Blake

Orlando Ballet

Breakthrough March 23–26, 2023

Caili Quan

Sacramento Ballet

Love me anyway May 19–21, 2023

It's important as we take on this work that we consider the multitude of voices we could highlight. The more opportunities we have to lift up these voices, the better programs like this will be in the long-term... for dance/ballet as a whole. This is especially true for voices that perhaps are not as well-known — voices that are di erent from what others in dance are doing.

— Paul Vasterling, Artistic Director Emeritus Nashville Ballet, Nashville, TN

Stephanie Martinez

Sacramento Ballet

All the Bright Places

May 19–21, 2023

Rena Butler

Oklahoma City Ballet

…It Pours

June 23–25, 2023

±6,450

People attended the performances

5 Ballet companies

18 Performances

CORE SERVICE SPOTLIGHT:

Archiving & Preservation

Dance/USA supports the field with resources, expertise, and programs to preserve and make accessible the records of dance artists and communities. In 2023, the Archiving & Preservation Department continued its mission to advance the ability of diverse dance communities to safeguard and share their legacies, as well as to promote education and awareness of dance archiving practices, dance history, and scholarship through:

10 One-on-One Phone Consultations**

A one-hour session to answer questions and advise on how to get started with archiving.

3,431 Views of the Artist’s Legacy Toolkit

A free online suite of guidelines, tools and templates to help independent artists and dance companies organize, preserve, and plan for the legacy of their records.

Hosting an Archiving Workshop

In partnership with BAX and EmergeNYC, 92 participants learned practical tips, guidelines, and skills to organize and securely store digital assets.

**Complimentary with active membership status

Connectivity

Dance/USA strives to be a catalytic network enlivened by connection, community, and collaboration. We value calling people in as a practice of leading, listening, learning, and deepening our impact.

At its core, Dance/USA is a network building hub, leaning on the expertise, experiences, and wisdom of all the creative workers that call the dance ecosystem their home. 2023 embraced the collective knowledge of Dance/USA members and the greater field by facilitating deep and meaningful discussions among peers and with elected o icials.

Dance Community Roundtable

On January 13, Dance/USA hosted the Dance Community Roundtable before the start of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) 2023 Conference. The convening was curated using Open Space Technology, a methodology of running large group meetings or events around a central topic where participants create the agenda themselves. Speakers Shoni Currier, Bates Dance Festival; Anne Huang, World Arts West; Tariq O’Meally, formerly of Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center; and Francine She ield, Rhizome Arts Consulting; helped to lead and moderate the discussion with the 155 attendees about the state of grieving, healing, and reimagining within the dance ecosystem. This event was free and facilitated connections with creative workers across the entire dance community.

Virtual Conference: Extend

Dance/USA continued the conversations that began at the 2023 National Conference in Atlanta into the virtual space with the launch of Virtual Conference: Extend on October 18. The on-demand programming featured timely sessions with leaders from across the dance ecosystem as well as the memorable and inspiring Grounding Keynotes from Christal Brown, Ayanna Hudson, and Amber Cabral with Kellee Edusei, as well as the Opening Remarks at the Welcome Soiree from Edusei. Virtual Conference: Extend attendees from across the country continued to build their networks and invest in their professional development in this digital learning space.

155

People attended the free Dance Community Roundtable on January 13, 2023

Capitol Hill Initiative

In April, Dance/USA launched its inaugural Capitol Hill Initiative providing a cohesive opportunity for members of the dance community to address the immediate action on federal issues impacting the dance ecosystem. Twenty-one (21) Dance/USA Trustees and team members visited Capitol Hill to meet with o ices of 19 U.S. Representatives and Senators sharing real life experiences, stories, and research that highlighted the urgency and immediacy to:

Increase FY2024 Appropriations for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

Re-establish and increase federal incentives for charitable giving

Since Dance/USA’s visit to Capitol Hill, Congress continues to consider FY2024 appropriations for the federal government. Dance/USA continues its relentless bipartisan advocacy in collaboration with other national arts-related partners for increased funding to all federal arts and cultural-related agencies. As a result of the Capitol Hill Initiative, Dance/USA helped increase interest from U.S. Representatives and Senators to co-sponsor bi-partisan legislation to reestablish and increase federal incentives for charitable giving.

Improve the visa petition process and oppose the proposed filing fee increases

21 Dance/USA Trustees and team members visited Capitol Hill

19

U.S. Representatives and Senators met with Dance/USA Trustees and team members

CORE SERVICE SPOTLIGHT:

Leadership & Learning

Dance/USA engages and activates its network through meaningful programs, convenings, and educational opportunities. In 2023, Dance/USA provided a range of invaluable personal growth and professional development opportunities, including:

82 Member Calls for Councils and A nity Groups*

These regularly scheduled moments of connection provide vital networking, discussion, and problem solving for peer groups such as presenters, artistic directors, fundraisers, school directors, and more.

Allyship Training

In partnership with Service Never Sleeps, 23 participants attended an intensive, fast-paced, two-day webinar series designed to explore how to use individual and collective areas of privilege to advance racial justice from an intersectional context.

Dance/USA’s Institute for Leadership Training

Dance/USA has supported over 100 early-career dance leaders in this mentee-drive national dance mentorship and leadership program.

*Member-exclusive benefit

2023 National Conference

424 Dance professionals attended the in-person conference

25 Breakout sessions

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 o 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.

74 Breakout session speakers

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 O icer 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 O icer 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 artistry.

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 A inity 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!

89 Atlanta-based performers

30 Scholarships awarded

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

Equity

rough the lens of equity, Dance/USA strives to remove the boundaries erected by a legacy of racism, classism, ableism, ageism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, gender bias, and xenophobia, and we work to dismantle institutional and systemic oppression that a ack the dance eld’s progress, impede the creation of work, and negatively impact dance audiences and communities.

Dance/USA has been on an intentional equity journey for over a decade beginning with a pivotal moment at the 2012 National Conference in San Francisco, California. In 2013, Dance/USA adopted an organizational statement and public commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity, and Dance/USA’s 2018 Strategic Plan further articulated and a irmed equity as a core value. Today, equity is a foundational element thoughtfully incorporated into the content and execution of all our core services and special initiatives.

We are so supremely grateful for this opportunity. It’s one thing to live the 30-year history of an organization — you are just in it, doing your thing day by day, year after year. But to stop and examine and contemplate the documentation of those 30 years: newspaper and magazine articles, reviews, flyers, program books, brochures, posters, set designs, photographs, videos, etc. is humbling and uplighting at the same time. To discover that there is a story there, and that this story is worth preserving and sharing, and that others see value in it is such a beautiful gift. Thank You!

— Pat Taylor, Founding Artistic Director, JazzAntiqua, 2023 Fellowship Host Organization

Archiving & Preservation Fellowship Program

Supported by the Mellon Foundation, Dance/USA’s Archiving & Preservation Fellowship Program addresses the urgent need for hands-on archiving assistance to smaller dance companies and independent artists and works to develop the next generation of dance archivists. This year, four Fellows were paired with professional mentors and assigned to projects centered around the theme of Archives as Stories; Stories as Resources.

Recent UCLA PhD graduate Blair Black worked to support increased access to L.A.’s dance and music ensemble JazzAntiqua, developing a foundation of systems and procedures that will allow this Black-led West Coast creative hub to continue processing and sharing their archival materials for years to come.

Bethany Greenho, freshly graduated with a Masters of Library and Information Science from the University of MarylandCollege Park, partnered with Denver-based Cleo Parker Robinson Dance to celebrate the 53-year-old company’s legacy and importance to the history of Black arts in America.

4 Fellows were paired with professional mentors

Hustle dance champion, educator, and community organizer Abdiel Jacobsen immersed themself in the 30-year history of Puerto Rican cultural hub Segunda Quimbamba Folkloric Center and their dance and percussion ensemble, 2Q, collecting and cataloging crowdsourced archival materials to help support SQFC’s long-term goal to be a resource for the study of authentic Bomba and Plena traditions.

Dance maker, performer, teacher, administrator, and writer Laila J. Franklin honored the interdisciplinary approach of Detroitbased choreographer, performance artist, and educator Jennifer Harge to develop an archival method to preserve and catalog Harge’s handwritten choreographic notes and citations and ultimately support Harge’s long-term goals to share her creative process and design blueprints or strategies that can be used by other queer, Black, multidisciplinary artists.

e Equity Project

Together with Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) and the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), Dance/USA launched the 2023 cohort of The Equity Project: Increasing the Presence of Blacks in Ballet to support the advancement of racial equity in professional ballet companies. Working with Every Level Leadership to design a scalable model that could be replicated for future cohorts, the five ballet companies selected were invited to participate with full consideration given to their geographic location and regionality, leadership changes within the ecosystem, and a demonstrated commitment to racial equity:

Ballethnic

Atlanta, GA

Charlotte Ballet

Charlotte, NC

Dance Theatre of Harlem Harlem, NY

Kansas City Ballet Kansas City, MO

New York City Ballet New York, NY

CORE SERVICE SPOTLIGHT: Advocacy

Dance/USA represents the dance ecosystem before Congress, federal agencies, and the White House on a variety of issues. This year, topics included support for the National Endowment for the Arts, tax policy for nonprofits, international cultural exchange, and more. To do this work, Dance/USA is an active participant in multiple coalitions including the Performing Arts Alliance, a federal advocacy organization representing 33,0000+ performing arts organizations. Dance/USA’s 2023 advocacy services extended to:

8 Advocacy O ce Hours*

Regularly scheduled virtual events where members learn about specific federal, state, and local advocacy opportunities, ask questions about various issues of interest, and receive advocacy technical assistance.

Launching the Capitol Hill Initiative

An opportunity for members of the dance community to flood Capitol Hill and meet with o ices of U.S. Representatives and Senators to urge immediate action on issues impacting the dance ecosystem.

98 Peer Consultation Le ers**

A supporting letter that U.S.-based agents and organizations can use to more successfully petition U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for O and P visa status on behalf of a foreign artist.

*Member-exclusive benefit

**Complimentary with active membership status

Integrity

Integrity is critical to our organizational culture and the way we lead, serve, and collaborate with the dance eld. We seek to provide transparency about our internal processes, professional resources, and information about the eld.

Since its inception Dance/USA has been an industry leader in the collection of information and dissemination of resources and upholds its commitment to integrity within the dance ecosystem. 2023 was no di erent. Dance/USA continued to lean into its value of integrity in partnership with its Task Force on Dancer Health, disseminating a wealth of knowledge to the sector. Alongside our Board of Trustees, we also completed the first phase of Dance/USA’s Strategic Reframing Process.

Strategic

Reframing and Rearticulation of Dance/USA’s

member community:

Now is the time for Dance/USA to fully embrace this transformative moment and continue its evolution into an organization (comprised of the Dance/USA team, Board, member community, and dance ecosystem) that embodies equity, centers inclusive practices, and cultivates a profound sense of belonging within the dance ecosystem.

Dance/USA took a major step toward realizing this vision by adopting revised Bylaws in June 2023, as follows:

We shifted the Dance/USA Board Year from July–June to January–December to align with our fiscal and membership years.

We clarified that ex-o icio means a “voting member” of the Board as it specifically relates to the role of the Executive Director.

We reduced the number of named Board Committees within the Bylaws. The Board Committees that remain codified in the Bylaws are Executive, Governance, Finance, and Audit. Other Committees, formally in the Bylaws, may become Impact Groups, which consist of Trustees and non-Trustees working together on a specific project or task on behalf of Dance/USA.

We shifted to a singular, equitable pathway to elect Board members. This process ensures all Trustees are nominated, vetted, elected, and on-boarded through a singular process that is rooted in equity and inclusion. Council Chairs are no longer automatically appointed to Dance/USA’s Board of Trustees.

With these changes to our Bylaws, we are prioritizing inclusive practices in our governance structure, which will move us closer to actualizing our values, living them more authentically, and putting our vision and mission into daily practice.

4

Approved changes to the Bylaws

e Dance/USA Task Force on Dancer Health

The Task Force on Dancer Health is composed of 40 medical professionals who work directly with dance companies and dancers across the U.S. and Canada to serve as a resource regarding issues of dancer health and wellness. The mission of the Task Force is to maintain the health, safety, and wellbeing of professional dancers.

This year, the Task Force:

• Held a Dancer Day of Health in partnership with Atlanta Dance Medicine, DanceATL, and Team Rehab, providing health screenings to 30 Atlanta-based professional dancers as an extension of the 2023 National Conference.

• Shared six informational papers on topics including dance injury, body image and self-esteem, the dancer’s relationship with food, dancer preparedness, and crosstraining practices.

• Developed a cross-training guide based on their presentation at the 2023 National Conference to distribute to dance companies across the nation.

• Served as ongoing resources for dancers, companies, and the ecosystem on health-related aspects that center the health, wellness, and wellbeing of the dancer.

O cers and Commi ees

Executive Committee

Co-chair: Selina Shah, MD

Co-chair: Catherine Hagan Vargo, PT, DPT

Secretary: Melody Hrubes, MD

Screening Chair: Sheyi Ojofeitimi, PT, DPT Dance/USA Board Liaison: Nancy Kadel, MD

Pick-up Companies/ Freelance Dancers Committee

Chair: Lauren Elson, MD

Informational Papers Committee

Chair: Elizabeth Hutter, Psy. D.

30

Health screenings provided to Atlanta-based professional dancers

40 Medical professionals serve on the task force

CORE SERVICE SPOTLIGHT: Research

Dance/USA’s Research Department conducts research that is national in scope and provides invaluable data to its members, the press, and the public. Key research activities completed in 2023 included:

Disseminating Dance/USA’s Annual Dance Company Member Surveys*

These surveys are the longest-running surveys at Dance/USA, allowing participants to conduct side-by-side comparison of operational and financial activity of each member’s most recently completed fiscal year.

Conducting the Field-Wide Five-Year Financial Trend Analysis

Through five years of 990 data from registered 501(c)(3) dance organizations, Dance/USA will be using this data set to investigate and analyze trends in the non-profit dance sector. (See pages 28–33 for the results of the survey).

Assisting with 13 Customized Data Requests and Consultations*

*Member-exclusive benefit

5-Year Financial Trend Analysis

5 Years of data were examined (2018–2022)

708

Registered 501(c)(3) dance organizations used for analysis

e nancial landscape of the dance ecosystem has shi ed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Government aid, audience behavior, in ation, and philanthropic trends have presented new opportunities and challenges for the sector.

As we collectively discover a new landscape for dance to survive and thrive within, we must also understand the financial consequences that the pandemic has had on dance companies. By looking with intention at our recent financial history, we can better plan and prepare for our future.

To understand the financial impact of the pandemic, Dance/USA examined five years of public data from 990 forms submitted by dance organizations from 2018–2022.1 From this information a sample of 7082 registered 501(c)(3) dance organizations were used for analysis, investigating revenue, expense, and employment trends over a 5-year period from 2018–2022.3

A note on segmentation: Larger budget dance organizations referenced in this report are those who filed full 990 forms over five consecutive years, recording revenue over $200K annually or having assets over $500K (N=331). Companies that filed a form 990 EZ over 5 consecutive years have a total revenue between $50K–$200K and with assets of less than $500K (N=300).4 In this report, these filers are referred to as smaller budget dance organizations. Those organizations filing a 990-N were not included in any of the following analyses, since there is no detailed data available.5

4

3

2

1

Key takeaways from this analysis include: 1

3

Overall, the 708 non-profit dance companies sampled showed a decline in both revenue and expenses from 2019–2021, with a much steeper drop in expenditures.

4

2

Total revenue is returning to pre-pandemic numbers. However, the distribution of contributed and earned revenue is disproportionate to 2018 numbers.

• The total revenue reported in 2022 returned to 95% of the 2018 values.

• 2022 earned revenue only reached 69% of pre-pandemic numbers.

• 2022 contributed revenue was up 27% compared to 2018.

6

While 2022 contributed revenue was up compared to 2018 numbers, the percentage increase di ers for companies based on budget size.

• For the larger dance organizations, contributed revenue saw an increase of 26% in 2022 as compared with 2018.

• When analyzing smaller organizations, the gain in contributed revenue was only 6%.

Large dance companies6 received a large infusion of government support in response to the pandemic.

• Government support could only be analyzed for organizations filing a full 990.

• Government support accounted for only 5% of total revenue in 2018.

• Government support accounted for 26% of total revenue in 2022.

Large dance companies are still spending less than in 2018.

• Detailed expenditures could only be analyzed for organizations filing a full 990.

• In 2022, expenditures on program services was down by 12% compared to 2018 numbers.

• Organizations spent 7% less on fundraising compared to 2018.

• Administrative costs surpass those of 2018 by 5%.

Revenue, Expenses, and Net Assets

Overall, the 708 companies sampled showed a decline in both revenue and expenses from 2018–2021, with a much larger decrease in expenses. Both revenue and expenses show an upward turn in 2022 but have not yet reached 2018 numbers. The gap between revenue and expenses remained high in 2022, contributing to an increase in net assets (+9% from 2018).

Change in Expenses and Revenue (N=708)

Types of Revenue

In the following breakout, there is a major loss in earned revenue (63% in 2021) that is o set by an increase in contributed revenue. Compared with 2018, contributed revenue is 19% higher in 2021, and 27% higher in 2022 than in 2018. While expenses are only 10% lower than in 2018, earned revenue is 31% lower than pre-pandemic years.

% Change from 2018 (N=708)

Expenses

Revenue

Net Assets

Expenses

Contributed Revenue

Earned Revenue

Types of Revenue by Organizational Size

This increase in contributions appears to be driven by the larger budget organizations. The following is a breakout that groups 990 EZ filers (required of organizations between $50K–$200K), and Full 990 filers (required by those earning > $200K or a total of assets > $500K). The following charts do not include the 87 organizations who changed filing status during any of the years included.

990 EZ Change in Expenses, Contributed Revenue, and Earned Revenue (N=300)

Full 990 Filers: Change in Expenses, Contributed Revenue, and Earned Revenue (N=321)

Government Contributions and Pandemic Relief

For the full 990 filers, Dance/USA was able to isolate the impact of government contributions, which can be seen in the following graph.

Non-Government Contributions

Expenditures

Detailed expenditures could only be analyzed from those filing a full 990. While administrative expenditures appear to stabilize in 2022, program service and fundraising expenditures were still down 12% and 7% respectively.

% Change in Expenditures Compared with 2018 (N=321)

Conclusion

The 2018–2022 financial trend analysis reveals the tumultuous e ects the pandemic had on dance companies’ financial stability. While 2022 numbers are showing an upturn in revenue and expenses, we have yet to return to 2018 operating numbers. It is clear, the future of our sector requires us all to invest deeply and vehemently advocate for adequate resources as we weather the uncertainty and lack of predictability that has emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dance/USA is committed to this work and will continue to track these numbers, alerting the sector to new operational practices and budgetary considerations as they are uncovered. For sampling methodology or questions about this analysis, please contact Director of Research Sarah Morrison at research@danceusa.org.

Program Expenditures

Administrative Expenditures

Fundraising Expenditures

A comprehensive report as it relates to the 5-Year Financial Trend Analysis will be released later in 2024

Dance/USA Donors

Dance/USA extends its gratitude to all of the sponsors and supporters who made contributions from January 1, 2023–December 31, 2023. Their generosity champions an inclusive and equitable dance field.

Individual Donors

Kathleya Afanador

Margarita Arzanian

Holly Bass

Debbie Blunden-Diggs

Lucy Bowen-McCauley*

Katherine Brown

Catherine L. Caldwell

Juan Castano

Geo Chang

Karen L. Charles

Marie Chong

Andrea Clark

Andrea Clark-Smith

C.C. Conner*

Maureen T. Connors

Debra L. Diggs

Leigh Dillard

Robert Dorf*

Marlana Doyle

Jessica Dupont

Kellee Edusei

Erica Lynette Edwards

Cathleen Eilers

Nikki Estes

Patti Eylar*

Shane Fernando

Ailina Fisk

Amy Fitterer

Marcel Foster

Gina Gibney*

Nena Y. Gilreath

Suzanne Gordon

Judith A. Green

Elizabeth Halajian

Winifred Haun

Jerron Herman

Nanette Hernandez

Frank and Jean Hofsteadter

Anne Huang

Antoine Hunter

Rosemary Johnson

Madison R. Jones

Nancy J. Kadel*

Austin and Bridget Kinard

Caity Kirchberg

Marc Kirschner

Roger Kluge

Rachel A Koep

Kim Konikow

Heidi Latsky

Bruce E. Layman

Bruce and Raechel Layman

Deborah Layman

Jim Leija

Sharon Luckman

Aubrey Lynch

Kristopher W. McDowell

Casey J. McEnelly

Adam L. McKnight

Meghan McNamara

Autumn J. Mitchell

Sarah Morrison

Sophie Myrtil-McCourty

Stephen O utt

F. Norton Owen

Whitney Parnell

Denise Pate

Kimberly Pereira

Gillian Renault

Mark Travis Rivera

Denise Roberts Hurlin

Katherine Robinson

Laird Rodet

Marcelo Roman

Felicia Rosenfeld

Vershawn Sanders-Ward

Gema Sandoval

Abdo Sayegh-Rodríguez

Bernard Schmidt

Douglas Scott

Iquail Shaheed

Francine She ield

Linda Shelton

Rosy Simas

Traci Slater-Rigaud

Lisa E. Smalls

Garrett Stanley

Bernadette Torres

Victor Manuel Torres

Nancy Umano

John H. Vaughn

Ellen Kennedy Walker

Emily T. Wanserski

Tamica Washington-Miller

Brittany White

Renae Williams Niles

Winifred Haun & Dancers

Linda Yudin

Jawole W. Zollar

Institutional Funders

Doris Duke Foundation

First Republic Foundation

The Harkness Foundation for Dance

Hellman Family Foundation

The Max and Victoria

Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.

Mellon Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

Shubert Foundation

South Arts

Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation

Walder Charitable Fund

The Wallace Foundation

Corporate Sponsors

Arts Consulting Group

Arts Insurance Program

Claremont Graduate

University Center for Business & Management of the Arts

The Harkness Center for Dance Injuries

Harlequin Floors

Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts

Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College

*National Leadership Council for Dance, a group of influential dance champions, advocates, and leaders committed to working collectively to strengthen Dance/USA and advance the field at the national level.

2023 Dance/USA Board of Trustees

O icers

Anne Huang Board Chair

Abdo Sayegh Rodriguez Chair Elect

Debbie Blunden-Diggs Vice Chair

Denise Pate Treasurer

Ellen Walker Secretary

Kellee Edusei Executive Director

Trustees

Holly Bass

Kathy Brown*

Geo Chang

Nikki Estes

Shane Fernando*

Gina Gibney

Jerron Herman

Antoine Hunter*

Dr. Nancy Kadel

Roger Kluge

Dance/USA Team

Kellee Edusei Executive Director

Krystal Collins

Leadership and Learning Specialist

Haowen Wang

Director of Regranting

Sarah Morrison

Director of Research

Tony Shivers

Director of Government A airs

Hallie Chametzky

Archiving Specialist

Jim Leija

Sophie Myrtil-McCourty

Vershawn Sanders-Ward

Iquail Shaheed*

Rosy Simas

Traci Slater-Rigaud

Victor Torres

Tamica Washington-Miller

*Member of the Executive Committee

Johanna Tschebull Communications Specialist

Raechel Hofsteadter Director of Advancement

Kourtney Ginn Grants Manager

Sarah Wood Torrey

Institutional Giving Consultant

Casey McEnelly

Director of Finance and Operations

Dance/USA’s 2023 Member List

Organizations

’62 Center for Theatre and Dance — Williams College

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham

Alabama Dance Council

Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation

American Ballet Theatre (Ballet Theatre Foundation)

American Dance Festival

American Repertory Ballet

Amy Seiwert’s Imagery

Anaheim Ballet

Ananya Dance Theatre

ARC Dance Productions

Ashe Cultural Arts Center

Atlanta Ballet

Australian Ballet

AXIS Dance Company

Ballet Arizona

Ballet Austin

Ballet Co.Laboratory

Ballet Des Moines

Ballet Memphis

Ballet RI

Ballet Sun Valley, Inc.

Ballet Tucson

Ballet Vero Beach

BalletMet

Barnard College Dept. of Dance

BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange

Belsher Arts Management

Bernard Schmidt Productions

Blue13 Dance Company

Boston Ballet

Boston Dance Alliance

Bruce Wood Dance

Buglisi Dance Theatre

CABD, Inc. (Camille A. Brown & Dancers)

Cadence Arts Network, Inc.

Calpulli Mexican Dance Company

Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet

Caroline Calouche & Co.

Carolyn Dorfman Dance

Cathy Pruzan Artist Representative

Chamber Dance Project, dancers & musicians

Charlotte Ballet

Chicago Dancemakers Forum

Chicago Human Rhythm Project

Chitresh Das Institute

ChromaDiverse, Inc.

Cincinnati Ballet

Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance

Cleveland Ballet

Colorado Ballet

CONTRA-TIEMPO

Creative Evolutions

Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company

Dance and Movement Studies Program, Emory University

Dance Exchange

Dance New Jersey

Dance Notation Bureau

Dance Source Houston

Dance Theatre of Harlem Dance Wire

Dance/NYC

DANCECleveland

Dancers’ Group

Dancers Responding to AIDS

DanceWorks Chicago

Dancing Classrooms Inc.

Danspace Project

Dayton Contemporary Dance Company

Deborah Slater Dance Theater

Dorrance Dance

Elsie Management

EnPointe Management

Entertainment Community Fund

Evolutionary Arts

FARconnector

Flamenco Vivo Carlota

Santana

Florida State University

School of Dance

Forklift Danceworks

Full Radius Dance

Garth Fagan Dance

George Balanchine Trust, The

George Mason University

Gina Gibney Dance, Inc.

Goucher College Dance

Grand Rapids Ballet

Harge Dance Stories

Heidi Latsky Dance

Houston Ballet

Houston Contemporary Dance Company

Hubbard Street Dance

Chicago

Invertigo Dance Theatre

Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival

James Sewell Ballet

Jazzantiqua Dance & Music Ensemble

Junebug Productions

Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre Inc.

Kansas City Ballet

Keshet Dance Company

Koresh Dance Company

Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers (KYL/D)

Leela Dance Collective

Loghaven Artist Residency

Los Angeles Ballet

Los Angeles Dance Foundation

Louisville Ballet

Mark Morris Dance Group

MashUp Contemporary Dance Company

Mellowed Out

Entertainment

Miami City Ballet

Miami Dance Hub, Inc.

Michele Brangwen Dance & Music Ensemble

Milwaukee Ballet

Montgomery County Community College

Mosaic Dance Theater Company

MOVEIUS Contemporary Ballet

Mutual Dance Theatre

Nashville Ballet

National Center for Choreography at The University of Akron (NCCAkron)

Natyarpana Dance Academy

Nevada Ballet Theatre

New Arts Foundation / Nancy Karp + Dancers

New England Foundation for the Arts

New York City Ballet

New York City Center

New York State DanceForce

Newberry Library

Newport Contemporary Ballet

Ngoma Center for Dance/ Dissonance Dance Theatre

NU-World Contemporary Danse Theatre

ODC Theater

OhioDance

Oklahoma Arts Institute

Oklahoma City Ballet

Oregon Ballet Theatre

Orlando Ballet, Inc.

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Parsons Dance Company

Penn State University, Center for the Performing Arts

Pentacle

Performing Arts Houston

Philadelphia Ballet

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

RAWdance

Regina Klenjoski Dance Company

Rena Shagan Associates, Inc.

Richmond Ballet

Rosy Simas Danse

Sacramento Ballet

San Diego Civic Youth Ballet

San Francisco Ballet

Sarasota Ballet of Florida, Inc.

See Chicago Dance

Segunda Quimbamba Folklore Center

SLIPPAGE: Performance| Culture|Technology

Smuin Contemporary Ballet

Syracuse City Ballet Target Resource Group

Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre

Texas Ballet Theater

The Big Muddy Dance Company

The Charleston Ballet

The Cowles Center

The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago

The Dance COLEctive

The International Association of Blacks in Dance

The Jo rey Ballet

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The Joyce Theater

The National Ballet of Canada

The Royal Ballet

The Washington Ballet

The Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College

Threads Dance Project

Tobin Center for the Performing Arts

TU Dance

Tulsa Ballet

University at Bu alo

University Musical Society, University of Michigan

University of Alabama

University of California

Santa Barbara — UCSB Arts and Lectures

University of Minnesota Northrop Dance Series

Urban Bush Women, Inc.

Usiloquy Dance Designs

Vail Valley Foundation, Vail Dance Festival

Verb Ballets

Viver Brasil Dance Company

Winifred Haun & Dancers

World Arts West

Individuals

MK Abadoo

Jessica Adamczyk

Tara Aesquivel

Lina Aguirre

Marcello Angelini

Margarita Arzanian

Prathiba Natesan Batley

Mesma Belsaré

Natalie Benally

Haley Bhardwaj

Paramita Bhattacharyya

April Biggs

Blair Black

Amanda Blackmon

Christy Bolingbroke

Osei Bonsu

Margaret Bridger

Kevin Brown

Marcia Brunson

Suzanne Callahan

Julie Van Camp

A’Keitha Carey

Philip Chan

Stephen Clapp

Rachel Cohen

C.C. Conner

Shana Corrada

Nena Couch

Carla Curet

Jenai Cutcher

Roxane D’ Orléans Juste

Kathleen Davenport

Jemal “P-Top” Delacruz

Alicia E. Díaz de León

Marielle Dickens

Leigh Dillard

Tyde-Courtney Edwards

Ambre Emory-Maier

Peter Rockford Espiritu

Lakey Evans-Peña

Rebecca Ferrell

Amy Fitterer

Rebecca Fitton

Marisa Flores

Elizabeth Fox

Individuals (continued)

Laila Franklin

Ron Fredman

Jenn Freeman | Po’Chop

Joanna Furnans

Alyssa Gayneaux

Rowena Geisler

Patricia Gelinas

Susan Gingrasso

Angela Schöpke Gonzalez

Naja Gordon

Bethany Greenho

Matthew Grierson

Karlee Gri in

Genie Guerard

Gabriel “MoFundamentals”

Gutiérrez

Luis Ordaz Gutirrez

Harrison Guy

Levke Haas

Kayla Hamilton

Heather Hartley

Kathy Hassinger

Rieko Hatato

Jerron Herman

David Herrera

Susan Marie Hill

Bonnie Oda Homsey

Melody Hrubes

Glenda Hudson

Elizabeth Hutter

Tamara Irving

Lindsay McNeal Ison

Abdiel Jacobsen

Susan Ja e

Amanda Jaquez

Iquail S. Johnson

Julie B. Johnson

Laura Johnson

Virginia Johnson

catherine johnson

Ellen Kamoe

Harsimran Kaur

Clare Kiley

Assane Konte

Assane Kouyaté

John Kraus

Laura Kraus

Charles Kronschnable

Petra Kuppers

Kristopher W. l

Robin Lakes

OLEKSANDRA LANOVA

ShanDien LaRance

Sadie Lehmker

Jim Leija

David Leventhal

Ayako Hasebe Lloyd

Claude-Andree Louissaint

Amanda Lower

Waverly Lucas

Kelly Mabry

cat mahari

David Mallette

Muisi-kongo Malonga

Victoria Marks

Sumi Matsumoto

Tom Mattingly

Treva McFadden

Kesha McKey

Celeste Miller

Taylor Mravec

Katherine Nauman

Christopher Nunez

Nkeiruka Oruche

Taryn Ouellette

F. Norton Owen

Hedra Packman

Alek Palinski

iele paloumpis

Sandra Parks

Denise Pate

Bhumi Patel

Nidia Patricia Rivera Yepes

Dan Perry

Cynthia Perry

Renana Popovich

Jacquelyn Pritz

Laura Prochet

Cathy Pruzan

Wen Qin

shady radical

Angelina Ramirez

Mark Travis Rivera

Laird Rodet

Diane Rosenblatt

Felicia Rosenfeld

Todd Rosenlieb

Melissa Rosko

Ben Sachs-Hamilton

Gema Sandoval

Jennifer Schantz

Eve Schulte

Marie Scioscia

Jennifer Seigle

Pavel Selchuk

Selina Shah

Lauren Sheely

Francine She ield

Kenesha Sheridan

Rosy Simas

Josie Smith

Lynne Stevens

DeMarcus Akeem Suggs

Maria Sulc

Cate Sweeney

Olivier Pawangnimdi Frank

Tarpaga

Amy Taylor

Jelani Taylor

David Taylor

Stephanie Thibeault

Anita Thomas

MOS TKHAGAPSO

Bernadette Torres

Adam Twiss

Judy Tyrus

Laurie Uprichard

Catherine Hagan Vargo

Eric Waldman

Tokie Wang

Lingyu Wang

Emily Wanserski

Vershawn Ward

Philip West

Jessi White

Anna Martine Whitehead

Lynn Wichern

Valerie Wilder

Clayton Willis

Niko Wirachman

Lorin Wolfe

Andi (Andrea) Yannone

Emilee Yawn

Yuting Zhao

Ways to Join

Membership

Stay connected with the Dance/USA community and receive member benefits throughout the year with a Dance/USA membership. Your member dues support the entire dance ecosystem by helping to provide a range of free resources.

Join or renew online: danceusa.org/membership

Questions?

Contact membership@danceusa.org or call 202.595.6822.

Thank you for joining Dance/USA in making an impact on the dance ecosystem in 2024!

Your engagement makes our mission-driven, member-centered work possible.

Tax-deductible Donation

With your generous support, Dance/USA can continue to lead, convene, advocate, and support the ecosystem that we all love. Please consider a gift to Dance/USA today.

Online: danceusa.org/support

Phone: 202.595.6822

Donor-Advised Fund:

Use EIN 52-1253457

Mail:

Dance/USA

Attn: Advancement Department

1029 Vermont Ave NW, Ste 400 Washington, DC 20005

Make check payable to Dance/USA.

Questions?

Contact development@danceusa.org or call 202.595.6822.

Cover, Left: Angelina Ramirez. Photo by Alexa Tarriba, courtesy of Angelina Ramirez. Cover, Center: Tau Dance Theater. Photo by Greg Noir, courtesy of Rockford Espiritu. Cover, Right: JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble, Freedom! Jazz! Dance! 2018. Photo by George Simian, courtesy of JazzAntiqua. Page 2: Jennifer Harge, FLY | DROWN, 2019. Photo by Devin Drake, courtesy of Jennifer Harge/Harge Dance Stories. Page 4: Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Juba/Field Dance choreographed by Katherine Dunham, 2021. Photo by David Andrews, courtesy of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. Page 6: Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. Photo by Martha Wirth, courtesy of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. Page 10: Ballet After Dark. Photo by Root Branch Media Group, courtesy of Tyde-Courtney Edwards. Page 12: Oklahoma City Ballet, Unboxed choreographed by Rena Butler. Photo by Jana Carson, courtesy of Oklahoma City Ballet. Page 14: Sacramento Ballet, Love me anyway choreographed by Caili Quan. Photo by Cynthia Wuthmann, courtesy of Sacramento Ballet. Page 15, Top: Bhumi B Patel. Photo by Kyle Adler, courtesy of Bhumi B Patel. Page 15, Bottom: Natalie Benally. Photo by Ungelbah Davila, courtesy of Natalie Benally. Page 16, Left: Dance/USA Trustees Victor Torres and Tamica Washington-Miller stand outside the o ice of Senator Ron Wyden. Photo courtesy of Dance/USA. Page 16, Right: Dance/USA Trustee Abdo Sayegh Rodriguez on Capitol Hill. Photo courtesy of Dance/USA. Page 18, Left: Dance/USA 2023 Conference. Photo by Shoccara Marcus. Page 18, Right: Dance/USA 2023 Honor Award recipient Virginia Johnson, Artistic Director, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and attendees of Dance/USA 2023 Conference. Photo by Shoccara Marcus. Page 19, Left: Dance/USA 2023 Conference. Photo by Shoccara Marcus. Page 19, Right: Dance/USA 2023 Conference Grounding Keynote speaker Christal Brown with Conference attendees. Photo by Shoccara Marcus. Page 20: Gbedu Town Radio Ensemble, The Mixtape of The Dead & Gone #1. Photo by Robbie Sweeny, courtesy of Nkeiruka Oruche. Page 21: Headshots of the 2023 Archiving and Preservation Fellowship Program Fellows (L–R): Blair Black, Bethany Greenho, Abdiel Jacobsen, and Laila J. Franlin. Page 22: Ballethnic performing at Dance/USA 2023 Conference. Photo by Shoccara Marcus. Page 24: Prathiba Natesan Batley. Photo by Nathan Cornetet Fusion Photography, courtesy of Prathiba Natesan Batley. Page 25: Oklahoma City Ballet, Unboxed choreographed by Rena Butler. Photo by Jana Carson, courtesy of Oklahoma City Ballet. Page 26: Olivier Tarpaga Dance Project. Photo by Mark Simpson, courtesy of Olivier Tarpaga. Page 35, Left: JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble, 1960 What? 2018. Photo by George Simian, courtesy of JazzAntiqua. Page 35, Right: LEGACY Youth Ensemble, JazzAntiqua LEGACY Jazz Project, Wade in the Water 2018. Photo by George Simian, courtesy of JazzAntiqua. Page 39: Tap Rebels performing at Dance/USA 2023 Conference. Photo by Shoccara Marcus. Back Cover, Left: Ballet des Porcelaines. Photo by Joe Carotta, courtesy of Phil Chan. Back Cover, Middle: Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. Photo by Jerry Metellus, courtesy of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. Back Cover, Right: Kesha McKey. Photo by Melisa Cardona, courtesy of Kesha McKey.