INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND ACCESS IN OUR COMMUNITY

We believe in the power of dance, live music, and the performing arts to unite and uplift without barriers, and we are committed to undoing systemic racism in the dance community. In fiscal year 2022, we learned, reflected, and took action to advance inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) across our organization. We continued regular training and education for faculty, administrative staff, board members, and dancers.

Acknowledging our privilege in owning and having regular access to many studio spaces, we prioritized sharing our studios more intentionally. We welcomed our inaugural Priority Access cohort, ensuring dance artists in our Subsidized Rehearsal Space program who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have first access to rehearsal space.

Recognizing that Parkinson’s affects multiple non-English-speaking communities, we prioritized adding more Dance for PD® classes in Spanish, launching new classes in Mandarin, and creating marketing materials in these languages.

At the Dance Center, we implemented self-selecting tiered tuition and made our scholarship program more transparent and more easily accessible. We installed ADA-compliant automated doors at the main entrance of the building and in Studio E, increasing ease of access to our building for visitors with disabilities and for our Dance for PD® community.

Online, after conducting an accessibility audit of our website, we took the first steps to implement a larger plan for website improvements, adding visual descriptions for images on our website and in our social media posts.