The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) has awarded $2,000,000 through the National Dance Project (NDP) to support the creation of 20 new dance projects to be performed throughout the United States. In addition, the NDP has awarded 20 new dance projects with $200,000 finalist prizes.

Since 1986, the National Dance Project has been one of the nation’s most important funding and field-building sources for dance, supporting the creation and dissemination of new projects. The NDP’s 12 advisors, comprised of artists, presenters, producers, arts administrators, and cultural strategists, selected these projects from a record 219 competitive applications; 60% of award winners are first-time NDP recipients. Each artist/company receives $45,000 to create the new dance project, plus $10,000 in unrestricted general operating support. In addition, each grantee receives $10,000 to support dance production residencies and/or community engagement for their project. A total of $700,000 is provided to support U.S. nonprofit organizations in presenting these projects through the NDP’s presentation grant.

“Over the past five months, our consultants have worked tirelessly to help us equitably distribute funding for new dance projects across the country,” said Indira Goodwine-Josias, senior program director for dance at NEFA. “The result is a series of projects that focus on artistry, community partnerships and social impact, reflecting current world events and hopes for the future.”

NDP has invested more than $51.4 million in funding for artists and organizations to strengthen partnerships and bring dance to communities across the U.S. To date, NDP has supported tours of 807 choreographic works performed in all 50 states, Washington, DC, Guam, and Puerto Rico, reaching over 3.6 million audiences in person and virtually.

“At the Doris Duke Foundation, we strive to create an environment where artists can dream beyond the material limitations of the modern performance ecosystem and are encouraged to take artistic risks,” said Ashley Ferro-Murray, arts program director at the Doris Duke Foundation. “We are proud to join Mellon, NEFA, and all NDP advisors in supporting NEFA’s National Dance Project and providing dynamic creation and production support to these artists on a larger scale.”

“The 2024 cohort of the National Dance Project is a powerful reminder of the exciting complexity and diversity of the national contemporary dance community,” said Emil Kang, program director for arts and culture at the Mellon Foundation. “As always, we are grateful to our colleagues at the Doris Duke Foundation, NEFA, and especially the NDP advisors for their commitment and understanding of dance artists and the communities they support.”

NEFA’s National Dance Project is generously supported by core grants from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation, with funding for special initiatives from the Boston Foundation’s Aliad Fund.

The NDP Production Grant projects for 2024 are:

• After the Last Red Sky, Body Watani, Minneapolis, MN
• An Approach to Resilience, The Foundry, Woodacre, CA
• bLUr, Kimberly Bartosik/daela, Brooklyn, NY
• Burden of Proof, KULARTS, San Francisco, CA
• Daddy AF, David Roussève / REALITY, West Hollywood, California
• DADS, Drama Tops, Seattle, WA
• Femenine // Julius Eastman Trilogy, Kyle Marshall Choreography, Brooklyn, NY
• FLOCK, BANDALOOP, Oakland, California
• Hom(e)age, Ana Sánchez Colberg, Guaynabo, PR
• Major, Ogemdi Ude, Brooklyn, NY
• may we heal?, dazaun.dance, Oakland, CA
• Noli Timere, Rebecca Lazier, Princeton, NJ
• Open Machine, Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Riener, Margaretville, NY
• Pouvwa, Jean Appolon Expressions, Malden, MA
• Quinto Elemento (Fifth Element), Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana, New York, NY
• Roots of Love for Us, CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater, Los Angeles, CA
• Swapnō Jhnāp: Dream Jumping, Ananya Dance Theatre, Saint Paul, MN
• Time/Life/Beauty, Michael Sakamoto and Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky, South Hadley, MA
• What is War, Eiko Otake, New York, NY
• Wolver Maroon, Heart Piece Bernie, Silver Spring, MD

Project descriptions, work samples, and tour coordinator information are included in each fellow’s listing in NEFA’s Fellow Directory. If you have any questions, contact program staff at [email protected].

Because of the intense work that goes into a final proposal, NDP finalists who do not receive a production grant will each receive a finalist award of $10,000 in unrestricted funds as an investment in their creative process, growth and sustainability.

The projects for the 2024 NDP Finalist Award are:

• Anima Mundi, Degenerate Art Ensemble, Seattle, WA
• Exhilarama!, Abby Z and the new Utility, Columbus, OH
• Ghadar Geet: Blood and Ink, Joti Singh, Oakland, CA
• Hollow Center, Takahiro Yamamoto, Portland, Oregon
• Letters to my father, New York Theatre Ballet, New York, NY
• Losing Faith, Rennie Harris Puremovement, Sharon Hill, PA
• Moving the Rights of the Rivers, Artichoke Dance Company, Brooklyn, NY
• MUJERES, PARA.MAR Dance Theater, Chicago, IL
• N(8)tive Enough, Christopher K. Morgan & Artists, San Diego, CA
• New works by Zoe | Juniper and Xiu Xiu, Zoe | Juniper, Seattle, WA
• Ramti Aave – Her Playful Arrival, Barkha Dance Company, New Hyde Park, NY
• Sermon on the Mount, PHILADANCO!, Philadelphia, PA
• Steps Beyond Silence, Maya Rau-Murthy / Natya Anubhava, Yorktown Heights, NY
• be careful (or the world will fall apart if you don’t find your loved ones), J’Sun Howard, Chicago, IL
• The Reading is a Miracle, Gerard & Kelly, New York, NY
• The Martha Odyssey, Jesse Factor, Pittsburgh, PA
• The opposite of sadness is, Sean Dorsey Dance, San Francisco, CA.
• Tribute: Guardians of Street Dance, Versa-Style Street Dance Company, Sun Valley, California
• Welcome to the Gun Show, PUSH Physical Theatre, Inc., Rochester, NY
• Yellow Woman: How to Own Your Body?, Yin Mei, Port Washington, NY

Learn more about the projects and the review process

About NEFA

The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in artists and communities and promotes equitable access to the arts, enriching the cultural landscape in New England and across the country. NEFA accomplishes this by providing funding to artists and cultural organizations, connecting them with each other and their audiences, and analyzing their economic contributions. NEFA serves as a regional partner for the National Endowment for the Arts, New England’s state arts agencies, and private foundations. For more information, visit www.nefa.org.

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