For Immediate Release: December 16th, 2022
Contact: Torkom Movsesiyan
TORKOMADA RECEIVES A CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT FUND GRANT FROM NYC DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS.
Public support will go toward Raqs Without Borders ' sixth edition: a Middle Eastern and North African cultural dance festival in NYC by building bridges between Arab and non-Arab audiences. The festival presents traditional Arabic dance workshops, taught by folk dance experts, opening and closing dance shows with guest dance artists, lectures, and certificates of completion. The project helps increase international understanding by bringing native Arab, U.S.-based, and NYC-based dance artists. "This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council."
Torkomada is one of 1,000+ cultural organizations across New York City to receiving support as part of the City's largest-ever $58 million Cultural Development Fund
New York, NY - Torkomada is pleased to announce that it's received an award from the City of New York. This comes as part of New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) Commissioner Laurie Cumbo's recent announcement of over $58 million in Cultural Development Fund (CDF) grants to 1,070 cultural organizations across the five boroughs. For Torkomada, this CDF grant will support Raqs Without Borders' sixth edition.
“Throughout our city, we have a multitude of diverse cultural organizations that reflect the rich history of New Yorkers that have been hidden for too long,” said Mayor Adams. “This administration believes in uplifting these cultural groups with our words and our dollars. By utilizing equity reforms, we are spreading the investments to not only our well-known cultural organizations, but to this city’s smaller, local, and more diverse groups that reflect the histories of all New Yorkers. No matter in what borough, New Yorkers can learn about some of the unique cultures in their own backyards or in locations across the city. I am proud to support and invest in our cultural groups to ensure we are all connected as one.”
“Our arts and cultural organizations are ‘Getting Art Done’ in every corner of our city, for every community in our city,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres Springer. “We’re so thrilled to make this historic investment in the nonprofit arts groups that bring joy and create opportunities for reflection and connection. The thoughtful, far-reaching reforms that we’re rolling out this year have helped make sure this public support truly serves the public and lifts up artists and cultural groups across the five boroughs.”
“Culture is the bedrock of our communities and an integral part of who we are as a city,” said DCLA Commissioner Cumbo. “We are honored to invest this historic funding in New York’s vast and vibrant nonprofit cultural community. With the competitive process returning for the first time since the pandemic, hundreds of new groups had the opportunity to apply, and the result is the largest number of grantees in agency history. Our ongoing reform process helped advance first-time grantees, smaller organizations, and those led by people of color — a big first step in fostering greater equity. We’ll continue to work with our cultural community in the months ahead to ensure that our support reaches every corner of New York City in a fair, equitable way and continues to move our city forward.”
For this year’s CDF process, DCLA introduced a series of equity reforms dedicated to identifying and reducing biases in the grantmaking process, and saw the return of the competitive, peer-panel review process for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a record investment from the Adams administration and the City Council, DCLA awarded the most funding to the largest number of cultural organizations ever, marked by major boosts for smaller groups and organizations led by people of color, as well as an increase in the number of groups receiving city support for the first time. The CDF awards also continue to invest in priorities like language and disability access, as well as individual artists, and includes an infusion of funds from Mayor Adams’ “Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery.”
Contact: Torkom Movsesiyan
TORKOMADA RECEIVES A CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT FUND GRANT FROM NYC DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS.
Public support will go toward Raqs Without Borders ' sixth edition: a Middle Eastern and North African cultural dance festival in NYC by building bridges between Arab and non-Arab audiences. The festival presents traditional Arabic dance workshops, taught by folk dance experts, opening and closing dance shows with guest dance artists, lectures, and certificates of completion. The project helps increase international understanding by bringing native Arab, U.S.-based, and NYC-based dance artists. "This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council."
Torkomada is one of 1,000+ cultural organizations across New York City to receiving support as part of the City's largest-ever $58 million Cultural Development Fund
New York, NY - Torkomada is pleased to announce that it's received an award from the City of New York. This comes as part of New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) Commissioner Laurie Cumbo's recent announcement of over $58 million in Cultural Development Fund (CDF) grants to 1,070 cultural organizations across the five boroughs. For Torkomada, this CDF grant will support Raqs Without Borders' sixth edition.
“Throughout our city, we have a multitude of diverse cultural organizations that reflect the rich history of New Yorkers that have been hidden for too long,” said Mayor Adams. “This administration believes in uplifting these cultural groups with our words and our dollars. By utilizing equity reforms, we are spreading the investments to not only our well-known cultural organizations, but to this city’s smaller, local, and more diverse groups that reflect the histories of all New Yorkers. No matter in what borough, New Yorkers can learn about some of the unique cultures in their own backyards or in locations across the city. I am proud to support and invest in our cultural groups to ensure we are all connected as one.”
“Our arts and cultural organizations are ‘Getting Art Done’ in every corner of our city, for every community in our city,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres Springer. “We’re so thrilled to make this historic investment in the nonprofit arts groups that bring joy and create opportunities for reflection and connection. The thoughtful, far-reaching reforms that we’re rolling out this year have helped make sure this public support truly serves the public and lifts up artists and cultural groups across the five boroughs.”
“Culture is the bedrock of our communities and an integral part of who we are as a city,” said DCLA Commissioner Cumbo. “We are honored to invest this historic funding in New York’s vast and vibrant nonprofit cultural community. With the competitive process returning for the first time since the pandemic, hundreds of new groups had the opportunity to apply, and the result is the largest number of grantees in agency history. Our ongoing reform process helped advance first-time grantees, smaller organizations, and those led by people of color — a big first step in fostering greater equity. We’ll continue to work with our cultural community in the months ahead to ensure that our support reaches every corner of New York City in a fair, equitable way and continues to move our city forward.”
For this year’s CDF process, DCLA introduced a series of equity reforms dedicated to identifying and reducing biases in the grantmaking process, and saw the return of the competitive, peer-panel review process for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a record investment from the Adams administration and the City Council, DCLA awarded the most funding to the largest number of cultural organizations ever, marked by major boosts for smaller groups and organizations led by people of color, as well as an increase in the number of groups receiving city support for the first time. The CDF awards also continue to invest in priorities like language and disability access, as well as individual artists, and includes an infusion of funds from Mayor Adams’ “Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery.”
DATE: August 10th, 2022, NYC
CONTACT: Torkom Movsesiyan, President
Torkomada is honored to be a DanceNYC CovidReliefNYS grantee! The fund is made possible by the generous support of NY State Council on the Arts! The awarded grant will be used to support participating dance artists in ongoing and upcoming public dance programming in 2022 in NYC. www.dance.nyc
Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund: New York State Edition 2022Made possible by the generous support of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), the purpose of the Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund: New York State Edition is to continue Dance/NYC’s existing relief efforts and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on individual dance makers and small-budget dance making organizations and groups with budgets between $10,000 and $250,000 based in New York State. The Fund will prioritize individual dance makers and small-budget organizations and groups living outside of the New York City metropolitan area and offer unrestricted relief to those that have incurred financial losses due to the spread of COVID-19 and the social restriction measures implemented to contain the disease. Learn more about the 2022 Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund: New York State Edition.
CONTACT: Torkom Movsesiyan, President
Torkomada is honored to be a DanceNYC CovidReliefNYS grantee! The fund is made possible by the generous support of NY State Council on the Arts! The awarded grant will be used to support participating dance artists in ongoing and upcoming public dance programming in 2022 in NYC. www.dance.nyc
Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund: New York State Edition 2022Made possible by the generous support of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), the purpose of the Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund: New York State Edition is to continue Dance/NYC’s existing relief efforts and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on individual dance makers and small-budget dance making organizations and groups with budgets between $10,000 and $250,000 based in New York State. The Fund will prioritize individual dance makers and small-budget organizations and groups living outside of the New York City metropolitan area and offer unrestricted relief to those that have incurred financial losses due to the spread of COVID-19 and the social restriction measures implemented to contain the disease. Learn more about the 2022 Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund: New York State Edition.
Date: March 17th, 2022, NYC
Contact: Torkom Movsesiyan, President
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council has awarded its annual dance project, Raqs Without Borders 2022, the Creative Engagement Grant. Raqs Without Borders in cultural diplomacy: a MENA dance festival in NYC is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by LMCC.
LMCC
New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)
LMCC serves, connects, and makes space for artists and community.
Contact: Torkom Movsesiyan, President
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council has awarded its annual dance project, Raqs Without Borders 2022, the Creative Engagement Grant. Raqs Without Borders in cultural diplomacy: a MENA dance festival in NYC is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by LMCC.
LMCC
New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)
LMCC serves, connects, and makes space for artists and community.
DATE: Tuesday, March 08, 2022 at 12:00pm ET
CONTACT: Torkom Movsesiyan, Torkomada
Torkomada Receives a Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
New York City—Torkomada has been awarded a prestigious grant to support Raqs Without Borders' sixth edition in NYC from 08/26/22-08/28/22. This project invites international dance artists from the Middle East and North Africa to increase international understanding.
The Art Works funding category supports projects that focus on public engagement with, and access to, various forms of excellent art across the nation; the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence; learning in the arts at all stages of life; and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life.
“The arts are at the heart of our communities, connecting people through shared experiences
and artistic expression,” said Arts Endowment chairman Mary Anne Carter. “The National
Endowment for the Arts is proud to support projects like "Raqs Without Borders.”
"Bridging Arab and non-Arab audiences in the U.S. through dance is an important but neglected diplomatic tool in cultural diplomacy-a strategy needed now more than ever when U.S.-Middle East relations need therapy instead of divorce"-Torkom Movsesiyan, President of Torkomada, Inc.
Awarded Project Description: Raqs Without Borderts envisions Middle Eastern dance as an important but neglected diplomatic tool in cultural diplomacy versus more conventional methods that have failed. What’s more, it hopes to foster mutual understanding between the West and the Middle-East through the folkloric and theatricalized traditional dances. The project develops a more realistic approach to humanity, one grounded in empathy to bridge Arab and non-Arab audiences through dance presentation, and strengthens the understanding and acceptance of MENA cultures. The festival supports dance artists in a dynamic, inclusive and intellectually engaging environment, contributing to community and a thriving, sustainable New York City.
CONTACT: Torkom Movsesiyan, Torkomada
Torkomada Receives a Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
New York City—Torkomada has been awarded a prestigious grant to support Raqs Without Borders' sixth edition in NYC from 08/26/22-08/28/22. This project invites international dance artists from the Middle East and North Africa to increase international understanding.
The Art Works funding category supports projects that focus on public engagement with, and access to, various forms of excellent art across the nation; the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence; learning in the arts at all stages of life; and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life.
“The arts are at the heart of our communities, connecting people through shared experiences
and artistic expression,” said Arts Endowment chairman Mary Anne Carter. “The National
Endowment for the Arts is proud to support projects like "Raqs Without Borders.”
"Bridging Arab and non-Arab audiences in the U.S. through dance is an important but neglected diplomatic tool in cultural diplomacy-a strategy needed now more than ever when U.S.-Middle East relations need therapy instead of divorce"-Torkom Movsesiyan, President of Torkomada, Inc.
Awarded Project Description: Raqs Without Borderts envisions Middle Eastern dance as an important but neglected diplomatic tool in cultural diplomacy versus more conventional methods that have failed. What’s more, it hopes to foster mutual understanding between the West and the Middle-East through the folkloric and theatricalized traditional dances. The project develops a more realistic approach to humanity, one grounded in empathy to bridge Arab and non-Arab audiences through dance presentation, and strengthens the understanding and acceptance of MENA cultures. The festival supports dance artists in a dynamic, inclusive and intellectually engaging environment, contributing to community and a thriving, sustainable New York City.
DATE: Monday, November 8th, 2021 at 5:00pm
CONTACT: Torkom Movsesiyan, Torkomada
Torkomada is proud to announce that the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs has awarded its virtual project, Raqs Without Borders, the Cultural Development Fund, SUPPORTED, IN PART, BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.
Raqs Without Borders is a Middle Eastern and North African cultural dance festival in NYC: building bridges between Arab and non-Arab audiences. The festival presented traditional Arabic dance workshops, taught by folk dance experts, opening and closing dance shows with guest dance artists, lectures, and certificates of completion. The project helps increase international understanding by bringing native Arab, U.S.-based, and NYC-based dance artists.
CONTACT: Torkom Movsesiyan, Torkomada
Torkomada is proud to announce that the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs has awarded its virtual project, Raqs Without Borders, the Cultural Development Fund, SUPPORTED, IN PART, BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.
Raqs Without Borders is a Middle Eastern and North African cultural dance festival in NYC: building bridges between Arab and non-Arab audiences. The festival presented traditional Arabic dance workshops, taught by folk dance experts, opening and closing dance shows with guest dance artists, lectures, and certificates of completion. The project helps increase international understanding by bringing native Arab, U.S.-based, and NYC-based dance artists.
Date: September 24th, 2021
Contact: Torkom Movsesiyan, Torkomada
Torkomada proudly announces that Lower Manhattan Cultural Council has awarded its virtual project, Raqs Without Borders 2021, the Restart NY Grant. Raqs Without Borders in cultural diplomacy: a MENA dance festival in NYC is made possible in part with public funds from Restart NY supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the
support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State
Legislature and administered by LMCC.
New York State Council on the Arts
Contact: Torkom Movsesiyan, Torkomada
Torkomada proudly announces that Lower Manhattan Cultural Council has awarded its virtual project, Raqs Without Borders 2021, the Restart NY Grant. Raqs Without Borders in cultural diplomacy: a MENA dance festival in NYC is made possible in part with public funds from Restart NY supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the
support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State
Legislature and administered by LMCC.
New York State Council on the Arts
DATE: Friday, March 6, 2021 at 2:00pm
CONTACT: Torkom Movsesiyan, Torkomada
Torkomada proudly announces that Lower Manhattan Cultural Council has awarded its virtual project, Raqs Without Borders 2021, the Creative Engagement Grant. Raqs Without Borders in cultural diplomacy: a MENA dance festival in NYC is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by LMCC.
LMCC
New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)
LMCC serves, connects, and makes space for artists and community.
CONTACT: Torkom Movsesiyan, Torkomada
Torkomada proudly announces that Lower Manhattan Cultural Council has awarded its virtual project, Raqs Without Borders 2021, the Creative Engagement Grant. Raqs Without Borders in cultural diplomacy: a MENA dance festival in NYC is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by LMCC.
LMCC
New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)
LMCC serves, connects, and makes space for artists and community.
DATE: Monday, December 14th, 2020 at 5:00pm
CONTACT: Torkom Movsesiyan, Torkomada
Torkomada is proud to announce that the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs has awarded its virtual cultural series program the Cultural Development Fund, SUPPORTED, IN PART, BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL. This online project is a cultural series of weekly Egyptian dance classes, Arabic language classes, workshops, and a dance show, known in Arabic as "hafla" with certificates of completion on Zoom. The series will introduce dance students to Middle Eastern culture through the ethnic dances of Egypt and a language program of the Arab world, taught by an expert, Torkom Movsesiyan. A cultural dance show will provide a collaborative platform for dance students and guest dance artists to perform and show to the public what they have learned from classes. The series will also offer an Arabic language class for beginners, teaching grammar, reading, writing, listening and speaking of Modern Standard Arabic, known in Arabic as Fusha.
DATE: Tuesday, September 22nd, 2020 at 5:00pm
CONTACT: Torkom Movsesiyan, Torkomada
Torkomada is proud to announce that it has been awarded a grant, supported by DANCE/NYC'S CORONAVIRUS DANCE RELIEF FUND. The funds will help the organization withstand mandated closures. In like manner, the funds are critical in supporting the organization's staff and necessary equipment in order to transition to distant learning, such as online dance classes, virtual dance shows and cultural dance projects in 2020. Equally important, the award supports Torkomada's ALAANA, immigrant, Middle Eastern and North African dance artists that are critical to the organization's mission.
Dance/NYC Announces Recipients of Second Round Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund for Dance Making Organizations New York, NY (For Immediate Release) -- The dance service organization Dance/NYC is pleased to announce the 56 recipients of the second iteration of its Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund for Dance Making Organizations and Groups.
“We are proud to have facilitated support for so many dance making organizations and groups across two rounds of the relief fund. The program was created to help to alleviate immediate pressures due to COVID-19, prioritizing those most impacted by white supremacy and systemic oppression. While we acknowledge there is still work to be done in actualizing equitable grantmaking practices across the sector, we are so proud to be contributing to those efforts,” said Alejandra Duque Cifuentes, executive director of Dance/NYC. “We are particularly excited to include dance making organizations with budgets under $25,000 for the first time in one of our regranting programs. We have long recognized, and named, that dance makers with operating budgets below $25,000 also need support, so we are enthused to provide resources to this segment of the field with many thanks to our funders.”
The 56 grantees include representatives from seven (7) counties in the metropolitan New York City area: The Bronx (2), Hudson (3), Kings (13), Nassau (2), New York (30), Queens (5), and Richmond (1). Grantees are majority African, Latina/o/x, Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA)-led (33 of 56 or 59%), and include forty-three (43 or 77%) companies with women-identifying or gender nonconforming/non-binary/genderqueer leadership, three (3 or 5%) with disabled leadership, and twenty (20 or 36%) with immigrant leadership. There are twenty-four (24 or 43%) fiscally sponsored dance projects among the grantees.
The 56 grantees were selected by a review panel of representatives from the dance and grantmaking fields. A pool of over 100 metropolitan New York City area dance groups submitted applications in response to an open call, which included applications submitted during the first round of the Fund that had not been selected for funding and thus were automatically eligible for consideration in this iteration, provided they remained eligible under the new budget threshold. Key evaluation criteria included: Organizations who articulate a clear need for financial reimbursement in order to withstand mandated closures; and Organizations artistically led or otherwise creating work by ALAANA and/or women-identifying and/or disabled and/or immigrant artists. Additional information on grant requirements and eligibility can be found on our website at Dance.NYC. Dance/NYC worked to ensure that every aspect of program development, communications, application intake and review, and panel review aligned with Dance/NYC’s values of justice, equity, and inclusion and that the organization remained accountable to its intended beneficiaries.
Made possible by the generous support of a consortium of philanthropic partners, the purpose of the funding initiative is to mitigate the growing impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus, particularly financial losses incurred due to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and the social restriction measures implemented to contain it. The Fund prioritizes supporting communities most impacted by COVID-19 including ALAANA, disabled, immigrant, and women-identifying artists, as well as those at high risk including elderly and immunosuppressed artists, as identified by Dance/NYC’s Coronavirus Impact Survey. As of May 17th, individual dance makers reported a cumulative loss of at least $4.2 million and organizations, projects, and groups indicated losses that exceed $22 million. These losses will deepen as the timeline of the crisis extends. Indeed, segmentation analysis by identity category and location show that the crisis is disproportionately impacting people who identify as genderqueer/nonbinary, older dance workers, and immigrant dance workers. Specifically, Gen X dance workers estimate income loss $2,814 higher than Millennial workers, and immigrant dance workers report having lost 21% of their total income as compared to 17% for those born in the US.
About Dance/NYC
Dance/NYC’s mission is to promote the knowledge, appreciation, practice, and performance of dance in the metropolitan New York City area. It embeds values of justice, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of the organization. It works in alliance with Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance. www.dance.nyc
_____________________________________________________________________________________
DATE: Tuesday, March 03, 2020 at 1:00pm ET
CONTACT: Torkom Movsesiyan, Torkomada
Torkomada Receives a Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
New York City—Torkomada has been awarded a prestigious grant to support Raqs Without Borders in NYC from 09/03/21-09/06/21. This project invites international dance artists from the Middle East and North Africa to increase international understanding. Overall, the National Endowment for the Arts has approved 1,187 grants totaling $27.3 million in the first round of fiscal year 2020 funding to support arts projects in every state in the nation, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
The Art Works funding category supports projects that focus on public engagement with, and access to, various forms of excellent art across the nation; the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence; learning in the arts at all stages of life; and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life.
“The arts are at the heart of our communities, connecting people through shared experiences
and artistic expression,” said Arts Endowment chairman Mary Anne Carter. “The National
Endowment for the Arts is proud to support projects like "Raqs Without Borders.”
"Bridging Arab and non-Arab audiences in the U.S. through dance is an important but neglected diplomatic tool in cultural diplomacy-a strategy needed now more than ever when U.S.-Middle East relations need therapy instead of divorce"-Torkom Movsesiyan, President of Torkomada, Inc.
Awarded Project Description: Raqs Without Borderts envisions Middle Eastern dance as an important but neglected diplomatic tool in cultural diplomacy versus more conventional methods that have failed. What’s more, it hopes to foster mutual understanding between the West and the Middle-East through dance. It gives “a bit of home” to the Middle Eastern émigré community in NYC, and counteracts hostilities, clichés, and misunderstandings about Arabic culture. The festival supports dance artists in a dynamic, inclusive and intellectually engaging environment, contributing to community and a thriving, sustainable New York City.
CONTACT: Torkom Movsesiyan, Torkomada
Torkomada is proud to announce that it has been awarded a grant, supported by DANCE/NYC'S CORONAVIRUS DANCE RELIEF FUND. The funds will help the organization withstand mandated closures. In like manner, the funds are critical in supporting the organization's staff and necessary equipment in order to transition to distant learning, such as online dance classes, virtual dance shows and cultural dance projects in 2020. Equally important, the award supports Torkomada's ALAANA, immigrant, Middle Eastern and North African dance artists that are critical to the organization's mission.
Dance/NYC Announces Recipients of Second Round Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund for Dance Making Organizations New York, NY (For Immediate Release) -- The dance service organization Dance/NYC is pleased to announce the 56 recipients of the second iteration of its Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund for Dance Making Organizations and Groups.
“We are proud to have facilitated support for so many dance making organizations and groups across two rounds of the relief fund. The program was created to help to alleviate immediate pressures due to COVID-19, prioritizing those most impacted by white supremacy and systemic oppression. While we acknowledge there is still work to be done in actualizing equitable grantmaking practices across the sector, we are so proud to be contributing to those efforts,” said Alejandra Duque Cifuentes, executive director of Dance/NYC. “We are particularly excited to include dance making organizations with budgets under $25,000 for the first time in one of our regranting programs. We have long recognized, and named, that dance makers with operating budgets below $25,000 also need support, so we are enthused to provide resources to this segment of the field with many thanks to our funders.”
The 56 grantees include representatives from seven (7) counties in the metropolitan New York City area: The Bronx (2), Hudson (3), Kings (13), Nassau (2), New York (30), Queens (5), and Richmond (1). Grantees are majority African, Latina/o/x, Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA)-led (33 of 56 or 59%), and include forty-three (43 or 77%) companies with women-identifying or gender nonconforming/non-binary/genderqueer leadership, three (3 or 5%) with disabled leadership, and twenty (20 or 36%) with immigrant leadership. There are twenty-four (24 or 43%) fiscally sponsored dance projects among the grantees.
The 56 grantees were selected by a review panel of representatives from the dance and grantmaking fields. A pool of over 100 metropolitan New York City area dance groups submitted applications in response to an open call, which included applications submitted during the first round of the Fund that had not been selected for funding and thus were automatically eligible for consideration in this iteration, provided they remained eligible under the new budget threshold. Key evaluation criteria included: Organizations who articulate a clear need for financial reimbursement in order to withstand mandated closures; and Organizations artistically led or otherwise creating work by ALAANA and/or women-identifying and/or disabled and/or immigrant artists. Additional information on grant requirements and eligibility can be found on our website at Dance.NYC. Dance/NYC worked to ensure that every aspect of program development, communications, application intake and review, and panel review aligned with Dance/NYC’s values of justice, equity, and inclusion and that the organization remained accountable to its intended beneficiaries.
Made possible by the generous support of a consortium of philanthropic partners, the purpose of the funding initiative is to mitigate the growing impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus, particularly financial losses incurred due to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and the social restriction measures implemented to contain it. The Fund prioritizes supporting communities most impacted by COVID-19 including ALAANA, disabled, immigrant, and women-identifying artists, as well as those at high risk including elderly and immunosuppressed artists, as identified by Dance/NYC’s Coronavirus Impact Survey. As of May 17th, individual dance makers reported a cumulative loss of at least $4.2 million and organizations, projects, and groups indicated losses that exceed $22 million. These losses will deepen as the timeline of the crisis extends. Indeed, segmentation analysis by identity category and location show that the crisis is disproportionately impacting people who identify as genderqueer/nonbinary, older dance workers, and immigrant dance workers. Specifically, Gen X dance workers estimate income loss $2,814 higher than Millennial workers, and immigrant dance workers report having lost 21% of their total income as compared to 17% for those born in the US.
About Dance/NYC
Dance/NYC’s mission is to promote the knowledge, appreciation, practice, and performance of dance in the metropolitan New York City area. It embeds values of justice, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of the organization. It works in alliance with Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance. www.dance.nyc
_____________________________________________________________________________________
DATE: Tuesday, March 03, 2020 at 1:00pm ET
CONTACT: Torkom Movsesiyan, Torkomada
Torkomada Receives a Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
New York City—Torkomada has been awarded a prestigious grant to support Raqs Without Borders in NYC from 09/03/21-09/06/21. This project invites international dance artists from the Middle East and North Africa to increase international understanding. Overall, the National Endowment for the Arts has approved 1,187 grants totaling $27.3 million in the first round of fiscal year 2020 funding to support arts projects in every state in the nation, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
The Art Works funding category supports projects that focus on public engagement with, and access to, various forms of excellent art across the nation; the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence; learning in the arts at all stages of life; and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life.
“The arts are at the heart of our communities, connecting people through shared experiences
and artistic expression,” said Arts Endowment chairman Mary Anne Carter. “The National
Endowment for the Arts is proud to support projects like "Raqs Without Borders.”
"Bridging Arab and non-Arab audiences in the U.S. through dance is an important but neglected diplomatic tool in cultural diplomacy-a strategy needed now more than ever when U.S.-Middle East relations need therapy instead of divorce"-Torkom Movsesiyan, President of Torkomada, Inc.
Awarded Project Description: Raqs Without Borderts envisions Middle Eastern dance as an important but neglected diplomatic tool in cultural diplomacy versus more conventional methods that have failed. What’s more, it hopes to foster mutual understanding between the West and the Middle-East through dance. It gives “a bit of home” to the Middle Eastern émigré community in NYC, and counteracts hostilities, clichés, and misunderstandings about Arabic culture. The festival supports dance artists in a dynamic, inclusive and intellectually engaging environment, contributing to community and a thriving, sustainable New York City.