FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2018
CONTACT: Johanna Tschebull
202.833.1717
Dance/USA Announces the 2018 Mentees and Mentors
Washington, DC – Dance/USA is pleased to announce the selection of nine emerging leaders and nine mentors for the 2018 Dance/USA Institute for Leadership Training (DILT), a national dance mentorship program. The 2018 program has a specific focus on supporting individuals of African, LatinX, Asian, Arab, and Native American descent; individuals with disabilities or working in physically integrated dance; and individuals from a diversity of gender identities including transgender, agender, gender fluid, and genderqueer. The members of the 2018 DILT cohort are selected through a competitive process, and work within a broad range of genres and communities across the country. This year’s DILT program, which will kick off at the 2018 Annual Conference, has been extended from six months to nine months and will run through March 2019. Learn about the 2018 mentees here and the 2018 mentors here. See below for the full list of names.
“We’re excited to launch the 2018 DILT cohort and look forward to working with these dance professionals over the next nine months. Pairing emerging leaders with mentors helps ensure a bright future for the field of dance” said Dance/USA Executive Director Amy Fitterer.
DILT was piloted in 2011 at the recommendation of the Dance/USA Emerging Leader Task Force to facilitate one-on-one relationships for networking and leadership development for dance professionals. The program was designed to enhance and refine the skills of emerging leaders within the dance field so that they may guide dance organizations through the future’s challenges and shifting landscapes. With the guidance of an established, qualified mentor, mentees hone their management skills, as well as recognize and learn from personal strengths and weaknesses. The overarching goal of DILT is to build the leadership and decision-making skills of emerging dance leaders who represent the diversity of the national, professional dance community.
Dance/USA is grateful to the American Express Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for their generous support of the 2018 Institute for Leadership Training. Dance/USA is also grateful to its ongoing funders who support the program: Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts.
About Dance/USA
We believe that dance is essential to a healthy society, demonstrating the infinite possibilities for human expression and potential, and facilitating communication within and across cultures. We are committed to honoring, nurturing and advancing dance through the lens of diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity in all aspects of our programming, services and organization.
Dance/USA is the national service organization for the professional dance field. Established in 1982, Dance/USA sustains and advances professional dance by addressing the needs, concerns, and interests of artists, administrators, and organizations. By providing national leadership and services, Dance/USA enhances the infrastructure for dance creation and distribution, education, and dissemination of information. Learn more about Dance/USA by visiting our website, danceusa.org.
