FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2020
CONTACT: Johanna Tschebull
202.833.1717 x106
Washington, DC – Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance, is pleased to announce the ninth annual Dance/USA Institute for Leadership Training (DILT), a national dance mentorship and leadership development program. Self-identifying early-career dance leaders are invited to apply. Mentor-mentee pairs will be selected and matched for the 2020 Institute for Leadership Training, which launches in June 2020. The deadline to apply is Sunday, March 8, 2020. Selected participants will be notified in March.
The overarching goal of Dance/USA’s Institute for Leadership Training is to build the leadership and decision-making skills of early-career dance leaders who represent the diversity of the national, professional dance community. The 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, genderqueer, etc. All are welcome to apply regardless of Dance/USA membership. Learn more about the 2020 DILT guidelines and applicant criteria here.
The 2020 program will begin during the Dance/USA 2020 Annual Conference in Denver, CO June 17-20. Following the launch of the program in June, members of the 2020 DILT cohort will engage in a one-on-one mentorship experience involving monthly meetings and check-in meetings with Dance/USA staff.
About DILT
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.
A 2019 DILT mentee commented on the impact of the program: “Discussions with my mentor allowed me to think more big picture about my goals and needs both at this juncture in my career and in the future, while providing me with the necessary fuel to make a major career decision.”
Learn about the 2019 DILT mentees here and the 2019 mentors here.
For more information about the program please contact Interim DILT Program Administrator, Board Liaison, and Office Manager Jessica Denson via email or at 202.833.1717 x107.
Dance/USA is grateful to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for their generous support of the Institute for Leadership Training. Dance/USA is also grateful to its ongoing funders who support the program: Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Harkness Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and The Shubert Foundation.
About Dance/USA
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.
Dance/USA is the national service organization for the professional dance field. Established in 1982, 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. Learn more about Dance/USA at danceusa.org.
