Dance Forum

The Dance Forum is a time for collegiality, conversation and learning. During the 2025 Dance Forum, colleagues shared ecosystem-wide trends, focused on timely topics impacting our community, and Dance/USA shared takeaways from our Strategic Reframing Process. Dance Forum was hosted as a part of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) pre-conference events. Dance Forum speakers included:

• Lisa Richards Toney, President and CEO of APAP, who welcomed all to the conference
• Abdo Sayegh Rodriguez, Executive Director of TU Dance and Dance/USA Board Chair, who shared a welcome address from Dance/USA
• Sara Nash, Dance Director, Office of Strategy, Programs, and Engagement of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), who reported out from NEA’s national convening: “Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities.”
• Kellee Edusei, Executive Director of Dance/USA, who reflected on the challenges within a shifting funding landscape, shared more about the financial impact on Dance/USA’s structure and programming, and offered takeaways from our Strategic Reframing Process that will pave the way for future programming updates at the organization.
• Rosa Pasculli, MD, and Catherine Vargo, PT of The Dance/USA Task Force on Dancer Health, a volunteer force composed of medical professionals who work directly with professional dance companies and professional dancers across the USA and Canada, shared learnings on their 20th anniversary.
• Lisa Mount, Director of Artistic Logistics, and MK Wegmann, Principal of MK Arts Co, facilitated a rapid-fire discussion with a panel of artists, funders, and presenters on national dance touring and present success stories in these post-pandemic times. Panelists included Soles of Duende, Sarah Lewitus (MidAtlantic Arts), Kristen Brogdon (Northrop, University of Minnesota), and Christy Bolingbroke (NCCAkron). 
• Juan José Escalante, Executive Director of Miami City Ballet, and Dance/USA Board Chair Elect shared about the upcoming Dance/USA Conference in Chicago in June 2025.