FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2017
Contact: Johanna Tschebull
202.833.1717
Washington, DC – Dance/USA and Dance Heritage Coalition (DHC) today announced the integration of DHC’s preservation, archives, and education programs into Dance/USA. The leaders of these two nonprofit organizations, which share a mission to serve and support the dance field, are enthusiastic about the possibilities for collaboration and expanded services that will be created by this partnership.
As America’s national service organization for professional dance, Dance/USA convenes the field through its annual conferences and conducts research and advocacy to promote a healthy and vibrant dance community. Dance/USA’s Executive Director, Amy Fitterer, said, “Dance/USA’s board and staff recognize the importance of Dance Heritage Coalition’s work to preserve and create our nation’s dance legacy. We are excited to bring Dance Heritage Coalition’s programs under the Dance/USA umbrella, drawing on the expertise of DHC’s staff and member archives to provide new services to our members. Our organizations share values of equity and inclusion, and we look forward to working together to ensure that the diversity of American dance is recognized and documented.”
Dance Heritage Coalition was founded in 1992 to promote collaboration and strengthen networks in the field of dance archives. DHC has spearheaded projects to provide hands-on help to artists with archiving and legacy planning, digitally preserve endangered videotapes of dance, make more dance research collections available to scholars and students, and create resources for training, research, and engagement with dance history. Genie Guerard, DHC’s Board Chair and Curator of UCLA’s Special Collections, said, “The mission alignment between our organizations makes this a compelling partnership. Dance/USA’s leadership is passionate and dynamic, and collaborating with them will strengthen DHC’s ability to serve all our constituents: artists, archivists and librarians, students, scholars, and the dance-loving public.”
During 2017 and 2018, Dance/USA and DHC will work together to implement the transition and develop a robust model for integrating programs, resources, and memberships, as well as piloting new joint projects. Dance/USA will launch a peer network for the dance archivists which will meet through quarterly conference calls and an in-person gathering at Dance/USA’s annual conferences, ensuring that DHC’s founding mission to promote collaboration and information-sharing in the field will continue. “One of the great advantages of working more closely with Dance/USA will be the increase in opportunities for dance artists and archivists to meet and work together,” said DHC’s acting executive director, Imogen Smith. “DHC has documented the creative potential in collaborations between artists, archivists, and scholars, and we anticipate that this relationship with Dance/USA will catalyze more such collaborations in the future.”
Funding for the transition and a two-year pilot for the new model was provided through an award to Dance/USA from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Dance/USA and DHC will share further details about the integration with members of both organizations and the public throughout the process.
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, www.danceusa.org.
About Dance Heritage Coalition
Dance Heritage Coalition is a national non-profit alliance of institutions holding significant collections of materials documenting the history of dance. Its mission is to preserve, make accessible, enhance, and augment the materials that document the artistic accomplishments in dance of the past, present, and future.
Founded in 1992, DHC pursues its mission by encouraging, initiating, and developing collaborative projects among the dance communities, library and archival fields, scholarly institutions, and individuals in four essential areas: access to materials, the continuing documentation of dance employing both traditional methods and developing technologies, preservation of existing documentation, and education within and beyond the field of dance. DHC also serves as a think tank and a convener for the dance heritage field. To learn more about DHC’s programs and resources, visit our website: www.danceheritage.org.
