REAL TALK: Race and Dance at the Dance/USA Conference
During the Dance/USA 2015 conference held in Miami from June 17-20, race
and diversity were hot topics featured in multiple breakout sessions.
Designed as freeform discussions between panelists and audience members,
the Dance/USA breakout sessions provided an excellent forum for the
sometimes personal and emotional experiences surrounding the topic of
race in the dance world. Two consecutive sessions, collectively titled
“Race and Dance Townhall: REAL TALK,” were held Thursday, June 18.
The Dance Field Gives Back
Missed Dance/USA’s Annual Conference in Miami in June 2015 and want a rundown on what happened? Or need a refresher as your new season gets into gear? Read this report, with links to the plenary sessions, on key events and topics from Dance/USA’s gathering of world class artists, administrators, managers and collaborators, exclusively in From the Green Room.
Dance/USA 2015 Ernie Awardee Linda Shelton
Linda Shelton receives the 2015 Dance/USA “Ernie” Award for
“an individual working ‘behind the scenes’ within the infrastructure of
the dance field. A long-time arts administrator, Shelton has a long-view of the dance field through her extensive work with the Joyce Theater in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. A current trustee and former chair of Dance/USA’s board, Shelton has spent a career serving the non-profit concert dance world. Listen in as dance writer and scholar Mindy Aloff and Shelton talk about her work.
Trisha Brown: Choreographer, Innovator, Humanist, Dance/USA Honor Awardee
The dance world lost an icon this week: the audacious and visionary Trisha Brown. Former Dance Magazine editor, writer, and Trisha Brown dancer Wendy Perron reflected on Brown’s work, her kineticism, intellect, and perceptual sensibility.
Toby Ansin, Miami City Ballet Founder, Receives Dance/USA’s Champion Award
This June 2015, long-time Miami City Ballet supporter, and founder, Toby Ansin, receives one of Dance/USA’s highest honors, the Champion Award. Dance/USA pays tribute to Ansin’s believe that an excellent ballet company could flourish in the South.
Raven Wilkinson: 2015 Dance/USA Trustee Awardee
Raven Wilkinson helped change the complexion of the classical ballet world. Notable as the first African-American ballet dancer in a major American ballet company, Dance/USA remembers her as a groundbreaker.
