Navigation Menu
Applications for the Dance/USA 2024 Institute for Leadership Training (DILT), are closed. Questions about the program should be sent to danceusa@nulldanceusa.org.
The Dance/USA Institute for Leadership Training (DILT) is a mentee-driven national dance mentorship and leadership development program. The overarching goal of the program is to build the leadership and resiliency skills of early-career dance leaders who represent the vast scope of the national dance community. DILT has a specific focus on supporting individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; as Disabled; and as queer, transgender, agender, gender fluid, genderqueer. All are welcome to apply regardless of one’s membership status with Dance/USA.
DILT emphasizes regular communication between established leaders (mentors) and early-career leaders (mentees) to foster self-direction and self-reflection. Mentors are identified after the mentees have been selected; allowing for thoughtful pairing of mentees with mentors who will truly aid in the mentees’ needs and goals. The relationships between mentors and mentees extend beyond geographic boundaries, explore various areas of interest, foster community and connections, and provide exposure to opportunities available in the field. A limited number of pairs are matched based on experience, area of interest, geography, and/or professional affiliations by the Dance/USA DILT Selection Panel.
The 2024 program will be virtual and will launch in March 2024. From that time forward, participants will engage in a one-on-one mentorship experience for six months, concluding in September 2024.
There are three (3) elements to the DILT Program:
In 2011, Dance/USA launched a national professional dance mentorship program as a pilot, proposed by the Dance/USA Emerging Leaders Task Force, to facilitate one-on-one relationships for networking and leadership development for dance professionals. In 2012, with generous lead support by the American Express Foundation and the Mellon Foundation, the mentorship grew into the Dance/USA Institute for Leadership Training (DILT). The program was designed to enhance and refine the skills of self-identifying early-career leaders within the dance ecosystem so that they may guide dance organizations through the future’s challenges and shifting landscapes. With the guidance of a mentor, mentees hone their management skills, as well as recognize and learn from personal strengths and weaknesses.
In 2015, the program evolved to focus on shifting patterns of inequity in the dance ecosystem by seeking applicants from underrepresented communities with a specific interest in supporting emerging leaders of color. The program was open to all, regardless of Dance/USA membership.
DILT emphasizes regular communication between these established leaders (mentors) and emerging leaders (mentees) to foster self-direction and self-reflection. The relationships between mentors and mentees can extend beyond geographic boundaries, explore various areas of interest, and provide exposure to opportunities available in the field.
Read articles FROM THE GREEN ROOM: Dance/USA’s eJournal from past DILT participants:
Dance/USA is grateful to the Mellon Foundation and The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation for their generous support of the Institute for Leadership Training. Dance/USA is also grateful to its ongoing funders: Doris Duke Foundation, The Harkness Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Shubert Foundation, and The Wallace Foundation.
