A Gift for BDA’s Future Celebrates a Dance Community Member
Boston Dance Alliance received a $150,000 donation from the estate of Christine Hamersley (l.), a dance enthusiast and adult
dance student who lived in Duxbury, Mass. The donation, arranged by Hamersley’s sister Barbara Bollin, will support the purchase of a new portable dance floor and establish a fund for BDA’s annual Open Audition & Dancer Health Day initiative, which will be named for Hamersley. Bollin says Hamersley was a beloved figure in the Boston dance community, known for her warmth and inclusivity, and for welcoming dancers of all backgrounds to the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio, where she studied for decades.
Hamersley also created and managed a regional Dance Affinity Facebook group that became a platform where dancers and
organizations alike made connections and found professional opportunities. The gift will fund critical resources for local dancers, including a new professional grade portable dance floor that BDA will offer at below-market rates to dance companies and
organizations hosting dance events across Greater Boston. It also will support and expand BDA programs that manage open-call auditions each year (allowing dancers to find work with regional choreographers) and offer dancer health and wellness resources through a BDA partnership with Spaulding Rehabilitation and its Director of Dance Medicine Lauren Elson, MD, a BDA board member.
BDA Executive Director Aaron Myers says the donation, which Elson helped to facilitate, will be structured to provide support in perpetuity and honor Christine’s spirit of kindness, inclusivity and passion. “These gifts to Boston Dance Alliance create a legacy of support for the Greater Boston dance communities and its artists,” Myers says. “That they also honor a cherished member of our community makes it even more special. Boston Dance Alliance takes great pride in celebrating and carrying on Christine’s remarkable dance legacy for many years to come.”
Dear BDA Community,
Happy March! It’s Women’s History Month and we are so fortunate to have so many powerful female voices in dance. I want to take a moment to acknowledge all the women that have been making an impact in the Boston dance community, many of which have been a part of BDA to some capacity. We are grateful for your work, your vision and your strength. I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the women who have directly and indirectly paved ways for dance.
On another note, here’s your reminder that this weekend we’ll spring forward to daylight savings! Make sure to adjust your clocks and plan for extra sleep. Speaking of being sprung, we are selling our portable dance floor! Are you or someone you know looking for a sprung floor that can be assembled easily at a discounted rate? Let us know! Feel free to email me: crizzo@bostondancealliance.org. More information on that under our news section!
Have an incredible week,
Carmen S. Rizzo, Membership & Operations Associate
BDA's Portable Sprung Dance Floor is for Sale!
BDA is excited to announce that the portable floor you may have danced on, seen performances with or rented yourself is now on sale! We are in the process of acquiring a new dance floor in a sustainable manner. In order to do so, we are also seeking dancers, producers, and dance lovers in need of a sprung dance floor.
We have a few options for sale in both squared or rectangular set-ups. Different sizes are still currently available, although we do have some prospects so let us know if you’re interested as soon as possible!
We would love to see our floor find a new loving and dancing home. Tell your friends and colleagues! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Carmen at crizzo@bostondancealliance.org.
Other events in the community this week:
FREE! – Join the public rehearsal of Proxies, a transdisciplinary dance theatre production from Ilya Vidrin and Partnering Lab at the intersection of performance, computation, and information design. Thursday, March 6, 2-3 PM, at the Harvard ArtLab, 40 North Harvard Street, Boston.
FREE! – A dance collective of fierce young performers from different dance backgrounds, MasterZ at Work ignites the stage with jazz, hip-hop, street jazz, house, African, vogue, and contemporary dance. The MasterZ at Work Dance Family performance was filmed live during Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2024 and is available for streaming Friday, March 7 – Friday, March 28.
Transfigured Ground explores the transformation experienced when life shifts in unexpected ways, making us vulnerable to sudden loss or illness, creating monumental shifts that alter our paths forever, forcing us to adapt. Dancers will source movement from their personal experiences, exploring how the body can feel when dealing with trauma, creating sharp angles and slicing limbs that segue into liquid curves with startlingly ephemeral shifts of weight with unison movement that provides collective power amidst individual phrases to convey unity. Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8, 8 PM at Somarts@The Hive, 561 Windsor St., Somerville.
Don’t miss Ethereal Space, Northeast Youth Ballet’s final series of their season, Realm of Imagination. Saturday, March 8, 7:30 PM and Sunday, March 9, 2 PM at the J. Everett Collins Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Shawsheen Road, Andover, MA, and be transported into another world by the art of dance! Tickets: $31.50-$46.50.
ANIKAYA hosts Migrations workshops in the dance studio. All bodies and skill-levels welcome! Sunday, March 9, 11 AM-1 PM, at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow St., Cambridge. Registration: Free with ticket to Conference of the Birds ($1-$65).
Eve Boltax and Ana Harmon return for a Gaga & Feldenkrais Workshop. Invite both ease and energy into your body as they share 2 moving methods in 1 afternoon. Sunday, March 9, 12:30 – 3:30 PM at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave.,Cambridge, MA. Registration: $25-$40.
Concha Jareno Workshop Early Bird Registration
Register early for Flamenco Dance Project‘s Concha Jareno Workshop and benefit from discounted prices. The workshop will take place Thursday, April 3 – Sunday, April 6, at The Dance Complex (536 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge). To register and payment instructions visit their website. Early bird prices available until Friday, March 7. For additional information, contact sabrina@flamencodanceproject.com.
Apply for Urbanity X
Urbanity X is a residency program designed to elevate emerging movement artists by providing multi-faceted support to help take their careers to the next level. The program includes:
- An upfront $1,000 stipend
- 30 hours of dedicated studio space
- Access to Urbanity’s office space, supplies, and technology
- An archival video recording of their work
- A performance opportunity at Urbanity’s Central studio (with marketing, technical support, and costume access)
Application Deadline: Friday, March 7.
Discounted Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Tickets
Have you heard the good news? BDA is partnering with Celebrity Series again to make sure you get to see the historic and always relevant Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. BDA members and Pro/Motion subscribers are welcome to use our code “CR4JOY” to claim $49 tickets at ANY seat as long as they are available! Hurry to claim yours! Need other options? Email crizzo@bostondancealliance.org and Carmen will gladly help you find an option that works for you.
Discounted Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Tickets
A treasured annual event, Celebrity Series brings Alvin Ailey back to Boston for a series of unforgettable performances. We are excited to offer our members and Pro/Motion subscribers $49 tickets in all seating sections! Enter our promo code: CR4JOY at the TicketMaster seat map to unlock your deal! If you are a card to culture holder you can purchase up to four $20 tickets! Students of any age can also unlock $20 tickets with the code ADVSTU. With the $35 Under 35 program, get up to two $35 tickets for people ages 35 and under. Email crizzo@bostondancealliance.org if you have any questions on how to redeem your discount!
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