Dear BDA Community:
While all of April’s showers may lead you to believe that Spring hasn’t yet sprung, slowly but surely the earth is awakening from winter and we can soon all look forward to May’s flowers. In the meantime, dance continues to bloom as reflected in all of the exciting dance opportunities highlighted in this week’s ProMotion newsletter.
Consistent with the spirit of the season, Spring is also a time of renewal and transformation at BDA. While reviving and expanding some of our new initiatives like community dance series, we’re also planning ahead for additional ones like a dance community needs assessment.
While planting & sowing of seeds for dance, we’ve also been pursuing new partnerships with institutions and people to bring all of these exciting initiatives for life for the local dance community. Stay tuned for related announcements and opportunities coming soon!
All the best,
Aaron Myers, Executive Director
We at BDA extend our congratulations to all 38 artists and organizations being awarded $120,358 in Local Cultural Council Grant funding by Cambridge Arts and the City of Cambridge. We are sending out a special congratulations to our members: Souls of India and MetaMovements.
BDA congratulates Elizabeth Mochizuki and Asian American Ballet Project on being one of two recipients of the Cambridge Community Foundation’s Arrow Street Arts Fund (winter 2025 cycle). This space grant will allow them to perform their June concert at the beautifully refurbished Arrow Street Arts. We are honored to provide AABP with fiscal sponsorship.
In March, we welcomed Anubhava Dance Company and Cass Rompala as new members! Welcome! We are excited to support you throughout your dance journey.
BDA Member Events This Week
Boston WiP 2025 is here! Boston WiP is an annual low stakes platform for dance and performing artists to present movement driven work. Join this evening featuring eight new work-in-progress performances, all presented by local artists. The show will run twice with the same program. Performances are on Friday, April 11, 6 & 8 PM at SomArts @ The Hive, 561 Windsor Pl, Somerville. Tickets: $20.
City Ballet of Boston presents Dance Distinctive. The afternoon features Ben’s Trumpet, which transforms the rhythms of jazz music into movement, bringing to life the dreams of a young boy enchanted by the music from the 1930s & 40s. This ballet is a vibrant, heartfelt celebration of music, dreams, and the power of imagination. Ben’s Trumpet will have audiences of all ages swinging in their seats! Dance Distinctive includes additional choreography by Tony Williams and Gianni Di Marco, plus two premieres by choreographers Chu Ling and Lorraine Chapman. Saturday, April 12, and Sunday, April 13, 3-5 PM, at the Strand Theatre, 543 Columbia Road, Boston. Tickets: $5-$39.19.
FREE! – Join Dance Caliente’s Raul Nieves and Eileen Herman-Haase at the Medford Library for a fun, Hustle/Disco workshop on Wednesday, April 16, 7:00-8:30 PM, at 111 High Street, Medford.
Rhythm, Harmony, Flow with Keith Terry, Evie Ladin and Nuria Bowart brings Body Music explorations. Body Music is an effective way of internalizing and understanding rhythmic work, enhancing one’s sense of time, timing, phrasing, independence, coordination and ensemble awareness. It is a useful tool for musicians, dancers and movers of all kinds – anyone interested in deepening their rhythmic and harmonic skills. Thursday, April 10-Sunday, April 13 at The Field Center, 61 Williams Road, Bellows Falls, VT. Registration: $0-$600.
Head to Heels presents RADIANCE, The Company’s end-of-season showcase. Showcasing the diversity of heels dance, the evening includes some guest performers of Boston. Radiance celebrates the light within us all as we radiate it through our movement. Thursday, April 10, 7:30-10:30 PM, at Sonia, 10 Brookline Street, Cambridge. Tickets: $20-$26.
Seconds is an intermedia exploration of suspension of disbelief and a study of staged death through the lenses of comedy, horror, the grotesque, tragedy, ritual, and dance. Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12, 8 PM at the Williams College MainStage, 1000 Main Street, Williamstown. Tickets: $3-$10.
Rebirth Vol.4 returns to the Foundry, bringing you two days of parties, social arts, performances, community dialogue, food and more! Saturday, April 12, 1 PM-1 AM at the Foundry, 101 Rogers St., Cambridge. Sunday, April 13, 1-6 PM at the Foundry, 10 PM-2 AM at the Middle East, 472-480 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Registration $10-$60.
Each summer, intermediate to advanced dancers ages 11-24 are selected for a unique contemporary dance intensive to work with nationally-acclaimed guest artists, Urbanity Dance Company members, and Urbanity’s most popular faculty. Students receive 7 hours of daily instruction from 10-5pm in ballet, modern, and contemporary technique, as well as supplementary courses in jazz, musical theater, improv, hip hop, and repertory. The 2024 program will run from August 4 through 22. Students may choose to attend one week, two weeks, or three weeks. You have one last chance to audition in person: Saturday, April 12, 1-2 PM at Accelerate Dance Experience Competition, Braintree. Video auditions accepted until Tuesday, April 15.
Applications are now open for the Jacob’s Pillow Curriculum in Motion™ Institute—a unique career development opportunity for emerging, mid-career, and seasoned choreographers and teaching artists to integrate dance with community engagement. Join a dynamic cohort of Artist Educators to train in the renowned Curriculum in Motion™ method, an innovative approach that uses dance to explore and respond to community questions and needs. Through in-person gatherings at Jacob’s Pillow, online learning labs, peer networking, and one-on-one mentorship, you’ll deepen your artistic practice while building meaningful connections with communities. Priority deadline: Monday, April 14. All who apply by that date and are accepted will receive a 10% discount on program tuition. For questions and inquiries, contact community@jacobspillow.org.
Mass Cultural Council’s FY26 Operating Grants for Organizations applications are open. This program offers multi-year, unrestricted operating grants to nonprofit cultural organizations and cultural affiliates that enrich cultural life across the Commonwealth. Application deadline: Thursday, April 17, 2025
Are you a dancer anywhere in the US in dire financial emergency? Have you recently lost engagements, or been ill or injured? You may be eligible for a one-time Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grant of up to $3,000. Cycle 18 is open through April 15 for essential expenses including rent, utilities, medicine/healthcare, and food.This national program is administered by New York Foundation for the Arts and funded by Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. Privacy is guaranteed. Please click here for details. Learn more in this recorded information session.
Are you an artist in need of critical medical, mental health, or dental treatment? Has a medical emergency impacted your creative practice? The Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants program provides one-time grants of up to $5,000 for recent, unexpected medical, dental, and mental health emergencies experienced by artists in financial need who are creating in the visual arts, film/video/electronic/digital arts, or choreography. Privacy is guaranteed. Cycle 30 will be open April 15 through May 13 for emergencies that occurred October 1, 2024 and after. Cycle 31 will be open June 10 – July 8 for emergencies occurring December 1, 2024 and after. Please click here for details. Learn more in this recorded information session. Cycles will continue through at least September 2025.
Friends of the BDA! Global Arts Live invites you to the Massachusetts premiere of The Center Will Not Hold: A Dorrance Dance Production, April 25 & 26, 8PM at Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre. For a limited time—get 50% off tickets on price levels B-D! Get your tickets before 4/14/25, 11:59PM to take advantage of this special offer.