Free Engaging Audiences Webinars from Dance/USA
Please note that start time for all webinars is 2 p.m. There is a glitch in the March 23 listing above.
Before and Now: Navigating Histories and Humanities in Audience Engagement
March 23, 2016 2:00-3:15
Dance reflects history, culture, and the world around us. For some EDA grantees, engaging dance audiences involves contextualizing the art form and sparking discussion around broader issues, both contemporary and historical. Hear from: Kings Majestic Corporation (651 ARTS) about Classically Black, exploring the history and artistic forms rooted in African Diasporic aesthetics; Angela’s Pulse about Dancing While Black: On Fertile Ground, exchanges between Black experimental dance artists and communities; and the Walker Art Center, whose contextual resources and other engagement strategies merge humanities with movement and visual art practices.
All In: Engaging Audiences with Disabilities
April 6, 2016 2:00-3:15
Today, the dance field strives to be inclusive of all audiences, who vary in their physical and cognitive abilities. Hear from EDA grantees about how they plan and prepare accessible programs designed to reach audiences with disabilities. Grantees and their programs are: Cincinnati Ballet Company’s Gentle Nutcracker, attended by children with disabilities such as autism and Down syndrome and their families; Millersville University’s residency with Axis Dance Company, designed for audiences of mixed physical abilities and wounded warriors; and Keshet Dance Company’s repertory integrating dancers with disabilities throughout New Mexico.
So Many Choices, So Little Time: Engaging Audiences Throughout a Season
April 20, 2016 2:00-3:15
Organizations that host numerous artists over a season have opportunities to engage repeat audiences. But how do they motivate those audiences to keep coming back? Hear from The Dance Center at Columbia College Chicago, which has expanded its community engagement residencies; Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, which employs a range of engagement activities over the course of the summer; and University Musical Society, which runs ongoing engagement programs and has expanded its reach to the Detroit area.
Think Globally, Dance Locally: Audience Engagement in Neighborhoods
May 4, 2016 2:00-3:15
Is all dance local? How can dance organizations, even when presenting touring artists, engage people within their neighborhoods? Hear from Firstworks, whose residency with Urban Bush Women involves activities in a range of locations in Providence; Chicago Human Rhythm Project, whose citywide celebration of percussive dance happens alongside events in Chicago neighborhoods; and Dance Theatre Etcetera, which engages audiences in the predominately African-American and Latino neighborhood of Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Youth Moves: Engaging Young People in Dance and the Creative Process
May 18, 2016 2:00-3:15
Some artists are dedicated to expanding young people’s views not only about dance, but about themselves, so that they develop artistically, speak their minds, and realize their potential. Hear from BANDALOOP about their 16-year long engagement program for youth through Destiny Arts Center in Oakland; Camille A. Brown & Dancers’ Black Girl Spectrum, a residency program that explores the effects of historical beauty standards and values on African American women and girls; and Everett Dance Theater’s Freedom Project, which pairs artist mentors with youth to create work and train youth in audience engagement.