[MEDIA] Junior Committee Members, Julia and Justina Interviewed at 2010 Bessies

video courtesy of Skynova

JComm Members Julia Kelly and Justina Gaddy Bac…, posted with vodpod

[NEWS] New Look, New Name, Still the Same

The Dance/NYC Youth Advisory Committee is now the Dance/NYC Junior Committee

 

We would like to thank all those who support the work of the Youth Advisory Committee of Dance/NYC.

At our previous monthly meeting, members voted to change the name of our committee from Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) to Dance/NYC Junior Committee.

Our reasoning behind this change? We feel that “Junior Committee” more accurately reflects our age and experience as young professionals and is more representative of our diverse group. With this change comes an overhaul in our social media  and online presence! You can like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, as well as subscribe to our monthly e-blast here.

This week marks a new series called “Member Blog.” Check out Junior Committee members’ reflections on dance as they see it!

Have you subscribed to our RSS feed yet? Don’t miss out!

[JOURNAL] America: Now and Here

On Thursday October 21, upon receiving an invitation from Student Advocates for the Arts’ President Priya Sircar, I attended a presentation about a new program called America: Now and Here. Director Dorothy Dunn made an incredibly exciting presentation about this program that aims to take a traveling multi-disciplinary exhibition across the nation that will “launch a national dialogue about America through art, to spark local activities and fuel imaginations, and generate innovation from coast to coast.”

[NEWS] YAC meets Joe Melillo, Executive Producer of BAM

On Tuesday June 1, YAC had a second unique tête-à-tête in Dance/NYC’s cozy loft.  (The first was a visit from Michael Kaiser, President of the Kennedy Center, earlier this spring.)

This was a conversation stemming from our fascination with an incredible—and perennially successful—institution, and longtime champion of the “emerging” artist; our gracious guest was Mr. Joseph V. Melillo, Executive Producer of the Brooklyn Academy of Music since 1999.  In this role he is “responsible for the institutional artistic direction of BAM.” (Mr. Melillo’s biography)

Brainstorming about those from whom we could learn about not just surviving but thriving in the nonprofit art world, Joe Melillo came quickly to mind, and we’re grateful for the 90 minutes he spared to talk shop.

Joe Melillo with Dance/NYC Executive Director Michelle Burkhart and YAC members from left: Marisa Ballaro, Julia Kelly and Justina Gaddy

True to form, he did not take his seat on the loft’s throne (the biggest, cushiest chair reserved for such important persons) before distributing brochures, hot off the presses, for the 2010 Next Wave Festival. Melillo was, in fact, the founding director of the festival.  (Get ready: Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal will give the US premiere of Vollmond this fall.)

What did I take away?

[NEWS] Proposed 40% cut to NYSCA Funding

Take action TODAY!

Governor Paterson proposed a 40% cut to NYSCA local assistance (grantmaking) funding for 2010-11. His proposal will slash funding to from $41.6 million in 09-10 to $25.2 million, making this the largest state agency cut. He also proposed a 12% cut to state operations…from $5.29 million to $4.84.

We cannot let this proposal go unchallenged

TELL YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS and the LEADERSHIP in Albany to reject the Governor’s proposal. Tell them what your organization will have to do if its NYSCA funding were cut by 40%.

• Email them, call them, send a fax, makea YouTube video and send it to them.
• Make it personal; make it poignant; make it persuasive.
• Make it urgent.

The Governor’s proposal reduces the state’s per capita spending on the arts from $2.48 to 77 CENTS, dropping NY below the national average of 90 cents and putting us at 26^th in the nation. All this in a state where the arts have an economic impact of $25.7 BILLION dollars, generates more than 345,000 jobs, in 54,000 arts business.

How would your organization be affected if your NYSCA funding was reduced by 40%?