National Endowment for the Arts FY 2017 Fall Grant Announcement

site-specific platform for community content and vertical dance. "Dances from Thin Air" will layer film of natural
spaces, dance filmed in nature, and live dance in a dynamic vertical performance. Footage will be drawn from
Rudolph's recent "SHIFT," a site-specific dance/film project made in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and from
"Coyote Waltzes," a work created and filmed in Yosemite National Park. "Dances from Thin Air" will bring
Bandaloop's signature integration of climbing technology and vertical dance made in remote locations to large,
urban audiences.
Racing Thoughts, Inc. (aka Jane Comfort and Company)
$10,000 New York, NY
To support the presentation of dance works as part of the company's 40th Anniversary Retrospective. The
concert will feature excerpts from well-known pieces by Jane Comfort with past company members
participating, and a new work with the current company. The concert will be a live performance history of Jane
Comfort, an artist who originated dance/text performance in the 1970s, and who has continued to expand
dance theater for decades. A retrospective of live works with some of the original performers will offer a rare
glimpse of a pioneer artist's path, and of a downtown community's past. In addition to the concert, the company
will work with dance and theater departments at New York University, the State University of New York
Purchase, and Barnard College-where Comfort has established relationships-to present video and live
workshops of the company's history, and to teach movement, text, and composition classes.
Ragamala Dance (aka Ragamala Dance Company)
$30,000 Minneapolis, MN
To support bringing an ensemble of master musicians from India to accompany a national tour of Ragamala
Dance Company's "They Rose at Dawn." In "They Rose at Dawn," choreographer/soloist Aparna Ramaswamy
depicts women as carriers of ritual and culture across generations, and arbiters of humanity's relationship to the
divine. Along with this musical ensemble, Ramaswamy explores the spontaneous interplay between music and
movement and the dynamic contours created by the artists onstage. The proposed tour includes public
performances and community engagement and educational activities in Michigan, Minnesota,North
Carolina,Pennsylvania,Washington,and Wisconsin.
Repertory Dance Theatre (aka RDT)
$20,000 Salt Lake City, UT
To support a collaboration with choreographer Zvi Gotheiner and his company ZviDance (New York City) to
develop a new work titled "Recapture." Long-time collaborator, composer Scott Killian will work with Gotheiner,
the two dance companies, and other consultants to research narratives related to water and land use in
Israel/Palestine and the American Southwest. These stories, along with metaphors, rituals, and movement
studies will form the basis of the work by Gotheiner that will premiere in Moab, Utah, where two of the most
critical (and rapidly depleting) drainages of the Southwest-the Green and Colorado Rivers-converge. "Recapture"
will reside in the repertory of both companies for performance and touring.
Richmond Ballet, Inc. (aka Richmond Ballet)
$20,000 Richmond, VA
To support the creation and presentation of a new ballet by choreographer Kate Skarpetowska. The commission
marks the company's second collaboration with Skarpetowska. As part of the Studio Series program, the Poland
native and New York-based choreographer will stage her work in the company's Studio Theatre in downtown
Richmond, paired with an established work from the Ballet's repertory. Before each performance, an
introductory video featuring Skarpetowska speaking about her creative process will be played. The opening
night will conclude with a post-show discussion with Skarpetowska, the dancers, and production designers.
Some details of the projects listed are subject to change, contingent upon prior Arts Endowment approval. Information is current as of
December 7, 2016.