DEVELOPING ARTISTS & COMMUNITY
Intention: Dance Project will lead efforts to create a cohesive and vibrant dance community in the Triad and across NC, supporting the artistic and economic development of regional dancers and dancemakers, and encouraging the creation and presentation of rich, innovative, relevant choreography and performance, and making efforts to enhance the community at large.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSIVITY EFFORTS
Intention: Dance Project will work towards creating a space where people, no matter who they are, can see themselves reflected in our programming and infrastructure, and will work intentionally towards the elimination of oppression (racism, sexism and misogyny, ableism, ageism, etc.) in the local and regional community.

RESOURCES

Audience Development
Intention: Dance Project will maintain our core audiences and add to this group, deepening the core audiences’ relationship with our organization. At the same time, we will seek to broaden our audiences through engagement with the content we provide. We will also work to cultivate future generations of audience members through intentional engagement of young dance students.

Visibility
Intention: Dance Project will increase visibility through cohesive branding and marketing strategies on an institutional and programmatic level. Dance Project will also continue building relationships through participating in community events, and engaging targeted groups and community members.

Funding
Intention: Dance Project will achieve greater financial stability and flexibility and plan for future growth and sustainability, by continuing to build a broader base of contributed income and strategic partnerships.

Organizational capacity, infrastructure & effective use of board
Intention: Dance Project will work to sustainably increase the organization’s capacity through added staff positions, effective use of the board of directors, and increased volunteer support. The growth of the organization and its capacity will be built on a foundation of effective management and governance policies.

Access, Equity, and Belonging Taskforce

Dance Project has created a taskforce to guide our action as an organization striving to ensure access, equity, and belonging to all who interact with us.

In defining what these terms mean to us, we acknowledge how intertwined they are with each other; true access requires that the door is not just open but that people feel they matter and belong once inside. Equity involves determining the kind or degree of access each person needs, in order for us to meet people where they are. Ensuring that we are providing Access, Equity, and Belonging is a continual and intentional process, an active practice of checking in to determine who is in need, what their needs really are, and what each person brings to the community. We have not used the terms Diversity or Inclusion specifically here, understanding them to be embodied in the action of valuing each person for who they are and their lived experience, and providing welcoming access to Dance Project.

Access: Dance Project seeks to be an accessible space by removing barriers that limit the freedoms and abilities of all types of people.

Equity: Dance Project recognizes that not everyone comes to a space with the same lived experience or with the same needs. Equity demands that resources are directed in a way that meets the needs of the recipients, and that we establish a consistent and ongoing process of meeting people where they are.

Belonging: Dance Project seeks to be an inclusive community in which each person can be their authentic self, and feels valued for who they are and what they bring to the community.

Latest Action (as of September 2022):

Following the AEB Taskforce’s initial organization audit to assess our needed actions around Access, Equity, and Belonging, we have focused our immediate attention in 3 areas:

• Improving the accessibility of our classes and programs through training to our staff around disability and inclusion, the creation of an adaptive class for students with disabilities, and participation in the NC Arts Council LEAD grant cohort. 
• Increasing the diversity of our Board of Directors and staff through intentional recruitment and hiring practices
• Improving the engagement and retention of participants from a variety of cultures through marketing strategies, communication, and focus on the experience of participation in our programs. 

Want more information? Contact Anne at anne@danceproject.org.