ANNE MORRIS
Executive Director
Festival Director
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It is with deep gratitude that we look back at the year, and acknowledge the contributions of so many who have supported us and made the past year possible, as we see the return to more in-person events and activities, and the gradual re-opening of so many parts of our daily lives. From the culmination of our 30th Anniversary of the NC Dance Festival, to the return of our in-person Dance Marathon, to the continuation of our relationship with Peck Elementary school and the re-growth of our student body, and so much more–we have accomplished so much this year, thanks to:
Please join us in celebrating these moments from the past year, and we look forward to our next season with you by our side.
Marking the return to in-person performance after more than a year of pandemic restrictions, our mainstage event also brought together three generations of dancers who have been touched by the legacy of our founder, Jan Van Dyke. “Re-Forming”, choreographed by Anne Morris and Lauren Joyner with contributions from the dancers, was performed by Van Dyke Dance Group members, Dance Project Alumni, and current Dance Project Rise Performance Company students.
“Re-Forming” was created using Van Dyke’s choreographic methods, drawing original material from Van Dyke’s Five Short Forms and a chance score she used in another dance.
The show also featured “Flight Distance I” by nationally renowned choreographer Helen Simoneau. Thanks to support from the National Endowment for the Arts, 5 NC professional dancers had the opportunity to work with Helen, a recent Guggenheim Fellow, in a one-week residency.
Also featured: works by Stewart/Owen Dance, Aparna Keshaviah & Atiba Rorie, Cara Hagan, and several dance films.
For our NCDF Kick-off, we passed a “wave of movement” from one end of the state to the other. The whole community was invited to join in by following a simple dance score, creating a moment to feel connected to others after a time of isolation and separation. In Greensboro, the event was part of the National Dance Day activities presented by Greensboro Downtown Parks.
The NC Dance Festival’s podcast, “In Process,” returned for a 2nd season, focusing on the question, “What does the NC dance community need to thrive?” We were joined in conversation by artists, educators, community builders, funders, and more. Guests included Heather Hartley and Phil Reynolds of Trillium Arts, and Jeff Aguiar from the NC Arts Council.
We celebrated the culmination of our 30th Anniversary Season with a commemorative photo book and an exhibition of the 30 Portraits for 30 years, a series of portraits by photographer Zoe Litaker, featuring 30 of the many dancers and choreographers who have been instrumental in defining the Festival over the years. The exhibition was held in the Center for Visual Arts gallery. The book is available for purchase here.
“As a freelance artist, I greatly value the opportunity I had to be apart of the production and promotion of the In Process podcast. Now I can use the knowledge I gained to schedule promotion of my own work and think about all the pieces that would go into producing it.”
Our 2022 Dance Marathon achieved new heights as a 3-day event featuring in-person performances, classes, and competitions; a live broadcast virtual finale; and our largest fundraising goal to date of $20,000 which we were able to reach! Our community was able to enjoy a wide variety of international dance styles and local dance talents no matter where they were. Our students got to engage with their peers representing other dance studios. We even had performances by students from Peck Elementary to showcase what they have learned through our Dance Project Residency at their school.
This year was our first Showcase back on the stage in the Van Dyke Performance Space, attended by proud family members and friends. Our students enjoyed watching their peers during dress rehearsals, and older students engaged with younger students as dance buddies, providing lots of opportunities for inspiring dancers of all ages and abilities to continue pursuing their dance journeys. Thank you to all of our volunteers, parents, staff, and donors who helped make this event possible. Thank you to our dancers for their enthusiasm all year, reflected in their top notch performances!
“Thank you Dance Project, for another fantastic year! And, for being the most inclusive and accessible dance space for our children!”
In 2021, we hosted a new dance intensive designed for Pre-Professional and Professional dancers, so that our students, alumni, staff, and performing artists in the community could all benefit from this opportunity. We were honored to have Jake Tribus as the headliner guest instructor all the way from NYC where he works as an Artistic Associate with Gibney Company. The day consisted of technique classes in a range of styles, audition prep, Q&A time, and Injury Prevention to provide a wholistic experience for participants. We fostered new connections and laid the groundwork which allowed us to expand the intensive into a 2 day event in 2022.
With support from our Board, we were able to invest in our admin staff by expanding their positions to full-time as Communications and Development Manager (Kayla Stuhr), and School and Production Coordinator (Vania Claiborne). We also welcomed Magalli Morana, previously an intern, into a new part-time role as joint School Coordinator.
We teamed up with the National Inclusion Project for a day of staff training. Dr. Amanda Kloo joined us in the studio to teach us through presentations, movement exercises and discussions, what inclusion really means and what it can look like in our classes. We are excited to implement what we learned in 2 new adaptive classes coming this fall 2022.
We were pleased to welcome the 2021 cohort of Artists in Residence into our Greensboro studio: Amelia Renee Byrd, Caitlin Dutton-Reaver, Bre Forbes, Jeehyun Joung, and Jen Guy Metcalf! After their year-long residency, we hosted an informal Artist in Residence showing open to the public for them to showcase what they had been working on.
The dedication of our teachers never ceases to amaze us. Every year, they ensure our classes are welcoming, fun, and inclusive, while guiding our students towards their goals at their own pace. With their creative ideas, engaging choreography, and belief in our mission, they are what makes the Dance Project experience so special!
G. Alex Smith joined the board in 2015 and became Board President in 2016, but had a long history with Dance Project, as a dancer in the Van Dyke Dance Group for many years, and then a supporter of the Festival’s activity in Boone, NC. Alex saw Dance Project through the tough transition after founder Jan Van Dyke’s death, as Lauren and Anne stepped in to lead the organization, and was steadfast in his belief in them and in Dance Project. He played a crucial role in rebuilding our Board and in realizing opportunities for growth for the organization, such as expanding our employee handbook, revamping our process of bringing in new board members, and creating and maintaining our executive board committee. He did all of this and more while working as a dance artist and managing a successful tiling business, “Installations by Alex”!
Thank you, Alex, for your leadership and for the time, energy, and spirit you have given to Dance Project over the years! We are so grateful for your belief in us, and in your care for dance in NC.
From left, then Board Members: Anne Morris, Elizabeth Minehart, Laverne Davis, George Gibson, Carley Swaim Walker, G. Alex Smith, and Lauren Joyner (front).
Communications Manager, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Executive Director, Western Piedmont Symphony
Attorney; Hill, Evans, Jordan & Beatty, PLLC
Accountant (Retired)
Senior Director of Membership & Community Advancement, Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce
Company Manager Fellow, Wicked on Broadway
Executive Director, High Point Arts Council
Earned income: $93057.38 (45%)
Contributed income (donations/grants): $112692.90 (55%)
Total income: $205,750
Dance Project receives additional support from: annual distribution from Caldwell Trust, in-kind office/studio donation from Greensboro Cultural Center
Full financial reports can be viewed using the button below.
“I donate to Dance Project because you provide accessible dance experiences to the community, especially community spaces like parks & schools. The world is a challenging place and people are struggling and feeling isolated. Dance and movement help to combat those feelings… This is what we need right now – opportunities to be together in community and to heal and connect. I also believe that Dance Project has a ripple effect – every person who finds peace when they are dancing then takes that positive energy out into the world with them. Thank you for the powerful and impactful work that you do.”
Dance Project partnered with Peck Elementary School for another residency facilitating 8 weeks of weekly dance class for 3 kindergarten classes, a Professional Development session for Peck Educators on Creative Movement in the Classroom, and a field trip for Peck Kindergarteners to Greensboro Cultural Center (Dance Project and GreenHill).
Dance Project is a non-profit resident organization of the Greensboro Cultural Center, made possible by a significant in-kind contribution from Creative Greensboro, the City of Greensboro’s office for arts & culture.
Dance Project is a non-profit resident organization of the Greensboro Cultural Center, made possible by a significant in-kind contribution from Creative Greensboro, the City of Greensboro’s office for arts & culture.