Dear BDA Community,
This past week, Mass Cultural Council released its 2024 Cultural Asset Inventory, which contains some shocking data about dancers–namely, that dancers’ & choreographers’ individual annual median income is only $7,074. Of all the creatives in Massachusetts across all artistic disciplines, dancers earn the least. Dancers deserve so much more, and that’s exactly what BDA is working for.
For example, Boston Dance Alliance helps facilitate dancers’ access to grants & individual donations through our fiscal sponsorship program, which administered more than $440,000 for over 50 dancers / dance companies this past year. Still, BDA aspires to do even more to support dancers’ financial success.
Building on the success of last Fall’s pilot dance series “International Moves & Food” in partnership with The Esplanade Association, we’re working to create additional paid opportunities to teach & perform. We’re also working to resource a complementary set of professional development services–all with the aim of helping BDA members secure more & higher paying opportunities to showcase & share their creativity.
More to come soon so please stay tuned!
In solidarity,
Aaron Myers, Executive Director
BDA Member Events This Week
FREE! – Tufts Dance Program faculty member Ian Berg & Subject:Matter lead a workshop on how to jam with live music! Anyone at any level is welcome to come. Bring tap shoes or sneakers for moving! Parking is available and free on campus. Friday, March 28, 6:15-9:00 PM at Sophia Gordon Multi-Purpose Room, 15 Talbot Ave, Medford.
Join The Dance Complex for Friday Night Lights: Salsa Social edition and get your groove on with an introductory lesson with Johnny from Salsa y Control. Learn the basic Salsa steps or brush up on your skills to get you ready to light up the dance floor – then try it out in a welcoming party atmosphere. Friday, March 28, 6:30-8:30 PM, at 536 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Registration: $12.51-$23.18.
FREE! – Call of Courage, a performance that features choreography set to powerful stories of perseverance from Boston’s youth, is back. Featuring new choreography by Director/Founder Betsi Graves as assisted by Miranda Lawson, the collaboration will feature Urbanity Dance Professional Dancers, Boston Arts Academy Students, and Urbanity’s Youth Performing Groups. These artists will weave stories through choreography to an original sound score, which centers the voices and writings from “The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond” from Max Courage: The Max Warburg Courage Curriculum. Friday, March 28, 6:30 PM at Boston Arts Academy, 174 Ipswich St, Boston.
Urbanity 2‘s Annual Spring Performance “Coalescence” features choreography by Levi Marsman, Haley Day, Adrienne Hawkins, and Urbanity 2 Company members. Saturday, March 29, 7 PM and Sunday, March 30, 3 PM at BU Dance Theatre, 915 Commonwealth Ave, Boston. Tickets: $22-$75. Discount available for BDA members.
The Arts Launch at the Lab offers 2 events this weekend. Join Kim Holman of Human Movement Project for Community Contemporary Dance. Created for adults that don’t consider themselves dancers, this open class is an opportunity to experience contemporary dance alongside professionals in a safe environment. Sunday, March 30, 1:00-2:15 PM (FREE/Suggested donation) email info@humanmvmtproject to RSVP.
Stick around and catch LabWorks: A Casual Contemporary Concert. Featuring some of Boston’s most exciting choreographers and movers that rehearse, teach, or work at Human Movement Lab: Kim Holman, Katrina Conte, karen Krolak, Jill McLaughin & Jenna Gross, Olivia Moon, Alex Nunweiler, and Carmen Rizzo. March 30, 6 PM. Tickets: $12.51-$28.52. All events take place at Human Movement Lab, 98 Business Street, Unit 1B, Boston.
detritus dance welcomes the public to view an open rehearsal as a culmination of their company retreat. This rehearsal will consist of the company’s early research for a new work-in-progress fusing visual collage-making practices and movement, inspired by exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Sunday, March 30, 4-5 PM at the 3rd floor SOMArts Space at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave, Somerville.
FREE! – Join the OFA Dance Program and Learning from Performers for an all-levels, interdisciplinary workshop co-led by esteemed dancer and choreographer Vanessa Goodman and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and vocalist Caroline Shaw. Shaw and Goodman will provide insight into their unique collaborative process. For all levels, disciplines, and abilities. No previous dance or voice training required. Musicians are welcome to bring their instruments! Observers also welcome. Due to limited capacity, priority given to Harvard undergraduate students. A limited amount of spots may become available from the waitlist. Wednesday, March 26, 6:00-7:30 PM at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow St., Cambridge.
FREE! – TDPS PhD student DeVante Love leads a spiritual movement workshop rooted in martial arts, contemporary dance, and Daoist philosophy designed to unlock power and cultivate joy! Open to all! Parking is available and free on campus. Wednesday, March 26, 6:00-7:30 PM at Jackson Dance Lab, 50 Talbot Ave., Medford.
FREE! – The Gays for Patsy Dance Club hosts a fun night of line dancing! Come on your own or with a group of friends. You do not need to bring a partner. This program is for all levels. Starting with a lesson for beginners, the evening will give you chances to try out your new dancing skills while listening to music from every genre. Expect to hear pop, R&B, and country tunes. You will be dancing on carpet, so please wear smooth-soled shoes. Thursday, March 27, 6 PM (lesson) & 7 PM (open line dancing) at 179 Main St., Charlestown.
The Museum of Science hosts ¡A Bailar! – an evening at the intersection of artistic movement, wellness, and belonging in the Latinx and Hispanic communities as part of the Museum’s yearlong focus on Being Human. Thursday, March 27, 7:30 PM at 1 Science Park, Boston.
In Graveyards and Gardens, music hums through the floor, light carves the air, and dance feels like a conversation between past and present. Caroline Shaw’s hauntingly beautiful compositions meet Vanessa Goodman’s boundary-pushing movement in a performance that feels intimate, immersive, and unlike anything you’ve experienced before. Friday, March 28, 8 PM and Saturday, March 29, 2 PM (includes talk back) & 8 PM at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow Street, Cambridge. SPECIAL OFFER: Boston Dance Alliance Members can get $20 tickets! Check your member portal for discount information.
Boston Dance Theater performs ‘Red is a feeling‘ with a post-show gathering. Friday, March 28 & Saturday, March 29, 8 PM at 3S Artspace, 319 Vaughan St, Portsmouth, NH. Tickets: $25.
Join the Folk Arts Center of New England in a Victorian Ball, with live music by Spare Parts and prompting by Chris Ricciotti. Saturday, March 29, 1-4 PM (lesson) and 7-10 PM (open floor) at the 1870 Town Hall, 12 Woodward Avenue, Berlin. Tickets: $20-$30.
Call for Dancers, Movers, Actors, Singers, Storytellers, Poets – creatives of all kinds are welcome! You don’t have to be a performer. Devising original Dance-Movement Theatre through embodied and creative practice, in a trauma-informed container. Exploring past, present and future – as well as lineages and epigenetic inherited patterns, share stories – to honor and create new pathways and patterns of thriving. Saturdays, March 29, April 12 & April 26, 2-4 PM at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Registration: $20. Discounts available for those who need. If auditioning, registration is free.
FREE! – Featuring participatory and experimental movement, light, time, and audio-based works, States of Emergenceis an artistic response to recent threats towards American democracy, society, and culture. In this state of emergency, Mobius asks: how do we emerge from this moment? By coming together to be grounded in our bodies, embrace complex emotions, listen to diverse stories, and share concerns with one another, we hope this evening of experiential dialogue will be a moment of catharsis and collective imagination toward a better future. Saturday, March 29, 5:30 PM at Boston City Hall, 1 City Hall Square, Boston.
Footwork & Frolick is excited to honor the blowing out the lamps tradition with an evening of merriment in an 1839 building in the heart of Lowell’s historic district. Join the Equinox Ball for an evening of beginner-friendly dances from the 1830s – 50s, years when lamplight (and blowing-out time) was a critical part of workers’ yearly cycle. All dances will be taught throughout the evening, and no partner is necessary to attend. Saturday, March 29, 7 PM at The UTEC Lowell, 35 Warren Street, Lowell. Tickets: $35-$65.
FREE! – Black History in Action (BHAC) is proudly hosting The Prayers of Black Folks: Steph Davis and Jenny Oliver, a music and dance performance. Sunday, March 30, 4:00-5:30 PM, at St. Augustine’s African Orthodox Church, 137 Allston Street, Cambridge.
Are you a BDA member with experience teaching adaptive dance to older adults? Then we’ve got an exciting paid teaching opportunity for you!
This May is Older Adult Month and BDA is partnering with the City of Boston’s Age Strong Commission to bring the joy of movement to a large group of older adults who will be visiting the ICA on Thursday, May 29th.
On that date, Boston Dance Alliance is offering $400 for a BDA member to teach three 45-minute dance classes between 11am-2pm or 12pm-3pm (exact timing TBD pending selection of teaching artist) in the museum’s theater space.
If interested, please email BDA Executive Director Aaron Myers a message with the subject line “Flip the Script on Aging” and include your BDA member affiliation along with information on your experience teaching adaptive dance to older adults.
Harvard Ed Portal has paid opportunities for local creatives including performers, and dancers. All experience levels are welcome, with priority given to artists who live or work in Allston-Brighton or Cambridge. BIPOC & LGBTQIA+ creatives are strongly encouraged to apply. Submit an application by March 27.
OnStage Dance Company is entering their 28th season and Choreographer auditions will be held Friday, March 28, 5-8 PM and Saturday, March 29, 12-7 PM at the Armory at 191 Highland Ave #1c, Somerville. OnStage Dance Company is geared towards experienced dancers and emerging choreographers who have a background, interest or appreciation in a variety of dance styles. The Season 28 Performance will be held June 21, 2025 at 2 PM and 7 PM. If selected, choreographers will receive a small stipend. For inquiries, please contact onstageboard@gmail.com with “Season 28 Auditions” in the subject line.
Audition for Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive. Pre-register at least 72h in advance of the audition. Sunday, March 30, 2:00-3:30 PM (ages 10-14), 3:30-5:00 PM (ages 15-19).
Perform and/or teach a class at Greater Boston’s largest dance event! Join the 15th annual Dance for World Community Festival, presented by Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre in Harvard Square, Cambridge on Saturday, June 7. Apply by Monday, March 31.
Get ready for ArtBeat 2025! In addition to approximately 100 craft, community, and food vendors on the street, there will be two stages of music and a dance showcase at the Somerville Theater. The ArtBeat festival is the Arts Council’s annual multicultural arts festival that showcases the City’s diverse and vibrant arts communities and attracts ten thousand visitors to Davis Square. Presented by the Somerville Arts Council (SAC) and Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, ArtBeat has reached its 39th year and features an eclectic mix of music, dance, theater, food, performance, and interactive activities. ArtBeat this year will be Saturday, July 19. Apply by: Monday, March 31.
In Graveyards and Gardens, music hums through the floor, light carves the air, and dance feels like a conversation between past and present. Caroline Shaw’s hauntingly beautiful compositions meet Vanessa Goodman’s boundary-pushing movement in a performance that feels intimate, immersive, and unlike anything you’ve experienced before. Friday, March 28, 8 PM and Saturday, March 29, 2 PM (includes talk back) & 8 PM at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow Street, Cambridge. SPECIAL OFFER: Boston Dance Alliance Members can get $20 tickets! Check your member portal for discount information.
Have you gotten your tickets yet? Don’t miss you chance to see the historic and memorable Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. BDA members and Pro/Motion subscribers are welcome to use our code “CR4JOY” to claim $49 tickets at ANY seat as long as they are available! Get yours today! Need other options? Email crizzo@bostondancealliance.org and Carmen will gladly help you find an option that works for you. Student discounts and more are available!