Live Music for Dance Minnesota
The application deadline for this program has passed.
Program Description:
In partnership with NewMusicUSA, Live Music for Dance Minnesota expands on the previous work ACF has done in support of Minnesota composers and choreographers, and leverages new money opportunities for composers, choreographers, and musicians to expand their horizons as artists.
The objectives of the program are:
- to support collaborations between composers and choreographers;
- to foster meaningful collaborations between composers and dance companies; and
- to support and encourage the use of live music for dance performances.
Proposals may be submitted by Minnesota-based composer/choreographer teams and by professional dance companies based in Minnesota. Companies that have not yet received non-profit status may apply with a fiscal sponsor.
Grants are awarded in three categories:
- Category 1: Funds to support the commissioning of new work created by a Minnesota-based composer/choreographer team (i.e. individual artists).
- Category 2: Funds awarded to Minnesota-based professional dance companies to work with an American composer, defined as a) a naturally born U.S. citizen, or b) a foreign-born composer whose primary musical activity has taken place in the U.S. for a period of five years. For this category, the composer does not have to be based in Minnesota.
- Category 3: Funds awarded to Minnesota-based professional dance companies to hire live musicians (who may be from Minnesota or from outside the state).
Grants to Minnesota-based artists and companies may cover:
- Composer and choreographer commission fees, including copying costs, for new works being performed in Minnesota between March 2013 and August 2014.
- Musicians’ rehearsal and performance fees for performances in Minnesota occurring between March 2013 and August 2014.
Applicants may request up to a total of $5,000*. Requests for commissions, musicians’ fees, or a combination of the two cannot exceed this amount.
2013 Live Music for Dance Minnesota grants were awarded to:
Category 1 (composer/choreographer teams):
- Mike Hallenbeck (composer) and Lisa Conlin (choreographer) will create Trial of Tears, a piece that highlights the importance of honoring different cultures, customs, traditions, and names.
- Julie Johnson (composer) and Tamara Ober (choreographer) will collaborate on a piece for solo dancer and electrified flute based on a yet-to-be-determined short story.
- Brian Van Tassel (composer) and Alanna Morris (choreographer) will create Arabah, a multi-faceted work on themes of religion, ethnic hostility, and peace.
- Jesse Whitney (composer) and Vanessa Voskuil (choreographer) will collaborate on a work with a substantial community-involvement component called The Student, for dancers, vocalists, percussion, and electronics.
Category 2 (funding for dance companies to work with a composer):
- Minnesota Ballet will commission New York composer Ryan Homsey to write a work for string quartet and live electronics.
- Threads Dance Project will commission New York composer Nioka Workman to create an electronic score for a work that will examine the impact of cancer on people’s lives.
Category 3 (funding for dance companies to hire live musicians):
- Katha Dance Theatre to engage Gospel and Blues singer Robert Robinson and his ensemble to perform the score for a newly composed dance-opera: Karna – The Abandoned Hero.
- Rosy Simas Danse to collaborate with French composer/performer François Richomme who will perform his quadrophonic sound score for Blood Lines, a new dance work that explores the complexities of Native American identity.
- Zorongo Flamenco to engage Amir-John Haddad (a Palestinian Muslim currently living in Madrid) and an ensemble of musicians to perform the score for Con Viva.
Panelists:
The panelists for this year’s grant round were composer David Conte, Professor of Composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Janice Garrett, dancer, choreographer and co-director of Garrett + Moulton Productions (San Francisco, CA); and Lawrence Pech, Dance Master at the San Francisco Opera.
For more information contact:
Craig Carnahan
Email Craig
(651) 251-2833
