The Dance Union

This week, we are grateful to be joined by Bex Ferrell (they/she), Assistant Professor in Arts Management at the College of Charleston, and Candace Thompson-Zachery (she/her), the Co-Executive Director for Dance/NYC! What is happening to dance funding right now, both in the micro- and macrosphere? Where is there funding still? While the funding from the NEA is a concern for many industries, how does that funding compare to that of private donors? What would it mean to have wage and working standards in the arts? Why is data important for funding and how do we create a narrative out of it that will appeal to our local governments? Join us for this episode for an insider’s perspective on advocacy for arts funding!

(recorded: March 19, 2025)

Hosts:

Bex Ferrell (they/she)
SM: @fdance

Candace Thompson-Zachery (she/her)
SM: @candacecreates

The Dance Union
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EPISODE RESOURCES
Executive Summary Support - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AWe6PFkmveMdwzRlyT4wULuhVWupJ-2n/view
NYSCA - https://arts.ny.gov/nysca-grant-opportunities
NEA - https://www.arts.gov/grants/grants-for-arts-projects
NEFA NDP - https://www.nefa.org/NationalDanceProject
MAP Fund - https://mapfund.org/
Cultural Development Fund
https://www.nyc.gov/site/dcla/cultural-funding/programs-funding.page
Cultural Assembly - https://theculturalassembly.com/
CUNY Dance Initiative https://www1.cuny.edu/sites/dance-initiative/
Find Your Representatives - https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
SC Arts Alliance - https://scartsalliance.com/
Performing Arts Alliance (their website is currently down)
Dance/USA - https://www.danceusa.org/
Book: Careers in Dance - https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/careers-in-dance-best-practices-and-strategies-for-a-fulfilling-professional-life_ali-duffy/26194271/item/83599055/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pmax_non_scarce_used_nca_22292660096&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-e6-BhDmARIsAOxxlxXbiV07RfHtp8yJVj4QvjfQe2qu3iWaqba8rvwPGTO07h9TkH9uTyAaAugkEALw_wcB#idiq=83599055&edition=29147672
Dance/NYC Campaign - hub.dance.nyc - Our NYC Dance
Resource: Contract language - Dance/USA - https://www.danceusa.org/technical-and-standardization-documents
NYC Dance 2023 Report: https://hub.dance.nyc/state-of-nyc-dance-2023-report/