Page 15 - APAP - Inside Arts - Conference 2020

We Are will explore the themes of personal and communal identity, how to build and immerse oneself in a community, creating and receiving empathy, recognizing
the importance of telling one’s story, and preparing for global citizenship.
“At this time in our nation’s history, as people of color and other disenfranchised communities are being challenged, we feel it is more important than ever that our students develop and leave our campus with a better and richer understanding of these themes, and thus better equipped to lead
a rich and full life, to help bring people together, and contribute to developing healthier communities,” Trudeau says.
Assessment and knowledge- sharing are integral to the initiative, and Trudeau believes We Are could serve as a model for others in the industry.
A LEG UP
A new program launched by
the New England Foundation for the Arts intends to strengthen and elevate visibility for dance makers in the region. New England Now dance lab focuses on the alignment of resources, relationships, and opportunities in support of the region’s dance makers, who were found to be underrepresented among core artist grantees in
a 2016 evaluation of NEFA’s National Dance Project. In 2017, leaders in the field convened at Jacob’s Pillow to consider the conditions necessary for a robust ecology for dance artists in New England, and this regional dance development initiative emerged from those discussions. “New England has long been home to influential dance presenters and educational institutions who attract
We Are is popular as a concept – and as a sculpture for students and alums.
“Many presenters in the
field are seeking programs and methodologies to forge meaningful interactions with their broader academic community,” Trudeau says. “By engaging artists with a depth of touring and engagement
Alonzo King LINES Ballet
experiences to participate in program design and curriculum building, working in tandem with a world-class faculty, a model can be developed for the field at large.”
CONFERENCE 2020 INSIDE ARTS 13
'WE ARE': COURTESY PENN STATE; KING: RJ MUNA