Collective Thread
Photo Caption: Photos of the 2022 Collective Thread Artists.
MODArts Dance Collective (MADC) is elated to announce its eighth annual dance festival, Collective Thread, on March 31 & April 1, 2023 7:30 PM at The Riverside Theater, 91 Claremont Avenue, New York, NY 10027 + Livestream & On Demand Option. The purpose of Collective Thread is to provide a voice and a platform for artistic self-impression to those women identifying artists of underrepresented ethnic groups within the medium of dance. ***PLEASE NOTE: MADC uses the term “women” to encompass all those that self-identify as women including cisgender and transgender femmes. We honor and respect all identities.*** The goal of Collective Thread is to instill artists with the necessary tools to take on leadership roles in an effort to increase diversity, inclusion, and gender equality in the dance field.
Up to sixteen national and international artists will be chosen to present up to 8 minutes of a dance work in one of live concerts on March 31, 2023 7:30 PM or April 1, 2023 7:30 PM in the following option:
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Live performance (new, previously presented, or work in progress) in the festival venue + tech before the scheduled performance; venue - TBA
**Please note that all artists performing live will be required to show proof of vaccination, complete a health acknowledgement form, and wear face masks in the performance space, except when performing. The audiences will be required to provide the same items to enter the performance space (*Please note we will update you if any changes occur regarding the mask requirements) .**
The 2023 open submission call is December 15 - midnight EST on Friday, February 10, 2023. National & international artists including people with disabilities of all dance genres are encouraged to apply. Artists can submit one of the following work samples with their application + $10 application fee:
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A previously performed recorded work that can be performed live during the festival; venue - TBA
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1-2 minutes of a new proposed work of the form of rehearsal footage that is being submitted in the application
There is a $10 application fee to submit via PayPal (account name: modartsdancecollective@gmail.com), Venmo (account name: @modarts_dance), or CashApp (account name: $MODARTSDANCE). If you do not have one of the aforementioned accounts, please contact MADC directly at modartsdancecollective@gmail.com or (929) 352-5253 for alternate forms of payment. There is no participation fee if chosen. Please note that the $10 application fee goes towards the performance venue and production costs. All artists will be notified by midnight EST on Friday, February 17, 2023. If chosen, artists will sign a letter of agreement to confirm her/their participation in the dance festival. Participating artists will present their work live during one of live concerts on March 31, 2023 7:30 PM or April 1, 2023 7:30 PM, as well as tech before their scheduled concert, free access to all of the festival’s events, and amplify the artists’ voices through advertising & marketing.
2022 Presenting Artists/Dance Companies
Friday, March 18, 2022
Rhoda Moise/Aseemkala Initiative
Kristina Diaz
Monica Shah
Aika Takeshima & Sara Pizzi/sarAika
Makayla Peterson/Monét Movement Productions: The Collective
Megan Curet/Curet Performance Project
Leah Tubbs/MODArts Dance Collective (MADC)
Saturday, March 19, 2022
Jenny Oliver/Modern Connections Collective
Megan Curet/Curet Performance Project
Monica Shah
Melissa Garcia Velez & Sebastian Angel/Meldanzando & Dancers
Audrey Madison/MoJazz Dance
Leah Tubbs/MODArts Dance Collective (MADC)
Sunday, March 20, 2022
Jurne Smith
Shoko Tamai & Zen Takai / Ninja Ballet
Saraswathy Lakshmivaraham
Chien-Ying Wang/OcampoWang Dance
Violeta De Leon Davila
Jennifer Chin/JENNIFERCHINdance
Ankita Sharma
Leslie Alston/ The Angels of Transformation
Suwodi Dutta Bordoloi
Allyson Ross/ SouthernBelleStories
Ann Francis Ang
Jamison Curcio
Linda Steele II - HUMA/lingual Cafe for the Arts
The in person screening and free master dance classes for this year's Collective Thread Dance Festival are funded, in part, through a Seed Fund for Dance grant from the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation, thanks to the support of the Mertz Gilmore Foundation.
MADC’s Collective Thread Dance Festival is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by LMCC.
The in person screening and free master dance classes for MADC’s Collective Thread Dance Festival is made possible in part with funding from UMEZ Arts Engagement, a regrant program supported by the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation (UMEZ) and administered by LMCC.



2021 Artists/Dance Companies
2021 CREATE | SHARE | INSPIRE AWARD Recipients: Sheila Rohan &
Ella Thompson Moore
Makayla Peterson/Monét Movement Productions: The Collective, Monica Shah, Fang-Ting Yeh, Ashley Pierre-Louis, Arielle "seria" Crook, Basma Arfaoui, Mimi Liu, Andrea Smith/Revolutionary Artistic Productions, Jessica Gabrielle Thomas/Selah Gabrielle, Beatrice Capote, Jamison Curcio, Gelline Guevarra/GG Projects, Allyson Ross/SouthernBelleStories, Audrey Madison/MoJazz Dance, Chien-Ying Wang/OcampoWang Dance, Bre Seals/BREathe Dance Project, Mushtari Afroz, Cheri Stokes, & Leah Tubbs/MODArts Dance Collective (MADC)
2020 CREATE | SHARE | INSPIRE AWARD Recipient: Hope Clarke
2020 Artists/Dance Companies
Preya Patel/Vivarta Arts, Shekoya Gordon, Audrey Hubbard Madison/MoJazz Dance, Chatiera Ray/The CRay Project, LLC, Sahana Madabhushi /SnD Productions, Winter Bosanko/Winter Dance Projects, Shachi Phene/Noor Dance Academy, Akane Koizumi & Yu Fujiwara/A&Y duo, Jenny Boissiere/DanceBoissiere, Andrea Smith/Revolutionary Artistic Productions, & Allyson Ross/SouthernBelleStories
2019 Artists/Dance Companies
Shoko Tamai/Ninja Ballet Dance Company (New York, NY), Sabrina Wong (White Plains, NY), Candace Tabbs (New York, NY), Audrey Madison/ MoJazz Dance (Brooklyn, NY), Yamini Kalluri (Queens, NY), Allyson Ross/ Southern Belle Stories (New York, NY), Malaika Holder (The Bronx, NY), Shachi Phene/Noor Dance Academy (New York, NY), Samantha Chapa (New York, NY), Angela Patmon/Patmon Dance Project (New York, NY), Jenny Oliver/Connections Dance Theater (Boston, MA), Sunae Hwang/ SUNPROJECT (Queens, NY), Beverly Lopez/REDi Dance Company (The Bronx, NY), Chatiera Ray/The CRayProject (Long Beach, CA), Kayla Yee/Kayla Yee Choreography (New York, NY), Nyama McCarthy-Brown/Bent Knee (Columbus, OH), Shekoya Gordon (The Bronx, NY), Arla Scott/Taratibu Youth Association (Mt. Rainier, MD), & Nithya Subramaniam (Sunnyvale, CA)
2018 Artists/Dance Companies
Malaika Holder (The Bronx, NY) Lindsay Renea Benton (Montgomery, AL) Julianne Cariño (Brooklyn, NY) Sunae Hwang/SUNPROJECT (Queens, NY) Shilpa Darivemula/The Aseemkala Initiative (Delmar, NY) Italy Bianca (New York, NY) Jenny Boissiere/Dance Boissiere (New York, NY) Melissa Villarreal/Lotus Contemporary Performing Arts (Austin, TX) Lauren C. Smith/The Elsie Project (Fairborn, GA) Brianna Anderson (The Bronx, NY) Kacei Womack (Philadelphia, PA) Akane Koizumi & Yu Fujiwara (New York, NY) Chien-Ying Wang/OcampoWang Dance (Monmouth Juction, NJ) Beverly Lopez/REDi Dance Company (The Bronx, NY) Audrey Hubbard Madison/ MoJazz Dance (Brooklyn, NY) Ayako Takahashi | Ayalis in Motion (Queens, NY) Jenny Oliver/Connections Dance Theater (Boston, MA) Allyson Ross/Southern Belle Stories (New York, NY) Anuradha Naimpally (Austin, TX)
2017 Artists/Dance Companies
Anuradha Naimpally (Austin, TX) Chatiera Ray/The CRayProject (Long Beach, CA) Alyssa M. Parnell (Birmingham, AL) Audrey Hubbard Madison/MoJazz Dance (Brooklyn, NY) Kaoru Ikeda/MoustacheCat Dance (New York, NY) Melissa Escano (formerly Melissa Garcia Velez)[The Bronx, NY] Leah Moriarty (Brooklyn, NY) Angel Chinn/NonaLee Dance Theatre (Brooklyn, NY) Cyrian Reed/Creative Discipline (Riverside, CA) SunAe Hwang/SUNPROJECT (Queens, NY) Chien-Ying Wang/OcampoWang Dance (Monmouth Junction, NJ) Sadé M. Jones/Ashé Arts (Austin, TX) Natasha Natraj (New York, NY) Beverly Lopez/REDi Dance (The Bronx, NY) Jessica T. Pearson (Providence, RI) Allyson Ross/Southern Belle Stories (New York, NY) Courtney J. Cook (Brooklyn, NY) Francine E. Ott (Brooklyn, NY) Clarice Young (Brooklyn, NY) Courtni Poe (Hermitage TN) Robyn Ayers (New York, NY)
2016 Artists/Dance Companies
Brianna Anderson (New York, NY) Robyn Ayers (New York, NY) Jenny Boissiere/Jenny Boissiere and Dancers (New York, NY) Angel Chinn/NonaLee Dance Theatre (Brooklyn, NY) Shauna Davis/Shauna Davis Dance (New York, NY) Chieh Hsiung (New York, NY) SunAe Hwang/SUNPROJECT (Queens, NY) Darnetha Lincoln M'Baye/Roots In Revolution (New York, NY) Jessica T. Pearson (Providence, RI)
Lauren C. Smith (Jacksonville, FL) Chien-Ying Wang & Paul C. Ocampo (Monmouth Junction, NJ) Brittany Wilson (Queens, NY)