Move to Change
Photo Credit: Alexander Sargent; Photo Caption: 2019 Move to Change Participating Artists standing on stage smiling after their bows.
MODArts Dance Collective (MADC) is elated to announce its Third Annual Move to Change Dance Festival on Friday & Saturday, November 2-7, 2020 7:30PM EST virtually through Zoom. The purpose of Move to Change is to use dance as a form of social justice and arts activism through the lens of people of color (POC). The goal of Move to Change is to create cultural and gender affirming spaces for artists of color (African, Latina/o/x, Asian, Arab, Native American [ALAANA]), MENA (Middle East & North Africa), & SWANA (South West Asia & North Africa) to educate, empower, or illuminate issues that reflects their histories and cultures through their unique and rich movement aesthetics. Five to six chosen artists will present 8-10 minutes of a dance work on both nights and tech on November 5, 2020 between the hours of 6-10 PM EST via the chosen streaming platform of the dance festival. You can click here for the PDF of the application.
The 2020 open submission call is Friday, July 7-Friday, August 21 at 11:59PM EST. Artists can submit previous recorded works to be streamed live if chosen or an excerpt of a new piece to either perform while practicing social distancing or record previously to stream during the live virtual festival. There is no application fee to submit or participation fee. A Choreographer honorarium is provided. All artists will be notified by EOD on Friday, September 4, 2020. If chosen, artists will sign a letter of agreement to confirm him/her/their participation in the dance festival. Participating artists will present their work on both evenings and receive an honorarium, as well as an allocated tech time on November 5, 2020 between the hours of 6-10 PM EST to rehearse their piece live and stream the pre recorded work and exposure through advertising/marketing.
Move to Change was made possible in part with funding from the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation (UMEZ) and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC).
UMEZ enhances the economic vitality of all communities in Upper Manhattan through job creation, corporate alliances, strategic investments, and small business assistance. Lower Manhattan Cultural Council empowers artists by providing them with networks, resources, and support, to create vibrant, sustainable communities in Lower Manhattan and beyond.
2019 Artists
Jenny Oliver/Connections Dance Theater (Boston, MA), Kayla Yee (New York, NY), Bernard Brown/bbmoves (Los Angeles, CA), Leila Mire and Nadia Khayrallah (New York, NY), Janet Aisawa (New York, NY), & James MahKween (Los Angeles, CA)
2018 Artists
Eury German (Manhattan Resident-Washington Heights), Gierre Godley/Project 44 (Queens Resident), & Beverly Lopez/REDi Dance Company (Bronx Resident)