The New York State DanceForce, in partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts, is publicly seeking a new member.

The New York State DanceForce is a consortium of 18 dance activists committed to increasing the quantity and quality of dance activity throughout New York State. Each of our members receives an annual allocation to design projects that bring dance artists to upstate NY communities in customized residencies. Since its founding in 1994, the DanceForce, through the work of its members, has funded over 350 projects, raising more than $2.8 million in support of these endeavors.

DanceForce members are individuals who function independently or in organizational contexts. They may happen to work as artists, presenters, administrators, educators, producers, or writers. What matters most is their advocacy for the art form and their championing of its practitioners.

Applicants must be New York State residents. Preference will be given to applicants whose projects will take place outside the counties of New York, Kings, and Queens, and especially in counties not currently represented by our members.

The DanceForce membership, taken as a whole, strives to be geographically, culturally, professionally and aesthetically diverse, insofar as it represents the diversity of the art form and of its constituents in New York State. Priority will therefore be given to applicants from African-American, Latino(a)-American, Asian-American, Arab-American and/or Native American (ALAANA) communities.

Membership requirements, application forms, and background information about the NYS DanceForce can be found on our website, www.danceforce.org.