Open Letter from Collective for Dance Writing and New Media

Open Letter
from Collective for Dance Writing and New Media

Dear friends,

We want to inform you that we, the members of CollectiveDWNM's Executive Committee, have made the tough decision to disband.

Although we strongly believe in CollectiveDWNM's vision and mission--statements derived from numerous discussions with members of the dance and dance writing communities--we regret that we have been unable to motivate active community commitment to the effort of stabilizing and developing a grassroots, activist organization to advocate for dance writers.

Over several months, we have suffered the loss of many members of our Executive Committee and Leadership Circle (internship program) to increasingly busy lives. We have had to step back and assess the sad fact that we lack the personnel and resources necessary for even the most basic steps toward our goals.

After distributing honoraria to guest speakers from our "Writing on Tap" forum at American Tap Dance Center and our Open House at the Gibney Dance Center, we are left with a small amount of funds from admissions and membership fees. We will contribute these funds to a community organization.

A few of us hope to reschedule, on an independent basis, a couple of the events postponed due to Hurricane Sandy or planned for the future, and we will keep you posted on these developments. If you can, please come and enjoy them!

We wish you a marvelous holiday season and a New Year of peace and renewal!

All the best,
Eva Yaa Asantewaa
with Hayley Muth and Dale Amanda O'Reilly
Executive Committee
Collective for Dance Writing and New Media
collectivedwnm.com

Writing on Dance:Film -- a WRITE OPEN workshop

Eva Yaa Asantewaa (InfiniteBody and Collective for Dance Writing and New Media) and Brighid Greene (Dance Films Association) will present a workshop on Wednesday, December 12 for students from New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Dance Department.

Writing on Dance:Film will challenge dance students to explore and write about excerpts from two exciting filmed versions of DV8 Physical Theatre's Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker's Rosas danst Rosas.

The workshop--open to students only--is a presentation of Collective for Dance Writing and New Media's WRITE OPEN series in collaboration with Dance Films Association.

Meet CollectiveDWNM's new Executive Committee members!

Former CollectiveDWNM/Leadership Circle interns Hayley Muth and Dale Amanda O'Reilly have accepted founder Eva Yaa Asantewaa's invitation to join the Executive Committee in recognition of their demonstrated talent, initiative and commitment to the mission of this organization.
Meet Hayley and Dale here and, we hope, at many future events:

Hayley Muth graduated with a BFA in dance, summa cum laude, in 2010 from the University of Colorado - Boulder.  There, she fell in love with modern dance and dance writing while studying primarily under Gabe Masson and Erika Randall. Since she moved to New York, Hayley's curiosity for movement has ensued. She has studied with as many teachers as possible (Doug Varone and company, the Trisha Brown company, Zvi Gotheiner, and more) and performed around the city (Triskelion, The Kitchen, Dance New Amsterdam). She has acquired a yoga teacher certification through OM Yoga.  Hayley currently works as the Assistant House Manager at the Joyce Theater.

In 2008, Dale Amanda O’Reilly received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance with Honors from Columbia College Chicago. There she studied dance technique, choreography and criticism under Liz Burritt, Richard Woodbury, Peter Carpenter, Banu Ogan, Paige Cunningham and Carrie Hanson. Since then she has had the pleasure of working with The Seldoms, a Chicago-based contemporary dance company, independent choreographer Lisa Gonzales and Orlando based independent choreographer McClaine Timmerman.

"From There to Here" event postponed

Collective for Dance Writing and New Media's "From There to Here" event with Rashaun Mitchell, Silas Riener and Nancy Dalva, scheduled for Monday, November 5 at Dance New Amsterdam, has been postponed due to post-Sandy conditions.

We wish the very best to all people affected by this devastating storm.

CollectiveDWNM launches "Write Open" series

Collective for Dance Writing and New Media

presents

Write Open

an ongoing series of workshops and open mics 

covering the spectrum of writing about dance in the digital age

Our first workshop, Embodied Text, will be facilitated by dance writer Cory Nakasue and co-sponsored by Columbia University’s CoLab organization. Ms. Nakasue, associate editor at The Dance Enthusiast, offers movement and theater improvisation exercises for people interested in writing about dance.

Wednesday, November 28 (6pm-8pm)

Barnard Hall, Room 404
Barnard College

Broadway at 117th Street, Manhattan

(#1 to 116th Street)

Enter the gate on the west side of Broadway at 117th Street. Barnard Hall is straight ahead.

Limited to 20 participants
RSVP required: collectivedwnm@gmail.com

Admission: by donation but free to registered members of CollectiveDWNM

Future Write Open workshops will be offered by David Parker, Eva Yaa Asantewaa and other facilitators. And watch for Write Open open mic events, coming in 2013!

Cory Nakasue is an associate editor at The Dance Enthusiast, and former reporter for Dance Channel TV. She has contributed writing to Buzzine and The Dance Theater Workshop blog, and has served as an advisor, adjudicator, and moderator for Dancenow/NYC, Murray Spalding, London Arts Board, and London Contemporary Dance Center. She has spent over 10 years dancing professionally in Los Angeles and London, England, working with artists that include Rebecca Bobele, Stephanie Gilliland, and Mark Murphy. She choreographs for film, video, live arts events and installations and is the co-artistic director of SPINE, an art collective based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She owns and operates Body Intelligence, a service that provides movement education and therapy for groups and individuals. As a part of this service she offers community classes in Pilates, yoga, and dance conditioning in her Brooklyn studio. Her live projects and dance films have been screened and produced internationally. She completed her postgraduate studies in theater, choreography, and contemporary performance practices at California Institute of the Arts and Middlesex University.

CollectiveDWNM tweets The Bessies!

Going to the Bessies Awards at The Apollo on Monday?

Look for Collective for Dance Writing and New Media's tables at the exits. Come by and say hi--and more! We're live tweeting and you can, too.

Please help us share this news!

Official Bessies hashtag: #TheBessies

For complete Bessies information, click here.

For more fun like this, join CollectiveDWNM as a member or intern! We're at collectivedwnm.com.

Seeking more interns for Collective for Dance Writing and New Media

Collective for Dance Writing and New Media

We're growing, 

and we invite you to grow along with us!

New Intern Positions Available

Intern for the new advocacy organization, Collective for Dance Writing and New Media as part of our talented Leadership Circle.

We’re looking for a few more smart, creative, community-minded interns to help us build this dynamic initiative in the dance and dance-writer communities. (See our Vision and Mission Statements).

ADMINISTRATIVE PROJECTS

Interns will work in support of a variety of essential projects in the following areas:

    Communications: community outreach, publicity, website management, e-newsletter editing and production, social media management, blog editing, podcast hosting/production, speakers bureau management

    Events: collaboration with community organizations, planning, coordination, facilitation and support

    Finance: financial administration and development

    Membership Services: outreach/recruitment, benefits, members-only trainings and other members-only events

We’ll be happy to arrange a weekly schedule and selection of tasks (plus assistance at occasional events) that will be comfortable and useful for you. You need not have a background in journalism or dance writing to qualify for this internship, but this opportunity will be ideal for candidates with interest in dance or other arts.

TIME COMMITMENT AND BENEFITS

In exchange for a six-month commitment, you will receive a one-year membership in CollectiveDWNM entitling you to free or discounted admission to all of our events and workshops, including members-only events and trainings, and our members-only bi-weekly newsletter (coming soon).

APPLICATION PROCESS AND REQUIREMENTS


To apply for a CollectiveDWNM internship, please send an email to:

Eva Yaa Asantewaa at collectiveDWNM@gmail.com with SUBJECT: Internship Application.

In the body of the email, please include your:

●    Name
●    Street address
●    Phone number(s)
●    Email address
●    Areas of competence and/or interest (including any tech/new media skills)
●    Days/hours available
●    Optional: links to samples of your writing online, if available

Please attach a pdf of your resume or include a detailed bio in the body of your email.

[Special Note: Our Executive Committee and Leadership Circle will be meeting on Thursday, October 11, 2pm to 4pm, at Gibney Dance Center, 890 Broadway, 5th Floor, Studio 1. If you're available, grab your application, come meet us and we'll consider your application on the spot!]

If you have any questions, please write to us at collectiveDWNM@gmail.com.

Thanks very much for your interest. We look forward to hearing from you!

Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Founder
Member, Executive Committee
Collective for Dance Writing and New Media
PO Box 210 Cooper Station
New York, NY 10276
collectiveDWNM@gmail.com

CollectiveDWNM to welcome Rashaun Mitchell, Silas Riener and Nancy Dalva

Rashaun Mitchell and Silas Riener

Monday, November 5 (7pm)

Collective for Dance Writing and New Media

presents its next special evening

FROM THERE TO HERE:

A conversation with

dance artists Rashaun Mitchell and Silas Riener 

moderated by dance writer Nancy Dalva

Dance New Amsterdam
280 Broadway (entrance at 53 Chambers Street), Manhattan
(map/directions)

Admission:
Non-members: $10
Paid members: Free

Please RSVP here.

Become a member of Collective for Dance Writing and New Media ($20 annual fee) and receive free or discounted admission to our events. For an application, inquire here.

Become an intern in CollectiveDWNM's Leadership Circle and enjoy membership benefits. For an application, inquire here.

CDWNM: Fiscal administator sought

Collective for Dance Writing and New Media
seeks Fiscal Administrator

The Executive Committee of Collective for Dance Writing and New Media seeks a reliable, ongoing volunteer or long-term intern for financial management of this new, volunteer-driven organization. You can make a difference, and you’ll receive member benefits, including free admission to our events.

In addition, after a six-month evaluation period, you may be considered for Executive Committee status which includes ongoing membership benefits.

Candidates for this position should document academic training and/or experience in arts or business administration and possess a high level of organization and responsibility. Retirees are especially encouraged to apply.

To apply, please address an email to Eva Yaa Asantewaa at collectivedwnm[at]gmail[dot]com with the Subject line: FA application.

Your application must include the following:

*Name

*Street address

*Phone number(s)

*Email address

*Days/hours available for work

*Two academic or professional references

Please attach:

1) a pdf of your resume (or include a detailed bio in the body of your email)

2) two reference letters from past or current academic instructors or employers

If you have any questions, please write to us at collectiveDWNM[at]gmail[dot]com.

Thank you!

Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Founder
Member, Executive Committee
Collective for Dance Writing and New Media
http://collectivedwnm.com

Photos from CollectiveDWNM's Open House at Gibney

Two CollectiveDWNM interns--Dale Amanda O'Reilly and Hayley Muth--from our Leadership Circle. Photo (c)2012, Donna Mason

What a pleasure to welcome lots of new and old friends to the Open House for Collective for Dance Writing and New Media at the Gibney Dance Center last evening! We thank everyone who came, especially our new and prospective members. Big thanks, also, to our great interns and volunteers on the scene, to our fantastic guests--Shay Wafer, Executive Director of 651 Arts, and dance artists Marjani Forté and Kyle Abraham--and to the ever-generous Gina Gibney and her staff.

Enjoy this gallery of photos from the event and, if you didn't make it last night, don't worry: We're working on more get-togethers for sharing--artists-to-writers, artists-to-audience, and dance world-to-outside world. We'll announce exciting news in the coming weeks. Be sure to join us next time!

Kyle Abraham with dance artist Walter Rutledge. Photo (c)2012, Donna Mason

Marjani Forté. Photo (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

New York Live Arts' Ben Kimitch greets Shay Wafer. Photo (c)2012, Donna Mason

Shay Wafer in conversation with Kyle Abraham. Photo (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

Fiscal administrator sought for Collective for Dance Writing and New Media

Every few days, I still get a query or two about CollectiveDWNM's internship program, our Leadership Circle, which now has eight members. Are we still accepting applications?

Yes, we're still willing to look at applications for the Leadership Circle. However, we're in specific need of one or more interns with training or experience in fiscal administration. We'll be more likely to take on a new intern who can assist in this essential area of our development. We also strongly encourage retirees to apply for this as a long-term or ongoing volunteer position. Membership benefits will apply.

Please feel free to share the following notice with prospective candidates.

Thank you!

**********

Collective for Dance Writing and New Media seeks Fiscal Administrator

The Executive Committee of Collective for Dance Writing and New Media seeks a reliable, ongoing volunteer or long-term intern for financial management of this new, volunteer-driven organization. You can make a difference, and you’ll receive member benefits, including free admission to our events.

Candidates for this position should document academic training and/or experience in arts or business administration and possess a high level of organization and responsibility. Retirees are especially encouraged to apply.

To apply, address an email to Eva Yaa Asantewaa at collectivedwnm@gmail.com with the Subject line: FA application.

Please include:

*Name

*Street address

*Phone number(s)

*Email address

*Days/hours available for work

*Two academic or professional references

Please attach a pdf of your resume or include a detailed bio in the body of your email.

If you have any questions, please write to us at collectiveDWNM@gmail.com.

Thank you!

Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Founder
Member, Executive Committee
Collective for Dance Writing and New Media
http://collectivedwnm.com

Our Timeline: Collective for Dance Writing and New Media

Collective for Dance Writing and New Media

OUR TIMELINE

JULY 2011
After participating in a dance community discussion convened by Dance/NYC, dance writer Eva Yaa Asantewaa contacts colleagues about holding similar meetings to address the specific needs of dance writers.

AUGUST 24, 2011
Eva Yaa Asantewaa convenes the first of several meetings at Gibney Dance Center to discuss conditions and issues within the profession of dance writing. Attended by print and online writers, dance artists and experts in new media.

DECEMBER 2011
Collective for Dance Writing and New Media’s Mission Statement is adopted.

JANUARY 2012
CollectiveDWNM goes social on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Audioboo.

FEBRUARY 2012
Official announcement of the formation of CollectiveDWNM.

FEBRUARY 26, 2012
Dance artist/writer Gus Solomons jr and Lane Harwell (Executive Director, DANCE/NYC) announce CollectiveDWNM at Dance/NYC’s annual symposium at Gibney Dance Center.

MARCH 2012
Eva Yaa Asantewaa invites dance artists/writers Aaron Mattocks and Cory Nakasue to form an Executive Committee for CollectiveDWNM.

MARCH 2012
Temporary Web site created.

May 2012
CollectiveDWNM’s launches official Web site (collectivedwnm.com), created by Aaron Mattocks with logo design by Marissa Sher.

JUNE 23, 2012
Writing on Tap forum, co-sponsored and hosted by American Tap Dance Center, features award-winning tap experts and performers--including dancer-choreographer and educator Brenda Bufalino, dancer-choreographer-director Derick K. Grant, 2011 Bessie Award winning dancer-choreographer Michelle Dorrance, jazz pianist Frank Owens and tap historian Constance Valis Hill, Ph.D., author of Tap Dancing America, A Cultural History.

JULY-AUGUST 2012
Eva Yaa Asantewaa invites candidates for internship and forms CollectiveDWNM’s Leadership Circle, an internship/leader empowerment program.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2012
CollectiveDWNM will hold its first Open House for prospective members and interns, hosted by Gibney Dance Center, featuring special guests Shay Wafer ( Executive Director of 651 Arts) and choreographers Kyle Abraham and Marjani Forté.  For information, click here.

For general information on Collective for Dance Writing and New Media, click here.

To get involved--and help us add more achievements to this great timeline--email us at collectivedwnm@gmail.com!

I'll be in Gibney Dance Center's Greenroom once again!

Guess Who’s in The Greenroom...again!

Once again, the answer is...ME!

Eva Yaa Asantewaa (photo by Deborah Feller)

Did you miss taking part in today's Guess Who's in The Greenroom at the Gibney Dance Center?

Then step up and try again for your free half-hour, 1:1 consultation with me on Thursday, September 6 (11am-2pm). RSVPs are required, and appointments go fast. See below for instructions.

Same topic as last time:

Pitch Your Show to A Dance Writer: Does Your Promotion Work?

Bring existing materials (press release, brochure, postcard, mission statement--whatever you'd use to promote and pitch your show) or just talk to me about your upcoming project, and I'll help you find strategies to improve your chances of getting noticed and covered. Time permitting, I can also take a quick look at your Web site, photos and brief video clips to assess how well each serves your efforts.

This event is offered by Gibney Dance Center in partnership with Collective for Dance Writing and New Media.

Gibney Dance Center
890 Broadway, 5th Floor (between 19th and 20th Streets), Manhattan

*Reserve your free half-hour by emailing allie@gibneydance.org

Eva Yaa Asantewaa's writing on dance has appeared in Dance Magazine, The Village Voice, SoHo Weekly News, Gay City News and other publications since 1976. She has interviewed dance artists as host of Body and Soul podcast. She served on the New York Dance and Performance Art (Bessie) Award Committee for three years and has been a panelist and consultant to various arts funding and award programs. Ms. Yaa Asantewaa is a former radio producer/host with WBAI/Pacifica, specializing in programming on the arts, spirituality and LGBT and women’s issues. She blogs on the arts for InfiniteBody. She is the founder of Collective for Dance Writing and New Media and serves on its Executive Committee.

Collective for Dance Writing and New Media seeks Financial Administrator

The Executive Committee of Collective for Dance Writing and New Media seeks a reliable, ongoing volunteer or long-term intern for financial management of this new, volunteer-driven advocacy and service organization. You can make a difference, and you’ll receive annual member benefits, including free admission to our events.

Candidates for this position should document academic training and/or experience in arts or business administration and possess a high level of organization and responsibility. Retirees are particularly encouraged to apply.

To apply, address an email to Eva Yaa Asantewaa at collectivedwnm@gmail.com with the Subject line: FA application.

Please include:

*Name

*Street address

*Phone number(s)

*Email address

*Days/hours available for work

*Two academic or professional references

Please attach a pdf of your resume or include a detailed bio in the body of your email.

If you have any questions, please write to us at collectiveDWNM@gmail.com.

Thank you!

Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Founder
Member, Executive Committee
Collective for Dance Writing and New Media
http://collectivedwnm.com

Volunteer at CollectiveDWNM's Open House

Collective for Dance Writing and New Media would love to have a few wonderful volunteers for our Open House on September 10 (exciting details here).

Get in touch with us at collectivedwnm@gmail.com, if you'd like to help us out with a few light necessities. Thanks!

Special guests announced for first CollectiveDWNM Open House

Kyle Abraham (photo by Steven Schreiber)

Marjani Forté  (photo by Ian Douglas)

Yes. You got that right: 

Kyle Abraham

Marjani Forté

in conversation with 651 Arts' Shay Wafer

Shay Wafer (photo by Whitney Thomas)

Collective for Dance Writing and New Media's

Executive Committee

and

Leadership Circle

welcome you to our first  

Open House

 Monday, September 10 (6-8pm)

presented by in partnership with 651 Arts

hosted by Gibney Dance Center 

890 Broadway, 5th Floor, (19th/20th Streets), Manhattan

(directions)

Curious about CollectiveDWNM? Want to join as a member or participate in our Leadership Circle (internship program)?

This Open House will be a great time to become involved with this important new initiative, open to writers and all media professionals, artists, students, advocates and fans who care passionately about the art of dance and its documentation.

Program

6pm: Refreshments. Membership/internship info/sign-up (Studio 3) 

6:40pm: Conversation with Abraham, Forté and Wafer (Studio 6)

Free admission
Annual membership: $20 (cash only)

RSVP now:  
collectivedwnm@gmail.com

ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUESTS

Kyle Abraham, professional dancer and choreographer, began his training at the Civic Light Opera Academy and the Creative and Performing Arts High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He continued his dance studies in New York, receiving a BFA from SUNY Purchase and an MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Over the past few years, Abraham has received tremendous accolades and awards for his dancing and choreography including a 2010 Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance in Dance for his work in The Radio Show, a 2010 Princess Grace Award for Choreography, a BUILD grant and an individual artist fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts, a Jerome Foundation Travel and Study Grant, and selected in 2009 as one of Dance Magazine’s 25 To Watch.

In 2011, OUT Magazine labeled Abraham as the “best and brightest creative talent to emerge in New York City in the age of Obama” and was most recently awarded The Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award in 2012. 

His choreography has been presented throughout the United States and abroad, most recently at On The Boards, South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, REDCAT, Philly Live Arts, Portland’s Time Based Arts Festival, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Danspace Project, Dance Theater Workshop, Bates Dance Festival, Harlem Stage, Fall for Dance Festival at New York's City Center, Montreal, Germany, Jordan, Ecuador, Dublin’s Project Arts Center, The Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum located in Okinawa Japan, The Andy Warhol Museum and The Kelly-Strayhorn Theater in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.

As a performer, Abraham has worked with acclaimed modern dance companies including David Dorfman Dance, Burnt Sugar Dance Conduction Continuum, Nathan Trice/Rituals, Mimi Garrard Dance Theater, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Dance Alloy, The Kevin Wynn Collection and Attack Theatre. In addition to performing and developing new works for his company, Abraham.In.Motion, Abraham also teaches his unique approach to post-modern dance in various schools and studios throughout the United States.

He is currently working on a new pas de deux for himself and acclaimed Bessie Award winning dancer and New York City Principal, Wendy Whelan while still creating new works for his company A/I/M.

For more information please visit: http://abrahaminmotion.org

Marjani Forté is a Los Angeles, CA native and Harlem resident. She graduated with a B.A. in Marketing and Dance from Loyola Marymount University and attended Los Angeles High School for the Arts.  She was a five-year member of Urban Bush Women Dance Compay and has worked with Earl Moseley, Garth Fagan, Blondell Cummings and Nia Love's BSD|dance. She is now co-founder of LOVE|FORT… A COLLECTIVE--a research/process, performance, and teaching geared collective with a commitment to social and politically conscious art making, that connects the human experience through time (www.loveforte.org). Forté has taught master classes and workshops across the US and beyond including University of Minnesota and TU Dance Center, Florida State University, Hunter CUNY, and the American Dance Festival.  She has presented for New Orleans McKenna Museum, DNA Raw Material, Kelly Strayhorn newMoves Festival in Pittsburg, PA, and DanceNow at Joe's Pub. Forté premiered her solo EGO at Dance Theatre Workshop as a 2010 Fresh Tracks Resident Artist while concluding a choreographic residency and lecture series at Loyola Marymount University. Forté most recently premiered Here… for Danspace PLATFORMS: Parallels Series in March 2012 and EGO for Harlem Stage’s E-Moves April 2012. Forté is a Movement Research Artist-In-Residence 2011-13, a recent BAX Artist in Residence with LOVE|FORT…, and has joined a roster of teaching professionals, as faculty, at Dance New Amsterdam in NYC.  Forté is thrilled to join arms with 651 Arts in the further creative development of Here… Her work stems from being born in and having engaged with culturally rich, vibrant, historic, and politically charged communities. 

Shay Wafer, Executive Director of 651 ARTS, has demonstrated a stalwart dedication to the arts and community development through many years of service to the field. Her passionate vision is balanced with pragmatic experience, as she has held senior level positions at a number of non-profit arts organizations with a focus on African-American programming, community engagement and arts education. In 2007, Shay became the founding Vice President of Programs for the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, a new multi-disciplinary performing arts center and museum in downtown Pittsburgh. Prior to the August Wilson Center, she served for six years as the managing director of Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles, California--her hometown. She also served as the Managing Director of the St. Louis Black Repertory Company and LA Theatreworks. She was a founding partner of Marla Gibb’s Crossroads Arts Academy and Theatre in L.A., as well as the co-founder of Colored Girl Productions. Ms. Wafer has engaged in additional community and volunteer activities throughout her career including serving on the Board of Directors of Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and as a NEFA National Theatre Project Advisor. A graduate of Howard University and Yale School of Drama, prior to working in the arts field she was a pre-school and kindergarten teacher.

Welcome to CollectiveDWNM's Open House

CollectiveDWNM’s first OPEN HOUSE

Dance artists, fans, advocates, writers, media professionals of all kinds,
we welcome you!

Join Collective for Dance Writing and New Media

HOLD THIS DATE:
Monday, September 10, 2012 (6pm)

hosted by
Gibney Dance Center
Studios 3 and 6
890 Broadway (19th/20th Streets), 5th Floor, Manhattan

Meet Cory Nakasue and Eva Yaa Asantewaa from CollectiveDWNM’s Executive Committee.

Enjoy snacks and an informal presentation by our special guests (to be announced).

Learn how you can play a role in our exciting upcoming projects.

Sign up for CollectiveDWNM annual membership or internships with great benefits.

Your RSVPs to collectivedwnm@gmail.com by August 31 will help us plan this event and are greatly appreciated, but walk-ins are welcome. Bring friends and colleagues!

See you on September 10!

Intern for Collective for Dance Writing and New Media

Intern Positions Available for Collective for Dance Writing and New Media

Intern for the new advocacy organization, Collective for Dance Writing and New Media.

We’re looking for 2-4 smart, creative, community-minded interns to help us build this dynamic initiative in the dance and dance-writer communities. (See our Vision and Mission Statements).

ADMINISTRATIVE PROJECTS

Interns will work in support of a variety of essential projects in the following areas:

    Communications: publicity, website management, e-newsletter editing and production, social media management, blog editing, podcast hosting/production, speakers bureau management

    Events: planning, coordination, facilitation and support

    Finance: financial administration and development

    Membership Services: outreach/recruitment, benefits, members-only trainings and other members-only events

We’ll be happy to arrange a weekly schedule and selection of tasks (plus assistance at occasional events) that will be comfortable and useful for you. You need not have a background in journalism or dance writing to qualify for this internship, but this opportunity will be ideal for candidates with interest in dance or other arts.

TIME COMMITMENT AND BENEFITS

In exchange for a six-month commitment, starting this August, you will receive a one-year membership in CollectiveDWNM entitling you to free admission to all of our events and workshops, including members-only events and trainings; an option to include links to your writing on dance and performance in our website blog, our social media feeds and newsletter; our members-only bi-weekly newsletter.

APPLICATION PROCESS AND REQUIREMENTS

Deadline: Your application must be received by Friday, July 27, 6pm.

To apply for a CollectiveDWNM internship, please send an email to:

Eva Yaa Asantewaa at collectiveDWNM@gmail.com with SUBJECT: Internship Application.

In the body of the email, please include your:

●    Name
●    Street address
●    Phone number(s)
●    Email address
●    Areas of competence and/or interest (including any tech/new media skills)
●    Days/hours available
●    Optional: links to samples of your writing online, if available

Please attach a pdf of your resume or include a detailed bio in the body of your email.

If you have any questions, please write to us at collectiveDWNM@gmail.com.

Thanks very much for your interest. We look forward to hearing from you!

Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Founder
Member, Executive Committee
Collective for Dance Writing and New Media
PO Box 210 Cooper Station
New York, NY 10276
collectiveDWNM@gmail.com

I'm holding office hours in August & September! Come visit!

Guess Who’s in The Greenroom

Well, the answer is...ME!

Eva Yaa Asantewaa (photo by Deborah Feller)

I'm delighted to announce my participation in Guess Who's in The Greenroom, a program of the Gibney Dance Center that offers free half-hour, 1:1 consultations with leaders in the dance field.

And, happily, you'll have your choice of two dates to consult with me:

*Thursday, August 9, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

*Thursday, September 6, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

*See below for RSVP instructions.

Here's my topic:

Pitch Your Show to A Dance Writer: Does Your Promotion Work?

Bring existing materials (press release, brochure, postcard, mission statement--whatever you'd use to promote and pitch your show) or just talk to me about your upcoming project, and I'll help you find strategies to improve your chances of getting noticed and covered. Time permitting, I can also take a quick look at your Web site, photos and brief video clips to assess how well each serves your efforts.

These two events are offered by Gibney Dance Center in partnership with Collective for Dance Writing and New Media.

Gibney Dance Center
890 Broadway, 5th Floor (between 19th and 20th Streets), Manhattan

*Reservations are required. Reserve your free half-hour by emailing allie@gibneydance.org

Eva Yaa Asantewaa's writing on dance has appeared in Dance Magazine, The Village Voice, SoHo Weekly News, Gay City News and other publications since 1976. She has interviewed dance artists as host of Body and Soul podcast. She served on the New York Dance and Performance Art (Bessie) Award Committee for three years and has been a panelist and consultant to various arts funding and award programs. Ms. Yaa Asantewaa is a former radio producer/host with WBAI/Pacifica, specializing in programming on the arts, spirituality and LGBT and women’s issues. She blogs on the arts for InfiniteBody. She is the founder of Collective for Dance Writing and New Media and serves on its Executive Committee.

Great launch for CDWNM with "Writing on Tap"

Brenda Bufalino

Derick K. Grant

Bufalino with Michelle Dorrance

All photos (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

I kept wanting someone to pinch me. Was I really in a studio with Brenda Bufalino, Derick K. Grant and Michelle Dorrance? See the photos above for evidence that this wasn't just a dream.

And after this intrepid trio--plus tap historian/author Constance Valis Hill and renowned pianist/arranger Frank Owens--schooled a congenial group of dance writers, tap dancers, other kinds of dancers and tap fans about issues in the journalistic coverage of tap, they quickly broke out their tap shoes and showed us why us writers really need to step up our game.

I guess when you spend a few months focusing on the minutiae of an event--in this case, a collaboration between Tony Waag's venerable American Tap Dance Foundation and my new Collective for Dance Writing and New Media--it's easy to lose sight of the larger picture. This, ladies and gentlemen, turned out to be a momentous occasion.

And not just because of our stellar guests and their dancing.

Writing on Tap succeeded because it offered a place for writers and artists to meet, share information and learn from one another in an atmosphere of respect and fun. Tap dancers have many grievances with dance critics--everything from our lack of expertise in music (after all, tap dancers are musicians) to our inability to recognize tap-historical allusions in contemporary tap choreography to just plain indifference to the form and dismissal of it as an art. The tap field hasn't had the cohesion necessary to act in its own behalf and, if necessary, raise a ruckus. But what we saw on Saturday afternoon was the beginning of an important dialogue that could make a difference--particularly in the future work of today's up-and-coming dance writers.

More and more, I want to facilitate and participate in spaces like this one and efforts like this.

And that's a good thing, since our host, our guests and our participants are all clamoring for more of them.

So Collective for Dance Writing and New Media will find a way to keep them coming. Keep in touch with us through our site. Like us on Facebook, follow @CollectiveDWNM on Twitter and put us in your Google+ circles. In coming months, we will be inviting you to get involved in our activities and help this organization grow and do more excellent work.

We hope you'll join us!

Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Founder
Member, Executive Committee
Collective for Dance Writing and New Media