The National Center for Choreography-Akron Secures Funding From The Knight Foundation

The National Center for Choreography-Akron (NCCAkron) has received a $125,000 grant from the Knight Arts Akron Community Fund at The Miami Foundation, to be invested in local collaborations expanding presentation opportunities for dance with theater organizations in Akron. Anchor events resulting from this investment include Dominic Moore-Dunson's inCOPnegro: Aftermath at Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture (CATAC) (June 22-July 1, 2023) and Kimberly Bartosik's The Encounter: Akron at Rubber City Theatre (Akron Audition May 25 / Performance August 10-12, 2023).

"NCCAkron programs and publications work toward making Akron a dance destination and hub for the creative process while connecting the local community with dance artists from across the country," shared Christy Bolingbroke, Executive/Artistic Director of NCCAkron. "Through this work, we identified the need for more Akron stages to serve as dance platforms and saw the opportunity to expand the capacity of local theater organizations as additional advocates for the artform. We are grateful to the Knight Foundation for funding this effort and their continued investment in our local arts ecology."

This grant supports two NCCAkron artists further contributing to the arts and cultural fabric of Akron. These two projects pair artists with local theater organizations, stretching their standard programming, broadening their knowledge about dance presentations and expanding their capacity to present dance in future seasons. Funds will help realize the live performances as well as film, edit, and produce video documentation that enable virtual audiences to watch in perpetuity.

"NCCAkron is known as a place for experimentation and collaboration. These two projects have an opportunity to impact the field of dance and engage the local community," said Knight Foundation vice president of arts Victoria Rogers.

EVENT DETAILS

This funding supports the following collaborations with dance artists and Akron theater organizations.

inCOPnegro: Aftermath

(details here)

An evening-length dance-theatre performance by Dominic Moore-Dunson (Akron, OH) which explores concepts of safety, police relations, and the importance of community healing.

Dates: June 22 & 23, 2023 and June 30 & July 1, 2023 at 7pm ET

Location: Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture (CATAC)

Balch Street Theatre, 220 Balch St, Akron, OH 44302

Preview Performances: June 23 & 24 $10/ticket

Performances: June 30 & July 1 $20/ticket

Tickets: Online ticket sales only, no walk-up sales.

The Encounter: Akron

(details here)

An expansive performance project created by choreographer/director Kimberly Bartosik (Brooklyn, NY) featuring a cast of Akron performers. Auditions will take place on May 25, and are open to professional, pre-professional, and non-professional performers; details here.

Audition Date: May 25

Performance Dates: August 10-12

Location: Rubber City Theatre

Guzzetta Hall Sandefur Theatre, 228 E Buchtel Ave, Akron, OH 44325

Tickets: On sale June 8

BACKGROUND

Kimberly Bartosik/daela (Brooklyn, NY)

Kimberly Bartosik is an NYC-based choreographer, performer, educator, and essayist who creates viscerally provocative, ferociously intimate choreographic projects that dramatically illuminate the ephemeral nature of performance while critically, tenderly, and violently etching away at deeply distressing threads of our society.

Select awards include National Dance Project (NDP) Production & Touring Grant and Community Engagement Fund; MAP Fund; Jerome Foundation; FUSED (French-US Exchange in Dance); Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, USArtists International; Creative Arts Initiative (CAI); New Music USA, Live Music for Dance; and Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Grants to Artists and Emergency Grants. A member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company for nine years, Bartosik received a Bessie Award for Exceptional Artistry in his work. For more information on Kimberly's work, visit daela.org or follow @kimberlybartosik_daela.

About Rubber City Theatre

Rubber City Theatre's mission is to bring affordable and professional theatre to the Akron area. Its intimate and innovative productions aim to open the eyes and the hearts of audiences in an intentionally accessible, inclusive, and safe space. rubbercitytheatre.com

Dominic Moore-Dunson (Akron, OH)

Dominic Moore-Dunson (he/him/his), Dance Magazine's 2023 "25 to Watch", has received numerous recognitions highlights include: 2021 Associate Artist at Atlantic Center for the Arts #180 with Doug Varone, 2019 Cleveland Arts Prize's Emerging Artist Award for Theatre & Dance, and 2019 fellow of The Ann & Weston Hicks Choreography Program at Jacob's Pillow. Currently, Moore-Dunson is a Research Resident Artist at The National Center for Choreography at The University of Akron (NCCAkron). dommooredun.com

CATAC

The Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture (CATAC) aims to establish a forum for community engagement and educational outreach through collaboration with emerging and established artists and the creation, production and presentation of a diverse array of theatre, music, dance, and exhibitions that affirms the intrinsic value of all cultures and explores the transformative power of the arts for the greater Akron community. CATAC seeks to provide a home base for the research and performances of the Chameleon Village Theatre Collective, Gum-Dip Theatre, QuTheatr and others, and nurture emerging local artists and those of international reputation creating new work and experimenting with new forms of expression. www.catac-akron.com

NCCAkron

The National Center for Choreography at The University of Akron supports the research and development of new work in dance by exploring the full potential of the creative process. In addition to offering studio and technical residencies to make new work, activities focus on catalyzing dialogue and experimentation; creating proximity among artists and dance thinkers; and aggregating resources around dance making. For more information, visit nccakron.org.

The establishment and general operation of NCCAkron are made possible by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

We are social investors who support democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and in the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once had newspapers. Learn more at kf.org and follow @knightfdn on social media.

Photo Credits: Dominic Moore-Dunson, Kevin Parker Jr., and Chris Coles (photo by Blaak Media); Cast members of The Encounter: Buffalo at Torn Space Theater, 2022 (photo by Mark Duggan).