MARK DeGARMO DANCE AWARDED TWO-YEAR GRANT BY THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS

MARK DeGARMO DANCE AWARDED TWO-YEAR GRANT BY THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS

Mark DeGarmo Dance received a major two-year grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). Multi-year grants are extremely rare in the arts world. The grant supports MDD’s program Partnerships in Literacy through Dance and Creativity©. MDD has always fulfilled its BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) mission of bringing this program to New York City’s least-resourced elementary schools, serving 75 - 98% children of color and children with disabilities, living in under-resourced school districts and disenfranchised communities. MDD has provided this program free of cost to grades pre-k to 5 students in these disproportionately under-funded public schools and districts since 1991.

NYSCA cites MDD’s “ongoing commitment to supporting your community and persevering throughout this most challenging year. The arts are central to the health of our state’s economy and individuals, and over these last eleven months, we have been nourished by a resilient arts sector that continues to sustain us in the face of isolation and fear. From pivoting to...digital programming, to...strengthening vital community services, the innovation of New York’s arts and culture sector is truly inspiring. Your organization is one of many that makes New York State the cultural capital of the world, and we are committed to working together...as we look forward to the reopening of arts and culture organizations across the State.”

Partnerships in Literacy through Dance and Creativity© is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

About Mark DeGarmo Dance

Founded in 1987, Mark DeGarmo Dance is a nonprofit organization that educates New York City communities and children; creates, performs, and disseminates original artistic work; and builds intercultural community through dance arts. MDD commits its resources to serving anti-racism, social justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and sovereignty across multiple fronts through dance arts in New York City, USA, and internationally.

About Mark DeGarmo

Mark DeGarmo, Ph.D., B.F.A. is a New York City-based dancer, choreographer, writer, and researcher. They are Founder, Executive & Artistic Director of Mark DeGarmo Dance, New York City; Dance Director of Indigenous P'urhépecha Crossing Bridges International Artist Residency, Michoacán, Mexico; and Creative Agent with Creative Agency, Melbourne, Australia. Their 2020 peer-reviewed publications explore “Activating embodied imagination during COVID-19: A performative reflexive autoethnography” (Qualitative Inquiry journal) and “Transdisciplinary performative improvisation” (University of Colima, Mexico).

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Our programs are supported, in part, by private funds from Friends of Mark DeGarmo Dance and by public funds from the NYC Council Member for District 1, the Honorable Margaret Chin; the NYC Council Member for District 2, the Honorable Carlina Rivera; Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation CARES relief funding supported by National Endowment for the Arts; National Endowment for the Arts; the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.