Written Testimony to the New York City Council on the FY 2014 Budget

By Lane Harwell, Executive Director of Dance/NYC
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I submit this testimony on behalf of the service entity Dance/NYC and all of New York City’s 1,200 dance makers and companies to call attention to the importance of the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) investment in our industry and highlight contributions of our industry to the City.

Dance/NYC requests a full restoration of DCA’s budget for FY 2014 and asks that the Council hold open the possibility of an increase.

This year, as our City recovers from Hurricane Sandy, the arts and culture have demonstrated their ability to heal—lifting spirits, reinvigorating neighborhoods, and driving timely investments. To continue to do this critical work, even as their own operating resources are diminished by the storm, the arts and culture need public funding and infrastructure support. Of the good that comes out of Hurricane Sandy, I hope it includes a significant reinvestment in DCA.

Dance/NYC’s case for funding is based on recent research, including: the State of NYC Dance (2011), based on Cultural Data Project Data; a companion piece, Discovering Fiscally Sponsored Dance makers (2012); and a Dance Workforce Census (2012), led by Dance/NYC’s Junior Committee of dance workers under 30. State of NYC Dance highlights underscore the importance of nonprofit dance as a contributor to and an ambassador for our City:

• Total aggregate expenditures of 127 groups analyzed: $231 million—healthy contributions to our economy and powerful returns on investment
• Performances in NYC: 1,600; On tour: 1,300—representing the City to the world.
• Paid attendance: 2+ million

The State of NYC Dance report and the CDP data it animates were made possible with DCA support, in partnership with the City Council, and demonstrate the City’s strong commitment to gauging the health and opportunity of the arts—to making the most informed and strategic investments possible. The CDP data also reveal the City’s leadership in supporting nonprofit dance—and the wider community of artists and audiences the sector engages—with the largest share of public support attributable to DCA in every organizational budget category, from groups with budgets less than $100,000 to groups with budgets more than $5 million.

With a New Yorkers for Dance video campaign released this week via DanceNYC.org and featured in The New York Times, those who care about dance are lending their personal stories to illuminate the data I have described—and testifying to the importance of dance to creativity, education, communities, and the economy. New Yorkers care about the future of the art form and are looking to the Council for leadership. I am also delighted so many representatives from the dance community are testifying on the FY 2014 Budget and stand proudly with them.

In requesting a full restoration of the DCA budget, I want to acknowledge and thank the Committee on Cultural Affairs and the Council for its commitment to advancing the City’s role as a global dance capital and long history of restoring proposed cuts to DCA.