NYC Dance Field-Wide Calls
Wednesday, June 24, 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET
Healthcare Advocacy for Dance Workers
Healthcare is a human right—and a field that works for dance workers must include it. Too many in our community are navigating coverage gaps, rising costs, and a benefits system deliberately designed to exclude freelance and independent dance workers. That exclusion is a policy choice. It can be a different one.
Join us Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET for a Field-Wide Call on healthcare advocacy. Come ready to learn, connect, and take action.
Guest speakers will include:
- Melanie D’Arrigo, Executive Director, Campaign for New York Health: sharing how dance workers can plug into the movement for universal healthcare for all New Yorkers
- Andrea Gordillo, Chief of Staff, Freelancers Union: sharing what portable benefits could mean for freelance cultural workers and why it matters now
-
Jonathan Gray, Director of Member Benefits, Freelancers Union: sharing resources available to freelance and independent cultural workers today
Accessibility: CART captioning will be provided. ASL interpretation and additional accessibility services are available upon request with registration up to 24 hours in advance of the meeting, or by emailing research@dance.nyc. Dance/NYC will try to accommodate requests made after this deadline, but cannot guarantee the availability of access providers less than 24 hours prior to the event. Calls will be primarily discussion and presentation based with sporadic use of videos and/or slides. Attendees will interact via the chat functions or via video and audio presence on Zoom.
More about the Field-Wide Call:
Field-Wide Calls are a space for the dance community to gather, share resources, and collectively act on pressing issues for the future of dance in the metropolitan NYC area. Together, we can build the knowledge and skills we need to navigate our livelihoods and empower our communities through advocacy and engagement. Calls will cover topics such as: dance worker resources, advocacy updates, equity in dance, and action-oriented data.
Calls occur on select Wednesdays from 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET. Any member of the community is welcome to attend.
Below you can find recordings of past calls and resources that we’ve gathered.
Past Field-Wide Call Recordings
- Budget Testimony 101
- Testimony Workshop: Cultural Institutions and Disability Access
- Reopening Dance in NYC
- Vaccines for Dancers Town Hall
- De-escalation Training for Dance Studios
Additional Resources
- Visit the Dance/NYC Advocacy page to take action for arts and artists.
- Visit the Advocacy Resources page to learn more about how you can get involved.
- Visit the Reopening Dance in NYC Digital Toolkit for resources and information on safe reopening practices.
- Visit our Racial Justice Resources.