Download the Informational Brief
 

Prepared by Carrie Blake, Webb Mgmt in collaboration with Dance/NYC staff. 

OVERVIEW

Updated: June 9, 2021, 12:30 pm

CORONAVIRUS DANCE IMPACT STUDY: TRACKING STUDIO & COMPANY CLOSURES

For the ongoing Coronavirus Dance Impact Study, Dance/NYC is tracking studio & company temporary and permanent closures to gain a better understanding of the financial impact of the pandemic on the dance sector. This data will be used to document this historic time and to advocate to policymakers for aid. Please email any closures that you know of in the dance community to [email protected]. You do not need to be in charge of the organization to send a notification as Dance/NYC works to compile a list of closures.

Dance/NYC understands the key role data has in ensuring dance workers and companies are advocating for and that their needs are served at this time. Since launching our Coronavirus Dance Impact Survey, we have been analyzing data with our current research consultant, Carrie Blake at Webb Mgmt. These data analyses include the current and potential impacts of the virus on individual dance artists as well as dance organizations, groups and projects in the dance field at large. 

Dance/NYC appreciates the deleterious financial impact that the COVID-19 coronavirus may have on the dance community, in particular organizations and artists dependent on in-person gatherings, classes, and performances as sources of earned income, as well as artists and cultural workers without readily available access to healthcare and wage protections. We also recognize that African, Latina/o/x, Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA), immigrant and disabled artists may face additional challenges accessing necessary resources at this time.

Our current findings indicate that many freelance dance artists are struggling to cover basic living expenses such as groceries and housing in light of the lost income due to COVID-19. The crisis is causing an immediate shift in the size and makeup of the dance workforce that could have sustained, significant implications on the field. Additionally, our findings shed light on how artists across other arts disciplines are also being impacted by the virus and represent shared resources needed during and beyond this crisis. 
 

Review additional data on Independent Dance Workers

REVIEW ADDITIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL DATA

review testimonials

Funders
This study was made possible with support from The Andrew W. Mellon, Howard Gilman Foundation, The New York Community Trust, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, in partnership with the City Council, from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Comments and Recommendations 
The value of this research, as a tool to guide policy and fund development and to improve management practices, will be measured best by its application—the dialogue, creative problem solving, and action it generates to address inequities in dance and move the art form forward. Dance/NYC wants to know what you recommend and invites you to weigh in, using Instagram, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or e-mail.

 

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