Springfield, VA- National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $30 million in grants as part of the NEA’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2017. Included in this announcement is a Challenge America grant of $10,000 to MVLE for a performance project with BodyWise Dance. The Challenge America category supports primarily small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations—those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.
“The arts are for all of us, and by supporting organizations such as [insert organization name], the National Endowment for the Arts is providing more opportunities for the public to engage with the arts,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Whether in a theater, a town square, a museum, or a hospital, the arts are everywhere and make our lives richer.”
MVLE partnered with BodyWise Dance to create the MVLE Moves! This is a movement arts program designed to enrich the lives of MVLE’s clients and staff through movement classes, staff training, and arts partnership development. The NEA Challenge America grant will support an artist residency by choreographer Margot Greenlee, Executive Director of BodyWise Dance. The residency will result in a new work that partners individuals with disabilities with professional performers. “Every Day Oz” will invite audience participation and be a joyful exploration of the individual resilience and agile teamwork necessary to face the challenges of daily life. In addition to onsite performances, “Every Day Oz” will be presented at partner venues across Northern Virginia.
For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.