Winter Newsletter

Dear friends, family, colleagues and supporters,

INSPIRIT, in its NYC incarnation, turned five years old in 2009. For some, this may not seem like much to brag about, but for those of you who are familiar with the competitive fast-paced world of NYC dance companies you understand that five years equals twenty-one! Our anniversary fell on an inauspicious year with the global financial crisis affecting individuals, families, businesses, and the arts. Yet, while INSPIRIT faced challenges, our cooperative structure and your support made us uniquely resilient. In the spirit of our mission, we came together as a company, collected the resources of our artists and supporters, and met each obstacle with a creative solution. The result? We defied expectations. We grew.

In January we held our first ever audition welcoming new company members Alysia Ramos, Tiffany Spearman, Candace Thompson and apprentices Nancy Andrews, Shoccara Marcus, Adriane Medina and Maxine Montilus into our creative family. These artists have brought fresh artistic talent and skills that allow us to build our capacity as an organization by rounding out our artistic/administrative team. In 2010 the team will be applying for more funding, building a national franchise campaign for Project: BECOMING, and developing exciting new works to add to our ever-evolving repertory.

Looking back our heads spin at all we have accomplished and we want to take a moment to thank you for supporting us. Your donations, feedback, participation, attendance and encouragement have been invaluable. In our country, in these economic times, it is no exaggeration to say we could not do it without you.

INPerformance

INSPIRIT has maintained a busy performance schedule this year appearing in numerous venues throughout NYC, traveling to Tivoli, NY, Middlebury, VT, debuting in Pennsylvania at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival and partnering with Harlem School of the Arts to present our first women’s month festival, which included the work of Nia Love, Toni Renee Johnson, Bella, and H.S.A. students.

Our performances have featured repertory from 2004-2009, concluding with Dreams and Visions; a work that we believe proves the company's artistic evolution. In line with INSPIRIT's mission of promoting collaboration, Dreams and Visions enlisted the talents of poet Remica Bingham, composer Farai Malianga, and costume designer Trebien Pollard. Created in the language of the company’s Liquid Strength technique, the movement provided an ephemeral foundation through which the dancers took a transformative journey. The creative process of bringing Dreams and Visions to fruition solidified our artistic intentions and set the standard for future repertory. The work also provided new challenges for me as a choreographer, artistic director, and media designer. These challenges have enhanced my desire to create work that asks deeper and more meaningful questions and that require me as a creator to be honest and adventurous.

In the last 60 days of this year we are preparing to perform at the Riverdale Y (November 14, 2009 at 8pm) and at Riverside Church as part of the Nu Dance Festival (December 12th at 8pm and December 13th at 2pm) where we will be premiering Say It Loud: the bodies of women the voices of men. In addition, Conjuring Kali will premier as part of Long Island University’s Fall Dance Concert.
As we open 2010 Barely There will premiere on the Dance Company of Middlebury and be performed in The Dominican Republic, while INSPIRIT will be gearing up for a two week residency at the University of Southern Mississippi in February.
Make sure to visit our new website at www.inspiritdance.com for updates on performances, classes and events, as we look forward to seeing you in the audience.

INCommunity

Despite decreased funding sources during this financial crisis, we were determined to fund our community engagement program for teen girls, Project: BECOMING. In order for the program to continue and remain free for the participants, we did things the old fashioned way. We took to the streets, buckets in hand and performed a series of improvisations in Union Square, we petitioned our friends on the internet, in person and over the phone. We hosted a cultivation event at the Bronx Museum and you, our ever present support; provided funds for two summer sessions of Project: BECOMING.

The first was hosted at Rutgers University's Newark campus, a new community partner for INSPIRIT. There, a group of vivacious participants began to have a vision for their lives and the future of the program from the very first day. The New York session was held at Harlem School of the Arts where participants from Harlem, the Bronx and Brooklyn began a positive cross-borough dialogue that we hope will last for years to come.


INSupport

INSPIRIT has weathered the financial storm of 2008-2009 with grace and solidarity. We are able to continue to fulfill our mission to provide a forum for collaboration for female artists to come together and create meaningful performance work that infuses, encourages and invigorates audiences, showcase contemporary dance in underserved communities and enhance the lives of youth through the art of dance, but without your support none of what we do is possible. There is less money and plenty of worthy causes. Yet few donations offer the type of residual investment in the career, training, and evolution of an artistic life than the one you make to INSPIRIT. Your contribution shows that you value the arts and their ability to educate, entertain, enlighten, inspire, and affect change. We are committed to dreaming bigger for ourselves, our community, and our fellow artists. We hope you will continue to be a partner in making our dreams a reality by donating today. Thank you in advance for your support.

Our determination and commitment to Project: BECOMING continues to yield amazing results. We are very excited to announce the launch of a new partnership with Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy. The Project: BECOMING curriculum will be offered free to participants as a weekly residency from November 2009- May 2010. After a year of developing and expanding what happens in 5 sessions to a 20-plus session journey, we are proud to implement our new curriculum at a school that President Obama believes is a model institution for learning.