Princess Grace Awards in Dance and Choreography PRINCESS GRACE FOUNDATION-USA
The Princess Grace Foundation-USA, celebrating a quarter century this year, has announced the availability of applications for the 2007 Princess Grace Awards in Dance: Performance and Dance: Choreography with application postmark deadline of May 1, 2007. Founded in 1982, the Foundation is dedicated "to identifying and assisting young artists in theater, dance and film" and has awarded nearly 500 grants in excess of a total of $4,500,000 so far in its history.
Dance Scholarships and Fellowships Available
Princess Grace Awards in Dance: Performance take the form of scholarships and fellowships. Candidates must be U.S. citizens or have permanent resident status at the time of application. Awards are based on the applicant's artistic merit, significance of the Award to her/his current artistic development, and the potential for future excellence and impact on the field. "We've always been impressed by the caliber of emerging artists nominated for Princess Grace Awards," says Toby Boshak , Executive Director of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. "For 2007, we anticipate an even larger pool of applicants as the value of the grants increase." Previous award-winners include former American Ballet Theatre principal Ethan Stiefel, New York City Ballet principal Margaret Tracey, former Martha Graham dancer Terese Capucilli, and Manhattan Tap dancer Michael Minery.
To apply, an individual must be nominated by the Artistic Director of a non-profit dance company or the Dean or Department Chair of a professional non-profit dance school. Only one nomination per school or company is eligible. Scholarships provide tuition for professional training at a non-profit school located in the United States where the applicant has been enrolled for at least one year. Fellowships provide salary assistance for a new member in a dance company where the applicant has joined the company within the past five years. Additionally, companies awarded fellowships will receive a small grant to be used for general operating expenses. This grant will represent an additional 15-20% of the fellowship Award amount. (For example, if the Award is $15,000, the nominating company will also receive $2,250 - $3,000 in operating support). Typically, scholarship and fellowships have ranged from $5,000 to $25,000.
A special named award, endowed by San Francisco Ballet and Royal Ballet dancer Chris Hellman, is also granted within the dance category. The Princess Grace Foundation-USA recognizes and honors diverse dance talent from classical ballet to modern dance to ethnic dance. A complete list of past Award winners can be found on the Princess Grace Awards' website at www.pgfusa.com.
Choreography Fellowships Offer
$10,000 Grants to Encourage New Work
In 2005, The Board of Trustees of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA announced the addition of a new Choreography Fellowship category to recognize the nation's most promising young choreographers. "The primary intention of the Choreography grant," noted Toby Boshak, "is to identify and support the emerging, practicing choreographer who is poised at the next step toward important creative and artistic advancement."
The Choreographic Fellowship grants "fill the gap in the Dance awards by recognizing and advocating the other fundamental component of our art form: the choreographer," noted Bonnie Oda Homsey, Chair of the Dance Panel. "We expect that our choreography fellowship will encourage our professional dance companies to present new work that enhances their existing repertory, while providing exciting artistic challenges to the company artists," Homsey added. Princess Grace Choreography Fellowships were presented to Alex Ketley of the Robert Moses' KIN Company, Jimmy Orrante of BalletMet Columbus and Uri Sands of North Carolina Dance Theater in 2005 and to Camille A. Brown, Urban Bush Women Modern Choreography Fellowship and Adam Hougland, Ballet Memphis Ballet/Modern Choreography Fellowship in 2006.
To participate in the competition for the new award, the choreographer must be nominated by the Artistic Director of a non-profit professional dance company within the United States . The nominated applicant must demonstrate measurable levels of skill, craft, and establishment of his or her individual style. The grants of $10,000 are disbursed to the dance companies toward the choreographer's fee and expenses associated with the commission. Because of the Foundation's emphasis on new work, the Choreography Fellowship grant does not apply to the restaging of existing choreography. In addition, there must be public performances of the new work within the grant cycle. Companies awarded fellowships will also receive a small grant to be used for general operating expenses . This grant will represent an additional 15-20% of the fellowship Award amount.
Guidelines and applications are available for download on the Foundation's website at www.pgfusa.org
For further information, visit the site's FAQ section, or contact Christine Giancatarino, Grants Manager at 212-317-1470.