News – Building new audiences for dance

A New York festival has achieved sell out audiences by programming established and up-and-coming dance companies together, with five companies performing on a single bill each evening. The Fall for Dance Festival, at the 2,750-seat City Center in Manhattan, hosted 30 different dance companies over six nights, with all tickets priced at $10.

With the intention of building new audiences for dance, the festival included the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company (pictured) and Merce Cunningham Dance Company, as well as several smaller American and international companies. Arlene Shuler, President of the City Center said ?I strongly believe that we need to build a new generation of dance lovers. That?s why the $10 ticket for the Festival is so important. We want young people and people who have never been to a dance performance before to fall in love with dance and discover something in this artform that speaks to them.? With box office income totalling just $140,000, corporate sponsors and trusts provided nearly $1m in support for the Festival.