Keep it local! Hire Bronx
Dancers, Choreographers, Dance instructors, Massage
Theripists etc...
to contact them
The Bill of Rights
for Bronx Dance Artists
A Bill of Rights is a list or summary of rights that are considered important and essential by a group of people. The Bronx Dance Coalition, including dancers from a diverse array of disciplines including Modern, Afro-Caribbean Dance, Break, African and Ballet, came together over several meetings to brainstorm and share ideas about what dancers and choreographers needed in order to have healthy careers and healthy lives in the Bronx. Below is a first draft of those ideas.
We the Dancers and Choreographers living and/or working in the borough of the Bronx, in order to lead healthy and creative lives, create high quality and artistic dance works, promote our work to local, national and international audiences, and secure the resources needed to create our work, do ordain and establish this Dancer’s Bill of Rights for Bronx Dancers and Choreographers. We demand!
Subsidy for:
-The creation, development and presenting of dance works and choreography
-Rent for rehearsal spaces for dancers, dance company directors, choreographers that are Bronx residents
-Arts administrative services building towards administrative independence
-Career Expenses: Support in the range of 15% - 30% for career expenses related to dance
-0% interest on home loans for artists residences
-Transportation: Monthly and seven day MTA Artists pass for dancers with Metro Area employment and air, Metro North, Amtrak and MTA transportation rebates
Career Development:
-Access to dance spaces in the Bronx that are unused, or minimally used spaces in colleges, school auditoriums, parks and recreation studios and other spaces to create and/or rehearse choreography as well as presenting and offering dance related workshops and performances
-Professional dance classes and workshops offered in the Bronx in various disciplines and on a consistent basis
-Education of arts presenters in the specific needs of dancers like proper floors and stages for dance performances and studios that have sprung floors and technical needs specific to dance making
-Special Dancer Discounts for the purchase of supplies such as dance wear, dance shoes, make-up, props, fabrics, etc. at boroughwide businesses
Healthcare:
-Healthcare assistance for Bronx artists in the form of state subsidized medical co-payments
-Access to dancer-conducive healthcare with government issued insurance
-Network of ‘preferred doctors’ which dancers would see in order to get low cost medical care within conventional and/or alternative medicine practices
Employment:
-Priority to Bronx artists in Bronx school system for dance programming or physical education alternatives
Marketing:
-Dance exchange between downtown dance scene and Bronx scene to create awareness of Bronx Dance artists, projects and performances
-Creating new ways to overcome the geographic/perception barrier with other boroughs
-Create awareness of ethnic and street dance as art and have it showcased in places like museums, college theaters, parks, and public libraries in other boroughs
-Bronx Dance Coalition’s Dance Magazine, possibly a 4x a year magazine publication (every three months) with a newsletter