liesl's mock grant

7/23/2019 Liesl's Mock Grant

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/liesls-mock-grant 1/3

PROPOSAL SUMMARY :

Complexions Contemporary Ballet strives to provide dancers and audiences withunique, cutting-edge choreography while keeping in touch with classical roots of

ballet . With the Mertz-Gilmore Foundation Grant , Complexions will successfully

execute an upcoming performance choreographed by founder Dwight Rhoden. Byobtaining the proper funding, the company will achieve the creation andperformances of an evening-long masterpiece of provocative dances and the debut of

the Icon series, which will honor the late Maya Angelou. Given funds will go towardsspace rentals, dancers’ and staff members’ wages, costumes, and promotionalnecessities.

BACKGROUND:

Alvin Ailey dancers Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson started Complexions

Contemporary Ballet in 1994. At the time, the company was one of America’s first

fully multicultural ballet companies.

Our mission

Complexions Contemporary Ballet celebrates excellence in dance. We provoke thoughtand inspire impassioned performance with the finest dancers in a full range ofdisciplines. We perform for audiences worldwide, educate, cultivate talent, andchampion diversity as America's original multi-cultural dance company.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet aims to provide audiences and dancers throughoutthe world with contemporary ballet performances and classes. Based in New YorkCity, 16 dancers, 12 staff members, and 7 regular volunteers consistently bring high-quality dance programming to people of all backgrounds.

The company celebrates dancers and audiences from all over the world through itscritically acclaimed programming. We celebrated our 20th anniversary in November2014 with new and old performances showcased in a two-hour program held at theJoyce Theater. In June, we traveled to Detroit for our annual summer appearance inthe city. Additionally, Students who participated in Complexion’s Summer Intensive

NYC demonstrated their skills in the program’s showcase at the end of July. Rhoden,Richardson, and other Complexions directors and instructors travel to other dancecompanies, festivals, and conventions throughout the world to teach and inspire otherdancers. At Complexions, we focus on praising original works and diverse dancers andaudiences through our programming.



Complexions also works with many dance companies to create masterpieces for themto showcase. Our choreographers travel throughout the nation and world tocollaborate with companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Joffrey

Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Swedish Opera Ballet. While many of the companiesComplexions works with focus on producing flawless, creative pieces for many

audiences, we focus on providing audiences with innovative, thought-provokingchoreography performed by a diverse group of dancers from all backgrounds tocelebrate the diversity of the world.

FUNDING REQUEST:

Complexions Contemporary Ballet Founding Artistic Directors Dwight Rhoden and

Desmond Richardson are producing a performance that will premier in November atthe Joyce Theater. The performance will feature Rhoden’s captivating and

inspirational choreography, including a new series honoring Maya Angelou. In orderto execute this project, the company needs proper funding to help pay for spacerentals, dancers’ and staff members’ wages, costumes, and promotional necessities.

Through this project, we plan to develop our dancers and reach audiences that havepurchased tickets and traveled to the Joyce Theater to see the performance. We striveto create physically challenging pieces that make the dancers think about themessages they convey; we want our dancers to better their skills and themselves while

working on the project. In addition, the featured dancers will not only entertain these

audiences, but spectators will leave the programming thinking about what they just

saw and remembering Maya Angelou. Our upcoming project will leave our dancersand audiences as better people.

In order to implement this project, Complexions will devise an inventive performance,

including choreography, costumes, and other aspects. The company will rent theaterand practice space, and it will hire professionals to draft and build costumes andprops and design stage lighting. In order to optimize ticket sales, Complexions willsend email advertisements and update social media. In addition, it will purchaseadvertising space on websites, in New York newspapers, and throughout New York

City. Complexions has created strategies to provide original choreography to many

people in its November programming.

Artistic Directors Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson will oversee the entireproject. Choreographers, designers, managers, and marketing professionals will focuson their respective areas and report back to Rhoden and Richardson. The company

will perform the work a total of 16 times from November 17-29. Choreographers,designers, and professionals will start the project August 20 th and finish December 1st .



This programming will fulfill Complexions’ mission by providing dancers newchoreography and stories to explore and the opportunity to convey the messages to

audiences through the movement. The different dances will cover an array subjectsand feature the diverse company.

EVALUATION:

Complexions will determine how successful the project was after the show closes atthe end of November. Factors that will show our success include ticket sales and thegrowth of the dancers from the start of the project through the end of it. Complexions

believes its success is based in the dancers. If the dancers convey a powerful messageand grow as dancers and people through their work, the company has achievedsomething great. The company also looks at the amount of people who receive themessage; the more people who buy tickets and see the masterpieces will see the

messages and stories the dancers and choreographers want to communicate with the world. By the end of this project, Complexions wants its dancers to have developed

their skills and their characters and for the dances to move as many audiencemembers as possible.

liesl's mock grant

Documents