Press Releases

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Awards Ten Grants to District of Columbia Presenters as Part of Special Presenting Initiative

Baltimore, MD – Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation has awarded ten grants to District of Columbia arts presenters through the DC Performing Arts Presenters Initiative. The Foundation, in partnership with the DC Division of the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH), offers this special initiative to help defray costs related to the presentation of touring performing artists in underserved communities. Proposed artists must be located in the mid-Atlantic region but outside of DC (DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA, and WV). Proposals must demonstrate a commitment to presenting the performing arts and the ongoing development of DC’s cultural landscape. Presenters are encouraged to use this funding opportunity to engage performers they have not booked before or to expand their programming options.

The 2006-2007 grantees are:

• As part of the American Composers Forum of Washington DC’s annual Sonic Circus festival, Scott Smallwood will perform one of his unconventional compositions, which blends various recording technologies creating an audio “sculpture” at the Warehouse Theater.

• In celebration of Asian American History Month, Daniel Phoenix Singh and Company present a festival featuring the classical and folk dances of India. Kuchipudi Kalanidhi, an award winning Maryland-based dance company, will take part in this festival, exhibiting the Kuchipudi style of dance at St. Thomas Parish.

• In celebration of Asian American History Month, Daniel Phoenix Singh and Company present a festival featuring the classical and folk dances of India. The Courtyard Dancers, lead by Pallabi Chakravorty, will perform the Kathak style of classical Indian dance at the Lincoln Theater.

• DC Wheel Productions welcomes Brandon “Peace” Albright’s Hip-Hop Dance company, Illstyle, for a free performance in the Dance Place theatre for students from DC-area public and charter schools. Students will also have the opportunity to take part in a master class. The company will perform two additional public performances at Dance Place, with a third at Reston Center Stage.

• DC Wheel Productions will present Full Circle, a group of cutting edge, New York influenced, Hip-Hop dancers as part of their Hip Hop Festival. Full Circle’s residency will include two performances for DC area school children, in addition to two public performances.

• DC Wheel Productions will present Tania Isaac Dance Company. Blending Modern and Caribbean aesthetics, Tania Isaac Dance Company is equal parts social commentary and personal documentary. Through its performances, the company seeks to link the dance and music of the Eastern Caribbean with contemporary art and thus create a community dialogue.

• In a concert designed expressly for The In Series, Inc., Maestro John Burrows will conduct his tribute to Noel Coward and Cole Porter. His production will combine the composer’s lesser known works with a new cabaret staging at the Source Theater. Maestro Burrows will share his extensive research findings on Coward and Porter during two discussions following the performance.

• The Studio Theatre, Inc. hosts performance artist, Lypsinka, in his performance of “The Passion of the Crawford”. In his lip-synched piece, Lypsinka recreates a live interview of Joan Crawford with John Springer, in which she speaks candidly about her glamorous and controversial life.

• As part of their ongoing outreach program to expose new audiences to classical song, the Vocal Arts Society will present two recitals at the Westchester Theater and St. Marks’s Episcopal Church, respectively, featuring sopranos Danielle Talamantes and Lisa Eden, accompanied by pianist Timothy McReynolds.

* Please contact the venues directly for information on dates, times, and tickets.

Guidelines for the 2007-2008 DC Performing Arts Presenters Initiative will be available in early spring 2007. Those wishing to apply should contact the Foundation at 410.539.6656 x100 for guidelines.

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation supports the richness and diversity of the region’s arts resources and promotes wider access to the art and artists of the region, nation and world. To learn more about MAAF, its programs and services, visit our Web site at www.midatlanticarts.org.