FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
January 4, 2012
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Brooklyn Academy of Music announced today the tour dates of the second season of DanceMotion USASM. A launch event for this people-to-people exchange will take place January 12 at 3:00 p.m. at Dance Place 3225 8th Street, NE, Washington, D.C., where the American dance companies will engage with Washington, D.C. area youth.
DanceMotion USASM sends American dance companies overseas to engage with audiences and communities, especially underserved youth, through dance and a variety of other means. DanceMotion USASM builds on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s vision of “smart power” diplomacy. It embraces the full use of diplomatic tools, in this case dance, to engage people and create opportunities for greater understanding.
This season’s participating DanceMotion USASM companies will tour in 2012 as follows:
· Rennie Harris Puremovement, a hip-hop dance company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will tour in Egypt, Israel, and the Palestinian Territories from March 9 – April 6;
· Seán Curran Company, a contemporary dance company based in New York, New York, will tour in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Turkmenistan from April 5 – May 3;
· Jazz Tap Ensemble, based in Los Angeles, California, will tour in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zimbabwe from April 9 – May 7; and
· Trey McIntyre Project, a contemporary dance company based in Boise, Idaho, will tour in China, South Korea, the Philippines, and Vietnam from May 5 – June 3.
DanceMotion USASM is a public-private partnership with support from J.P. Morgan, Pfizer, and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation.
Building on the success of the inaugural season of DanceMotion USASM, the second season will also include a U.S.-based cultural exchange, in which an international dance group will travel to the United States for continued work with one of the U.S. touring companies. During DanceMotion USASM tours, members of the selected U.S. and international dance companies will perform and participate in outreach and educational activities including workshops, master classes, stage and arts management sessions, media interviews, and discussions with foreign artists and local audiences in a wide variety of venues and settings.
Members of the media interested in attending the January 12 event in Washington, D.C. should contact: Talley Sergent, U.S. Department of State, SergentRT@state.gov.