Dance New Jersey proudly announces the commencement of The New Jersey Dance Worker Needs Assessment project. This project will identify the population of individual choreographers, performers, folk and traditional artists and educators (public and private schools, colleges/universities and private studios) throughout the state, and will develop a comprehensive profile of New Jersey’s dance workforce in order to better understand the most critical needs confronting this essential community. This is the first time in the state’s history that a comprehensive mapping project of this kind has been undertaken.
Funded by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation’s Dodge Fund for Dance, the New Jersey Dance Worker Needs Assessment project includes the creation of a New Jersey Dance Worker Database, the administration of a comprehensive survey, and the synthesis of the data into a report on the state of the dance worker community in New Jersey. Concluding in June 2006, this statewide undertaking will provide a unique look into New Jersey’s vibrant dance field, its professionals, and the impact these individuals have throughout the state.
To conduct the assessment project, Dance New Jersey has engaged noted researcher Joan Jeffri and the Resource Center for Arts & Culture (RCAC) at Teacher’s College, Columbia University. RCAC for more than thirty years has held a national and international reputation as one of the foremost research centers on the needs and issues facing individual artists. Most recently RCAC completed an international study- The aDvANCE Project: a study of Career Transition for Professional Dancers. The first of its kind, the study is a coordinated inquiry into the career transition of professional dancers in eleven different countries.
“As the first state to conduct a thorough assessment of its dance worker community, New Jersey is once again on the leading edge of cultural development and in building an awareness of the field of dance,” said Marete Wester, Executive Director of Dance New Jersey. “Many of our nation’s leading choreographers, performers, scholars and teachers of dance make New Jersey their home- but their contributions to our state and in our communities are too often under-recognized. This study will take us the first step forward in identifying and connecting the diverse network of dance artists, administrators and educators with each other, and begin to create an awareness of their extraordinary contribution to the cultural life of our State.”
Founded in 1998, Dance New Jersey seeks to expand participation in dance through public awareness initiatives, information services and advocacy. The New Jersey Dance Worker Needs Assessment is part of Dance New Jersey’s ongoing efforts to promote the field of dance and dance education, and to serve the state’s population of dance organizations and individuals. Dance New Jersey’s membership includes dance professionals: individual dance artists, dance educators, dance administrators, and dance enthusiasts as well as organizations and institutions: dance companies, schools, university programs, studios, presenters, and sponsors.
For more information about the survey and how to be included in this project, contact Dance New Jersey at 973.222.8844 or
