Dance Films Association Inc.
/OVERVIEW: The Dance Films Association seeks to promote and preserve dance on film and video. Its grants and fiscal sponsorships help dancers, choreographers and filmmakers create works on film in a variety of styles and genres.
IP TAKE: This accessible funder provides grants and fiscal sponsorships solely for the production of dance films. It also oversees the prestigious Dance on Camera film festival at Lincoln Center. It supports grantees through a variety of avenues, from workshops to funding. Application for grant and sponsorship programs requires membership in the association. Guidelines and due dates vary by program.
PROFILE: Dance Films Association, Inc. was created in 1956 by Susan Braun, an artist and dance archivist. Modern dance pioneers José Limón and Ted Shawn were charter members of the association, as was the ballerina Alicia Markarova. The group’s initial goal was “encouraging choreographers to enter the world of filmmaking, for filmmakers to discover the rich history of dance, and for audiences to engage with the broad spectrum of these films.” Today, the association seeks to promote “excellence in dance on camera and public awareness of the artform through festivals, screenings, publication, grants, and workshops.”
Grants for Dance and Film
It supports filmmaking and dance through production grants and fiscal sponsorships. The association also publishes the journal Dance on Camera and runs the annual Dance on Camera film festival at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Grants for Dance
DFA supports dance and choreography film projects; it does not support traditional stage performances, choreographic projects or dance education. The association awards production grants, which offer monetary support for productions at any stage of completion, and fiscal sponsorships, through which the association bestows nonprofit status on a production, enabling productions to secure funding from other sources and managing grants for production teams. Most recent grantees have consisted of teams of filmmakers and choreographers who work together to create either documentaries about dance or feature-length or short films in which dance plays an important role. The association has supported productions that feature a broad range of dance styles, ranging from classical ballet to ethnic and social dance.
Grants for Film
The association supports film through the same production grants and fiscal sponsorships through which it supports dance. Grants and sponsorships support productions of all sizes and at all stages of production, but film projects must feature dance as either subject matter or a main feature of storytelling. Applicants must provide “an outline, treatment, storyboard, or script, as well as visual support and a budget.” Most recipients consist of teams of filmmakers and choreographers or dancers.
Past recipients include feature films, art films and documentaries. Explore past winners at the association’s production grants page.
Important Grant Details:
The association awards three highly competitive production grants each year: one full grant in the amount of $2,500 and two honorary grants of $500 each. The recipient of the full grant also gains the opportunity to screen their work at the Dance on Camera Festival. The fiscal sponsorship program enables filmmakers and choreographers to apply for funding as nonprofits, with the association acting as grants manager and receiving seven-percent of grant awards secured by the project.
Applications for grants and fiscal sponsorship are open to members of the association. Grant applications are accepted each year until about the third week of February, and applications for fiscal sponsorship may be initiated at any time. Direct general inquiries to association staff via email or telephone at 374-505-8649.
PEOPLE:
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