NEWS & COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVES

 
News
Conference Update: Health and Safety
Conference Update: Health and Safety
Sheldon Soffer, A remembrance
Sheldon Soffer, A remembrance
Register now for the 2021 WAA Conference!
Register now for the 2021 WAA Conference!
WATCH Rethinking Residencies
WATCH Rethinking Residencies
WATCH Extending Our Reach: Performance in a Digital Age
WATCH Extending Our Reach: Performance in a Digital Age
Announcing the 2021 Performing Arts Discovery Program & Call for Applicants
Announcing the 2021 Performing Arts Discovery Program & Call for Applicants
The 2021 Western Arts Alliance Annual Conference
The 2021 Western Arts Alliance Annual Conference
Extending Our Reach: Performance in a Digital Age
Extending Our Reach: Performance in a Digital Age
WATCH Creation in Isolation - Adversity Meets Innovation
WATCH Creation in Isolation - Adversity Meets Innovation
Patron-Focused to Patient-Focused: A Theatre Becomes a Vaccination Site
Patron-Focused to Patient-Focused: A Theatre Becomes a Vaccination Site
 
 
 
 

Membership Means More With WAA

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FEATURED PROGRAMS

Black Arts at WAA

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 Advancing Indigenous Performance

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 2021 WAA Annual Conference

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Registration is now open! The Western Arts Alliance Annual Conference has never been more vital. Join us to re-kindle relationships with colleagues and clients, re-start our work together, and re-energize our field. Online or in-person, the 2021 WAA conference offers essential networking, outstanding showcases, valuable discovery sessions, and topical workshops--everything you need to program a season, route a tour, or launch a project—even in these challenging times. 🔆 Learn more via the link in our profile!
The U.S. Regional Arts Organizations and Western Arts Alliance (WAA) are pleased to announce a virtual international showcase opportunity for performing artists. This opportunity is part of the National Endowment for the Arts Performing Arts Discovery Program (PAD). The NEA launched the PAD program in 2015 to promote U.S. artists to international programmers, festival directors, and venue managers. In this first round, PAD will select 10 artists to showcase virtually at this year’s Western Arts Alliance and Arts Midwest Conferences. Later this year a second round will seek an additional 20 artists and ensembles for additional showcase opportunities. All 30 groups will also be featured on a dedicated platform and included in selected international online showcases. 💫 Learn more & apply via the link in our profile!
2021 WAA Conference Announcement To Our Valued WAA Community: For months, we’ve been planning the 2021 Western Arts Alliance Annual Conference as a hybrid event including an in-person gathering in Albuquerque, New Mexico with a strong virtual element. We intended to announce details this week, but on Thursday, May 6, our hotel partner notified us that they will be unable to meet their obligations in hosting the WAA conference. The host hotel included both guest rooms and meeting space. . This unexpected news means that the WAA Board and Staff will spend the next few weeks urgently seeking alternatives. Plan P, if you will. We will commit to a new plan as quickly as possible so that we can move forward. . While this news is yet another curveball in an unprecedented year, we recognize that we have a lot to be thankful for, including the ongoing support from you, our community! For months, we’ve been meeting with members and committees to learn first-hand about the need
💫 Member Spotlight: Partners of Rhizome Arts! Dance Manager, Francine Sheffield (Sheffield Global Arts); and International Manager & Touring Strategist, Kristopher McDowell (KMP Artists) have come together with former Arts Presenter Theresa Yvonne (with experience in CALIFORNIA and WASHINGTON) to form Rhizome Arts Consulting. Mengtong Guan and Ping Pong Productions also join as the official non-profit strategic partner. @rhizomeartsconsulting @kmpartists @sgamanagenent @pingpong.arts
Joining us for Monday's webinar & live Q+A, Creation in Isolation—Adversity Meets Innovation, are four exceptional leaders in the performing arts field. Register for this not-to-be missed event! Link in our profile. - Top left: Panelist Cheng Tsung-lung | Artistic Director, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan - Top right: Panelist Farooq Chaudhry | Executive Producer, Akram Khan Company - Lower left: Panelist Aditya Prakash | Artist, Aditya Prakash Ensemble - Lower right: Moderator Chris Lorway, Executive Director, Stanford Live
Register via the link in our profile for this thoughtful webinar: Creation in Isolation—Adversity Meets Innovation, on Monday, April 26 at 4:00 pm Pacific Time! The pandemic has forever changed our world, the arts included. While we may not yet fully understand the impacts, artists have taken on the challenges and benefits of isolation over the last year to evolve their practice of creation, collaboration, performance, and engagement. While the pandemic will one day be behind us, the changes it forced and the innovations it spawned will inform the creative process, touring and presenting for years to come. Creation in Isolation features a diverse panel of artists and producers candidly sharing their journeys. Zoom in to learn what worked, what didn’t, and what astonished. Speakers Cheng Tsung-Lung | Artistic Director, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan @cloudgatedance Farooq Chaudhry | Executive Producer, Akram Khan Company @akramkhancompany Aditya Prakash | Artist, Adi
Seeking Applicants: WAA Membership & Communications Committee! Deepen your connection to WAA as a committee member! The application is open to all WAA members, and WAA will consider applicants whose membership has lapsed due to the pandemic. 💫 Learn more & apply via the link in our profile!
✨ Member Spotlight: City of Los Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) @cityoflasvegas The City of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) presents local, national and international artists and engages our local arts organizations and artists in partnerships to deliver excellence in arts experiences that create a more livable and vibrant city for residents and visitors. Each year, OCA has a season lineup of gallery events and exhibitions, spoken word and poetry events, musical and dance performances, workshops and spring/summer camps, creative arts education classes, live theatre productions and cultural festivals. OCA also facilitates the city’s Public Art Program which is funded in part by the Percent for the Arts ordinance and overseen by the Las Vegas Arts Commission. The Las Vegas Arts Commission was established in 1987 and is responsible for encouraging the creation of permanent and temporary public art projects that transform public space, stimulate intellectual disc
✨ Member Spotlight Kent Arts Commission @cityofkent Kent Arts Commission is a municipal arts organization serving the 130,000 residents of Kent, Washington. Founded by City Ordinance in 1975, the Commission’s mission is to provide leadership in establishing cultural opportunities and arts education, to improve the quality of life and enhance the aesthetic environment, and to promote Kent as a center for great arts. The Kent Arts Commission presents more than 30 performances annually, including summer concerts in the parks and Spotlight Series, a subscription season. Other programs include community events and festivals, grant programs, and an extensive Public Art Program. The Commission also offers free or low-cost community workshops and school residencies in conjunction with many performances and visual arts programs. “We have been active members of WAA for more than twenty years,” Ronda Billerbeck, Kent Arts Commission Director said. “Our participation i
Happy #internationalwomensday! Today is a day to celebrate the impact women have on the world and in the performing arts.
Call for Submissions: Native Launchpad Round 4 2021 Western Arts Alliance’s (WAA)’Advancing Indigenous Performance (AIP) program announces a call for US-based Indigenous performing artists to apply for the 2021 AIP Native Launchpad award. Image captions: Anthony Hudson performing at the 2018 WAA Conference; Maura García performing at the 2019 WAA Conference; Timothy White Eagle speaking at the 2019 WAA Conference #performingarts #indigenousart #artistopportunities #advacingindigenousperformance.
➡️ Read the letter via the link in our profile On January 22, Emily Johnson, a contemporary dance artist of the Yup’ik Nation based in New York, published A Letter I Hope in the Future, Doesn’t Need to be Written, regarding her experience working with Jed Wheeler, the Executive Director of Peak Performances at Montclair State University (MSU). On February 4, MSU issued a letter in response to Emily. To provide context, it’s helpful to read both letters. Emily Johnson is a world-renowned Indigenous artist whom we respect and support. As a matter of transparency, we note that Emily sits on WAA’s Advancing Indigenous Performance (AIP) Committee. WAA’s strategic plan calls on us to nurture a more inclusive and equitable community. WAA initiated AIP specifically to center Indigenous artists and to break down barriers of systemic racism and implicit bias. In the letter that follows, WAA affirms our support for Emily and her efforts to decolonize the creatio
💫 Member Spotlight: Bernard Schmidt Productions, Inc. Born and raised in Alsace-Lorraine on the French/German border, Bernard first worked as the founding Executive Director of BALLET du NORD and with of the Festival International de Danse de Paris before moving to New York in 1984. After 15 years working as Managing Director of ELISA MONTE DANCE and developing PENTACLE International where he promoted dance and world music worldwide, he established BERNARD SCHMIDT PRODUCTIONS, Inc. arranging, producing dance and world music tours across North America and around the world for numerous groups such as Prince DIABATE and WOFA!/ Percussions & Dance from Guinea/W. Africa, Erik ALIANA (Cameroon), the DAVE SOLDIER String Quartet (New York), dance companies Merlin NYAKAM/La Calebasse (France/Cameroon), SALIA nï SEYDOU (France/Burkina Faso), Boyzie CEKWANA and The Floating Outfit (South Africa), Ea SOLA (France/Vietnam), Julie DOSSAVI (France/Benin), Cia Vicente SAEZ, Sonia GOMEZ fr