Organizing with Artists
for Change
Organizing with Artists for Change (OAC) offers a range of opportunities to join Dance Exchange and a network of socially-engaged artists in extending the relevance that dance and dancemaking can have.
Who gets to dance?
Socially-engaged artists, community members, local leaders, college and university communities, lifelong movers or those new to dance, and more.
What is it about?
OAC embraces process and performance, dialogue and dancemaking, and the role of artists as changemakers in and beyond the studio. OAC offerings will include:
OAC: Institutes | Based on our core creative practices, OAC: Institutes range from 3 to 10 days and offer a dynamic and multidisciplinary experience for participants of all ages to grow as movers, makers, collaborators, and leaders.
OAC: Artist Cohorts | Through OAC, we are furthering our recent practice of convening a local artist cohort during our creative residencies around the country to ensure local value and impact. Learn more about our Dance Exchange OAC Cohort.
OAC: Fellowship Program | We are developing a fellowship program that will invite artists to enhance their facilitation skills, learn and contribute to our body of creative practices, and develop their own creative initiatives with mentorship and feedback from other fellows and Dance Exchange artists.
Where is it happening?
Organizing with Artists for Change cultivates and supports a network of socially-engaged artists in a variety of locations: in our Community and Creative Hub in Takoma Park through OAC: Institutes and the DX Fellowship Program (in development); as well as onsite with partners in colleges, universities, art centers, and communities across the country through Artist Cohorts and Creative Research Intensives.
Why does it matter?
At Dance Exchange, we see the value that dance has for initiating change in our communities, be those communities created by geography, common purpose, backgrounds, ages, or shared vision. Together, we will share and develop creative practices, discover new pathways for dancemaking in the world, connect and collaborate with artistic peers, enhance facilitation skills, and become changemakers through creative projects around the country.
“My time with Dance Exchange was an uncommon experience that helped me begin my journey as an advocate for social justice and shifted my perspective on what it meant to live my truth.”
- Claire LeBlanc, Dallas Community Member involved in Bricks & Bones
Photos on this page by Ben Carver and Roma Flowers.
What is Dance Exchange’s Dance On OAC Cohort?
Dance Exchange’s Dance On OAC Cohort is a paid creative workforce development program facilitated by Dance Exchange as part of our Dance On and Organizing with Artists for Change Programs. The Cohort program supports artists currently working with or interested in working with adults across the aging spectrum. By providing opportunities for professional development and collaborative facilitation, the Cohort program is an investment in artists as leaders at the intersection of aging and the arts.
Who participates in Dance Exchange’s Dance On OAC Cohort and what role do they play?
Dance Exchange’s Dance On OAC Cohort is made up of a team of six artists who will work closely with Dance Exchange artists and staff from October 2023 through June 2024. Four of the selected artists will be individuals living and/or working in Takoma Park, Maryland.
Throughout their experience, Cohort members will take on multiple roles, including but not limited to participant and learner, co-facilitator, collaborative dancemaker, community organizer, and more. These roles will be dynamic, overlapping, and evolving. We invite you to take an active role in shaping your experience.
What are the criteria for Cohort member selection?
Cohort members are assessed on their knowledge, skills, questions, and lived experiences related to creative aging, aging, and/or the arts.
Because the Dance On OAC Cohort is generously funded by a City of Takoma Park Community Quality of Life Grant, four of the selected artists will be individuals living in Takoma Park, Maryland.
Additionally, two of the selected artists will be individuals making 80% or less of the Area Median Income (AMI) for Montgomery County.
Household of 1: $79,760 or less
Household of 2: $91,120 or less
Household of 3: $102,480 or less
Household of 4: $113,840 or less
What do the members of Dance Exchange’s Dance On OAC Cohort receive?
]Members of the Cohort receive the opportunity to participate in a mentored workforce development program in the field of creative aging. Members receive free access to several creative professional development opportunities as well as paid professional experience at the culmination of the Dance On OAC Cohort:
Participation in Dance Exchange’s OAC Winter Institute, January 12-14, 2024
Mentored training in how to plan and facilitate creative aging programming as part of our online classes.
(For local cohort members only) Mentored training as part of in-person movement classes at Dance Exchange’s Community and Creative Hub and with local partners.
Cohort members also receive a $1,000 stipend for their time and contributions.
Beyond those listed above, there may be additional opportunities for Cohort members to deepen their learning in specific topics related to creative aging. As those emerge, they’ll be shared with the Cohort. Cohort members are also encouraged to connect with each other outside of official program sessions to share additional learning, reflective and creative time together.
What are the members of the Dance On OAC Cohort committing to?
Below is an outline of time and attendance requirements for your participation in the Dance On OAC Cohort. What’s outlined below totals approximately 50 hours between October 2023 to June 2024. You can expect to spend additional time (though limited) throughout the year on any necessary communication and/or coordination between you, other members of the Cohort, and the Dance Exchange staff.
Tuesday, Oct. 10, 5:00-6:30pm ET | Dance On OAC Cohort Orientation (on Zoom)
Thursday, Oct. 12, 11:00am-12:00pm ET | All Cohort members attend and observe Dance On Weekly Class (on Zoom)
Thursday, Oct. 12, 5:00-6:30pm ET | Class Debrief and Critical Response Process Feedback Workshop
Tuesday, Oct. 17, 5:00-6:30pm ET | Building Skills for Co-Facilitation Workshop
Thursdays, Nov. 2, 2023 - Feb. 29, 2024 | Participation/co-facilitation in Fall/Winter Dance On Online Class (1 hour class offered weekly on Zoom on Thursdays between 11am-12pm ET):
- Observe 2 class sessions as participant (during class hours)
- Two 1-hour planning sessions with DX staff or partnering artist (individually scheduled)
- Lead 2 sessions as co-facilitator (during class hours)
- Two ½ hour feedback/debrief conversations with Dance Exchange artist (individually scheduled)
Friday, January 12 - Sunday, January 14, 2024 | Attendance at Organizing with Artists for Change Winter Institute: approximately 14 hours total; with in-person or online options
Tuesday, January 16, 5-6:30pm ET | Organizing with Artists for Change Winter Institute Debrief (on Zoom)
Tuesday, February 27, 5:00-6:30pm ET | Cohort Check In (on Zoom)
Thursdays, March 7, 2024 - June 29, 2024 | Participation/co-facilitation in Spring/Summer Dance On Online Class (1 hour class offered weekly on Thursdays between 11am-12pm ET):
- Observe 2 class sessions as participant (during class hours)
- Two 1-hour planning sessions with DX staff or partnering artist (individually scheduled)
- Lead 2 sessions as co-facilitator (during class hours)
- Two ½ hour feedback/debrief conversations with Dance Exchange artist (individually scheduled)
Saturday, May 18, 2024 | Dance On Gathering
Tuesday, May 21 2024, 5:00-6:30pm ET | Dance On Gathering Debrief
Tuesday, June 18 2024, 5:00-6:30pm ET | Cohort End of Year Reflection and Celebration
In addition to your time and attendance, we also invite you to commit your knowledge, skills, questions, and lived experiences. We ask members of the cohort to commit to engaging with Dance Exchange’s Dance On program in ways that align with Dance Exchange’s mission to expand who gets to dance, where dance happens, what dance is about, and why dance matters.