Nevada City, Calif. November 15, 2016 – The Miners Foundry Cultural Center is pleased to announce they have been awarded a $10,800 grant by the California Arts Council (CAC), which will be used to support the production of the 2nd Nevada City Dance Festival, a week-long celebration and showcase of professional dance in Western Nevada County, March 14-17, 2017. This is the Miners Foundry’s second year to receive a significant grant from CAC for the Nevada City Dance Festival.
With the CAC Local Impact grant funds, and the support of the community, the Miners Foundry will host the following international and professional dance companies: dawsondancesf, Lake Tahoe Dance Collective, Linda Blair Dance Company, Pisa Za Congo Dance Company with Vivien Bassouamina, and Airaligned aerial dance group, for a week-long residency in Nevada City. Dancers will prepare for several live performances as well as work with local dancers, dance studios and schools over the course of several master classes.
“The mission of the Miners Foundry is to preserve, enhance and utilize the historic Miners Foundry for cultural, educational and social activities in our community,” stated Gretchen Bond, Miners Foundry Executive Director. “With the support of the community, we have been working for a number of years to enhance the Osborn/Woods Hall to better support diverse, quality programs in Nevada County.”
This year the California Arts Council announced $8,726,168 in grants to California nonprofit organizations under ten unique, competitive grant programs. 712 grants were awarded for programs supporting arts education; underserved communities; veterans and their families; local economic development; arts and community development; creative place making; and arts service organizations. The California Arts Council Local Impact grants were awarded to smaller arts organizations for the purpose of providing project support and fostering equity, access and opportunity to arts programs in smaller communities.
In 2013, with support from the County of Nevada and the community, the Miners Foundry was able to complete the installation a professional dance floor in the Osborn/Woods Hall. They have since welcomed many professional dance companies to perform, and hold professional dance residency programs and classes.
“We are so fortunate to have the Osborn/Woods Hall at the Miners Foundry,” says Karin Attix, organizer of the festival. “It is a perfect venue for contemporary dance with its intimate in-the-round seating and spacious stage dimensions and high ceilings. Our audiences will have a profound, in-depth experience of watching amazing, technical dancers and crafted, engaging choreography.”
About the Dance Companies
Back by popular demand, Gregory Dawson and his company, return to Nevada City after wowing audiences during their sold-out performance at last year’s festival, to perform selected works from his January season at the Yerba Buena Cultural Center in San Francisco. dawsondancesf has steadily delivered risk-taking, muscularly elegant performances since its establishment. It breaks down the barriers placed on classical ballet, and brings to light the strength and beauty that artists possess within themselves, allowing them to explore their voices through choreography and vision.
What started as Tahoe Youth Ballet in 2009 with a single performance at the North Tahoe High School auditorium, the Lake Tahoe Dance Collective has evolved into a company that presents a range of performances for Lake Tahoe audiences throughout the year, including its own productions as well as visiting dance companies. Under Artistic Director, Christin Hanna’s crafted eye, these young dancers perform a wide range of pieces from ballet to contemporary modern works.
The Linda Bair Dance Company based in Sacramento, comes from a deep modern heritage with roots in Merce Cunningham, one of the 20th century legends of modern dance. Dancers range from 17 to 52 years in age and will perform from variety in music both commissioned scores from modern dance composers and music from Haydn and Purcell, along with other baroque composers.
Pisa Za Congo (Children of Congo) Dance Company is a professional Drum & Dance Performance Ensemble based in Santa Cruz, CA, directed by Vivien Bassouamina. The company performs dances in a range of styles from Traditional to Modern, including Lyrical, Improvisation, Acting, and Story-Telling.
AirAligned aerial dance group, now based in Sacramento, was formed in 2002 by Artistic Director Tresa Honaker. Unlike traditional circus performers AirAligned members consist of formally trained dancers. AirAligned is a theatrical aerial dance group. Productions are beautifully choreographed and athletically executed. The group has received additional training in the aerial arts from Ingrid Hoffman, Hollywood Aerial Arts and Cirque LA in Los Angeles, Trapeze Arts in Oakland and San Francisco Circus Center.
Event Activities include the following:
A Gala Reception at the Miners Foundry on Tuesday, March 17, 2017
Four dance master-classes
Three technical and dress rehearsals
Professional dance performances by the visiting companies March 14, 15 & 17, 2017
For further information about this event, please visit our website: