Making An Impact One Conversation at a Time
Arts impact is not solely education and performance. We at Ngoma Center for Dance believe that creative economics and equitable realities reside hand in hand – becoming an essential path to arts ownership and equality for Brown and Black organizations. Dissonance Dance Theatre (founded in 2007), began arts community engagement – launching due to a need for a new Black-dance entity. Becoming a program for Ngoma Center for Dance in 2012 during its founding, the two organizations merged under the vision of a brighter dance reality for minority voices and their supporters.
Image: Post-it notes during ideation session
In 2013, still young, Ngoma Center for Dance’s Founding Director Shawn Short began advocating for the future of an equitable arts community by providing approximately 60 hours per week toward pro bono projects that would provide Ngoma Center for Dance with capable Black-managed dance entities to partner, collaborate, and share resources.
Image: Shawn Short in his home office near Sheriff Road NE (Ward 7) – Ngoma Center for Dance/DDT’s original mixed-use space (2016)
One Project At a Time
Providing more than 600 hours of pro bono arts consulting for the Black dance community locally and nationally, Ngoma Center for Dance has moved its provided communities towards a more equitable physical resistance. Learn more about past pro bono projects Ngoma Center for Dance has completed.
Image: Emotions Physical Theatre Founder Shawn Rawls guest teaching at The Ngoma School
Name: Emotions Physical Theatre
Contact: Shawn Rawls, Founding Director
Need: Sustainability
Website: https://www.emotionsphysicaltheatre.com/about
Year: 2018 – Present
Work: Emotion Physical Theatre began as a fiscally-sponsored project. Ngoma Center for Dance assisted EPT in receiving education and resources to acquire its 501(c)3 status. Additionally, Ngoma provided consul and materials to increase EPT’s grant development capacity, production management (equipment, casting, and presenter acquisition), board development, and its initial digital assets management.
Successes
– Acquired two international touring engagements (Rome, Italy, and Tokyo, Japan)
– Acquired Professional Video Equipment totaling $10K
– Started Educational Services With Rockland County Schools
– Original Annual Budget $23k (2018), now $123K (2023)
Image: Social Movement Contemporary Dance Theatre in performance
Name: Social Movement Contemporary Dance Theater
Contact: Elijah Gibson, Founding Director
Need: Erect and Organization and Initial Sustainability
Website: https://www.socialmovementdance.com/artists
Year: 2018-2023
Work: Former Gus Giordano Dancer, and dear Dissonance Dance Theater colleague Elijah Gibson, reached out to Ngoma Founder Shawn Short to assist with his dream of a professional company. Social Movement Contemporary Dance Theatre (SMCDT) began as a fiscally-sponsored project under Ngoma Center for Dance, receiving its first $10K under the organization. Ngoma Center for Dance assisted SMCDT in receiving education and resources to acquire its 501(c)3 status. Additionally, Ngoma provided consul and materials to increase SMCDT’s grant development capacity, production management (equipment, casting, and presenter acquisition), and board development.
Successes
– Now a certified non-profit organization
– Increased annual budget from $0 to $50K in several years
– SMCDT is becoming a growing dance organization in Houston – One of two working Black-Led dance companies
Image: Ngoma’s Shawn Short and SMCDT’s Elijah Gibson en route to his Kennedy Center PAC choreographic debut at the ACDA’s National College Dance Festival
Image: New School of Dance & Arts students in class
Name: New School of Dance & Arts
Contact: Madame Lynn Welters, Founding Director
Need: Grant Development Plan
Website: https://balletelite.org/
Year: 2023
Work: The New School of Dance & Arts (Ballet Elite) at 5601 Connecticut NW, has more than a 50 year old history in the Washington, DC dance sector. Ballet Elite is a non-profit entity of NSD&A founded in 2015. It is dedicated to the study of study of classical ballet, its related dance forms, and classical music appreciation. Its Founder Lynn Welters is a former longtime Ballet Mistress of the founding dance dept of Duke Ellington High School of the Performing and Visual Arts.
Giving Back To Legacy
NSD&A Founder Lynn Welters contacted Ngoma to aid NSD&A with capacity and programmatic assistance. NSD&A, with its long history in DC’s Black dance community, boasts a quaint annual budget of $30k. Ngoma Center for Dance provided more than 20 hours of consultation on grant basics, research, and financial readiness.
Successes
– Received its first grant award from DC Park and Rec in the amount of $5K toward summer programming
Image: Madame Lynn Welters with youth dancers
Name: Marymount University’s Interior Architecture + Design Program
Contact: Sal Pirrone, Director
Need: Dance Advisement
Website: Interior Architecture + Design Website
Year: 2023
Work: Through a great reference from Atlas Theatre’s Marketing Specialist Rachel Pearl, Marymount Univ Interior Architecture + Design program (Arlington, Virginia) directed by Sal Pirrone, required advisement for graduate students needing a dance specialist to design a graduate thesis capstone with a dance space focus. Ngoma Center for Dance completed a $70,000 DC space planning project in 2023, and was willing to advise students.
Successes
– Students successfully completed their capstones with “working knowledge” of dance industry best practices
Image: Marymount University graduate student working with Ngoma Staff
Name: The Arts Wing @ Maya
Contact: Khalid Randolf, PhD, Senior Grants Manager – DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
Need: New Arts Space
Website: The Arts Wing @ Maya Proposal
Year: 2016 – 2017
Work: A new capacity initiative appeared in the fall of 2016 for arts and community organizations, and program space in Ward 7 DC. A small group of grantees was requested to be a part of the initiative. Ngoma took the lead in drafting a conceptual design for the groundbreaking project; the initiative would bring more than 10,000 sq ft of programming space ( and a new theater) to ward 7 organizations and its residents. The project was denied substantial funding for development under the leadership of CAH Executive Director Arthur Espinoza. Yet, Ngoma Center for Dance passionately developed community support and project progression, to aid Dr. Randolf’s key project in Ward 7 – one of DC’s arts-barren wards.
Image: Prince George’s County Community College, Dance Dept Main Dance Studio
Name: PGCC Queen Anne PAC, Dance Programming
Contact: LaNiece Tyree, Director
Need: Dance Programming
Website: PGCC Website
Year: 2019
Work: Wishing to create new arts programming for the DC area. Ngoma Center for Dance inquired about possible programming opportunities at PGCC in 2018. In 2019, Ngoma was notified of the Queen Anne PAC renovation. Director Tyree, requested a meeting to discuss the possibility of dance programming connecting PGCC’s new dance associate (AA) degree program. Ngoma Center for Dance provided the school, with various leads to arts organizations, programming ideation, and selected teaching artists to manage the conceptual programs.
Image: NEPAG front view
Name: Northeast Performance Arts Group
Contact: Carrington Lassiter, Director
Need: Scheduled To Close
Website: NEPAG Website
Year: 2018
Work: After Ngoma Center for Dance noticed a Facebook post from Northeast Performing Arts Group’s Executive Director Carrington Lassiter, seeking emergency donations to save NEPAG from closing, Ngoma’s Shawn Short reached out to several DC agencies and businesses to save the 30+-year-old organization from losing its home. Through strategy and analysis meetings with DC CAH leadership, Ngoma ( a DC Grantee) became the catalyst for NEPAG to revitalize its operations. Allocated emergency funds fostered Ngoma Center for Dance to complete NEPAG’s organizational restructuring, development, and financial plans; funds were also secured to pay past-due rent to property management. NEPAG and Ngoma were the only operating Black dance entities in Ward 7 at the time.
Successes
– NEPAG stands as a 44 year old organization
Image: NEPAG student in Lion King performance
Name: University of the District of Columbia (UDC)
Contact: Barbara Jumper, VP of Facilities, Real Estate & Public Safety
Need: Dance Program
Website: UDC Website
Year: 2013
Work: As a means to increase UDC’s reach into DC’s Arts community, Barbra Jumper reached out to Ngoma Center for Dance to inquire about the concept of bringing a dance program to UDC. Ngoma Center for Dance provided several meetings to UDC leadership around possible student enrollment, SWOT analysis, potential revenue, and initial expenditure budget figures. The program concept was never initiated, however, Ngoma made new relations with the DC university.