Arizona Dance Coalition

The Arizona Dance Coalition (ADC), founded in 2006, is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) membership-based organization. We work to connect and support the statewide dance communities through our website content, communications, and meetings. Through our publications, scholarships, and sponsorship of educational dance events, we inform, educate, and promote dance arts and their benefits to the general public.

The Arizona Dance Coalition (ADC) has evolved over the years to become an organization that celebrates all the genres and styles of dance performed, taught, and danced in the state. From an original focus of service to performing dance companies and dancers (2006-7), ADC now advocates for dance arts in all its forms: performance, education, socialization, health, wellness, and fitness. We provide assistance for business owners and artistic directors, grant writers and fundraisers, producers, dancers, and educators, and nonprofits in the making. Our membership is for individuals, organizations, and venues/presenters.

The current ADC Board of Directors representation is in these cities/towns: Tempe, Mesa, Flagstaff, Avondale, Prescott and Tucson. This year (2021) the directors have each researched and confirmed 550 AZ Dance Businesses for 2021. This is up 46 compared to 2020, and up 187 compared to 2018 when we first started compiling this list. Thirty-seven (37) have closed mostly due to the pandemic.

One other list ADC maintains is the Women-Owned, Women-Managed Dance Businesses in Arizona List (266 in 2021) inspired by International Women's Day March 8, 2017. AZ State Legislators, local governments and arts agencies now receive both lists each year, together with stories of local female leadership (48% of all AZ Dance Businesses are owned and managed by women: 266 out of 550) and a cited summary of the benefits of dance arts/dancing.

WEBSITE RESOURCES | ARCHIVES
The ADC website provides resources (articles, links) for advocacy, grant writing, research, nonprofit documentation, and paper writing for students. During the pandemic, the 'Articles' webpage was the most visited by students and researchers around the world. The 'members only' pages contain documents, presentations, and worksheets on professional development: grant writing, fundraising, organizational management, and related.

MONTHLY ePUBLICATION
The website archives ADC's monthly e-publication (30-50 pgs) circulated statewide for almost ten years - Arizona Dance e-Star - a magazine that focuses on statewide dance events (concert stage, cultural, festivals, and social), feature stories on dance companies and their directors, research articles (Ballet Folklorico, costume designers, healing), and professional development/tips for success and coping. The e-Star is on hiatus until there is a recovery from the pandemic and venues, dance companies, and social dancing return to business as usual.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS | CLASSES
The ADC website maintains a state-of-the art 'calendar' feature for nonprofit members to promote their performances, fundraisers, charitable events, master classes, workshops, summer intensives, auditions, and festivals. The Classes webpage is a popular resource for all new AZ residents and students moving to Arizona for dance training.

SPONSORSHIP | SCHOLARSHIPS
On a smaller scale ADC has contributed to 'dance' school shows, sponsored dance festivals, and awarded scholarships to students to attend dance conferences. We would like to be able to do more.

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE
ADC maintains a business and private group Facebook platform with 3000 members. We also have a Twitter account used to share our news, posts, events, and stunning dance images.

FESTIVAL PRODUCTION
On a much bigger scale ADC produced the Dance Festival of Southern Arizona in Tucson (2013) serving high school dance students in Southern Arizona and performing dance companies in Central and So AZ. ADC also produced three National Tap Dance Day Festivals (2009-11) in Tucson starting a tradition now being organized and produced in Phoenix by professional tap company Tap 24.7.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Occasionally there are those special people -- artists -- who have spent their lives enriching their communities with their hard work, creativity, talent and engagement in dance. ADC has awarded them Lifetime Achievement Awards. It is not an annual process, but happens when the time is right. We recognize. We celebrate. Always it has been a surprise and tied in to an event where the presentation is on stage for the audience to witness and applaud...

Testimonials

Arizona Dance Coalition is in an invaluable resource for all things dance in Arizona. ADC Treasurer Krystyna Parafinczuk is the true ambassadress for dance, from social to classical, in the state.

The Arizona Dance e-Star publication for which she is the editor-in-chief, is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the dance world. It is everything dance - from classes, to jobs available, to a comprehensive list of performances...