NATIONAL DANCE PROJECT BOOSTS TOURING COMPANIES.

Some of the top names in contemporary dance will hit rural and urban centers alike in the next two years, thanks to a grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts, creator and administrator of the National Dance Project. NEFA has allocated $830,000 to national dance presenters to support tours by twenty-seven companies and artists. The tours, which will take place from June 2000 through May 2001, will feature more than 230 engagements.

"These artists will connect with communities in all parts of the country to share an amazing breadth and caliber of dance" said National Dance Project Manager Rebecca Blunk. Touring groups include the Mark Morris Dance Group, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Garth Fagan Dance, Elizabeth Streb/STREB, Rennie Harris PureMovement, the Pat Graney Company, the Joe Goode Performance Group, the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, and the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.

The National Dance Project will fund both the production and touring of new work, and help performers to engage their audiences through workshops as well as performances. Presenters in thirty-six states, from Hawaii to Kansas to Maine, will receive the grants. Selected companies are based throughout the U.S., along with one company from China. Of the projects receiving touring funds, twenty will also receive National Dance Project grants for the production of new work.