Dear Richmond Dance Community,

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We are excited to announce a new collaborative project between Katrina Taggart-Hecksher of Dancers of RVA and Dogtown Dance Theatre that will document the local dance community’s experience during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, the social revolution following the murder of George Floyd, and the poltiical unrest that over took our country. The project will use personal, narrative storytelling to center and uplift the myriad of experiences, responses, thoughts, actions, feelings, and work that the people of Richmond’s dance scene felt, saw, heard, and put in throughout 2020. This project is not only limited to dancers; we want to hear from a range of people that reflects the diversity of our dance community. Whether you are involved in creating performance, are a dance educator, dance scholar, community member that utilizes dance to organize, or otherwise involved in the ecosystem of dance and performance that exists in our city, we want to know your story. 

 

This project is intended to elevate the lives of the people doing the everyday, necessary arts work. Richmond has a thriving network of artists, dancers, movement practitioners, and teachers who are all vital to our city’s cultural history and future. 2020 proved that artists are essential workers. Historically, there has been an apparent underrepresentation of those who ensure the vibrancy and expansiveness of dance in Richmond. This project intends to shine a light on the stories, names, and faces of our community’s most humble, adaptable, and invaluable people, especially in light of the contributions that have been made during impossible times.

 

This project, an extension of the individual spotlight work that Dancers of RVA continues to do, will take each selected applicant through a photoshoot, filming, and interview process where the individual will present movement to be filmed and subsequently interviewed about their experience throughout 2020. The footage, photos, and interviews taken will be channeled into a virtual exhibition, showcasing each individual on a website containing their pictures, a short documentary, and interview responses. The project will also be printed into a physical book, meant to immortalize the 2020 experience into a “time-capsule” that will serve as a relic of the time and space we currently find ourselves in.

This project will function on an application basis with submissions reviewed by a panel of local Richmond artists, arts administrators, and community members. Applicants which are selected to be involved will then schedule a filming and interview block which will take place at Dogtown Dance Theatre from March- June. Exhibitions of the project will take place virtually, tentatively scheduled for Fall of 2021. Applications are now open for the project - and are rolling applications- we look forward to receiving your application!  Please fill out the application below *link* Please also spread the word with your network and via social media!