Today we’d like to introduce you to The International Association. They and their team shared their story with us below:
For over 30 years, The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) has preserved and promoted dance by people of African ancestry or origin and assisted and increased opportunities for artists in advocacy, audience development, education, funding, networking, performance, philosophical dialogue, and touring. A National Medal of Arts recipient, IABD serves a diverse national and international membership of agents and managers, arts administrators, choreographers, dance artists, dance companies, dance-serving organizations, dance-related personnel, educators, educational institutions, historians, researchers, scholars, students, studios, and supporters of the Dance field. The membership, totaling nearly 3,500, spans generations and cultures and can be found on five out of seven continents– Africa, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. IABD’s vision is for dance by people of African ancestry or origin to be revered, respected, and preserved in all people’s consciousness and cultural institutions. Through its tireless efforts in the arts and culture sector, IABD validates Blacks in Dance’s significant connections and influence on the American and international cultural landscape. IABD’s work is rich with insights, knowledge, and expertise vital to current and future Black Dance professionals and the dance sector.
IABD, in partnership with Memphis’s own Collage Dance Collective, presented the 34th Annual International Conference and Festival of Blacks in Dance, Can’t Turn You Loose: A Love Letter to Black Dance from January 24-28, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee, continuing its legacy as the broadest international gathering of Black dance professionals, agents, artistic directors, artists, choreographers, company managers, executive directors, historians, presenters, scholars, teachers, and many others, the conference and festival remains the most diverse place to share ideas, cultures, and experiences.
The pioneering four-day all-ages dance experience had over 900 attendees from 7 different countries (Canada, England, Germany, Jamaica, Norway, Trinidad & North America), who attended 19 hours of dance classes a day (over 90). The conference and festival awarded over 500k scholarships to at least 400 recipients.
Curated by Collage Dance Collective, the 34th Annual International Conference and Festival of Blacks in Dance kicked off with Bluff City Soul, a program celebrating the MidSouth and featuring performances from university dance groups as well as Lil Buck & Friends, and that honored the Bluff City Cluster of the LINKS Incorporated, The Jenkins Family Foundation, and Tommie-Waheed Evans, who were acknowledged and celebrated for their service during A Blues’ for Memphis, the Founders and Invited Guests performance presentation at the Orpheum Theater on Saturday, January 28, 2024. These distinguished honorees are highly respected for their professional accomplishments. Their outstanding achievements and contributions have advanced the art of dance, enhanced our rich cultural landscape, and inspired audiences, artists, and local communities.
Black dance has been a container for black joy, hurt, love, and authenticity. At a time when the rights of people of color remain under attack globally, it is intentional to hold space for the furtherment of Black dance in a landmark city of civil rights. This opportunity to engage in dialogue, discussion, and discourse is the association’s continued commitment to advocacy, artistry, and scholarship, says IABD Co-Executive Director Omar Ingram. The Ford Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and many individual donors partly fund the 34th Annual International Conference and Festival of Blacks in Dance. ARTSmemphis partly sponsors the Conference and Festival; Creative Studios by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings; Madison Square Garden Entertainment- The Radio City Rockettes; and Performing Arts Readiness.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Critical to IABD is amplifying the virtuosic artistry exhibited throughout the Black Dance community. The Association documents and addresses Black aesthetics in dance and educates younger generations about the contributions of Black Dance artists. IABD advocates fiercely on behalf of the sector to elevate the contributions of Black Dance practitioners, countering the false narrative that they do not exist. Despite a legacy of excellence and innovation, member companies and artists continue to cite barriers to advancement, such as inequitable access to presenters, showcases, and audition opportunities. IABD strives to meet this critical need through performance presentations and auditions for men and women of color in ballet and modern dance companies, summer training programs, and college dance programs.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
In 1988, Joan Myers Brown, Founder and Executive Artistic Director of Philadanco! The Philadelphia Dance Company, along with the Philadanco! Staff launched the 1st International Conference on Black Dance Companies, and eighty professionals attended. Ms. Brown felt that a gathering of the Black Dance community would serve her needs and those of other Black Dance professionals. Inspired by the convening and the possibility of an organization committed to Black Dance, constituents of the 1990 Denver, CO, Conference, hosted by Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, presented a motion calling for a formal association. In 1991, in Dayton, Ohio, The International Association of Blacks in Dance was formalized by some of the most prominent companies and individuals in the dance community, including its five Founding dance company members: Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (CO); Dallas Black Dance Theatre (TX); Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (OH); Lula Washington Dance Theatre (CA), and Philadanco! (PA).
IABD was not incorporated as a nonprofit organization until 2011, and it was volunteer-led until 2017 when the Board of Directors appointed Denise Saunders Thompson as its first President and CEO. At this time, the Association received a half-million-dollar grant from the Mellon Foundation to establish and develop operational infrastructure and conduct an organizational health study of the Black Dance sector’s dance companies. Today, IABD is led by Co-Executive Directors Omar Ingram and Dr. Natasha R. Moreland-Spears and comprised of a complete and part-time staff, a $1.75 million annual operating budget, and pivotal year-round programs and resources, including The Annual International Conference and Festival of Blacks in Dance; the Comprehensive Organizational Health Initiative | Managing Organizational Vitality and Endurance (COHI | MOVE), EVOLVE Regional Dance Summit; emergency preparedness and business continuity planning services, archiving and preservation; fiscal sponsorship, and an emergency fund.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.iabdassociation.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/iabdinc
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/iabdblackdance
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/iabdinc
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/IABDinc
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@TheIABD
Image Credits
Main image- DBDT2/Encore- Scott Robbins, Geek With A Lens Additional images in upload order (also named on files). Ballet Audition for People of Color- Unifyed Visuals, Dear Black Dance- Crew Productions LLC, Conference attendees- Crew Productions LLC, on the 1 | Memphis, a dance class series- Unifyed Visuals, Collage Dance Collective- Scott Robbins, Geek With A Lens, Lil Buck- Scott Robbins, Geek With A Lens, SOLE Defined- Scott Robbins, Geek With A Lens, on the 1 | Memphis, a dance class series (Cleo Parker Robinson)- Unifyed Visuals.
