US Department of State and Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) announce seventh season of cultural diplomacy programDanceMotion USA

Bebe Miller Company, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company to launch international residencies in 2018 to Colombia, Peru, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia, and South Korea.

The US Department of State and Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) today announced the three American dance companies selected to participate in the seventh season of DanceMotion USASM —the dynamic cultural diplomacy program that supports United States foreign policy goals by connecting Americans with overseas entrepreneurs and social leaders through professional development opportunities, outreach and educational events, and performances.  DanceMotion USASM is a people-to-people international exchange initiative of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, administered by BAM.
 
Season seven features the following companies and world regions:

• Bebe Miller Company (Columbus, OH) will travel to Colombia and Peru.
• Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (Dayton, OH) will travel to Kazakhstan and Russia.
• Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company (Salt Lake City, UT) will travel to South Korea and Mongolia.

Companies participating in the program will embark on consecutive, four-week-long international professional development and performance residencies. DanceMotion USASM presents professional American dance to global audiences who may not otherwise be exposed to the work. Companies engage in outreach events, workshops, master classes, and media interviews. They organize discussions about arts management and technical production with local artists and audiences in a variety of venues and settings. 

A particular area of focus is working with diverse communities and promoting the empowerment of women, people with disabilities, and at-risk youth. In addition, a week-long capacity-building and professional advancement program will take place at BAM in the summer of 2018. This Brooklyn-based program pairs six foreign artists who participated in workshops and collaborated with the DanceMotion USASMcompanies abroad with six local artists.