Orlando, FL – National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $80 million in grants as part of the NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $10,000 to the Valencia College dance department to restage “3 Epitaphs” by Paul Taylor, a master choreographer and modern-dance legend.
The Art Works category is the NEA’s largest funding category and supports projects that focus on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and/or the strengthening of communities through the arts.
The Paul Taylor piece, “3 Epitaphs,” will premiere at the 2019 Valencia College Spring Dance Concert on March 22-23, 2019. Grant funds will support an artist in-residency for Francie Huber, an award-winning principal dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company for 14 years, and a teacher of modern dance and Taylor workshops for the past 25 years. This piece was selected for its significance in the history of American modern dance, its technical difficulty, and its unique, engaging style that connects with audiences.
“This project is significant, because it will provide an opportunity for Valencia dancers to recreate a legendary performance of technical difficulty and with historical importance,” said Suzanne Salapa, chair of Valencia College’s dance program. “For Valencia’s audience, this is an opportunity that they are unlikely to have experienced prior and one that can have a significant impact on their views of the performing arts.”
“The variety and quality of these projects speaks to the wealth of creativity and diversity in our country,” said NEA Chairman Chu. “Through the work of organizations such as Valencia College in Orlando, NEA funding invests in local communities, helping people celebrate the arts wherever they are.”
For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit www.arts.gov/news