On a recent windy morning,eight dancers gathered on the Burlington waterfront to turn their faces to the sun like flowers, swoop about conjuring birds in flight and sway in imaginary currents of water. One of 10 outdoor dance performances that day, and the event called attention to the richness and challenges of dance in Vermont while heralding a fresh champion of the form. The Vermont Dance Alliance is a fledgling group of artists,partners and patrons who network and share resources to support and expand dance in Vermont. The VDA sponsored the outdoor events on Saturday, which culminated with an evening party at the Skinny Pancake to celebrate the organization's past accomplishments and future goals. "It's an invitation for people to become active in this art form and with this art form, or " said VDA director Hanna Satterlee. "It's for anyone who wants more dance in their life." Dancer-choreographer Satterlee is a 2017 Vermont Performance Lab SEED grant recipient and former director of professional programming at Montpelier's contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio. The VDA evolved out of numerous planning meetings that she convened final winter to expect Vermont dancers "what they needed,what was happening for them, what was a block for them [and] what resources exist in other places that don't exist in Vermont, or " she said. In its first year,the volunteer-run alliance served contemporary and contemporary dancers in three counties through a conference, workshops, and performances and fundraisers. It also collaborated with Montpelier's Lost Nation Theater to host the Winter Dance Gala,featuring works by local choreographers. By the following spring, Satterlee famous, and "Everything was successful and people were totally into it,but it was kind of the same group of people." She and her colleagues wanted the alliance to serve practitioners of all dance genres in the entire state, so she conferred with more dance professionals to identify the business model most likely to achieve that goal. Nonprofit status fit the bill. "A nonprofit is a very big undertaking, and " said Satterlee,"but it's also a culture of giving, and this [alliance] is really about generosity and gathering and connection and relationships. It's not at all about winning or competition or being better than [others]." Anyone may join the VDA at one of three levels: "Artist" members are instructors, or performers and students of everything from tango to hip-hop; "partners" provide services related to dance,such as videography or…
Source: sevendaysvt.com