adf modern dance  
 
 
ADF at a Glance

Heralded as “One of the nation’s most important institutions” (New York Times), the ADF’s sustained record of creative achievement is indivisible from the history of modern dance. Since 1934, the ADF has remained committed to serving the needs of dance, dancers, choreographers, and professionals in dance-related fields. Remaining true to the goals of its founding artists, the ADF’s programs are developed based on its mission: to encourage and support the creation and presentation of new modern dance work by both established and emerging choreographers; to preserve our modern dance heritage through continued presentation of classic works, as well as through archival efforts; to build wider national and international audiences for modern dance; to enhance public understanding and appreciation of the art form and its cultural and historical significance; to provide a sound scientific/aesthetic base for professional education and training of young dancers and a forum for integrating and disseminating information on dance education.

A creative laboratory dedicated to nurturing and sustaining modern dance, the ADF is an international magnet for choreographers, dancers, teachers, critics, musicians and scholars, drawing them together to experiment, explore, learn, collaborate and create in a supportive environment. Students and community members interact directly with luminaries in the field, learning first-hand from those who define modern dance. “The world’s greatest dance festival,” (New York Post) the ADF’s wide range of programs include:

EDUCATION: Professional training programs for dancers, choreographers, and teachers.

    • Six Week School (in 2008 ADF attracted students from 27 countries and 42 states)
    • Four Week School for Young Dancers (ages 12-16)
    • Dance Professionals Workshop
    • January Intensive in New York, a nine-day workshop designed for students interested in learning about New York's dance scene from the artists who are creating it.
    • The first American MFA program in dance between a dance entity, the ADF, and an academic institution, Hollins University. Using the resources of both institutions, the program offers a YearResidency Track for students and Low Residency Track for mid-career artists, teachers and dance professionals.
    • The ADF provides full and partial scholarships to students based on both talent and need. In 2008, 48% of ADF students received financial assistance.

PERFORMANCES: A six and a half-week series of residencies and performances by major established companies as well as emerging artists from around the world.

    • One of the most important functions of the ADF throughout its history has been to provide choreographers with the opportunity to produce new works, many of which are especially commissioned by the ADF.
    • The ADF has played a critical role in increasing the repertoires of our country’s modern dance companies (having been the scene of 613 premieres and 40 reconstructions).
    • The ADF has co-commissioned works with the Kennedy Center for choreographers and jazz composers, joining two indigenous American art forms.
    • The ADF has supported, commissioned and helped launch the careers of choreographers such as Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Alvin Ailey, Bill T. Jones, Mark Morris, Meredith Monk, Pilobolus, Trisha Brown, Donald McKayle, Shen Wei, Ronald K. Brown, Eiko and Koma, Martha Clarke and John Jasperse, among others, most of whom continue to present work at the ADF.
    • Along with our main stage performances, the ADF has presented 65 North Carolina choreographersand their companies in a series titled Acts to Follow (2003-2007), offering audiences a showcase of statewide talent.

AWARDS: Giving status and importance to accomplished dance figures and to the profession itself.

    • For Distinguished Choreographers, the ADF has established the $50,000 Samuel H. Scripps ADF Award for Lifetime Achievement in Modern Dance.
    • For Distinguished Teachers the ADF has established the Balasaraswati/Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching.


NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES: Designed not only for dancers and choreographers but for audience education. It includes special conferences, workshops and projects including:

    • NEA Arts Journalism Institute for Dance Criticism for working journalists
    • Dancing for the Camera: International Festival of Film and Video Dance 
    • Screendance: The State of the Art, a four-day conference on the current state of screendance around the globe was held in 2006 and returned again during the 2008 season.
    • The 2008 International Choreographers Residency Program brought 21 choreographers to the ADF.
    • International Choreographers Commissioning Program (1987-2006)
    • Institutional Linkages Program including mini-ADFs in Korea, Russia, India, Japan and Argentina and teaching residencies in 30 countries. The ADF is currently planning a semi-annual mini-ADF in Shanghai.
    • The ADF has initiated and helped develop modern dance in countries like China, Russia and Mongolia.
    • Since 1984, the ADF has brought more than 426 choreographers from 88 countries on 6 continents to the ADF to share, exchange and experience the work and ideas of people from cultures around the world. 
    • The ADF introduced French, English, Russian and Chinese modern dance and Japanese Butoh among others to US audiences.

COMMUNITY SERVICES: Various public education programs that offer the breadth of the Festival's resources to the community.

    • ADF Project Dance – a year-round program that introduces youth to dance and to the many non-performance career paths available in the performing arts.
    • Up Close with the Artists – a free seminar and panel discussion series featuring choreographers and dancers performing as part of the ADF season.
    • Festival Tours – led by ADF docents, free, guided tours of classes and workshops give community members an opportunity to go behind the scenes.

HUMANITIES AND MEDIA PROJECTS: Various projects that illustrate how modern dance serves as a special window on American history and culture.

    • In conjuncation with its 75th anniversary season, the ADF published a book on dance history by Philosopher-in-Residence, Dr. Gerald E. Myers, titled Who's Not Afraid of Martha Graham?
    • Dancing in the Light, which includes six historic works by African American choreographers, filmed by the ADF to preserve and celebrate the black tradition in modern dance, was created in 2007. Originally recorded for ADF’s 2001 Emmy Award-winning documentary series Free to Dance, the works appeared in the series only as brief excerpts.
    • Emmy Award-winning PBS television series — Free to Dance: The African American Presence in Modern Dance —produced by the ADF, looks at dance as a window on our culture.
    • Black Traditions in American Modern Dance (BTAMD) project was created in 1987 to preserve, celebrate, and create access to classic dance works by African American choreographers. To date, 23 works have been reconstructed on leading U.S. companies and recorded.
    • The ADF has issued a series of humanities publications including but not limited to The Aesthetic and Cultural Significance of Modern Dance (1984), The Black Tradition in American Modern Dance (1988), and its sequel, African American Genius In Modern Dance (1993).
    • Speaking of Dance - Conversations with the Masters – a collaborative video series that offers profiles of preeminent figures in American modern dance.
    • The ADF’s Archival Preservation/Access Project serves to document, preserve, and create greater access to the ADF’s multi-format archival collection that dates back to the 1930s.
    • Workshops, lectures and discussions are held with Duke University faculty from the medical,history, psychology and philosophy departments.