Battery Dance Company

Battery Dance Company
Name	Battery Dance Company
Formed	1976
Founder	Jonathan Hollander
Headquarters	New York City
Genre	Contemporary dance

Battery Dance Company is a contemporary dance ensemble based in New York City known for site-specific work, cultural diplomacy, and community engagement. The company has performed at venues ranging from Battery Park to international festivals, collaborating with artists, institutions, and governments across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Its activities span repertory performance, education, film, and cross-cultural projects that connect to diplomatic, artistic, and civic institutions.

History

Founded in 1976 by choreographer Jonathan Hollander, the company emerged amid the postmodern dance scene in New York, intersecting with figures and institutions such as Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, Judson Dance Theater, and Lincoln Center. Early seasons included performances at venues like Battery Park, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and New York City Center, and engagements linked to organizations such as National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, and Dance Theater Workshop. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the company expanded international ties, touring to festivals including Jacob's Pillow, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Avignon Festival, and collaborating with cultural agencies such as the United States Information Agency and later the U.S. Department of State. Major historical milestones include site-specific commissions, responses to civic events in Lower Manhattan, and partnerships with institutions like New-York Historical Society, Battery Park City Authority, and university programs at Columbia University and New York University.

Repertoire and Productions

The repertory encompasses works by Jonathan Hollander and guest choreographers, performed in theaters and public spaces such as City Hall Park, Times Square, and waterfront sites near Statue of Liberty vistas. Signature productions blend narrative, contemporary technique, and multimedia collaboration with composers, visual artists, and filmmakers connected to entities like Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. The company has staged evening-length works, site-specific pieces, and film-dance hybrids, often commissioning scores from composers associated with New World Symphony, Juilliard School, and ensembles like Bang on a Can. Repertoire collaborations have included guest artists from companies such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Staatsballett Berlin, and contemporary choreographers linked to Batsheva Dance Company and Cloud Gate Dance Theater.

Dance Education and Outreach

Battery Dance’s education programs serve students and communities through school residencies, workshops, and curriculum projects partnering with organizations like Department of Education (New York City), Smithsonian Institution, and university dance departments at Sarah Lawrence College and Barnard College. Outreach initiatives have engaged cultural organizations such as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, local community centers, and youth arts groups similar to The 92nd Street Y and American Dance Festival. The company provides pedagogy connecting technique, choreography, and cultural history, collaborating with artists from institutions like New York City Ballet and conservatories such as The Ailey School.

International Programs and Cultural Diplomacy

Battery Dance is noted for sustained international programming in countries including India, Japan, China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and South Korea, often in collaboration with diplomatic missions, cultural ministries, and festivals like Sapporo Festival, Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, and national performing arts centers. Projects have involved partnerships with the U.S. Department of State cultural exchange programs, local ministries such as Ministry of Culture (India), and international NGOs, producing cross-cultural residencies, workshops, and performances that connect to institutions including Tata Group cultural initiatives and municipal theaters. The company’s diplomacy work has involved exchanges with artists from Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Noh, and contemporary Asian companies such as Bangarra Dance Theatre and Cloud Gate Dance Theater, fostering dialogue with universities like Jawaharlal Nehru University and cultural centers like Asia Society.

Organization and Leadership

Led by founder and artistic director Jonathan Hollander, the company’s administrative and artistic teams have worked with boards, donors, and institutional partners including foundations like Guggenheim Foundation, Ford Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and corporate supporters associated with civic agencies in New York City. Leadership has encompassed collaborations with executive directors, rehearsal directors, and guest choreographers drawn from institutions such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Royal Ballet School, and university arts administrators from Yale School of Drama and Columbia University School of the Arts. Organizational activities extend to film production, archival partnerships with museums such as the Library of Congress and performance documentation involving media outlets like PBS and The New York Times.

Critical Reception and Awards

Critics in outlets including The New York Times, The Village Voice, Dance Magazine, and The Guardian have reviewed the company’s performances, noting its site-specific innovation and cross-cultural projects. Awards and honors have come from arts organizations and government bodies such as the National Endowment for the Arts, City of New York, and international cultural prizes tied to festivals and ministries. The company’s recognition includes commissioning grants, touring awards, and citations from cultural institutions paralleling honors given by Kennedy Center affiliates and academic fellowships from universities like Harvard University and Princeton University.

Category:Dance companies in New York City