New York Live Arts

New York Live Arts
Name	New York Live Arts
Formation	2002
Type	Nonprofit arts organization
Location	New York City
Key people	David Dorfman, Bill T. Jones, Arlene Hutton

New York Live Arts is a multidisciplinary performing arts organization based in Manhattan known for contemporary dance, performance, and choreography. Founded through the merger of prominent companies and venues, it has presented a wide array of commissions, residencies, and festivals that connect choreographers, theatre makers, composers, visual artists, and film artists. The organization functions as a producing presenter, rehearsal hub, and laboratory for experimental work, attracting collaborations with institutions and artists across the United States and internationally.

History

New York Live Arts emerged from the legacy of ensembles and institutions associated with figures such as Bill T. Jones and organizations like Dance Theater Workshop and Dance Theater of Harlem's contemporaries, with early relationships involving artists from Merce Cunningham, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Martha Graham, and Trisha Brown. In the 1990s and 2000s the New York performing arts landscape included venues like The Joyce Theater, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, and festivals such as Jacob's Pillow, Vail Dance Festival, and BAM that shaped residency and touring practices. Major commissions and premieres involved choreographers and directors who had worked alongside Twyla Tharp, Pina Bausch, Sasha Waltz, Ohad Naharin, Shannon Gillen and collaborators from theatre companies like The Wooster Group and Rinde Eckert's peers. The institution adapted to changes following financial pressures affecting non-profit presenters during periods that also impacted New York Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and private donors associated with foundations such as Ford Foundation and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Facilities and Venues

The organization operates performance and rehearsal spaces located in Manhattan near neighborhoods associated with performing arts activity such as Chelsea, Manhattan, Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, and cultural corridors connecting to Hudson Yards and Chelsea Piers. Its theaters and studios are equipped to host companies linked to choreographers from William Forsythe, Christopher Wheeldon, David Parsons, Jirí Kylián, and collaborators from opera houses like the Metropolitan Opera as well as contemporary presenters such as The Kitchen, Irondale Center for Theatre, and Danspace Project. The facility has served touring producers with technical needs similar to those of BAM and presenters that work with orchestras including the New York Philharmonic and experimental spaces like La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club.

Programs and Productions

Programming encompasses seasons of repertory, commissions, premieres, curated festivals, and co-productions with entities such as New York City Center, American Dance Festival, On the Boards, National Dance Project, and international festivals like Festival d'Avignon. Productions have featured collaborations with composers and musicians affiliated with Bang on a Can, Kronos Quartet, Philip Glass, Max Richter, and performers associated with Merce Cunningham alumni and companies from Europe and Asia. The organization supports new choreographic work by artists from networks including Danspace Project at St. Mark's Church, Movement Research, P.S. 122, and presenters such as KoFestival Prague and Tanz im August. It also curates retrospective programs referencing works by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, Matteo Fargion collaborators, and site-specific pieces akin to commissions seen at Governor's Island and Public Art Fund projects.

Artistic Leadership and Staff

Leadership has involved prominent practitioners and administrators who collaborated with institutions such as New York University, Columbia University, Juilliard School, and Princeton University through guest residencies and academic partnerships. Artistic directors, choreographers, executive directors, and producers associated with the organization have professional networks including David Dorfman, Bill T. Jones, Sally Berger, and managers with backgrounds at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Theatre Communications Group, Dance/USA, and foundations like The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Technical directors, production managers, and curators often hail from ensembles and companies such as Paul Taylor Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and independent collectives that tour through presenters like FringeArts and CalPerformances.

Education and Community Engagement

The organization offers education and community engagement initiatives that partner with schools and institutions such as Public School 1 (P.S. 1), Hunter College, City College of New York, Brooklyn College, and community organizations including Lincoln Center Education and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs programs. Outreach includes master classes, internships, artist residencies, and public workshops involving teaching artists from companies linked to Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey, and contemporary choreographers who have taught at The Juilliard School and Point Park University. Collaborative projects have been undertaken with cultural partners like Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, New Museum, and neighborhood-based initiatives similar to those of Harlem Stage and Sundance Institute satellite programs.

Funding and Governance

Funding sources draw from a combination of earned revenue, philanthropic support, and grants from entities such as the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The Rockefeller Foundation, and private donors connected to family foundations like the Guggenheim Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York. Governance is overseen by a board of directors and executive leadership with experience from organizations including The Joyce Theater, BAM, Dance/USA, Theatre Communications Group, and university arts administration offices at NYU Steinhardt and Columbia Business School arts initiatives. The organization has navigated fiscal and operational strategy issues similar to other non-profit presenters that engage in touring, commissioning, and venue management.

Category:Performing arts organizations in New York City