A groundbreaking model for support in the dance field, the CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI) provides rehearsal and performance opportunities for New York City based dance companies and choreographers at 13 CUNY campuses across the five boroughs. At a time when rising real estate prices are challenging the city’s ability to serve as a creative incubator, with space – an essential resource for making dance – in waning supply, CDI provides access to studios and stages at CUNY campuses for creating, rehearsing, and performing. Few dance companies in New York have a permanent location, and most rent rehearsal space by the hour at independent studios, which is expensive; performance venues are more costly and in even greater limited supply.
The CUNY Dance Initiative is directly addressing this issue. Led by the City University of New York – NYC’s public university system and the largest urban university network in the country – CDI is an innovative residency program that connects institutions of higher learning with professional dance artists.
CDI is administered through Queens College’s Kupferberg Center for the Arts, with Jeff Rosenstock, Executive Director of KCA (and Assistant Vice President for External Affairs and Governmental Relations) and Julia del Palacio, Director of Strategic Partnerships, providing overall guidance and administrative support.
Â