Black Dance Change Makers
Empowering Black dancers everywhere.
$5K for 5 Years: Practice Made Power
Put power behind practice—support Black dancers organizing for our people.
United States
We began as a small circle of Black dancers who refused to choose between our art and our people. In rupture, we built a political home where breath meets resistance, rehearsal is strategy, and care is power. Five years later, Black Dance Change Makers is still that home—bigger, braver, and building together. We’re raising $5,000 to keep this practice resourced and in motion.
What your gift powers now:
We study together. We train together. We move from analysis to action. HOMIES builds political praxis, community, consensus, and care—then plugs members into campaigns that help them shift their material conditions. We organize Black dancers at the scale of trust and accountability.
Summer Untensive
Two days where studio meets strategy. Workshops, panels, and skill-shares become timelines, partners, and next steps. People arrive as artists and leave as organizers with tools they can use tomorrow.
Campaigns & Projects
Member-led and needs-driven, our campaigns are co-designed with the people most affected and grounded in care and accountability. #Shrinkage, for example, is our study on Black hair and dance. Early findings sparked a strong response, and we’ve begun new collaborations with choreographers, educational institutions, and presenters to help shape the future of this work.
Political Education (P.E.)
P.E. is how we build clarity, courage, and power. At BDCM, we curate conversations, discussions, and workshops on what they don’t teach in school—history, strategy, and care centered in the Black experience. Our Book Club, study circles, and teach-ins connect dance to labor, education, health, abolition, and more. We learn in public and carry ideas from the page into rehearsals, meetings, and campaigns.
P.E. is how we build clarity, courage, and power. At BDCM, we curate conversations, discussions, and workshops on what they don’t teach in school—history, strategy, and care centered in the Black experience. Our Book Club, study circles, and teach-ins connect dance to labor, education, health, abolition, and more. We learn in public and carry ideas from the page into rehearsals, meetings, and campaigns.
Our Growing Community:
Our plan for your gift:
This $5K is General Operating Support that keeps the engine running:
- Seed money for 2026 campaigns and projects—so members can test ideas, run pilots, and build momentum
- Stipends for Guest Speakers and BDCM Team members working under our equal-pay policy—prepping trainings, facilitating cohorts, and supporting members.
- Programs + apps that connect us and move the work forward (event, comms, file-sharing, design, and meeting tools).
Why This Matters + The Next 5 Years:
Cultural work is political work.
When Black dancers are trusted and resourced with time, training, community, and tools, we build power—on stage and off.
Over the next 5 years, we're focused on depth, not hype—building durable power through:
- More members onboarded through HOMIES cohorts and leadership pathways.
- Untensive expansion to additional cities and partner spaces.
- Campaign capacity with identifiable shifts in the industry and community
- Year-round political education (for the HOMIES, but also open to our larger community).
- More tools created and published so our learnings travel further, faster.
If you’ve felt a room shift when Black dancers take a full breath, back that power now.
Give today. Share widely. Build with us.
Every dollar strengthens this home and seeds our shared future.
Rewards
Anniversary Circle
Donate $555.00 or more
Amount over $75.00 is tax-deductible.
Top-tier support with the Limited-Edition 5-Year Embroidered Denim Jacket and an Impact shout-in in our 5-Year Impact Report.
Includes all Movement Mobilizer perks.
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Spark
Donate $15.00 or more
Amount is fully tax-deductible.
A spark that keeps our tools free and our circle growing. You’ll receive a digital thank-you for fueling the work.
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Study Buddy
Donate $55.00 or more
Amount is fully tax-deductible.
Study with us. Get a wallpaper pack, our BDCM Anniversary Playlist, and a “5 Essential Readings” PDF.
Includes all Spark perks.
Includes all Spark perks.
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Power Builder
Donate $125.00 or more
Amount is fully tax-deductible.
Step up as a Power Builder with an Honor Roll listing in our 5-Year Impact Report.
Includes all Study Buddy perks.
Includes all Study Buddy perks.
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Movement Mobilizer
Donate $255.00 or more
Amount over $25.00 is tax-deductible.
Move the work forward and receive our Anniversary Embroidered Hat while helping resource trainings, campaigns, and community tools.
Includes all Power Builder perks.
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