WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE'RE DOING

ShaLeigh Dance Works is a dance-theatre company that believes in the power of diversity and challenging the status quo. Our mission is to create dance-theatre work with social integrity and engagement programs with impact. We believe that what we do in the studio can positively affect the world outside. With an uncompromising focus on artistic excellence, nurturing artists, and designing programs to empower at-risk communities, we aim to provide a concrete example of how dance can transform people’s lives and enrich society.

As we launch our 5th season in North Carolina, we are excited to be celebrating record growth in our programs and achievements. Last season we produced over 20 public performances, 4 touring productions, 9 commissioned works, 40 donation-only community classes, and 28 masterclasses and workshops. We celebrated the recognition of Artistic Director ShaLeigh Comerford as the recipient of the 2018 Ella Pratt Fountain Emerging Artist Award, the 2018-19 Mary Duke Biddle Foundation Grant Award, and 4 sold-out shows with critical acclaim and standing ovations for the World Premiere of Bamboo Wind. 

Each year, ShaLeigh Dance Works creates engagement programs designed to empower marginalized populations and enrich our community. Our 2019-2020 season has forged a new partnership with Reality Center to provide weekly movement classes for teens and adults with developmental disabilities. We are committed to bringing mixed-ability movers to professional stages and are elated to have begun leading panel discussions on making dance inclusive and welcoming to people with disabilities. SDW aims to increase its number of engagement programs by building new relationships with people and organizations around the country that align with our goals and mission. We believe the work we do together can create positive change in the world. When you support us, you are also supporting the causes we work closely with.

HOW YOUR HELP IMPACTS US

You help us to keep powerful art experiences at the center of a broader conversation about cultural values and the intellectual, aesthetic, and social purpose of making art. On behalf of everyone at ShaLeigh Dance Works, we are so thankful for the part you play in making this happen.

As an independent dance company, we are financially responsible for all the inner-workings that make our shows and outreach programs a success. Your donation will also help us cover costs associated with creating a successful season and the individuals behind it.

Your donation will support 15 collaborators associated with our 2019-2020 season,

This past year, we have grown exponentially as a company and as artists. The opportunities before us have grown tremendously and present more ambitious programming, staffing, and planning to strengthen our foundations. The magnitude of these opportunities require significantly more rehearsal time, financial support, and strategic planning. Our artists and staff donate countless hours to uphold and sustain our vision. This demonstrates our incredible passion for this work, but it does not demonstrate it's value. Broader economic trends such as rising costs of living, greater income inequality, high levels of debt, and insufficient protections for “gig economy” workers are putting increasing pressure on artists’ livelihoods. These challenges are widely seen in our community with its current revitalization and affordable housing crisis. Artists are facing unique challenges in accessing and aggregating capital to build sustainable lives. We are committed to carving a path not just for ourselves but for all artists working to sustain themselves. We are working diligently to problem solve and need your help to make our dream a reality. We aim to pave a new way for artists that demonstrates their value within a current art ecosystem that does not support them. We feel every success on behalf of these efforts will contribute to creating a greater sustained impact on our community’s artistic vitality.

We truly believe that we are in deep need of work that affirms and promotes a sense of community, empathy, and connection; work that restores us, reminds us that we’re human, and connects us to one another again. We believe that by investing in our efforts, we can discover new possibilities and can begin to engage in a different dialogue about what it means to be an artist, how valuable it is, how we can affect change, and how we can contribute to our universal human experience. I am keeping faith that individuals who are able to join us in this endeavor will do so. Our annual fundraising campaign sustains these efforts and by making a commitment to contribute, you are making a powerful statement of advocacy for the arts that is deeply meaningful in today's world.

Your support directly impacts the power of bringing the arts to the lives of others and sustains our artists, staff members, and programs. Here's how:

A dynamic cultural sector is a catalyst for growth, attracting and retaining businesses and visitors. By supporting ShaLeigh Dance Works’ programming, you are supporting opportunities with meaningful and sustainable impact for both individuals and communities!