New York Live Arts

The Merger of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company & Dance Theater Workshop
New York, NY

Founded in 1982, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company (BTJ) is one of the country's leading single-choreographer dance companies, with a 25-week performance season, a busy national and international touring schedule, annual audiences of nearly 60,000, and an operating budget of $3.4 million in fiscal year 2010. Dance Theater Workshop (DTW) was founded in 1965 to support thedevelopment and presentation of contemporary dance. DTW presents 100 performances annually by 45 different companies and artists at its facility on West 19th Street in New York City. Its annual budget is $2.6 million.

The Innovation: BTJ and DTW are merging to create New York Live Arts (NYLA), a new choreographic institution based in DTW's space. An ambitious new model for a producing dance organization, NYLA will focus on the work of the Executive Artistic Director (Jones), as well as that of established, mid-career, emerging artists who are working on a project basis rather than pursuing a traditional "company" model. The new model will fulfill the missions of DTW and BTJ more strategically than either organization could have done alone. It will support a broad spectrum of artists, provide more substantial resources to artists than had been possible at DTW, and give choreographers the help they need to develop specific projects, including residencies, performance opportunities, touring, commissioning, licensing, and fiscal sponsorship.

How did they do it?  Click on the profile image to read about the journey to create a new entity (PDF, 6 pages).

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Posted March 9, 2011