The American Composers Forum (ACF) recently announced nine grants totallying $40,000 in support of "Live Music for Dance Minnesota." The U of M's Theatre Arts and Dance department is well represented among those honored. In fact, three of the nine awards went to projects headed by dance faculty members leading professional companies: Ananya Dance Theatre, Shapiro & Smith Dance, and Black Label Movement (BLM).
Ananya Dance Theatre, lead by Ananya Chatterjea, was awarded funds to work with composer Greg Schutte, and Joanie Smith of Shapiro & Smith Dance will hire live musicians for upcoming projects through their ACF award. UMTAD Chair and BLM choreographer Carl Flink will collaborate with composer Greg Brosofske with ACF funding for composer/choreographer teams.
