CUNY Dance Initiative Expands Opportunities with New Residency Partners
Our take
The CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI) is making significant strides in expanding its reach and impact within the New York City dance community, particularly with its announcement of new partnerships with Works & Process and The Pocantico Center for the 2025-26 season. This initiative not only provides critical creative residencies for local choreographers and dance companies on CUNY college campuses but also catalyzes a broader dialogue about the importance of accessible arts education and community engagement. As we reflect on the implications of these partnerships, it becomes clear that CDI is not just nurturing talent; it is fostering a culture of inclusivity and resilience within the performing arts.
The core mission of CDI, which serves 14 colleges across the five boroughs, is to create spaces where NYC-based dance artists can thrive. In an era where the arts often struggle for funding and visibility, CDI addresses these challenges head-on. By forging alliances with esteemed organizations like Works & Process and The Pocantico Center, CDI is enhancing its collaborative ethos and furthering its commitment to building audiences for dance. This is particularly relevant in light of recent discussions surrounding the importance of arts education in schools and communities, as highlighted in articles like Dance takes center stage in Lincoln Center’s ‘Summer for the City’. Initiatives that broaden access to dance not only enrich the cultural fabric of our communities but also empower individuals, helping them to find their voices through movement.
Moreover, the CDI's expansion reflects a larger trend towards recognizing the vital role that dance plays in personal and communal expression. As the world grapples with issues of identity, mental health, and societal change, dance emerges as a vital outlet for self-exploration and connection. This is echoed in the narrative found in Book review: Gavin Larsen and Gene Schiavone’s ‘Infinite Steps: Thirty-three Dancers and Their Lives in Ballet’. The stories of dancers—each unique yet interconnected—highlight the transformative power of dance, reiterating that it is not just an art form but a means of building community and fostering connection.
As CDI continues to evolve, it will be essential to monitor how these new partnerships influence the landscape of dance in New York City and beyond. Will they lead to innovative works that challenge traditional narratives? Will they help bridge the gap between established artists and emerging talent, creating a more vibrant and diverse dance community? The answers to these questions will shape the future of dance in our urban landscape and potentially inspire similar initiatives in other cities.
Ultimately, the CUNY Dance Initiative is not just about providing space for artists; it represents a commitment to nurturing creativity, fostering inclusivity, and celebrating the power of dance as a vehicle for change. As we look ahead, one can only hope that these collaborations will yield fresh perspectives and invigorate the dance community, reminding us all of the beauty and significance of artistic expression in our lives.
The CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI), an expansive program providing New York City choreographers and dance companies with creative residencies on CUNY college campuses, announces new partnerships with Works & Process and The Pocantico Center in 2025-26.
The core of CDI’s mission is providing NYC-based dance artists with residencies on CUNY campuses – currently 14 colleges across the five boroughs. As CDI has taken root, partnerships beyond the CUNY system have become integral to CDI’s collaborative ethos and commitment to expanding opportunities for artists while building audiences for dance.
New partnerships with Works & Process and The Pocantico Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund for the current residency cycle (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026) will each provide an artist with a week-long residency outside of New York City, in addition to a CDI studio residency that runs through June 2026. Works & Process and the Queens College review panel jointly selected whacking artist Nubian Néné, awarding her a CDI residency at Queens College and a Works & Process residency at Bethany Arts Community (Ossining, NY) in May 2026. In addition to her CDI rehearsal at Brooklyn College, Kayla Farrish has been invited for a residency at The Pocantico Center (Tarrytown, NY) in February 2026 and will present a work-in-process showing at the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center on February 26, 2026.
“Providing time and space for artists to engage in the creative process is at the core of Pocantico’s mission,” said Elly Weisenberg Kelly, manager of public programs and residencies at The Pocantico Center. “Partnering with CDI to expand access for dancers and choreographers outside of New York City is an important step in offering expanded opportunities in the field.”
These new partnerships build upon CDI’s other successful collaborations with arts organizations. CDI’s Arts & Social Justice Residency, established in 2021 with Brooklyn College and Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX), is welcoming its third artist this cycle: Chrybaby Cozie and The Breakfast Club E.A.T., led by Daniel Holloway, the Harlem-born pioneer of the Hip-Hop freestyle genre called Lite-Feet. In Staten Island, CDI has partnered with Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden since 2018, and in Queens, York College has been teaming up with Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning since 2021.
The CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI) marked a decade of supporting the NYC dance field in 2024. The program was developed in response to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s 2010 report, “We Make Do,” which cited how destabilizing the shortage of affordable rehearsal space in New York City is to the dance sector. A successful pilot supporting residencies on four CUNY campuses in 2013 led to CDI’s formal launch in 2014. Since then, CDI has become a key player in New York City’s performing arts ecosystem, leading a consortium of 14 CUNY colleges and four arts organizations to host 20+ residencies for NYC choreographers and dance companies each year. In the past 11 years, CDI has granted 275 residencies to emerging and established choreographers, providing invaluable resources to artists, while enhancing CUNY students’ education and cultural experiences. Visit www.cuny.edu/danceinitiative to learn more.
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