On May 3, Linda Yudin celebrated her birthday with family and friends over coffee, only to be met with unsettling news later that afternoon when she learned that her dance company, Viver Brasil, had lost a $20,000 grant.
This grant was part of a larger set of cuts the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced, terminating funding for 30 arts organizations in Los Angeles just the night before.
Yudin, who serves as the founding artistic director for Viver Brasil, expressed her frustration, saying, “Was I mad? Yes, I was mad. I was really angry. We were all really angry because it slows our process down.”
The funding was earmarked to support staff salaries and artist fees for a national tour of their production, “Rezas e Folhas (Prayers and Leaves),” directed by co-artistic director Vera Passos.
Through a blend of Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous dance with experimental choreography, the piece addresses urgent themes such as the climate crisis and social change, particularly relevant to the ongoing conversations in Los Angeles.
As a result of the grant loss, Viver Brasil is now reassessing their tour plans, potentially performing in smaller venues or reducing the cast size.
Despite these setbacks, Yudin voiced her pride in being part of the resilient and creative dance community, adding, “We dance hard, we fight hard, and that’s what we do.”
Dance, considered one of the most underfunded segments within the arts, faces significant economic challenges, which have been exacerbated by recent funding cuts.
Raélle Dorfan, executive director of Los Angeles’ Dance Resource Center, pointed out that limited funding sources make it harder for organizations to maintain operational integrity and audience engagement.
“We’re really in the middle right now of compounding crises,” Gustavo Herrera, chief executive of Arts for LA, stated. “It’s really a state of emergency for arts organizations.”
The NEA’s funding suspension has not only affected Viver Brasil; many arts organizations nationwide are grappling with the fallout from similar grant terminations.
Several Los Angeles organizations, including Dance Camera West, reported receiving notices about the termination of their grants, which often led to cuts in jobs and programming.
Executive director Kelly Hargraves of Dance Camera West highlighted the uncertainty, stating, “For an organization our size, you have to be so nimble. Because we’re dancers, we know how to pivot. And we have to pivot every single year based on which grant we did get and didn’t get, and change what we’re doing and not doing.”
After receiving a termination notice for a $15,000 grant, Hargraves found herself in a difficult position.
She had already allocated the funds and expressed worries about the organization’s future financial landscape, leading her to cut a project that supports the creation of new dance films from underrepresented artists for the upcoming Dance Camera West festival.
“I was joking that I should basically just take my old applications and put the word ‘not’ in front of everything because it’s a very DEI program,” Hargraves said.
Meanwhile, L.A. Dance Project, founded by acclaimed choreographer Benjamin Millepied, is awaiting a significant grant decision on a $66,744 application that would support their residency for emerging artists.
This program, entitled Launch:LA, provides crucial resources such as rehearsal space and stipends for new projects.
The NEA funding would allow for the scaling of the project to a biannual offering, enhancing the program’s capacity to support more artists annually.
Despite the uncertain funding landscape, Rachelle Rafailedes Mucha, who directs the foundation and government grants for L.A. Dance Project, remains committed to advocating for arts funding.
“To get this kind of news and see our colleagues experiencing this sort of rug being pulled out from underneath them, it’s difficult,” she remarked.
Increasing payroll expenses pose yet another challenge for smaller dance organizations. Legislation like AB5, enacted in 2020, complicates the classification of arts workers as independent contractors versus employees, leading to higher operational costs.
The Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund (PAEPF), designed to assist performing arts companies in adapting to these changes, had significant budgetary tension this year.
Though Gov. Gavin Newsom initially proposed cuts to the $11.5 million fund, it was ultimately restored, but not without complications surrounding allocation and demand.
Hargraves, currently on a hiatus from Dance Camera West to cut down on administrative expenses, expressed hope that the PAEPF would allow her to return to a salaried position.
“[The PAEPF] would make it feasible for me to be on salary again,” she said.
In addition to challenges with federal funding, L.A. county’s Department of Arts and Culture saw a $1.7 million budget cut this month, which impacted various grant programs, including ones focused on community engagement in the arts.
At least 17 dance companies reported they may lose their operational funding due to these county-level cuts.
Yudin noted that while Viver Brasil was grateful for the past grants received from the county, she emphasized the need for more sustained financial support.
“Is it enough? I think we all recognize that it is not enough, but it is an important recognition, and we appreciate that very much,” she commented.
Similar to the county, Los Angeles’ Department of Cultural Affairs faced proposed cuts, but funding was preserved in the final budget, which helped support local arts organizations.
However, the overall narrative surrounding funding cuts reveals far-reaching implications beyond the arts. According to Herrera, arts organizations contribute significantly to the community by supporting jobs across various sectors.
“For every 100 performing arts jobs, there were an additional 156 jobs supported in other sectors,” Herrera explained.
He urged elected officials to better support the arts, recognizing that the vitality of local economies is intertwined with the health of cultural institutions.
Another arts organization facing uncertainty is Anaheim Ballet, which missed out on a $10,000 NEA grant aimed at supporting its afterschool program for underprivileged children.
Executive director Lawrence Rosenberg stated that the ballet will strive to keep the program alive, relying now on private donations and other grants to support their mission.
“We just want to make sure they’re able to dance if they want to. There are kids, young people, that do want to, and it’s prohibitive for many families that are struggling just to make ends meet,” Rosenberg said.
Highlighting the broader impact, Rosenberg emphasized, “Our go-to slogan is ‘Anaheim Ballet: more than dance.’ The point is we think that people respond to something in ballet when it’s more than dance — when you’re seeing persistence and hope and effort and things that we can all relate to.”
image source from：latimes
