Battery Dance Corporation
Artisically Excellent. Socially Relevant.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Battery Dance aims to create lasting social impact by increasing human understanding through dance.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Arts in Education
Week-long creative dance workshops (Dancing to Connect), in-school performances, lecture demonstrations, master-classes, and international guest visiting artists in NYC Public High Schools.
Battery Dance Festival
New York City's longest running public dance festival. Presented since 1982, the Festival has presented hundreds of dance companies and thousands of dancers to the public, free of charge. Supplemental activities include master-classes with international guest artists and 'Everybody Dance Now' segment at the end of each Festival day.
New York Season + Performance Series
Annual presentation of new work created by Battery Dance with free matinee performances offered to New York City public school students. In addition, studio showings and salon performances throughout the year are provided to the general public.
Dancing to Connect International
Battery Dance serves as a cultural ambassador for the United States, utilizing dance as a tool for diplomacy in over 60 countries worl-wide. The Dancing to Connect program has been used for conflict resolution, ending gender-based violence, combating xenophobia and racism, empowering the marginalized, and building bridges between communities.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Battery Dance envisions a time when the universal expression of dance will ignite a movement across geographic, social and cultural boundaries to improve people’s quality of life.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Battery Dance utilizes an array of programs to accomplish its goals. The Battery Dance Festival showcases a diverse array of dance companies from around the world to the NYC community free of charge every year. The Dancing to Connect program, which is implemented internationally and in NYC public schools, uses dance creativity workshops and performance to build confidence, teamwork and listening skills, leadership, and understanding among participants and audience members. As a service to the greater performing arts community, the Studio Share Program provides low-cost rehearsal space to other groups, while the Cultural Diplomacy Toolkit provides free access to all the details of Battery Dance's international tours. Our New York season, which presents Battery Dance's new choreographic works, provides audiences a chance to see the artistry of the Company, while engaging them in though provoking repertoire inspired by our work in the United States and abroad. Finally, our Combating Islamophobia program tours the United States to build bridges with artists from the Middle East.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Battery Dance is a leader in dance for social impact programming. With a 41+ year track-record, the Company has shown time and again its dedication to Artistic Excellence and Social Relevance and to impact, innovation, and to tackling some of the most urgent social issues of our time.This is why Battery Dance continues to be supported through grants from local, state, and federal agencies, international governments, and major foundations and corporations.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Battery Dance has been to over 70 countries worldwide and has impacted over 10,000 youth internationally and over 70,000 audience members. In New York city, free dance education programs have been provided to nearly 300,000 students and 500,000 audience members. The studio share program services 400 performing arts organizations per year.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Battery Dance Corporation
Board of directorsas of 08/22/2023
Dr Helena Kane-Finn
International Federation of Business and Professional Women at the United Nations
Helena Kane Finn
Judi Kilachand
Jonathan Hollander
Jody Rasch
Samantha Sherman
Francisco Cazal
Patricia Donohue
Laura Entwistle
Audrey Rohan
Mimi Shih
Viktor Sidabras
Nancy Huston
Svati Kania
Shari Krikorian
Rita Lai
Kalpesh Mehta
Ginelle Baugh
Beth Nardi
Carol Whittaker
Jennifer Routhier
Amal Haque
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/04/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.