Forza (Power)

Forza Dance’s programs are historically based on the needs of our emerging artist community in NYC. We actively garner feedback through surveys, social media, and word of mouth to create meaningful training and performance opportunities that support artists’ growth. The organization began under a different name (Artist After Hours) in 2020 as an outlet for college students to prepare for their career despite school shut-downs during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. As our community has grown, the organization has evolved to bridge transitions from college to professional, established to professional, and recreational. Our programming supports our mission to make dance more accessible with free to low cost workshops and performances curated for non-artists and artists alike.

We offer workshops with industry professionals to bridge the gap and make information more accessible in our field. Between 2020-2024, we have welcomed guest artists such as Amy Miller, Nicole Von Arx, Jesse Obremski, Cameron Mckinney, Baye & Asa, Thryn Saxon, Maleek Washington, Amadi Washington, Matthew Westerby, and more. These classes are offered for $0-$15, nearly 40% under the NYC average for dance classes. In our efforts to support emerging dance artists, we also offer educational workshops to develop a fully-rounded artist. Workshops include Intro to Personal Finance, Social Media: Discovering Your Personal Brand, Movement Meditation, and Artists as Agents of Change, to name a few. 

Our Three Main Programs:

5 for $5 Class Series: This class series offers individuals a chance to take class weekly for 5 consecutive weeks, building community and accountability within our dance practice. This program has included established and emerging teaching artists of diverse backgrounds and styles, including Nicole von Arx (NVA&Guests), Mikail Ilyin (Ailey School), Mamiko Nakatsugawa, Téa Pérez (Parsons Dance), Maya Addie (Rockettes), Julia Charkles (Hip-hop), Shaquelle Charles (Met Opera), Solange Rodrigues, Madison Elliott (Counter-Technique). These classes are $5/each and allow individuals to access information at affordable costs. We also subsidize individual class packages for individuals of greater need when possible.

BLOOM: Emerging Artist Festival: Our EAF is a culmination of five Emerging Artist Showcases throughout the years. The festival offers 20 choreographers a platform to share new work and take classes from other artists and over 80 dancers with performance and teaching opportunities. These classes and performances are marketed and open to the general public reaching around 200 class participants and audience members. The Tank NYC sponsored our BLOOM festival in December of 2023 where our audience reached individuals from varying backgrounds with ages ranging from 7-70. The festival was accessible to all audiences through inclusive marketing and tiered ticketing options and reached underrepresented communities so that all can be enriched by the arts.

Shindig: a social gathering with dance is our annual performance that breaks barriers of dance presentation by combining performance and reception into one experience. It features the work of emerging artists in a variety of disciplines: dance, music, visual art, etc. The evening features eclectic new work by our Founder and Artistic Director Michaella Barron. In 2024, Shindig will take place September 6-7 at Teatro Latea. We expanded the performance to include two shows to reach a wider audience. The theme for this year’s event is ANCESTRY and features a 50 minute world premiere on the Italian folktale, The Tarantella, with new original compositions by Quinton Nennig. 

Our efforts to reach a wide audience is supported by our participation in performances and festivals around NYC. Performance locations include Gibney, Arts on Site, Greenspace, Triskelion Arts, TADA Theater, Rose Nagelburg Theatre, Bridge For Dance, Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival (San Antonio, TX). The 2024-2025 season is projected to include all of the above offerings at our most heightened experience yet. 

Our creative contribution to the art form is reflected in our intentional programming that supports artists in their physical, mental, emotional, and practical experience in this field. It is reflected in our recurring programs that make dance education more accessible and our recurring performances that aim to create a more sustainable structure for dance viewing. Dance performance is most often experienced by other dancers. Forza Dance is actively trying to expand our audience to reach those who do not identify as artists in NYC. This effort is imperative to our future as an arts organization and our future as artists. We will continue this research this year as we trial new marketing efforts, performance locations, and class styles. Our vision to create a more empathetic field is reflected in the combined personal and professional relationships our staff cultivates with each member of the community. We intend for every individual who comes our way to witness our values of empathy, development, autonomy, transparency, and accessibility.