Cabd Inc

CABD INC., AKA CAMILLE A. BROWN & DANCERS ("CABD"), A NEW YORK CITY- BASED, BESSIE AWARD-WINNING PROFESSIONAL DANCE COMPANY, IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO IMPLEMENTING AND ADVANCING THE CREATIVE VISION OF ITS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER, CAMILLE A. BROWN, THE RECIPIENT OF A 2021 ISPAA/INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF THE PERFORMING ARTS DISTINGUISHED ARTIST AWARD, A 2020 DANCE MAGAZINE AWARD AND 2020 OBIE AWARD FOR SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE IN CHOREOGRAPHY. CABD CREATES, PRODUCES, AND PERFORMS BROWN'S CHOREOGRAPHIC/MOVEMENT-BASED WORKS, OFFERS DANCE ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES, AND INVESTIGATES HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL, PERSONAL, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES THROUGH THE ART OF DANCE THEATER, PROVIDING A MULTIFACETED PLATFORM FOR SHARING AND BUILDING UNDERSTANDING OF AND APPRECIATION FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. CABD SEEKS TO FOSTER INTERACTION AND DIALOGUE AMONG DIVERSE COMMUNITIES IN OUR HOME COMMUNITY OF NEW YORK CITY, ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND GLOBALLY. CABD RECLA

IN 2021, DUE TO THE PERSISTENCE OF COVID-19, CABD DID NOT TOUR, BUT INSTEAD ENGAGED IN TWO CREATIVE RESIDENCIES: THE FIRST, A 5-WEEK BUBBLE RESIDENCY AT PS21 IN CHATHAM, NY (FEBRUARY 15-MARCH 21, 2021), WHICH ALLOWED OUR DANCERS AND MUSICIANS TO GATHER FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE START OF THE PANDEMIC; AND A SECOND, TWO-WEEK RESIDENCY AT THE LAKE PLACID CENTER FOR THE ARTS, IN LAKE PLACID, NY, JUNE 20 TO JULY 8, 2021. SHORT VIDEOS OF WORK CREATED DURING THE 1ST RESIDENCY WERE SHARED ONLINE. IN THE FALL OF 2021, THE ORGANIZATION EXPANDED, ADDING FIVE NEW DANCERS TO CABD, WHO IN PREPARATION FOR 2022 TOURING, REHEARSED REPERTORY ROLES ALONGSIDE VETERAN DANCERS. REPERTORY ROLES REHEARSED INCLUDED SECTIONS FROM BROWN'S TRILOGY OF EVENING-LONG WORKS ON RACE, CULTURE, AND IDENTITY--"MR. TOL E. RANCE-; "BLACK GIRL: LINGUISTIC PLAY- AND "INK"--AND THE "TRILOGY REPERTORY PROGRAMS", SPECIALLY CRAFTED EVENINGS OF SELECTIONS FROM BROWN'S "TRILOGY"--ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO BE PERFORMED IN 2021 IN NYC AND ON TOUR, BUT POSTPONED TO 2022 DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. IN ADDITION, THE ORGANIZATION SET ITS REPERTORY ON STUDENTS AT THREE UNIVERSITIES. "CITY OF RAIN", WAS STAGED ON THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON DANCE DEPARTMENT'S CHAMBER DANCE COMPANY, IN SEATTLE, AND AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY'S DANCE DEPARTMENT IN FAIRFAX, VA; "NEW SECOND LINE" WAS STAGED ON NEW YORK UNIVERSITY'S TISCH SCHOOL OF DANCE'S 2ND AVENUE DANCE COMPANY. THESE DANCE PIECES WERE PERFORMED LIVE AT THEIR UNIVERSITIES. AS WELL, CABD DANCERS LED VIRTUAL MASTERCLASSES AT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, USC/KAUFMAN SCHOOL OF DANCE, LA'S BODY TRAFFIC, AND THE NATIONAL DANCE INSTITUTE (NDI). FIVE CABD DANCERS ALSO CHOREOGRAPHED FOUR SEPARATE ZOOM DANCE WORKS FOR NDI'S CELEBRATION TEAM, COMPRISED OF 50 STUDENT DANCERS. THE DANCES WERE PERFORMED VIRTUALLY FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF NDI. AS WELL, THE ORGANIZATION WORKED WITH NON-PROFITS AND A COLLEGE TO PROVIDE ONLINE ACCESS TO THE CABD REPERTORY. GOUCHER COLLEGE (MD) DANCE DEPARTMENT RECEIVED ACCESS TO TWO SCREENINGS OF "BLACK GIRL: LINGUISTIC PLAY", LINCOLN CENTER INSTITUTE'S EDUCATORS RECEIVED ACCESS TO CABD'S MIXED REPERTORY PROGRAM THROUGH JUNE 30, 2021, AND CABD'S "INK: A DANCE FILM" WAS LIVE- STREAMED BY THE APOLLO THEATER ON JUNE 7, 2021 AND REMAINED AVAILABLE ON THE APOLLO THEATER WEBSITE THROUGH AUGUST 7, 2021. IN 2021, THE ORGANIZATION PARTNERED WITH 11 COMMUNITY NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS, ARTS ORGANIZATIONS, AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN NYC AND TWO NATIONAL PARTNERS TO BRING FREE IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL EVERY BODY MOVE (EBM) CREATIVE AND EMPOWERING WORKSHOPS, SOCIAL DANCE CLASSES, AND CONVENINGS TO INDIVIDUALS OF ALL AGES, WITH A FOCUS ON BIPOC YOUTH IN HARLEM, THE BRONX, QUEENS, AND BROOKLYN--WHO LACK ACCESS TO THE ARTS. CABD PROVIDED 180 WORKSHOPS TO NYC AND NYS RESIDENTS, MOSTLY ADOLESCENT GIRLS AND OFFERED 12 EVERY BODY MOVE-AT-HOME, FREE VIRTUAL SOCIAL DANCE CLASSES FOR YOUTH, IN AFROBEAT, AFRO-CARIBBEAN, AND AFRO-HOUSE SOCIAL DANCE STYLES, DECEMBER 7 -DEC 30, 2021. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO HOSTED AN ONLINE/VIRTUAL EDITION OF "THE GATHERING"-- A NETWORKING AND LEARNING EVENT, WITH A FOCUS ON BLACK AND BROWN FEMALE DANCEMAKERS AND DANCE ARTISTS--WITH SESSIONS RUNNING APRIL 20-MAY 5, 2021. CABD'S VIRTUAL SCHOOL, SOCIAL DANCE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE, WHICH ENGAGES AND CONNECTS A BROAD COMMUNITY OF DANCE ARTISTS, SCHOLARS, STUDENTS, AND THOSE SEEKING DEEPER KNOWLEDGE OF BLACK AESTHETIC CULTURE THROUGH AN EXPLORATION OF THE RICH HISTORY OF MOVEMENT AND MUSIC ORIGINATING FROM THE AFRICAN DIASPORA, OFFERED 19 FREE ARTIST/SCHOLAR LECTURES. THESE LECTURES UPLIFTED THE "INDIGENOUS DANCES" OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA FROM "PATTIN JUBA- AND THE BUZZARD DANCE, TO LINDY HOP AND HIP HOP, ALONGSIDE AFRO-CARIBBEAN DANCES AND THEIR WEST AFRICAN ROOTS, AND POST-MODERN BLACK AESTHETICS. NOTED SCHOLARS AND FAMED ARTIST/PRACTITIONERS SPEAKING AS PART OF THE SERIES-- INCLUDING DR. BRENDA DIXON GOTTSCHILD, EVA YAA ASENTEWAA, ISHMAEL HOUSTON- JONES, DEXTER JONES, AND MARLIES YEARBY--GAVE CONTEXT TO THE HISTORY OF SOCIAL DANCE AND AFRICAN DIASPORA MOVEMENT FORMS, WHILE SHINING A LIGHT ON UNDERAPPRECIATED AND/OR LITTLE-KNOWN BLACK ARTISTS. COMPLEMENTING THE LECTURE SERIES WERE SOCIAL DANCE CLASS SERIES ON SPECIFIC STYLES--AFROBEAT, AFRO-CUBAN, HIP HOP, TAP--OFFERING OUTLETS FOR CREATIVITY, MOVEMENT, WELLNESS, AND STRESS-RELIEF, AS WELL AS TRAINING FOR PROFESSIONAL AND PRE-PROFESSIONAL DANCERS. IN 2021, THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDED 13 FREE ONLINE SOCIAL DANCE CLASSES FOR ADULTS, LED BY CABD DANCERS AND 1 GUEST TEACHER. THE ONLINE SCHOOL ALSO ENCOMPASSES CABD'S EMERGING ARTIST MENTORSHIP PROGRAM, WHICH WAS LAUNCHED IN FEBRUARY 2021. IN 2021, 28 MENTEES WERE ACCEPTED INTO THE PROGRAM; EACH MENTEE WAS PAIRED WITH A CABD DANCER OR ALUM, WHO MENTORED THE EMERGING ARTIST OVER A 3-MONTH PERIOD. MENTEES ARE ACCEPTED INTO THE PROGRAM THROUGH AN ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS. IN 2021, APPROXIMATELY 45,000 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN AND/OR VIEWED OUR VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING. THE ORGANIZATION'S PROGRAMS ARE SUPPORTED PRIMARILY BY GRANTS, CONTRIBUTIONS, STAGING FEES, AND PERFORMANCE FEES, WHEN TOURING IS POSSIBLE.