LONG ISLAND DANCE CONSORTIUM HISTORY

MISSION STATEMENT

LIDC is a non-profit organization consisting of members of the Long Island dance community, committed to provide education, awareness and understanding of all forms of dance in order to expand and cultivate the dance audience on Long Island.

Brief History

The Long Island Dance Consortium (LIDC) membership is composed of presenters, dance professionals, dance companies, dance advocates, arts councils, universities and dance related groups. The goal of the LIDC is to keep dance alive and kicking on Long Island. The LIDC was founded by the Huntington Arts Council with funding from the New York State Dance Force and the New York State Council on the Arts.

In 1998 a group of dance professionals joined forces to develop an organization that l meet the needs of the dance community and determine how to better serve the diverse dance communities in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. From 1998-2001, the group held quarterly meetings in various locations in both Counties and invited dance organizations to join. Meetings were held at Stony Brook University, Huntington Arts Council, Mill Pond House, Inter Media Arts Center, and Adelphi University and at members’ offices. Consultants who were instrumental in developing dance consortiums throughout other regions in New York State were invited to these meetings to help the membership define their mission and goals and offer information about the how to build a structure for the organization. The time was used to gather information, develop a needs assessment, and a component that would raise the bar of dance education. An important objective of the LIDC was to develop a forum for young, aspiring dancers and professionals to work together in a non - competitive environment. It was important to address all the needs of these varied arts organization who came from a large diverse geographical area. With careful gathering of information we began to bring the dance community together by creating a festival entitled “Celebration of Dance”. The foundation of the organization was established and a festival where the member companies would be able to work together. The Festival was a beginning layer to build the organization’s foundation and has continued for the past seven years.