BIPOC Professional Dancer Mentorship

Midday Movement Series is thrilled to launch BIPOC Professional Dancer Mentorship, a mentorship program supporting early-career BIPOC professional contemporary dancers to establish their dance paths in Greater Boston. This program aims to empower and celebrate early-career BIPOC dancers by creating a sense of connection and community, and by providing a space to address the impacts of structural inequities and strategies to help navigate and overcome them.

​This program is a crucial next step in MIDDAY's current racial justice work. By providing a new generation of BIPOC dance artists with resources to create their own sense of purpose and belonging in the Greater Boston dance community, MIDDAY will continue to cultivate a sustainable and vibrant local dance sector. 
Program Description:

In this eight month program, four early-career professional contemporary dancers (4 years of experience or less) will receive and commit to the following:
  • class stipends to take a minimum of 60 hours of dance classes over the course of the program (equivalent to one MIDDAY class and one additional Boston, Somerville, or Cambridge-based dance class of their choosing per week for 18-20 weeks);
  • $500 personal stipend to use at their discretion;
  • Bi-weekly mentorship consultations with MIDDAY director Marissa Molinar to help guide their individual growth (about 18 hours over the course of the program);
  • Monthly all-mentee gatherings to encourage peer-to-peer networking, support, and learning (about 18 hours over the course of the program);
  • Access to an all-mentee chat group to encourage connection between and beyond group gatherings.​​
The program will run from August 2022 - March 2023, culminating with a small celebration in which each mentee will present their top takeaways from their training and mentorship experiences. Mentees and guest dance artists will be invited to show work and works-in-progress at this celebration.
Eligibility Criteria

This program is open to contemporary dancers of color who are:
  • at least 18 years old,
  • self-identify as a professional or pre-professional dancer,
  • are developing a professional career as a dancer,
  • and have four (4) years or less of professional experience.
Applications Are Open!
Questions? Email us for more information.
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This program is supported in part by a grant from the following:
The Somerville Arts Council
Cambridge Arts, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency
The Boston Cultural Council, administered by the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture
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