AURORA | It’s time to do the “happy dance” on East Colfax Avenue.
Kim Robards Dance, a staple troupe in the metro area dance scene for more than a quarter century, was awarded a $10,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts last week.
The award will support KRD’s Moving Possibilities to Performance program, which provides in-school, after-school and summer dance workshops to students at local Title I elementary and middle schools, according to a news release.
Robards’ company was one of 15 organizations statewide to receive an NEA award during the organization’s spring cycle. The NEA disperses grants on a seasonal basis, typically two or three times a year.
“Knowing that the selection process is highly competitive … we appreciate the national recognition of our program quality and effectiveness, through this national funding support,” Robards said in a statement.
Previously Denver-based, Robards moved her company to its current space at 9990 E. Colfax Ave. in the Aurora Cultural Arts District in the summer of 2013.
The NEA has approved more than $82 million in awards for local arts programs this year. In total, nearly $2.7 million in grants were given to arts organizations across Colorado during the latest spring funding cycle.
Other winning organizations in Colorado this cycle include: Phamaly Theatre Company, Colorado Ballet Company, Crested Butte Music Festival and Frequent Flyers Aerial Dance. The Western States Arts Federation received the highest grant with a $1.6 million award. The Colorado chapter of the Creative Services Division, formerly the Colorado Council on the Arts, and the City of Lakewood received the second and third-highest grants, respectively.
The grant for Robards’ company falls under the Art Works category, which helps fund the creation and presentation of works, education programs and public engagement in 13 artistic disciplines, according to a press release.
“The arts are all around us, enhancing our lives in ways both subtle and obvious, expected and unexpected,” Jane Chu, said NEA chairman, said in a statement. “Supporting projects like the one from Kim Robards Dance offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day.”