Fort Wayne Dance Collective Inc

Between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016 Fort Wayne Dance Collective reached over 43,000 people. Let that sink in: 43,000 people. Fort Wayne has a population of 256,000. That means FWDC is reaching roughly 1 in 5 people in our community.

 

This impact happened in ways you might expect: audience members at the AXIS Guest Artist Residency, students at our onsite school, community members at Taste of the Arts. But the impact came in unexpected ways as well. More than 34,000 people were reached through our free outreach programs. These are programs that we run on a shoestring budget to make sure that people with the greatest need and least access are able to participate in the arts in Fort Wayne,Indiana. This isn’t easy. We wake up early and stay in the office late to ensure that everyone in Fort Wayne who wants to can dance, and move, and experience art. 

 

We LOVE what we do! And every year we are left speechless from the support that you give to us to ensure we are able to keep growing and reaching new people every year. Without your support we are nothing! Because some days are harder than others. The cost of providing these programs to everyone who needs them is steep, and at times it feels like we’re fighting an uphill battle, a battle that can’t be won.

 

But we keep showing up—and so do you.

 

We show up so that students like Kasey at South Side High School can keep working towards their dreams. We show up so that a young man who is paralyzed from the waist down can meet a professional dancer in a wheelchair. We show up so that Emily, a student at our onsite school, can have a safe place to dance without fear of judgment. We show up for YOU and we show up for this community, because it is absolutely worth the effort.

 

Will you show up for us this year? Will you join us in our uphill climb? Will you help us to reach even more people in Fort Wayne and beyond?