Thank you! Your response has been heartening as Northrop and the nationwide arts community continue to adapt to the withdrawal of funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Your support and advocacy with your elected officials and in your communities are greatly appreciated—and make a difference. This shortfall from the loss of funding has already and will continue to directly impact the programs we present, the artists we support, and our entire community.
The loss of vital NEA grants has directly impacted two Northrop-commissioned dance projects. While part of the funding for these new works came from the many individuals and sponsors who contributed to the Northrop Centennial Commissions project, another portion relied on NEA grants. Some of the withdrawn funding had already been allocated to choreographer Yue Yin to create Timeless Tide and the other was earmarked for the development of Shamel Pitts and TRIBE’s Marks of RED.
Read on to learn more about the two affected programs and their impacts.
Top photo: The Northrop lobby buzzes with activity, including art exhibitions, traditional clothing and costume displays, and community partner information, before performances. Photo by Melissa Bartz.
Before the BalletMet performance, a community partner from Theater Mu discusses a miniature street theater event focused on pioneering Southeast Asian female playwrights. Photo © Studio AURA.
“Thank you for commissioning Timeless Tide—it was stunning.”—Northrop patron
The Minnesota Star Tribune proclaimed Timeless Tide “brings swirling energy on stage.” The ballet work, set to an original score, was commissioned by Northrop as part of our Centennial Commissions project and was performed at Northrop during the 2024–25 Northrop Season.
This performance—like so many Northrop Season events—was presented with robust programming for the entire community, including a weeklong artists’ residency and Student Matinee with BalletMet dancers, teaching artists, and education staff. We coordinated a movement workshop at Anwatin Middle School, in which students learned some of the Timeless Tide choreography and then created their own, as well as a post-matinee Meet & Greet for middle schoolers from Battle Creek. Additionally, the public was invited to a dance technique class with Ballet Co.Laboratory, a pre-show talk with BalletMet Artistic Director Remi Wörtmeyer and Yue Yin, and artistic lobby exhibits highlighting Asian and Asian American female leaders, curated by our community partners, including Theater Mu, The SEAD Project, and Hmong Museum.
One participant shared in her survey response, “I love participating in the Northrop community, there are so many wonderful programs I get to participate in, especially as a UMN undergraduate!”
Shamel Pitts leads a movement workshop presented by Northrop, the Walker Art Center, and TU Dance at TU Dance Center on Mar 3, 2025. Photo by Tony Nelson Photography.
“A thrilling journey of physical agility … ”
—Minnesota Star Tribune
Shamel Pitts—performance artist, choreographer, conceptual artist, dancer, spoken word artist, and teacher—is a 2024 MacArthur Fellow and Doris Duke Artist Award-winner. For the final work in a three-year artistic partnership with Northrop and the Walker Art Center, Pitts and multidisciplinary arts collective TRIBE will present the world premiere of the Walker and Northrop Centennial Commission Marks of RED as part of both Northrop's and the Walker’s 2025–26 seasons.
Earlier this spring, Shamel Pitts | TRIBE engaged deeply with our local community through a series of events surrounding the second work in the series, Touch of RED—from a public movement workshop and choreography mentorship with TU Dance’s CULTIVATE program, to a welcome gathering with Minnesota artists, and an inspiring creative process talk with UMN dance students. These moments exemplify how powerful dance can be in connecting, uplifting, and inspiring people across all backgrounds—and why continued support for these artists and their work is so important. Throughout the 2025–26 Season, opportunities for community engagement will accompany nearly all of the season performances.
Thank you for your support!
We're grateful to have you standing with us as a valued part of Northrop’s community. Learn more about the impact of NEA funding on the Minnesota arts community in this MPR News article and this Minnesota Star Tribune article.
Acknowledgments
The 2025–26 Northrop Season activities are made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Marks of RED was developed at a Summer Stages Dance @ The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston residency in 2024.
The presentation of Shamel Pitts | TRIBE Touch of RED was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation.
The BalletMet presentation of Timeless Tide was supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.