named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Artist Development and Audience Engagement Programs
Initiatives that expand access to the arts through digital tools, audience participation, and collaborative models for artistic presentation and feedback.
Dance Performance Programs
Commissions and produces live dance performances, including site-specific flash mob events across the U.S., creating paid opportunities for thousands of performers.
GoSeeDo.org
Online platform formerly known as the Audience Engagement Platform (AEP) that enables direct interaction between artists and audiences, supports artist booking, and fosters community engagement with the arts.
activities · 3 groups
What they do
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Original Dance Performance Production 3 activities
- Creation and performance of original dance and movement-based artCreates and tours original choreographic works performed in over 350 theaters across fourteen countries, including collaborations with international artists and institutions such as Björk, Sundance, Apple, Danish Dance Theatre, and Cuba’s DanzAbierta. The organization has presented nine New York City seasons and conducted international residencies and performances in countries including Indonesia, Brazil, Turkey, Cuba, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
- Digital innovation in choreography using motion-capture technologyCreates digitally enhanced choreography using motion-capture systems in collaboration with Tronic Studios and Apple, producing footage for the International RESFEST Digital Film Festival, RES magazine, and Björk's 3-D music video "Wanderlust". Also produced digitized choreography for a documentary feature.
- Production of live flash mob and commissioned dance performancesCommissions and produces hundreds of live flash mob dance performances across the United States, creating paid opportunities for thousands of performers.
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Art Appreciation and Public Engagement 1 activity
- Development and operation of the GoSeeDo arts engagement platformDeveloped and operates GoSeeDo.org, a web platform and community that enables audience interaction with artists and their work, including an arts booking program that has created employment and performance opportunities for over 20,000 artists. The platform is being developed in collaboration with 15 test artists, arts-service organizations, a software-development company, and an interdisciplinary advisory board.
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Uncategorized 2 activities
- Booking and production of performing arts events for major corporationsBooks, secures contracts for, and produces dance, theater, and music events for over 500 major companies, including more than 10% of the Fortune 500 and prominent brands such as the NBA, Disney, Google, IBM, and Apple.
- Funding development of digital platforms and audience engagement models for the artsAwards and stewards competitive grant funding from major foundations including The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (over $1 million), The Rockefeller Foundation ($150,000 via the NYC Cultural Innovation Award), Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and others to support the development of online tools and innovative audience engagement models for arts organizations.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$635K
Contributions & grants$137K22%
Program service revenue$497K78%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$358
expenses
Total expenses$743K
Program expenses92%
Admin / overhead7%
Fundraising1%
Salaries & benefits$124K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$55K
Cash$48K
Investments$0
Liabilities$674K
Net assets$-619K
Liquid reserves0.8 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +20.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHIS ELAM | ARTISTIC DIRECT/CEO | 50 | $98K |
board members · 3
- CLEMENT WONG — TREASURER
- DANIELLE PRILL — DIRECTOR
- SIMON FEIL — CHAIRPERSON
relationships · 44
Who they work with
- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Network — Peer recipient of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation award, part of a cohort of leading dance organizations.
- Americans For The Arts Network — Misnomer is affiliated through Elam’s service on the Advisory Board for the National Arts Marketing Committee.
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Funder — Competitive grant funder for Misnomer Dance Theater's initiatives.
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Funder — Competitive grant funder supporting Elam's work with Misnomer.
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Funder — Granted competitive awards in support of arts and technology initiatives
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Funder — Provided essential support to Misnomer.
- Apple Partner — Artistic collaborator on projects with Misnomer.
- Apple Partner — Featured Misnomer’s collaboration with Tronic Studios in a documentary through the Apple Pro series and in Apple store screenings.
- Baryshnikov Arts Center Partner — Hosted Misnomer for frequent residencies in New York City.
- Bjork Partner — Artistic collaborator on choreographic projects
- Bjork Partner — Artistic collaborator on projects with Misnomer.
- Björk Partner — Collaborated on the creation of the 3-D music video "Wanderlust", with Misnomer providing choreography and dancer performances.
- Carnegie Mellon Partner — Platform for speaking engagement at Technology in the Arts event
- Dance/USA Funder — Supported Misnomer through its Emerging Dance Audiences initiative.
- Danish Dance Theatre Partner — Artistic collaborator on choreographic projects
- Danish Dance Theatre Partner — Artistic collaborator on projects with Misnomer.
- DanzAbierta Partner — National dance company of Cuba with which Misnomer collaborated on a choreographic project presented at the National Theater and televised in 40 countries.
- Disney Partner — Corporate client for whom Misnomer produced dance, theater, or music events.
- Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Funder — Funds the "Leading for the Future" initiative in which Misnomer participates.
- Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Funder — Provided a grant of over $1 million to support the development of an online model for arts organizations.
- Doris Duke Foundation Funder — Granted competitive awards in support of arts and technology initiatives
- Fortune Magazine Partner — Platform for speaking engagement at Brainstorm: TECH conference
- Google Partner — Corporate client for whom Misnomer produced dance, theater, or music events.
- IBM Partner — Corporate client for whom Misnomer produced dance, theater, or music events.
- Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Network — Peer recipient of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation award, part of a cohort of leading dance organizations.
- Joyce Foundation Funder — Provided essential support to Misnomer.
- NBA Partner — Corporate client for whom Misnomer produced dance, theater, or music events.
- Nonprofit Finance Fund Funder — Selected Misnomer to participate in the "Leading for the Future" initiative.
- Rockefeller Foundation Funder — Awarded the New York City Cultural Innovation Award, providing $150,000 in funding.
- Rockefeller Foundation Funder — Provided support through its NYC Cultural Innovation Fund.
+ 14 more
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Audience-Participatory Art Creationmethodology: audience-participatory_creationBy involving audiences directly in the creative process through virtual rehearsal access and feedback mechanisms, the organization increases engagement and co-ownership of artistic outcomes because participatory involvement fosters deeper audience connection and investment.
- Cross-Cultural Movement Dialoguemethodology: cultural_exchange_through_movementBy fusing traditional Balinese dance with broken-flow modern movement, the organization uses the body as a site for cultural exchange, enabling transformational dialogue across cultural forms because embodied juxtaposition makes cultural hybridity tangible and generative.
- Physical Illusion and Contact Partnering for Transformationmethodology: physical_illusion_contact_partneringBy using physical illusions and assertive contact partnering to create fused, improbable human forms, the organization facilitates personal and group transformation because destabilizing bodily norms generates new modes of relational awareness and collective identity.
- Technology-Enhanced Choreographic Innovationmethodology: digital_choreographic_integrationBy integrating motion-capture technology and digital visuals with physical dance, the organization transforms choreography into a hybrid art form, expanding expressive possibilities and engaging audiences in new media contexts because technological augmentation deepens artistic impact and broadens reach.