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ELLEN SINOPOLI DANCE COMPANY INC

TROY, NY · EIN 141744836 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE A62Z · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Small ($100K-$1M) · sinopolidances.org
revenue
$180K
expenses
$209K
net assets
$86K
employees
11
program ratio
94%
mission · from form 990

TO ENHANCE THE APPRECIATION OF MODERN DANCE

profile · synthesized from sources

Professional modern dance company based in Troy, NY, founded in 1991 by Artistic Director Ellen Sinopoli. The company creates and performs original works in traditional and non-traditional venues, emphasizing collaboration with artists across disciplines. It also conducts extensive arts-in-education programs for students and community groups throughout New York's Capital Region.

named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Arts in Education Residencies
Provides in-school dance residencies and educational performances for elementary and middle school students across the Capital Region, including programs at Abram Lansing Elementary, Boulevard Elementary, and Gloversville School District.
ChoreoPhysics
Collaborative program integrating dance with science education, connecting movement with physics concepts through performances and workshops.
Community Pop-Up Performances
Free public dance performances in non-traditional venues such as parks and community centers, including Barker Park and Prospect Park.
See the Dance! Arts in Education Performance
School-day performances designed to introduce students to modern dance, combining live performance with educational context.
activities · 3 groups

What they do

  • Original Dance Performance Production 2 activities
    • Create interdisciplinary and collaborative dance works
      Develops original modern dance pieces through collaborations with artists across disciplines, including musicians, poets, visual artists, sculptors, and scientists. Notable projects include "ChoreoPhysics," which integrates dance and science education, and multimedia filmed works that combine choreography with sculpture, music, film, and photography.
    • Present modern dance performances in traditional and non-traditional venues
      Produces and presents modern dance performances at traditional venues such as The Egg, Capital Repertory Theatre, and Saratoga Performing Arts Center, as well as non-traditional spaces including public parks (e.g., Barker Park, Prospect Park), libraries, community centers, galleries, and markets. The company maintains a repertoire of over 90 dances and regularly premieres new works, including site-specific pieces inspired by visual art and architecture.
  • Free Outdoor & Community Theater Productions 1 activity
    • Celebrate organizational milestones with large-scale public performance series
      Marked its 35th anniversary with a series of 35 free pop-up performances between September 2025 and July 2026 across the Capital Region, using a portable stage to present short works and excerpts from its repertoire in community-based locations such as libraries, farmers markets, and public playgrounds.
  • Ballet and Dance Education Programs 1 activity
    • Deliver educational dance programming and workshops for diverse age groups
      Provides dance education and creative movement workshops for children, youth, and adults through school residencies, after-school programs, summer initiatives, and community events. Programs include partnerships with the Troy School District, Gloversville School District, Girls Inc., Langan School, and Russell Sage College, serving populations from preschool through adulthood, including special needs communities.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$180K
Contributions & grants$92K51%
Program service revenue$69K38%
Investment income$-561-0%
Other revenue$19K
expenses
Total expenses$209K
Program expenses94%
Admin / overhead6%
Fundraising1%
Salaries & benefits$104K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$87K
Cash$41K
Investments$38K
Liabilities$616
Net assets$86K
Liquid reserves4.5 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -18.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
ELLEN SINOPOLI DIRECTOR 35 $11K
board members · 6
  • ANDRE MALO-ROBLES — DIRECTOR
  • ARTHENE LAVALLEY — DIRECTOR
  • CHRISTOPHER HANSE — TREASURER
  • HOLLIS DORMAN — PRESIDENT
  • JOYCE CHUPKA — VICE-PRESIDE
  • KIM ENGEL — DIRECTOR
relationships · 48

Who they work with

  • Abram Lansing Elementary School Partner — Implemented annual dance residencies at Abram Lansing Elementary School.
  • Arts Center of the Capital Region Partner — Hosts performances by Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company as part of the "Putting Out the Welcome Mat" series.
  • Bat-Sheva Guez Partner — Director of the filmed component, bringing expertise in dance and short film to the collaborative project.
  • Boulevard Elementary School Partner — Conducted dance residencies at Boulevard Elementary School.
  • Brian Melick Partner — Collaborating musician (percussionist) involved in the integrated creative process of the filmed work.
  • Calvin Grimm Partner — Collaborated with artist Calvin Grimm on a new dance work premiered at The Egg.
  • Capital Repertory Theatre Partner — Co-presented the performance "Celebrated Emblems with Musicians of Ma'alwyck"
  • Caroline Ramersdorfer Partner — Collaborating sculptor whose artistic process informs the dancers and musicians in the project.
  • Center for Disability Services Partner — Partner organization through which ESDC delivered creative movement workshops at the Smith Center and Langan School.
  • Chesterwood Partner — Hosted ESDC performances at a historic site
  • Dance Alliance, Inc. Partner — Sponsor of the "Putting Out the Welcome Mat" performance series.
  • Don Knaack Partner — Collaborated on the creation and performance of “Filament,” with live music composed from found objects.
  • Egg Kids Partner — Collaborated on the performance of “Meridian Juncture,” featuring 11 teen dancers in the program.
  • Emily Gunter Partner — Choreographed and performed original works including “Becoming” and “Dactylic Bounds,” and created “Meridian Juncture” for the Egg Kids.
  • Fenimore Art Museum Partner — Hosted ESDC in a virtual symposium
  • Girls Inc. Partner — Collaborated with Girls Inc. to deliver dance programming through the Eureka Summer Program.
  • Gloversville School District Partner — Conducted multi-year dance residencies in the Gloversville School District.
  • Howard & Bush Foundation Funder — Funder of the "Putting Out the Welcome Mat" performance series.
  • John Van Alstine Partner — Collaborating sculptor whose work is integrated into the creative process of the dance and film project.
  • Kim Engel Partner — Founding member and board member of Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company who conceived the "Putting Out the Welcome Mat" performance series.
  • MOVE–Mobility Opportunities Via Experience Partner — Collaborative partner in the “Creative Movement” program offering creative movement workshops for special populations.
  • Maria Zemantauski Partner — Collaborating musician (guitarist) contributing to the interdisciplinary artistic development of the project.
  • Musicians of Ma'alwyck Partner — Collaborates on interdisciplinary music and dance performances
  • Musicians of Ma’alwyck Partner — Collaborated with Musicians of Ma’alwyck on a first-ever joint performance, integrating live music with dance.
  • NYS DanceForce Funder — Provided funding for the "Putting Out the Welcome Mat" performance series.
  • New York State Council on the Arts Government — Supports the NYS DanceForce program that funded the performance series.
  • New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Government — Administers funding through the New York State DanceForce, which awarded Emily Gunter a 2025 New York State Choreographers Initiative award.
  • Opalka Gallery Partner — Hosted ESDC performances in a gallery setting
  • Proctors Partner — Hosts surprise dance performances by Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company in public areas such as the theater lobby.
  • Russell Sage College Partner — Ellen Sinopoli served as Coordinator of Dance Programming for 25 years.
+ 18 more
strategies · 5

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.

  • Arts-Integrated Education for Cognitive and Creative Development
    methodology: arts-science-integration
    By integrating dance with science and general education curricula, the organization enhances student learning and engagement, because movement-based, interdisciplinary programs like ChoreoPhysics make abstract concepts tangible and foster deeper understanding through embodied learning.
  • Community-First Accessibility Model
    methodology: community-engaged performance
    By presenting dance in non-traditional, community-centered venues and adapting repertoire to local audiences, the organization increases access and relevance, because removing institutional barriers and meeting people where they gather fosters broader public appreciation and engagement with modern dance.
  • Environmental Context as Artistic Co-Creator
    methodology: environmentally_informed_artmaking
    By incorporating natural elements—such as seasonal shifts, weather, and river systems—into choreographic development, the organization grounds dance in place and ecological awareness, because environmental conditions actively shape movement and musical composition, fostering a deeper connection between art and landscape.
  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration as Creative Engine
    methodology: interdisciplinary_collaboration
    By collaborating across artistic and scientific disciplines, the organization generates innovative dance works that expand expressive possibilities and deepen audience engagement, because the integration of diverse fields like music, visual art, physics, and environmental science enriches choreographic development and conceptual depth.
  • Sustainable Artist Support as Artistic Integrity
    methodology: professional-artist-support
    By providing professional dancers with stable employment, benefits, and financial protections, the organization ensures high-quality, consistent artistic output, because supporting artists’ well-being enables sustained creative excellence and long-term artistic development.