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SUKANYA BURMAN DANCE INC
JAMESTOWN, NY · EIN 933018222 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE A62 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Micro (<$100K) · sukanyaburman.com
revenue
$67K
expenses
$56K
net assets
$14K
employees
0
volunteers
15
program ratio
88%
mission · from form 990

SUKANYA BURMAN DANCE IS A CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY, LOCATED IN JAMESTOWN NY, THAT MOBILIZES THE EXPRESSIVE TECHNIQUES OF INDIAN DIASPORIC DANCES AND MODERN DANCE TO EXPLORE COMPELLING IDEAS AND CREATE SHARED VISUAL EXPERIENCES. WITH DEEP ROOTS IN BHARATANATYAM, KATHAK AND MODERN DANCE VOCABULARIES, THE COMPANY AIMS TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT WAYS OF MOVEMENT IN THE HUMAN BODY TO TELL STORIES RELEVANT TO OUR WORLD TODAY.

profile · synthesized from sources

SUKANYA BURMAN DANCE INC is a contemporary dance company based in Jamestown, NY, rooted in Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and modern dance. The organization creates performances and educational programs that explore movement as a means of storytelling and cultural expression. It also produces the annual Jamestown Dance Festival, a multi-day event showcasing regional and national artists across diverse dance forms.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $5K
    IN DANCE EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, KATHAK CLASSES WERE INTRODUCED IN BUFFALO, AND INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE CLASSES WERE EXPANDED IN JAMESTOWN. WORKSHOPS AND MASTERCLASSES WERE HOSTED AT INSTITUTIONS LIKE JAMESTOWN HIGH SCHOOL, CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION, AND STUDIO DANCE CONSERVATORY. ADDITIONALLY, A SUMMER DANCE SERIES WAS CONDUCTED WITH THE JAMESTOWN BOYS & GIRLS CLUB, AND A WEEK-LONG WORKSHOP WAS LED WITH DAFMARK STUDENTS IN ERIE, PA, WITH TAILORED CLASS METHODS DEVELOPED FOR COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS.
  2. #2 $3K
    FOR PROFESSIONAL DANCE PERFORMANCES, SUKANYA BURMAN DANCE INC. DELIVERED A LECTURE, CHOREOGRAPHED, AND PRESENTED NEW WORK AT LE MOYNE COLLEGE. THE COMPANY PERFORMED AS A GUEST PRESENTER AT THE AMERICAN COLLEGE DANCE ASSOCIATION AT SUNY ROCHESTER AND COLLABORATED WITH KAYCO ON "BIRDS THROUGH AN INDIGENOUS LENS." THEY ALSO PRESENTED "THE BAYADERE" AT THE JAMESTOWN DANCE FESTIVAL AND HOSTED THEIR FIRST ANNUAL SHOWCASE AT DARRAH HALL.
named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Jamestown Dance Festival
Annual multi-day festival featuring performances, workshops, and community events by regional and national dance artists, produced by Sukanya Burman Dance in Jamestown, NY.
Kathak and Indian Classical Dance Education
Community-based dance instruction in Kathak and Indian classical forms offered in Jamestown and expanded to Buffalo, including classes at schools and community centers.
Summer Dance Series with Jamestown Boys & Girls Club
Summer program providing dance workshops and movement education for youth through a partnership with the Jamestown Boys & Girls Club.
activities · 5 groups

What they do

  • Dance Performance and Community Engagement 2 activities
    • Expands access to dance in rural and underserved communities
      Brings professional dance performances, education, and engagement activities to non-urban areas such as Chautauqua County and Erie County through touring, festivals, and partnerships with schools and community organizations, increasing cultural access where it has historically been limited.
    • Organizes the Jamestown Dance Festival
      Produces and leads the multi-day Jamestown Dance Festival in Chautauqua County, a first-of-its-kind event in Western New York featuring performances, workshops, film screenings, panel discussions, and community engagement activities that highlight underrepresented dance forms and artists.
  • Original Dance Performance Production 1 activity
    • Produces and presents professional dance performances
      Creates and presents original choreographic works and performances, including full productions such as "The Bayadere: The Past, Present, and the Future," Dasavataram, and the SBD Dance Showcase, in venues across New York State, Pennsylvania, and Ontario, Canada. These performances are presented in collaboration with regional and national partners and festivals.
  • Ballet and Dance Education Programs 1 activity
    • Provides dance education and community instruction
      Offers classes, workshops, and residencies in Indian Classical (Bharatanatyam, Kathak), Modern, West African, Vogue, House, and Flamenco dance forms for students and community members of all ages, including afterschool programs, school-based instruction, and community centers in Jamestown, Buffalo, and surrounding regions.
  • Artist Support Grants 1 activity
    • Supports artist development and creative collaboration
      Provides selected artists with $500 honoraria, mentorship from curators or cultural workers, and opportunities to present works-in-progress, fostering creative growth and community engagement through collaborative performances and residencies.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Advances inclusive and critical perspectives in dance
      Challenges dominant narratives in Indian classical dance by centering themes of labor, migration, resistance, and identity, and by creating space for underrepresented artists across racial, cultural, gender, and political lines, using dance as a medium for social critique and transformation.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$67K
Contributions & grants$40K60%
Program service revenue$27K40%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$56K
Program expenses88%
Admin / overhead12%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$14K
Cash$14K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$14K
Liquid reserves2.9 mo
1 years on record · 2024–2024
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 6
  • AMANDA GESING — BOARD MEMBER
  • DARYL SIMONS JR — BOARD CHAIR,
  • ELLEN SHADLE — SECRETARY
  • NOAH GOODLING — TREASURER
  • SUKANYA BURMAN — ARTISTIC DIR
  • TERESA CUEVAS — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 58

Who they work with

  • ASI WNY Funder — Provides funding for Chaturanga | Art in Flux through its Creative Impact Fund.
  • American College Dance Association Partner — Invited to perform and teach Bharatanatyam at the American College Dance Association conference in Rochester in 2024.
  • American College Dance Association NE (ACDA) Partner — Hosted Sukanya Burman as guest presenter and instructor in Rochester, NY.
  • Arts Services Inc. (ASI WNY) Funder — Awarded the Creative Impact Fund Award for Chaturanga: Art in Flux.
  • Arts Services Inc. Creative Impact Fund Funder — Provided funding support for the Art in Flux: Season 2 program.
  • Arts Services Initiative of Western New York Partner — Supported the Jamestown Dance Festival as a regional arts service organization.
  • Atebayilla Drum & Dance Company Partner — Collaborates with Shirite Westreich, a company member of Atebayilla Drum & Dance Company, on performances and projects.
  • Boys & Girls Club of Jamestown Partner — Hosted 6-week creative movement series by Sukanya Burman in Jamestown, NY.
  • Chautauqua County IDA Government — Supported the Jamestown Dance Festival through local economic development funding.
  • Chautauqua Regional Community Foundation Funder — Provided funding for the Jamestown Dance Festival.
  • Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) Network — Administered the AAPI Community Development Fund, awarding funding to Sukanya Burman Dance Inc.
  • Dance/NYC Funder — Provided financial support for the Jamestown Dance Festival.
  • DanceMakers Partner — Hosted the "Embodiments: Exploring Tagore's Poetic Compositions" residency in Toronto, Canada.
  • DanceNYC Partner — Collaborates with DanceNYC by referencing and directing to its DEIA glossary and resource directory.
  • Evergreen Health Partner — Partnered on yoga instruction programming at SBD Studio in Jamestown, NY.
  • Genesee Valley Council On The Arts Government — Receives grant support from Genesee Valley Council On The Arts for performance projects.
  • Grace Gibbons Partner — Features Grace Gibbons as a performer in the Regional Artist Showcase.
  • Harlem Road Community Center Partner — Hosted introductory Kathak series by Sukanya Burman in Amherst, NY.
  • HueArts NYS Network — Selected as a member of the first HueArts NYS Leadership Cohort, indicating participation in a state arts leadership initiative.
  • HueArts New York State Partner — Supported the Jamestown Dance Festival as a regional arts and culture initiative.
  • Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival Partner — Hosted Sukanya Burman as a Resident Artist in the Curriculum in Motion program.
  • Jamestown Community College Partner — Hosted guest lecture by Sukanya Burman in Jamestown, NY.
  • Jamestown Community College Partner — Hosts festival events at its Scharmann Theater during the Jamestown Dance Festival.
  • Jamestown Community College Partner — Uses Jamestown Community College’s Scharmann Theater as a performance and workshop venue for the festival.
  • Jim Self Partner — Featured performing artist in a mixed-bill program at the Jamestown Dance Festival.
  • KAYCO Partner — Collaborated on the performance "Birds Through an Indigenous Lens."
  • Kayco Partner — Collaborated on choreography for "Birds through an Indigenous Lens" in Jamestown, NY.
  • Le Moyne College Partner — Hosted Sukanya Burman as guest artist, choreographer, and lecturer in Syracuse, NY.
  • Les Ballet Afrik Partner — Collaborates with Les Ballet Afrik for performances and workshops during the Jamestown Dance Festival.
  • MahataMmoho Collective Partner — Partners with MahataMmoho Collective for performances and workshops during the festival.
+ 28 more
strategies · 3

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.

  • Community-Centered Artistic Engagement
    methodology: community_centered_engagement
    By integrating performances with education, audience collaboration, and interdisciplinary community events, we deepen public connection to dance; because these formats prioritize participation, dialogue, and local relevance over passive spectatorship, they strengthen community ownership and sustain long-term cultural engagement.
  • Cultural Fusion with Critical Accountability
    methodology: cultural_fusion_with_critical_accountability
    By fusing Indian classical dance forms like Bharatanatyam and Kathak with modern and contemporary techniques, we create innovative performances that make classical traditions accessible to present-day audiences; because this fusion is grounded in intentional dialogue and critical awareness of historical power dynamics, it avoids superficial appropriation and instead produces culturally resonant, transformative art.
  • Inclusive Access through Secular and Equitable Programming
    methodology: inclusive_access_through_secular_and_equitable_programming
    By framing Indian classical dance as an optional, secular artistic practice rather than a religious or obligatory tradition, and by ensuring pay equity and representation for artists of color, we increase accessibility and inclusivity; because this approach removes structural, cultural, and spiritual barriers, it fosters broader participation and engagement across diverse identities and communities.