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BATTERY DANCE CORPORATIN DBA BATTERY D
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 237418859 · Form 990 · FY2023 · Medium ($1M-$10M) · batterydance.org
revenue
$1.3M
expenses
$1.4M
net assets
$5K
employees
16
program ratio
84%
mission · from form 990

SOCIAL RELEVANCE BY CREATING VIBRANT NEW WORKS, PERFORMING ON THE WORLD'S STAGES, PRESENTING DANCE IN PUBLIC SPACES, SERVING THE FIELD OF DANCE AND TEACHING PEOPLE OF ALL AGES WITH SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE DISADVANTAGED AND AREAS OF CONFLICT. BATTERY DANCE IS COMMITTED TO ENHANCING THE CULTURAL VIBRANCY OF ITS HOME COMMUNITY IN NEW YORK CITY, EXTENDING PROGRAMMING THROUGHOUT THE U.S., AND BUILDING BRIDGES WORLDWIDE THROUGH INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE.

profile · synthesized from sources

Battery Dance is a New York City-based contemporary dance company that creates and performs original works, presents an annual festival showcasing local and international companies, and delivers educational outreach programs. The organization emphasizes social relevance through dance, with a focus on underserved communities and international cultural exchange. It operates programs domestically and in over 70 countries, using dance as a tool for education, social cohesion, and artistic development.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2023

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $289K
    BATTERY DANCE FESTIVAL - PRESENTATION OF PERFORMANCES AND PRODUCTION OF A SUBSTANTIVE DANCE OUTREACH PROGRAM - PRESENTING THE BATTERY DANCE FESTIVAL FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS, SHOWCASING 25-40 LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL DANCE COMPANIES ANNUALLY.
  2. #2 $285K
    INTERNATIONAL TOURING - USING DANCE AS A TOOL FOR BUILDING SOCIAL COHESION AND INCREASING HUMAN UNDERSTANDING IN MORE THAN 70 COUNTRIES TO DATE. REPRESENTING THE UNITED STATES AS A CULTURAL ENVOY AND ENGAGING THOUSANDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD IN CREATING AND PERFORMING THEIR OWN CHOREOGRAPHY.
named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Battery Dance Festival
Annual festival presenting 25-40 local and international dance companies, offered free to the public, with performances in public spaces and online reach across 206 countries.
Dance TV
Free virtual dance programming including daily classes, performances, artist talks, and mindful movement sessions for youth, adults, and frontline healthcare workers.
Dancing to Connect
Week-long dance workshops for youth of all abilities, using choreography as a tool for team-building, self-expression, and social development; includes teacher training for local instructors.
International Touring
Cultural diplomacy initiative sending Battery Dance artists to more than 70 countries to promote social cohesion and understanding through dance and youth engagement.
Studio Share Program
Provides low-cost studio space to hundreds of small dance and theater groups annually in New York City, supporting the broader local arts community.
activities · 7 groups

What they do

  • Ballet and Dance Education Programs 2 activities
    • Delivers Arts in Education programs in NYC public schools
      Provides arts-in-education programming by deploying professional dancers as teaching artists in New York City’s five boroughs, serving over 200,000 Title 1-A and at-risk students since 1984. Programs include in-school dance performances, sequential or single-session dance classes in multiple styles, and free or discounted access to fully staged performances for K-12 students participating in residencies.
    • Offers certification in the Dancing to Connect methodology
      Provides training and certification for individuals to become verified instructors in the Dancing to Connect methodology, supporting capacity building and scalability of its international arts education and social impact programming.
  • Cultural Exchange and Mutual Understanding Programs 1 activity
    • Conducts international cultural exchange partnerships
      Partners with over 200 foreign organizations to support international cultural collaborations, including co-developed dance workshops and performances that explore themes such as otherness, minority targeting, and historical events like the Fall of the Wall and the Holocaust.
  • Original Dance Performance Production 1 activity
    • Creates and performs original dance works
      Develops and presents original dance productions through its NYC Performance Series and international touring, having created over 150 original works since 1982 through collaborations among choreographers, composers, designers, and dancers. Recent works include "Frontiers," "Happy to be alive with you," and "RITUAL" (2024), and "Above Deep Waters" and "The Wind in the Olive Grove" (2022).
  • Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
    • Hosts the Battery Dance Festival
      Organizes an annual free public dance festival in Manhattan, recognized as New York City's longest-running free public dance festival, featuring 25 to 40 local and international dance companies and attracting over 12,000 in-person and over 10,000 virtual viewers annually. The festival includes multi-day public performances with daily audiences of approximately 1,500 people and has introduced over 350 dance companies to New Yorkers since its inception.
  • Human Rights & Peace Education Curriculum 1 activity
    • Operates the Dancing to Connect global program
      Implements the Dancing to Connect methodology in over 70 countries worldwide as a tool for social cohesion, conflict resolution, and addressing issues such as gender-based violence, xenophobia, and discrimination. The program has engaged thousands of youth internationally through choreographic workshops and cultural exchange initiatives, reaching over 10,000 students annually across 60 countries.
  • Dance Performance and Community Engagement 1 activity
    • Provides free virtual dance programming
      Offers free online dance classes, performances, artist talks, and mindful movement sessions, particularly during and after the pandemic, accumulating over 1.5 million digital views across 206 countries and territories, including specialized programming for healthcare workers.
  • Subsidized Rehearsal and Performance Space 1 activity
    • Provides subsidized rehearsal and performance space
      Offers low-cost or subsidized rehearsal and performance space to over 250–400 small performing arts groups, choreographers, and dance companies annually through the Studio Share program at its Lower Manhattan facility.
financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$1.32M
Contributions & grants$1.06M80%
Program service revenue$237K18%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$27K
expenses
Total expenses$1.43M
Program expenses84%
Admin / overhead8%
Fundraising8%
Salaries & benefits$651K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$705K
Cash$27K
Investments$0
Liabilities$700K
Net assets$5K
Liquid reserves0.2 mo
4 years on record · 2019–2023 · YoY revenue +10.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023

Who runs it

paid leadership · 2
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
EMAD SALEM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 50 $124K
JONATHAN HOLLANDER PRESIDENT 50 $93K
board members · 20
  • AMAL HAQUE — TREASURER
  • AUDREY ROHAN — TRUSTEE
  • BETH NARDI — TRUSTEE
  • CAROL WHITTAKER — TRUSTEE
  • DR PATRICIA DONOHUE — TRUSTEE
  • FRANCISCO CAZAL — TRUSTEE
  • GINELLE BAUGH — TRUSTEE
  • HELENA K FINN — CHAIRPERSON
  • JENNIFER ROUTHIER — TRUSTEE
  • JODY RASCH — TRUSTEE
  • JUDI KILACHAND — VICE CHAIR
  • KALPESH MEHTA — TRUSTEE
  • LAURA ENTWISTLE — TRUSTEE
  • MIMI SHIH — TREASURER
  • NANCY HUSTON — TRUSTEE
  • RITA LAI — TRUSTEE
  • SAMANTHA SHERMAN — SECRETARY
  • SHARI KRIKORIAN — TRUSTEE
  • SVATI KANIA — TRUSTEE
  • VIKTOR SIDABRAS — TRUSTEE
relationships · 20

Who they work with

  • Arts and Business Council Partner — Source of board member recruitment for Battery Dance.
  • Battery Dance Partner — Organization leading the Dancing to Connect Institute and provider of the Dancing to Connect methodology.
  • Better Business Bureau Network — Battery Dance is accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
  • Cause Strategy Partners’ BoardLead program Partner — Source of board member recruitment for Battery Dance.
  • City Bar Association of New York City Partner — Source of board member recruitment for Battery Dance.
  • Dancing Earth Partner — Collaborated with Battery Dance to present contemporary ecological dance theater rooted in Indigenous and BIPOC artistic expression.
  • Daystar, Contemporary Dance-Drama of Indian America Partner — Partnered with Battery Dance to perform traditional and contemporary Native American dance works in a shared program.
  • Drastic Action Partner — Collaborated with Battery Dance and The Blue House to deliver youth dance workshops in Germany.
  • Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet Partner — Partnered with Battery Dance to present the contemporary balletic work "Mothers of War" in a shared performance event.
  • Jonathan Hollander Partner — Founder and artistic director who choreographs original works with the company
  • Martha Graham Dance Company Partner — Collaborated with Battery Dance to present excerpts of Appalachian Spring as part of a shared performance program.
  • Michelle Tabnick Communications Partner — Handles press and media coordination for the Battery Dance Festival.
  • Michelle Tabnick Public Relations Partner — Handles media inquiries and public relations for the Battery Dance Festival.
  • New York City Network — Collaborates with organizations in New York City to promote and expand arts and arts education projects.
  • Pace University Partner — Collaborates with Battery Dance on the College Partnership Program to train college students in community dance education.
  • Queensborough Community College Partner — Collaborates with Battery Dance on the College Partnership Program to train college students in community dance education.
  • The Blue House Partner — Collaborated on youth dance workshops in Breisach and Freiburg, Germany, exploring themes of otherness and the Holocaust.
  • Vassar College Partner — Collaborates with Battery Dance on the College Partnership Program to train college students in community dance education.
  • Volunteer Consulting Group’s Boardnet/USA Partner — Source of board member recruitment for Battery Dance.
  • over 200 foreign organizations Partner — Collaborates with foreign organizations to deliver dance programs and cultural exchange initiatives.
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.

  • Dance as a Universal Language for Social Impact
    methodology: arts-education-for-social-relevance
    By using dance as a non-verbal, embodied medium, the organization fosters human understanding and generates social impact because movement transcends linguistic and cultural barriers, enabling connection across diverse populations and conflict zones.
  • Embodied Learning to Promote Cognitive and Emotional Engagement
    methodology: embodied_learning
    By engaging youth in physical dance practices, the organization supports creative expression and cognitive development because bodily participation activates non-verbal intelligence, builds self-esteem, and fosters emotional regulation.
  • Peer-Led Replication Through Train-the-Trainer Model
    methodology: train-the-trainer
    By training local dance instructors to lead the “Dancing to Connect” program, the organization builds local capacity and ensures program sustainability because peer-led instruction increases cultural relevance and community ownership.