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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by DJ McDonald, Curatorial Committee Vice Chair of Dance Parade
4:56:55
·
175 sec
DJ McDonald, representing Dance Parade, testifies about the importance of cultural funding in New York City, emphasizing the impact of the arts on both artists and the community. He advocates for an additional $30 million on top of the baseline funding to reach 0.25% of the city budget for cultural support.
- Highlights the success of the recent Dance Parade with 10,000 dancers
- Shares a personal anecdote about a mid-career choreographer struggling to support her company and dancers
- Emphasizes the return on investment for cultural funding, stating it "returns itself 99 times"
- Describes the positive impact of dance performances on children's faces, illustrating the value of arts in the community
DJ McDonald
4:56:55
I, TJ McDonald, come to you from the dance parade, and I've been part of every one of the 19 parades that have taken place.
4:57:06
Last time on Saturday, when we once again sent 10,000 dancers through the streets of New York from Sixteenth Street and Sixth Avenue over to Tompkins Square Park.
4:57:18
I come more immediately from a lunchtime meeting with a young choreographer.
4:57:23
Well, not so young.
4:57:24
I mean, she's mid career.
4:57:26
She has had a company, which she supports and pays partially through your support.
4:57:34
And I wanna thank you, councilman Brennan chair chair Brennan, chair chair Rivera, and your colleagues, as part of this committee for your continued support.
4:57:45
You understand what is at stake here.
4:57:50
This morning, I thank you, chair Rivera, for for joining us out on the on the veranda.
4:57:58
I appreciate your words, and you understand that the amplification of the money that you invest in culture in New York returns itself 99 times.
4:58:10
And with that kind of investment portfolio, I'm surprised Warren Buffett hasn't taken us over.
4:58:16
But what was at issue this morning is the challenge that this choreographer is facing in employing her artists that create the and the immediate cause of my having this conversation was I watched the faces of a bunch of children sitting in front of the stage when her company performed.
4:58:38
I know she's discouraged, and she needed a pep talk.
4:58:44
The pep talk that you give us every year is predicated on the money that you provide for us.
4:58:51
And I wanna amplify our ask for 30,000,000 on top of the baseline this year just to get us to point two five percent of the city budget.
4:59:01
The libraries are asking for point five?
4:59:04
That sounds luxurious.
4:59:07
And and I I know I'm I'm sort of preaching to the choir here, but I wanna emphasize that the baseline, the the base of our pyramid are people like this artist and her dancers that have come to New York as they do every year around parade time, seeking their their new life and giving to the children that saw them and whose faces lit up so much.
4:59:33
They didn't know what they were looking at, but they were enthralled with it.
4:59:37
And the way that the arts and culture in this city represents to us our own experience so that we can see and create with it is what makes New York dynamic and unique.
4:59:49
Thank you.