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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Nicole Touzien, Executive Director of Dancewave
5:25:25
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135 sec
Nicole Touzien, Executive Director of Dancewave, testifies about the impact of city funding on their dance programming and the need for additional support. She highlights how Dancewave empowers artists, engages thousands of individuals, and nurtures young talent like Shail, who received significant scholarship offers for college dance programs.
- Dancewave spends 80% of its $1 million annual budget on employing artists and art workers, engaging 6,200 individuals.
- Despite creative compromises and strategic planning, Dancewave and similar organizations are facing funding challenges.
- Touzien advocates for an additional $30 million to be added to the budget on top of the $45 million already allocated to support vital community organizations like Dancewave.
Nicole Touzien
5:25:25
Thank you so much.
5:25:26
Chair Rivera, Chair Brennan, members of the committees and staff, thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on behalf of Dancewave.
5:25:34
My name is Nicole Tuzin and I'm the Executive Director of Dancewave.
5:25:38
Thanks to the council's focused advocacy and the city's investment, Dance Wave is empowered to provide accessible, inclusive, and culturally competent dance programming to an all ages citywide audience.
5:25:50
We spend 80% of our budget, dollars 1,000,000 annually, employing artists and art workers who engage 6,200 individuals with meaningful arts experiences.
5:26:01
Take Shail for example.
5:26:03
Shail has been a student at Dancewave for fourteen years.
5:26:06
We have seen her grow from a shy toddler into a highly accomplished young woman, poised and excited to start college next fall as a Dance Education major.
5:26:15
Dancewave has played an important role in Childe's development, nurturing her artistic growth, expanding her perspectives and networks, and thanks to our career development program, connecting her with a million dollars in scholarship offers to universities across the country.
5:26:31
Shaila's story is special to me because I've witnessed her grow up at our organization, but her story is not unlike many others at Dancewave.
5:26:38
As someone tasked to work miracles with a budget one one hundredth of a percent of the city's budget, I understand and respect the dance of creative compromise we do during this process.
5:26:50
Our administrative team is entirely composed of artists who have honed and polished their business skills and because of their lived experiences as artists have been able to maximize the impact of each of Dance Wave's programs with less and less funding support each year.
5:27:07
The stark reality we, like so many other organizations, are facing now is that we are running out of creative compromises.
5:27:14
We have eliminated all nonessential spending, diversified our income, implemented a three year strategic plan to improve every aspect of our business model.
5:27:23
We simply need more funding.
5:27:26
An additional thirty million dollars needs to be added to the budget on top of the 45
UNKNOWN
5:27:31
million Thank you.
5:27:31
Time has expired.
Nicole Touzien
5:27:33
Which we're so grateful for so that organizations like Dancewave can continue to play such a vital role in our communities.
5:27:39
Thank you.