ABOUT AGORA ARTISTS

Agora Artists is a Dallas-based nonprofit organization that was formed in early 2020 by Avery-Jai Andrews and Lauren Kravitz. After hosting the dance festival Mini Movement Fest in August 2019, the pair felt the need to support independent dance artists in Dallas and, more specifically, noticed the lack of varied representation and value of historically marginalized voices throughout Dallas. Committed to creating a sustainable model for dancers, Agora Artists began hosting weekly open classes for adults and in January 2020, began Choreographic Workshop, a program that invites local dancemakers to form a creative cohort to share work and receive feedback throughout a creative process. Agora Artists hosted Dallas Dancers Forum to facilitate conversation among the community and help steer future programming goals. When the COVID-19 pandemic caused closures throughout Dallas, Agora Artists paused programming and took time to reflect on community and organizational needs. In September 2020, Agora Artists produced Tether , a live performance held in the parking lot of Arts Mission Oak Cliff, and resumed COVID-safe programming in January 2021. Since then, the organization has continued to expand its offerings to include an annual festival, a concert of local dance, and original dance works created in collaboration with local artists. Agora Artists has received funding from TACA, Moody Fund for the Arts and the City of Dallas Office of Arts & Culture. For more information, visit their website here: www.agoraartists.com .