Mid Atlantic Tours
Mid Atlantic Tours increases audience access to the arts from the region and abroad and promotes the richness and diversity of the area’s resources by supporting tours of regional and international performing artsists. The Foundation offers support to presenters from the nine states and jurisdictions it serves who book artists on the annual Mid Atlantic Tour roster, with a priority on engagements in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia. Presenters are eligible to receive support toward artist fees for their engagements.
The Foundation selects artists for Mid Atlantic Tours based on a number of goals and criteria:
Affordability: Fees for selected artists normally range between $5,000-$15,000 enabling a diverse range of presenters to easily participate in this program. Artist affordability and appeal also help ensure that the Foundation’s funds get distributed in a broad and equitable manner across the region.
Support of Key Artistic Disciplines: Preference is given to artists working in disciplines that may be more challenging for presenters to program because of cost, risk or unfamiliarity. Jazz, traditional/folk performing arts, contemporary dance, and theater are disciplines of particular interest.
Promotion of regional and international art forms and artists: The Foundation is committed to celebrating art forms with deep roots in the region, such as jazz and folk and traditional arts, and promoting artists based in the mid-Atlantic and from outside the U.S.
Strong Artist Representation: Priority is given to ensembles with strong artist management and/or booking representation capable of identifying appropriate venues and maximizing available resources to fully realize the program’s goals of broad regional participation and providing access to high quality performing arts in underserved communities.
2009-2010 Mid Atlantic Tours Roster
The 2009-2010 Mid Atlantic Tours Roster includes the following groups. These artists are available for booking between July 2009 and August 2010.
 STREB (New York, NY)
http://www.strebusa.org/
Click here for video clips.
Elizabeth Streb’s daring choreography integrates the disciplines of dance, athletics, boxing, rodeo, the circus, and Hollywood stunt-work. The result is a bristling, muscle-and-motion vocabulary that combines daring with strict precision in pursuit of the public display of “pure movement.” Founded in 1985, the company and its artists have received numerous awards, including a New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award. STREB has been seen on the David Letterman Show, CBS Sunday Morning, CNN Showbiz Today, Nickelodeon, NBC’s Weekend Today, MTV, and ABC Nightly News with Peter Jennings and on Larry King Live. Streb is a 1997 recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.
“Gravity be damned.” – L.A. Times
Complementary activities: Streb’s “Movement for Everyone” workshops are available. These include “Pop Action” workshops and technique for adults and “Kid Action” workshops (extensive tumbling) for children. Choreographer Elizabeth Streb is also available to conduct presentations and lectures. Extensive residencies are available.
For booking contact: Rena Shagan, Rena Shagan Associates
Phone: 212.873.9700.
Email: rena@shaganarts.com.
FOLK/TRADITIONAL:
 Le Vent du Nord (Calixa-Lavallée, Québec)
http://www.leventdunord.com
Click here for audio clips.
Le Vent du Nord is one of Québec’s finest traditional ensembles combining the bouncing, rhythmic fiddle styles, unique tunes and ancient songs of Québec’s rich musical heritage. The group’s first recording in 2004 received a JUNO (Canadian Grammy) for Traditional Album of the Year/Group. In 2005, the group received an OPUS Award for Concert of the Year/Jazz and World Music and its second recording was awarded a FELIX Award for Traditional Album of the Year. Le Vent du Nord has toured extensively in the U.S, Canada and Europe and been featured in numerous international television and radio broadcasts, most recently on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition.
“Le Vent has enough virtuosity and spirit to make its four musicians sound like 40 at times, and it tackles Scot, Irish or French material with equal authority. With its offhandedly great musicianship (and where else can you hear a hurdy-gurdy these days?), it’s a blast to hear this wind blow.” – The Boston Herald
Complementary activities: Workshops, masterclasses, post performance discussions available.
For booking contact: Sandy Peevers, On Queue Performing Artists
Phone: 607.547.9494.
Email: info@onqueueartists.com.
JAZZ:
 Regina Carter Quintet (Maywood, NJ)
http://www.reginacarter.com/
Click here for audio clips.
A virtuosic violinist receiving rave reviews in major press, Carter and her quintet have performed for enthusiastic audiences worldwide. She has played with a range of jazz luminaries such as Ray Brown, Dr. Billy Taylor, Marian McPartland, Kenny Barron, Wynton Marsalis and Cassandra Wilson as well as pop icons Dolly Parton and Billy Joel. She has the distinction of being the first jazz musician and first African American to play the legendary Guarneri del Gesu violin owned by classical music virtuoso and composer Nicolo Paganini, leading to a critically acclaimed recording of her playing the treasured instrument on Verve records. Carter is a 2006 MacArthur Fellowship recipient and the 2007 recipient of the International Society for the Performing Arts Distinguished Artist Award.
“Wonderfully listenable, probingly intelligent and, at times, breathtakingly daring - taking the listener into the future of jazz.” - Time magazine
Complementary activities: To be discussed with agent.
For booking contact: Myles Weinstein, Unlimited Myles
Phone: 732.566.2881.
Email: myles@unlimitedmyles.com.
THEATER:
Universes (New York, NY)
http://www.universesonstage.com/HOME.html
Click here for video clip.
Universes is an ensemble of multi-disciplined writers and performers who fuse poetry, theater, jazz, hip-hop, politics, down home blues and Spanish boleros to create moving, challenging and entertaining theatrical works. Recent works include their highly acclaimed full evening work Slanguage, where traditional theater synthesizes with poetry, storytelling rhythm, music, song and dance and BLUESUITE, a jazz-based work currently on tour. Live from the Edge showcases the ensemble’s special brand of fusion theater in a "best of" evening that tracks the evolution of their poetic language, from childhood rhymes and community rituals to poetry and theater, hip-hop and gospel. These works as well as a new work, Ameriville, will be available for touring in 2009-10.
“a seamless, undulating force of razor-edged, big-city social commentary…” -- Variety
Complementary activities: Spoken word workshops, masterclasses, post performance discussions, and extensive residencies available.
For booking contact: Maya Lang, H-Art Management
Phone: 212.868.2134.
Email: maya@h-artmanagement.com.
WORLD:
Habib Koité & Bamada (Bamako, Mali)
http://www.imnworld.com/habibkoite
Click here for audio and video clips.
Habib Koité is one of Africa's most beloved and popular musicians and “the biggest pop star of the West African nation of Mali” according to Rolling Stone Magazine. His most recently released album, Afriki, features an appealing set of songs that reflect Habib's unique approach to the diverse styles of Malian music. His strong fan base can be attributed to his gift of integrating the rock and folk sounds of the Western world, without watering down his cherished Malian roots. Habib descends from a line of griots, traditional troubadors who provide wit, wisdom and entertainment, and his charisma and magnetism translates across cultures.
“…in his case, the unfamiliarity of the language was no problem, largely because of his communicative manner – kneeling down at the stage edge to interact with the crowd – dancing in unison with his musicians – made such a clear, nonverbal connection with his listeners.” The Los Angeles Times
Complementary activities: To be discussed with booking agent.
For booking contact: Jeanna Disney, International Music Network.
Phone: 978.283.2883.
Email: jeanna@imnworld.com.
Funding Guidelines and Process
Presenters in the Mid Atlantic region (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, DC and West Virginia) are eligible to receive fee support grants toward the contracted artist fees. Artist fees may also include hotel and lodging expenses. Not all artists are eligible for fee support in all states. Please contact the artist’s agent for details.
Supported engagements must include at least one complementary activity that builds appreciation for and a greater understanding of the performance or the art form. Complementary activities may include but are not limited to exhibitions, readings, master classes, lecture-demonstrations, workshops, open rehearsals, or pre-or post-performance discussions. While the Foundation encourages presenters to involve the featured artists in the planning and presentation of the complementary activity, it is not a funding requirement that the artist participate in the activity. Presenters should discuss the complementary activity and the artists' involvement with the artist's booking agent and include these activities in their negotiations.
There are no restrictions on the number of Mid Atlantic Tours grants a presenter can receive in a given year.
Presenters interested in booking any of the 2009-2010 Mid Atlantic Tours artists and receiving fee support should contact the group's agent directly to negotiate terms of the engagement. While there is no application process involved for Mid Atlantic Tour funding, funds are limited, and fee support grants will be available “while supplies last.” Presenters are encouraged to pursue this opportunity and secure artist engagements as soon as possible. The deadline for confirming any engagements proposed for Mid Atlantic Tours funding is March 2, 2009, providing funds are still available.
Presenters reaching communities underserved by the arts will be given priority consideration for support. For the purposes of this program, an underserved community is one in which individuals lack access to arts programs due to geography, economic conditions, ethnic background, or disability.
For questions about the program and funding information, contact Krista Bradley at Krista@midatlanticarts.org or 410.539.6656 x 110.
Funding for these tours
is made possible with support from the National
Endowment for the Arts Regional
Touring Program.
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