Mid Atlantic Tours

About

Three Korean women in vibrant, updated traditional dress and hats, perform on stage in from of a bright purple and pink background. The women stand in a line close-up, and the artist in the center holds a microphone.
Photo: Ak Dan Gwang Chil in performance at Frostburg State University (Frostburg, MD) with support from the Mid Atlantic Tours program. Credit: Missy Russell Martz.

Mid Atlantic Tours brings the best of the performing arts to communities across the mid-Atlantic region. Presenters select from a curated roster of artists that changes annually but maintains a programmatic commitment to a diversity of performance genres, regional artist representation, and engaging with communities underserved by the arts.  

The 2023-2024 Mid Atlantic Tours roster is live!   

Click here to review the 2023-2024 Mid Atlantic Tours roster 

Presenters located in the mid-Atlantic region who engage a Mid Atlantic Tours Roster Artist during the project period receive up to 50% subsidy for the Roster Artist’s compensation (including artistic compensation, housing, per diem and travel) as well as a presenter capacity support. Presenters work directly with the Roster Artist’s Tour Manager to negotiate terms, including engagement dates and compensation.  

Once terms are confirmed between Presenter and Tour Manager, the Presenter completes a short application to Mid Atlantic Arts. Applications are not competitive, but Presenters interested in engaging a Mid Atlantic Tours Roster Artist during the project period are encouraged to confirm terms with the Artist’s Tour Manager as soon as possible as funding is limited. Final grant award distribution is determined by Mid Atlantic Arts staff in collaboration with Tour Managers.

Mid Atlantic Tours Program Timeline    

  • November 2, 2022: Public announcement of Mid Atlantic Tours roster   
  • November 9, 2022; 11am-12pm ET: Mid Atlantic Tours webinar; click here to view webinar recording
  • December 12, 2022; 4:00-5:30pm ET: Mid Atlantic Tours Roster Artist Share | View a recording here
  • March 23, 2023: Booking deadline for mid-Atlantic region presenters to contract Mid Atlantic Tours artists  
  • July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024: Project period for Mid Atlantic Tours subsidy awards to presenters (presentations of Mid Atlantic Tours Roster Artists must take place during this period) 

Questions? Contact Sarah Lewitus, Program Director, Performing Arts and Accessibility at slewitus@midatlanticarts.org.

Mid Atlantic Tours is made possible through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Regional Touring Program.

Roster Artist Interest Form

The Mid Atlantic Tours Roster Artist Interest Form is now closed. If you are interested in being considered for a future Mid Atlantic Tours roster or have any questions about the program, please email Program Director, Performing Arts Sarah Lewitus at slewitus@midatlanticarts.org. 

Performing artists based in Mid Atlantic Arts’ geographic region* working in dance, folk and traditional performing arts, multidisciplinary performance, music, puppetry, or theater may submit the Roster Artist Interest Form to be considered for the Mid Atlantic Tours roster. Review the 2023-2024 Roster Artist Interest Form Overview for full eligibility and more information about the program.  (*For information purposes only – the 2023-2024 Roster Artist Submission deadline has passed.)

A Roster Artist Interest Form Information Session was held on July 14, 2022. You can view recordings from that session below:

  • Click here to view the Roster Artist Interest Form Information Session webinar video.
  • Click here to view the Roster Artist Interest Form Information Session slide deck.

Mid Atlantic Arts engaged four Curatorial Advisors for the 2023-2024 Roster Artist selection process. Curatorial Advisors reviewed submissions to the Interest Form and had the option to recommend additional artists. Learn about the 2023-2024 Mid Atlantic Tours Curatorial Advisors. 

Questions about Mid Atlantic Tours? Interested in serving on the Curatorial Advisement Panel to select the 2023-2024 Artist Roster? Reach out to Program Director, Performing Arts and Accessibility Sarah Lewitus at slewitus@midatlanticarts.org. 

*Mid Atlantic Arts’ geographic region includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia, and the Native nations that share this geography. 

Guidelines

Program Guidelines 2023-2024

Artist Roster

Download Mid Atlantic Tours roster, including comprehensive information about each artist, below: 

Download Mid Atlantic Tours Roster as a PDF (link opens in a new window)
Download Mid Atlantic Tours Roster as an accessible Word document (click link to download) 

Roster Artist Overview

Calpulli Mexican Dance Company
Dance & Storytelling | New York 

A group of dancers in brightly colored traditional Mexican costumes and headdresses perform on stage in front of a green and black background.
Photo: Stefanie Delgado.

Website: https://calpullidance.org/

Media:
https://vimeo.com/364415857/522898084d
https://vimeo.com/188145165 

Estimated fee range: $10,000-$15,000 plus travel/housing (or $15,000-$20,000 inclusive)

Tour Manager contact information: 
Leigh Ann Gann, Company Manager
lgann@calpullidance.org 

DuPont Brass
Music | Washington, DC

A group of eight musicians in casual summer clothing stand on the banks of a river with their instruments in their hands. Behind them, a wooden bridge can be seen.
Photo: Erica L. Blake, IG: @ericalblake.

Website: dupontbrass.com   

Media:   
DuPont Brass | 2023 Highlight Reel – YouTube
Owe Me A Party @ The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Let’s Go by DuPont Brass @  The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Estimated fee range: Fee: $6,500-9,000 + transportation, lodging, and backline (rider)  

Tour Manager contact information: 
Brent Gossett
dupontbrass@gmail.com 


From China to Appalachia: Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer with Chao Tian 
Music; world music, multi-genre roots music | Maryland 

Three women stand against a dark background. They are dressed in black with solid color bright tops. They all hold stringed instruments and a traditional Chinese wooden instrument sits across the front of the group.
Photo: Courtesy of the artists.

Website: https://www.cathymarcy.com/from-china-to-appalachia 

Media: Live from Ashe County Arts Council 
Dark Eyes, jazz on ukulele, guitar, yanqin:  https://youtu.be/sSpl4yyWwrk; 
Ruby: Appalachian repertoire, vocal with gourd banjo, dumbek, yanqin:  https://youtu.be/SmBvmTSbiDE 
August Flower, Traditional Chinese Folk Melody (yanqin, banjo, guitar): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du0ixRrr0iQ 

Estimated fee range: $3500-$5000 

Tour Manager contact information:  
Cathy Fink 
cfink@mindspring.com 


Jerron Herman
Dance | New York 

A dancer stands in the frame right shot from the chest up. His right arm touches his face and his head is back, eyes closed. He wears an orange sleeveless top and the words Vitruvian by Jerron Herman are visible in bright green to the left.
Photo: Maria Baranova.

Website: jerronherman.com

Media: VITRUVIAN Trailer & Info Deck

Estimated fee range: $5,500 – $7,500 + travel  

Tour Manager contact information: 
Candace l Feldman
queenc@interimcorp.art 


The Legendary Ingramettes
Gospel| Virginia 

Three women in matching long orange tops sing onstage with handheld mikes. A guitarist is visible in the background.
Photo: Pat Jarrett/ Virginia Humanities.

Website: https://legendaryingramettes.com/  

Media:   
Take a Look In the Book (Released 2020) https://soundcloud.com/thelegendaryingramettes  
Until I Die (Live) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3SlaTNZ0DM 

Legendary Ingramettes EPK:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_1Qx6iVEoxGEC2t-u2FZZpOsEMntmVUa/view

Fee Range: $7,500,00 -$10,000.00 plus Production/Accommodation/Hospitality and Local Ground Transportation (where needed)

Tour Manager contact information:  
David Gaar, FreshenUp Arts 
david@freshenuparts.com 


Martha Redbone 
Americana/ Roots | New York 

A woman with long, dark, curly hair wears a cream blouse and brimmed hat. She is photographed outside on a porch with a guitar neck visible in the blurred background.
Photo: Will Maupin.

Website: https://sroartists.com/artists/martharedbone/  

Media:  
Roots Project Video: https://youtu.be/a10Zu1M_7C8 
Bone Hill Video: https://youtu.be/8XO0unC44l4  

Estimated fee range:  
Roots Project: $5,000 – $7,500, plus Lodging (Quintet: four rooms; Quartet: three rooms; Two rooms), plus Backline (see tech rider) 
Bone Hill: $12,500 – $15,000, plus Lodging (seven rooms), plus Backline (see tech rider)  

Tour Manager contact information: 
Bill Marquardt
bill@sroartists.com 

Guidelines

Program Guidelines 2023-2024  

Current Grantees & Tours

Please note that due to staff turnover at Mid Atlantic Arts and continued challenges surrounding artist engagement in our region due to COVID-19, Mid Atlantic Arts did not release a Mid Atlantic Tours roster for the 2022-2023 season. The artists below were included on the 2021-2022 Mid Atlantic Tours roster; some engagements will extend into the 2022-2023 presentation season.  

2021-2022 Mid Atlantic Tours Grantees

Please check with the performance venue to confirm dates and times, and for ticket information.

Charlotte Blake Alston, PA

Charlotte Blake Austen stands on a sandy beach with the ocean behind her. She holds a Kora in front of her and is wearing blue and black African print pants and tunic.
Image: Charlotte Blake Alston. Credit: Annie Cameron Photography.

Charlotte Blake Alston is a nationally acclaimed storyteller and narrator who has performed throughout North America and abroad for over 30 years. She is committed to the preservation of African and African American oral storytelling traditions. Her stories include folktales, historical stories and songs that highlight the richness of those traditions. 

Charlotte Blake Alston will be presented by: 

Garba360, NJ

Colorful image of an artist leading community members through the steps of a dance. A large festival stage is lit in the background.
Image: Garba360. Credit: Kevin Yatarola.

Anchored by a live band and dance instructors, Garba360 reimagines a beloved Gujarati social folk dance experience (garba) and brings it to new spaces and places for all to participate. Garba360 is a joyous event with dance lessons, a dance performance, and community dancing with live music that can be done in open indoor or outdoor spaces.

Garba360 will be presented by:

Lakecia Benjamin and Pursuance, NY

Musician Lakecia Benjamin sits in left profile. She wears all shits and holds a saxophone in her left hand.
Image: Lakecia Benjamin. Credit: Elizabeth Leitzell

Named by the Downbeat Magazine Critics’ Poll as Rising Star in 2020, Lakecia Benjamin’s latest album Pursuance is an intergenerational masterpiece that takes the listener on a journey through the lineage of music with the works of John and Alice Coltrane. She pays homage to those who have come before by featuring innovative bandleaders of her generation.

Lakecia Benjamin and Pursuance will be presented by:

Resistance Revival Chorus, NY

Black and white image of a group of diverse women all dressed in white. They stand on a city street with building in the background holding microphones and singing.
Image: Resistance Revival Chorus. Credit: Ginny Suss.

Resistance Revival Chorus is a collective of more than 60 women and non-binary singers who join together to breathe joy and song into the resistance, and to uplift and center women’s voices. The Chorus’s touring ensemble of 12-15 people will be focused on sharing the music from their debut album, which was released on Ani Difranco’s Righteous Babe Records in October 2020.

Resistance Revival Chorus will be presented by:

  SQUONK, PA

Color photo shot from the back of the audience during on outdoor performance in an open space with trees in the background. The stage has multiple levels with artists playing instruments and two huge blue puppet hands move on either side of the stage.
Image: SQUONK. Credit: John Altdorfer.

Hailed as “a multi-media troupe of infinite jest with an imagination to match” by The New York Times, Squonk creates outdoor music spectacles and has performed on 3 continents and in 35 states. Squonk’s newest show, Hand to Hand, has puppeteered hands, each as big as a house, welcoming audiences back to safe, flexible, and joyful celebrations that can happen anywhere outdoors!

SQUONK will be presented by:

  Tom Paxton & The DonJuans, VA

Black and white image of three musicians dressed casually all sitting on a couch in a living room. The musicians hold a guitar and a ukelele. A medium dog sits with one of the musicians.
Image: Tom Paxton & The DonJuans. Credit: Alan Messer.

Tom Paxton has become a voice of his generation, addressing issues of injustice and inhumanity, laying bare the absurdities of modern culture and celebrating the tenderest bonds of family, friends, and community. He is joined by award-winning songwriters Don Henry and Jon Vezner (The DonJuans) on this tour.

Tom Paxton & The DonJuans will be presented by:

Manage Your Grant

Acknowledging the performing arts’ ongoing reality of utilizing virtual platforms for performance and other engagement, Mid Atlantic Arts will continue to take a flexible approach to our program policies for grantees through June 30, 2024 (timeline may be extended). While we believe that live, in-person performances are hard to replace, we also acknowledge that adaptive virtual approaches will ensure continued access to arts experiences. In some cases, engaging virtually may be preferential over in-person—for example, to increase access for audiences and/or artists across geographies and for people with disabilities.  

Please read the Virtual Engagement Guide linked below to understand the requirements of presenting your funded engagement as a virtual presentation: 

Mid Atlantic Arts Virtual Engagement Guide as a PDF (link opens in a new window)
Mid Atlantic Arts Virtual Engagement Guide as an accessible Word document (Click link to download)

Changes in Project Proposal

Changes in the content, schedule, or budget set forth in the Application must be submitted in writing to Mid Atlantic Arts before being implemented with the exception of those listed below. 

Changes that do not require approval: 

  • The change of switching to a virtual presentation if this change meets the requirements included in the Virtual Engagement Guidance available on our website in the Manage Your Grant tab on our website. 
  • Changes in project venues or touring locations, as long as: all project locations are fully accessible in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), as amended, or specific accommodations will be made appropriately (see Section 8; Compliance with Statutes and Regulations); and, the constituency to be reached is the same as originally approved. 
  • Addition or removal of auxiliary programming that was not included in the Application as long as it does not impact the overall project scope 
  • Revisions to the budget of non-artist fee line item expenses as long as a 1:1 match is maintained. 
  • Revisions to the budget of income sources as long as a 1:1 match is maintained. 

Payment 

Please see your Grant Award Agreement for terms of payment. 

Grantee may elect to receive all grant payments by ACH electronic funds transfer. If you wish to sign up for ACH payments, download the ACH Authorization Form and follow the instructions on the form. 

Funding Acknowledgement and Crediting

Acknowledgement and Crediting requirements were included as Exhibit A of the Grant Award Agreement. 

Grantees must clearly acknowledge support from Mid Atlantic Arts through use of both the credit language and logo as outlined below. Use of the Mid Atlantic Arts logo does not replace the credit language. Copies of the required crediting materials must be submitted as part of the final report. 

Credit and Logo Usage Details 

The following statement and the Mid Atlantic Arts logo must appear in all programs, websites and press releases produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project. In addition, the following statement and the Mid Atlantic Arts logo should be included whenever possible, either jointly or separately as necessary, in all flyers and postcards, email communications, season brochures, social media posts and calendars, and any other print or electronic promotional and publicity materials produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project. 

This statement must be used in its entirety and cannot be altered:  

This engagement of [ARTIST] is made possible in part through the Mid Atlantic Tours program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Website Link

Grantees are required to include a link to the Mid Atlantic Arts website at www.midatlanticarts.org when crediting Mid Atlantic Arts on their website. This link must remain active during the entire length of your grant period with Mid Atlantic Arts. You are requested, but not required, to embed the link in Mid Atlantic Arts’ logo. 

Final Reports

Grantees are required to submit a final report which is due thirty (30) days after the end of the grant period on record as listed in the Grant Award Agreement. 

For questions about your grant and the crediting or final reporting requirements, contact Delise White, Support Specialist at delise@midatlanticarts.org or 410.539.6656×112. 

For grants awarded for program year 2022 and earlier (5 digit grant number starting with a 3): 

Final report requirements and instructions were included as Exhibit B of the Grant Award Agreement. 

Final reports are to be completed online using the Mid Atlantic Arts’ eGRANT portal at https://midatlanticarts.egrant.net.  

The eGRANT account used to submit the application for the grant must be used to complete the final report. If you do not remember your login and/or password, please use the “Forgot Password?” link on the login page just above the log in fields. 

For grants awarded for program year 2023 and later (8 digit grant numbers starting with “2023-”): 

Final reports are to be completed online using the Mid Atlantic Arts’ grant portal at https://midatlanticarts.smartsimple.com.  

The SmartSimple account used to submit the application for the grant must be used to complete the final report. If you do not remember your login and/or password, please use the “Forgot Password?” link on the SmartSimple portal page, below the purple “Log In” button, to reset your password.