Candace Thompson-Zachery is the founder of Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE, an organizing body of dancers, choreographers and educators driven to facilitate Contemporary Caribbean Dance Performance, preserve Cultural Legacy and promote Community Engagement in the Caribbean Diaspora with a focus on Brooklyn, New York. Candace has been a Fractured Atlas member since 2016.
How has Fractured Atlas benefitted your artistic practice?
As the founder of Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE, an initiative that was and is morphing a lot, I knew that I wasn’t ready to go into non-profit status without understanding exactly how that organizational machine worked. Becoming a fiscally sponsored project meant that I could raise funds for our projects and have access to support and resources without the stress of non-profit governance. Basically, I could still be an artist and run my projects successfully knowing that fractured atlas would handle most of the paperwork associated with fundraising.
How has Fractured Atlas benefitted your revenue/income generation?
We have successfully ran two crowdfunding campaigns in 2016 and 2017 that led to production of our flagship event the New Traditions Festival. We’ve also been able to qualify for grants and funding through the fiscal sponsorship program.
What specific Fractured Atlas services/programs have you used?
I have used the event insurance for our productions, the fiscal sponsorship program and I have also been to one of their networking events.
Why do you think artists and organizations should become members of Fractured Atlas?
I think Fractured Atlas really puts time and effort into supporting artists. All of my interactions with the organization have been, professional and encouraging. The staff are willing to guide you through any processes necessary for you to achieve success. Also I appreciate how generous Fractured Atlas is with sharing the ins and outs of their organizational structure and their blog has a lot of helpful management tools and strategies.
Do you have any upcoming events that people should know about?
I’ll be performing on January 4th for the Bronx Artists Now Showcase — http://www.hostos.cuny.edu/culturearts/events/Year2019/January/Bronx_arts_now/Bronx_arts_now.shtml. I’ll also be teaching for the Winter Intensive with Movement of the People Dance Company in January : http://www.movementofthepeopledance.com/bios-and-class-descriptions.php.
What is your biggest accomplishment as a result of being a Fractured Atlas member?
Our biggest accomplishment has been the creation of The New Traditions Festival- a series of performances happening during June in Brooklyn NY, in celebration of Caribbean-American Heritage Month. A full pre-festival season of public events including talks, dance classes, and film screenings lead up to the festival performance weekend. For the participating choreographers, we provide a residency and mentorship program to aid in the development of their work, and the culminating performance festival featuring their pieces.
You can follow and learn more about Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE at www.dancecaribbeancollective.com; on Facebook at @Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE; on Instagram at @candancefit, @dancecaribbeancollective; on Twitter @candancefitt and dancecaribco; and on LinkedIn @Candace Thompson-Zachery.
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