Statement of Belief

November 18, 2016

Dear colleagues, members and friends,

As we celebrate our 60th year of continuous service to the dance community, we here at the Guild are feeling the bruising, polarizing and de-stabilizing effects of the 2016 election cycle on the body politic as a whole. We see it as a call for greater awareness, vigilance and action with respect to our democratic values and civic responsibilities. We want to reach out to all of our members and colleagues old and new to join us in re-membering ourselves and re-affirming the core values for which the ADG stands.

AMERICAN : We begin here, in the remarkable melting pot that is this country, the great American experiment in democracy, home to all who will work to maintain a free society committed to the rule of law, equality, human rights, and justice. Our America embraces diversity and difference, openness and inclusion and will always stand against bullies and tyrants.

DANCE: The Center! The heart! To live fully in the moment is the blessing, the poetry, and the challenge of Dance.  We will always assert our freedom of movement, expression, association, and creation, our commitment to exploring and enriching the human spirit through dance.  We stand for ALL people dancing, all over the world. As there is only one body, there is only one race– the HUMAN RACE – in all its glorious colors, creeds, ages, abilities, genders and styles.

GUILD: We believe in the necessity and dignity of creative work. ADG was founded by artist/educators who sought to help each other by forming a collective to support the work of dance-making and education through aesthetic development, as the guilds of old supported other groups of workers. It really does take a village. Many ADG founders were also New Dance Group dancers, and brought that social consciousness with them into their work. We see our lives and our work in relation to society, and we believe that sharing our creativity, resources, and experiences in performance, research and education offers profound benefits for all.

Gloria McLean, President ADG