Mission + Values

MISSION

CPR – Center for Performance Research is dedicated to supporting artists in the development of new work in contemporary dance, performance, and time-based art. CPR forefronts the artistic process, and upholds a belief that embodied art forms are vital vessels for creativity, connection, and social change. CPR believes that a just and equal performing arts environment is aesthetically, racially, and ethnically diverse; inclusive of bodies of all backgrounds and abilities; committed to BIPOC and LGBTQ+ justice; and supportive of a broad range of embodied modes of expression. CPR’s programs support artistic creation at all stages of development, and provide artists with a wide range of opportunities for development, experimentation, and exchange. Programs are concentrated in three areas: 1) Artistic residency programs which provide creative and professional development support for a diverse range of artists working across contemporary performance practices; 2) Curated and open call public programs that focus on incubation and research, which expose local audiences and the wider NYC arts field to contemporary performance practice and process; and 3) a Subsidized Space Rental Program which ensures that artists can access affordable space for creation and presentation.

VALUES

CPR values dance and performance, artistic process, experimentation, creative freedom, inclusivity, access, and sustainability.

CPR values dance and performance. Embodied art forms are vital vessels for creativity, connection, and social change. The performing arts have the potential to strengthen communities and individuals, and improve society.

CPR values artistic process, experimentation, and creative freedom. We believe that an artist’s process is about journeying, meandering, exploring, taking risks, asking questions, and asking questions of questions. Process is not always about product. It is an ever-changing platform for discovery. Just like the artistic process we are dedicated to supporting, CPR is also committed to taking risks. We are constantly developing, learning, growing, and reimagining our role in the broader arts ecology, in NYC and beyond. Our decisions are based on the changing needs of the artists we support. Our commitment to this process is reflected in our organizational flexibility, adaptability, and agility, where artists are at the center of what we do. We value creative freedom, and see dance and performance as critical tools to engage with and reflect on humanity. At CPR, dance and performance are conduits for connection, and our programs are modeled in this spirit. Our value of artistic process is propelled by an anti-capitalist, anti-racist ethos that actively resists oppressive practices.

CPR values inclusivity. We acknowledge that the performing arts industry is dominated by white leadership, by white narratives of history, and by white dance forms, and has disproportionately privileged whiteness. We believe that a just and equal performing arts environment is aesthetically, racially, and ethnically diverse; inclusive of bodies of all backgrounds and abilities; committed to BIPOC and LGBTQ+ justice; and supportive of a broad range of embodied modes of expression. We are committed to inclusivity by decentralizing modes of power in our programming and operations, through actions such as open calls; peer-review application processes; outside consultations and feedback; internal assessments and trainings; and nurturing partnerships with artists, community stakeholders, and other organizations.

CPR values access. CPR is a fully ADA-compliant and accessible venue that invites all dance and performing artists to make the space their own through our rehearsal and performance rental program. We provide heavily subsidized rental rates for independent artists and small nonprofits, and CPR’s public programs are free, donation-based, or low-cost. We value an accessible performing arts landscape where both creating and viewing dance and performance is available to everyone.

CPR values sustainability. We see environmental and artistic sustainability as intrinsically connected. Located in an LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certified green building, CPR practices mindful environmental practices in its day-to-day operations.

We value dance and performance, artistic process, experimentation, creative freedom, inclusivity, access, and sustainability. These values inform our fundamental belief in performance’s capacity to enrich our lives and make for a more just world.