Dani Nikas Opportunity Fund

IT ALL STARTS WITH SUPPORTING YOUNG ARTISTS!

BAX launched the Dani Nikas Opportunity Fund as part of its celebration of 25 Years of Teaching and Learning in 2016. Since. BAX has been able to double the number of scholarships that support young artists to over $100,000 each year.

Dani Athena Nikas was a dancer, choreographer, and treasured BAX faculty member. Before she died in 2001 she spoke passionately about how important dance and young people were to her. Dani provided a truly meaningful learning process for her students that went far beyond dance. Totally in sync with BAX values, she incorporated politics, relationships, history, and spirituality throughout her life and work. She was an inspiration to her colleagues, her students, and her friends. She would be very proud and honored to know that part of her legacy lives on and would be especially pleased to know that financial hardship would not be an obstacle.

At BAX, and with Dani as our inspiration, we are committed to raising a generation of people who are unafraid to ask tough questions about race, class, gender, identity, and justice and create boldly. And we need them to do so with understanding, with complexity, with openness, and with love. That is what drives us all at BAX. So for us — and we hope for you — it all starts with supporting young artists.