Your gift will ensure that The Bates Dance Festival continues to provide dancers, students and our community access to classes, performances, events and programs that we are proud to offer each and every year. Here are some ways your gift supports our mission of offering a transformative dance experience to all who participate.

An average scholarship is $675 for a residential training program and $215 for a student in our Youth Arts Program.
Each community event costs approximately $2,000 in fees, marketing, transportation, and supplies.
The Artist in Residence program costs $18,000 to support 4 companies to develop new work and show that work to our students and audiences.

Your gift makes a difference!

Current Supporters

The Bates Dance Festival gratefully acknowledges the following contributors for their generous gifts, received since 11/1/24:

$25,000 +

New England Foundation for the Arts, Jean Wilson and John Roberts in memory of Marcy Plavin

$10,000 +

Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, Onion Foundation

$1,000 – $9,999

Anonymous, Aliad Fund, Baxter Brewing, James G. & Carolyn Birmingham Foundation, Kathryn & Thomas Colby, Suzanne Crowell, Central Distributors, Davinci’s Eatery, Steven Edwards, Steven J. Gruverman, Clarissa Krinsky, David Lakari, National Performance Network, Peregrine Capital Management, Paula Marcus-Platz and Tom Platz, Platz Associates, Christopher Barrett Politan, John C. Robinson, Kirk Read and Camille Parrish, Laquimah VanDunk

$500 – $999

Elaine Seabrook Drugan, Laura Faure, Geri FitzGerald, Charles A. Kennedy in memory of H. Virginia Millard Kennedy, Karin Loring Mylod in honor of Mary Katherine Mylod, Nat May, David Plavin in memory of Marcy Plavin, Darby Ray and Raymond Clothier, Susie Richardson in memory of Nancy Stark Smith & Kathleen Hermesdorf, Bette J. Swett-Thibeault, Edward Walworth

$250 – $499

Casco Bay Movers Dance Studio, Natalie Gotter, Alice J. Harvey, Lisa Leidy, Nat May, Delaney McDonough, Jim & Lynn Shaffer, Rick Speer and Judy Frost, Craig Tribuno, Edward Walworth, Lida Winfield

$100 – $249

Helen Albee, Anonymous, Butch and Amy Baxter, Doris Bonneau, Michael and Odelle Bowman, Catherine Bradford, Susan Ciampa, David Dorfman and Lisa Race, Michael Foley, Bobbie and Tom Gottschalk, Karen and Bob Graham, Lindsay Hancock, Richard and Clare Hardy, Leslie Hill, Constance Hitchcock, Donna Hurd, Sara Juli and Chris Ajemian, Rosamond Kreilkamp, Carl Landa, Jessica Lockhart, Jolene McGowan and Thomas McAdam, Scott McPheeters, Chip and Jane Morrison, Joseph O’Donnell, Cynthia Oliver, Richard Partridge, Babe Paul, Susan Pond, Redgrave Family, Abigail Rhoads in memory of Marcy P. Plavin, Francine Rudoff, Matthew Small, Linda Stimpson and Peter Darvin, Christopher Tine and Michael Ohlhausen, Dawn and Holly Trenbath, Kristin Wagner

Up to $99

Anonymous, Caroline Rocher Barnes, Nancy and Warren Berkowitz, Shari Broder and Eric Bryant, Ali Kenner Brodsky, Molly Brown, Catherine Carey, Rhys Carr, Yanira Castro, Veronica Deans, Marcia J. Emerson, Holly Ewing, Laura Faherty, Katherine Graham, Liz and Alison Hart, Christine Holden, Lynne Hunter, Kelsey Johnson, Laura Juraska and Richard Fochtmann, Alexa K., Tracey and Eben Miller, Peggy Muir, Diane Muska in honor of Sam Lawler, Nancy Buckley O’Connor, Jorge Piccole, Ariel Pollack, Mark Roy, Nancy Salmon and David Webster, Ann Sanders, Gretel and Sylvia Schatz, David and Emily Scribner, Linda Shary, Michèle Steinwald, Geoffrey Swift, Alissa Hamer Thompson, Gabriella Titolo, Sharon Townshend, June Vail, David White

Leadership Circle

The Leadership Circle ($1,000 and up) is a fundraising initiative aimed at bringing advocates of the festival to a level of recognition, while also using their leadership gifts to help raise critical funds towards Festival operations. The generous support from The Leadership Circle makes BDF’s programs possible.

Being a Leadership Circle donor allows you to deepen your relationship to dance. Please consider joining our Leadership Circle. Contact dancefest@bates.edu for more information.

Thank you to the following donors who are part of our 2025 program:

Anonymous, Kathryn & Thomas Colby, Steven Edwards, Steven J. Gruverman, Clarissa Krinsky, David Lakari, Paula Marcus-Platz and Tom Platz, Christopher Barrett Politan, John C. Robinson, Kirk Read and Camille Parrish, Jean Wilson and John Roberts in memory of Marcy Plavin, Laquimah VanDunk

Additional thanks to:

Malcolm Hill, Jason Scheideman, Victoria Blaine-Wallace, Brenda Pelletier, Christine Schwartz, Donald Desrosiers, Jason Moreau, Mary Pols, Phyllis Graber Jensen, and the many Bates College employees who provide ongoing support and assistance.

Significant support has been provided by the New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon foundation, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts; and the New England States Touring Program made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.

The Bates Dance Festival is a member of the National Performance Network which supports artist’s residencies and performances with funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency).