Choreography Project

The Rhode Island Women’s Choreography Project (RIWCP) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Providence, RI, with a core mission to nurture, elevate, and empower artists whose voices are not traditionally heard. The project addresses a massive gender imbalance in ballet and contemporary dance choreography by supplying female and nonbinary choreographers with the support and resources they need to create new work. In 2018, two dancers at Festival Ballet Providence (then abbreviated to FBP, now Ballet RI) realized that an entire season had gone by without female representation in the company’s repertoire. Determined, they organized a spontaneous dance performance by an all-female roster of choreographers with the help of an anonymous donor and studio/performance space sponsorship from FBP. Eight artists from around RI had the chance to choreograph, some of them for the first time. The performance was a success, and RIWCP was born. 2021 was the inaugural year of the RIWCP mentorship program, providing the dance creators with an additional resource to deepen their creative process. In 2022, RIWCP received 501(c)3 nonprofit status. Today, the organization continues to champion gender equity in the ballet and contemporary choreography industry.