Names have been announced of 16 new participants who will take part in the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) innovative $1 million initiative which provides intensive training for arts journalists and editors who work outside the country's major media markets. The American Dance Festival (ADF) has announced that 16 dance critics and journalists have been chosen to participate as fellows in the NEA Arts Journalism Institute for Dance. With support from the NEA, the Institute will be overseen by ADF at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina from July 16-22, 2005. The NEA Arts Journalism Institute for Dance is part of the NEA's Journalism Institute triumvirate, along with the Institute for Music and Opera at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and the Institute for Theater and Musical Theater at the USC Annenberg School for Communication. The NEA states that ‘the Arts Journalism Institutes establish the importance of arts journalism through lectures and seminars with leaders in higher education, the arts, and journalism. Participants are required to attend a series of workshops, lectures, and performances to broaden their understanding and appreciation for the arts. Attendees also work with senior journalists and faculty members to improve their viewing, analytical, and writing skills. In addition journalists develop a firsthand understanding of artistic creation through a physical learning component, such as a basic lesson on a musical instrument, memorization of a monologue, or a lesson in physical movement. For further information about the NEA Arts Journalism Institutes, CLICK HERE "The arts depend enormously on lively and knowledgeable criticism," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "Providing access to the arts for all Americans in many ways begins with informed public coverage. Our new program with the American Dance Festival at Duke University will undoubtedly add more and experienced voices to guide those conversations." For further information, CLICK HERE