The Gibney Company, a New York City-based dance and social justice organization, has announced a $2 million gift from Andrew A. Davis, a trustee of the Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund, to help transform its resident dance troupe.

The gift will enable the Gibney to become a commission-based repertory company and double the number of dancers it employs to twelve. In addition, by 2021, all dancers will be offered one-year contracts, health insurance, access to on-site physical therapy, an annual artistic sabbatical, and paid vacation. With the goal of redefining a twenty-first-century dance company, the Gibney has worked to create a new model featuring supportive and sustainable careers for dancers and healthy working relationships with collaborators. The company's dancers serve as both artists and activists, and will continue to work to deepen community engagement through advocacy related to issues in the dance field, including diversity, mental health, and economic empowerment.

"New York City is home to some of the world's most important and vibrant dance companies, yet there is room for a contemporary dance company that is dedicated to commissioning artists who reflect a range of experiences and backgrounds to create works for the future of dance," said the company's founder and artistic director, Gina Gibney. "We are profoundly grateful to Andrew Davis for his extraordinary commitment to Gibney Company, and for this visionary gift that will directly benefit artists, collaborators, and audiences at all levels."

"Gibney has a longstanding reputation for excellence in all they do, and I am proud to support the crucial role the company is playing in creating and sustaining a viable, forward-looking model for dance," said Davis. "Building on their track record of growth and service, the stage is set for them to establish a wholly new paradigm for a contemporary dance company."