Dancing with Copyright
On November 17, 2022, the U.S. Copyright Office released a video recording of a conversation the Office hosted with Janet Eilber, artistic director of the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, and Jamar Roberts, critically acclaimed dancer and former resident choreographer of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, about copyright, dance, and choreography. The conversation, titled Dancing with Copyright: A Conversation with Janet Eilber and Jamar Roberts, was recorded earlier this year.
U.S. copyright law has specifically protected choreographic works since 1978, though creators had previously registered them as dramatic works as early as 1952. In 1952, German-American dancer, educator, and choreographer Hanya Holm became the first person to register a copyright for choreography when she registered her choreography for Kiss Me, Kate.
In this conversation, Eilber and Roberts talked to Jaylen Johnson, former attorney-advisor for the Copyright Office’s Public Information and Education Office. Eilber and Roberts shared stories from their careers and discussed what inspires their work, accessibility in dance, and more.
Hakim Draper
3rd generation music industry, Hakim Draper was born in New York City, the son of acclaimed Jazz Composer and Musician, Ray Draper (John Coltrane, Max Roach, Jackie McClean). Hakim grew up in recording studios immersed in the business of composition, songwriting, recording contracts, publishing and copyrights. In college he studied Computer Science and Hakim remains on the cutting edge of technology, artist development, and fan engagement.
Hakim has also earned a reputation as a staunch advocate for artists rights. He has served as an executive for Warner Music Group, Agile Software, and Ariba Technologies. Througout his career Hakim has helped develop and launch or establish dozens of successful assets including; Television Shows, Music Careers across several genres, and built and sold multiple businesses spanning across the Music, Entertainment, Cannabis, Software, and Technology industries.
Sunil Iyengar
Sunil Iyengar directs the Office of Research & Analysis at the National Endowment for the Arts. Under his leadership, the office has produced dozens of research reports, hosted periodic research events and webinars, led strategic plan development for the agency, and established research and data partnerships with the U.S Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. His office also conducts program evaluations and performance measurement for the Arts Endowment. Working with his team, Iyengar has created and pursued a long-term research agenda (based partly on an arts “system map” his office helped to design), founded a national data repository for the arts, and launched two awards programs for arts researchers, including the NEA Research Labs initiative. He chairs a federal Interagency Task Force on the Arts and Human Development. For nearly a decade, he has contributed a monthly research post (titled “Taking Note”) to the agency’s official blog.
Iyengar and his team have collaborated with organizations such as the Brookings Institution, the National Academy of Sciences, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore the arts in relation to such topics as health and well-being, economic development, and STEM and medicine. His office provides research consultative support to Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network. Most recently, he has led a research funding partnership with NIH as part of Sound Health, an initiative of the Kennedy Center and NIH in association with the Arts Endowment.
Prior to joining the agency as research director, Iyengar worked as a reporter, managing editor, and senior editor for a host of news publications covering the biomedical research, medical device, and pharmaceutical industries. He writes poems, book reviews, and literary essays. Iyengar has a BA in English from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Laura Zabel
Laura Zabel is the Executive Director of Springboard for the Arts, an economic and community development agency run by and for artists. Springboard provides programs that help artists make a living and a life, and programs that help communities connect to the creative power of artists. Springboard is a nationally recognized leader in artist-led community development, creative placemaking and cross-sector collaboration. Springboard’s work has been featured by the New York Times, PBS, Wall Street Journal, Stanford Social Innovation Review and The Guardian and directly impacts over 25,000 artists each year in their home state of Minnesota. Through their free toolkits, training and resources Springboard’s programs have been replicated in over 100 communities across the U.S. and internationally.
Zabel has been honored with numerous awards, including the YBCA 100, Gard Foundation Award of Excellence, Common Future Local Economy Fellowship and the Bush Foundation Leadership Fellowship. Zabel is on the board of directors of the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers and serves as an advisor to Dakota Resources, The Laundromat Project, Local Initiatives Support Corporation and the University of Kansas Department of Theater and Dance.