The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation announced today that it has formally entered into an Agreement with the New York Chinese Cultural Center - home to the country’s only year-round professional school of Chinese dance - to renovate and improve its teaching and performing arts space in Chinatown.

LMDC dollars will be used to purchase and install new specialized dance flooring to enhance two dance studios for the center. These improvements will allow the cultural center to expand its offering of classes and workshops. The center was awarded a $50,000 grant from LMDC’s Cultural Enhancement Fund.

"Culture is critical to the future growth of Lower Manhattan, and arts institutions like the New York Chinese Cultural Center will promote economic growth and position Lower Manhattan as a premier destination for live performance", said LMDC President David Emil. "I’d like to thank Gov. Paterson and Mayor Bloomberg for their leadership in providing this funding."

Helen Wu, Executive Director of the New York Chinese Cultural Center, said: "The LMDC grant will sustain growth for our organization during difficult economic times. This enhancement will allow New York Chinese Cultural Center to increase the amount of classes and workshops offered to the community."

The New York Chinese Cultural Center was one of sixty three cultural institutions to receive a grant through LMDC’s Cultural Enhancement Fund, designed to enhance services provided by cultural institutions in Lower Manhattan. The fund supports and enhances community activities and programs available to residents, workers and the greater Downtown community. The program was developed as a result of community needs articulated by the public at nearly 80 LMDC-sponsored public meetings, in thousands of written comments, unsolicited funding proposals, as well as needs advocated by community representatives and organizations.

Founded in 1973, New York Chinese Cultural Center is a performing arts and educational organization that promotes the understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture. The New York Chinese Cultural Center is home to the country’s only year-round professional school of Chinese dance, offering a comprehensive curriculum of more than 1,000 classes and workshops annually.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation was created in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 to help plan and coordinate the rebuilding and revitalization of Lower Manhattan. LMDC is charged with ensuring Lower Manhattan recovers from the attacks and emerges even better than it was before. LMDC works in cooperation with its partners in the public and private sectors to coordinate long-term planning for the World Trade Center site and surrounding communities, while pursuing short-term initiatives to improve the quality of life in Lower Manhattan during the revitalization effort.