gaudanse (Gaudanse, Inc.), a New Orleans- and New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit interdisciplinary dance production organization, has extended the deadline for its ambitious fundraising raffle aimed at supporting artists and sustaining creative livelihoods in the wake of devastating arts funding cuts.
The organization announced new extended dates for its “Key 2 Your Heart” raffle, which offers participants a chance to win an affordable home or $20,000 cash. The new deadline to enter is May 23 at 11:59 p.m. CST, with the drawing scheduled for May 25. The previously announced Napa Valley trip prize was awarded on Feb. 14.
For $50 per ticket, supporters can enter the raffle while directly contributing to gaudanse’s mission to expand access to dance, performing arts education, artist mentorship, and sustainable creative opportunities for underserved communities.
“Artists need your voice and support right now,” said gaudanse founding artistic director Imani Gaudin. “With the abrupt and massive funding cuts that shook and devastated the arts community at so many levels, gaudanse decided to do something about it.”
“We are deeply grateful to everyone who has supported us thus far by purchasing a ticket,” Gaudin said. “Your commitment brings us closer to our vision. We are extending our raffle because our goal is to give away this house and build a sustainable future for the arts. To award the grand prize in accordance with our Official Raffle Rules, 9,500 tickets must be sold. The funds raised will allow us to continue offering free workshops, create meaningful opportunities for artists, and pay them fair, livable wages.”
Founded as a collective of multidisciplinary movement artists, gaudanse creates immersive, whimsical worlds that weave together dance, performance art, music, film, culinary arts, and visual arts. Through accessible programs, workshops, mentorship, and performances, the organization empowers early-career artists — particularly those from marginalized and underserved communities — through wellness-centered and sustainable creative practices.
Gaudin, a New Orleans native and graduate of Hynes Charter School, NOCCA, and SUNY Purchase College, was recently named a 2025 Gambit 40 Under 40 honoree and a National Performance Network Take Notice Fund Awardee. She premiered and funded her first self-produced evening-length interdisciplinary dance-based play, nanibu, at the Marigny Opera House in 2025 and made her international debut in Paris with her work mamihlapinatapai.
As a performer, Gaudin currently works as a movement artist with Shamel Pitts’s TRIBE. Her work has been commissioned by organizations including Baryshnikov Arts and supported by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the National Performance Network, and the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund.
According to the organization, raffle proceeds will help fund sustainable jobs for artists, fair living wages, affordable artist residency housing, new work creation and presentation, and expanded access to dance and performing arts education.
More information, official rules, and the raffle entry page can be found at gaudanse Key 2 Your Heart Raffle.
