NEW ORLEANS – Gaudanse (Gaudanse, Inc.), a nonprofit interdisciplinary dance production organization, is entering the final stretch of its Key to Your HeART House Raffle, an ambitious fundraising campaign culminating in a live grand prize drawing.
The entry deadline is quickly approaching, with ticket sales closing at Gaudanse on May 23, 2026.
The raffle’s grand prize is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom single-family home located at 2748 Orleans Avenue in the Bayou St. John neighborhood of New Orleans, offering approximately 1,372 square feet of living space. Tickets are priced at $50, and every ticket sold directly supports gaudanse’s mission to expand access to dance, the performing arts, and sustainable creative livelihoods.
“This campaign represents a powerful moment for our community,” says Imani Gaudin, Founding Artistic Director of gaudanse. “As the drawing approaches, every ticket helps us build accessible, sustainable, wellness-based arts practices that sustain artists, preserve culture, and ensure creative futures for underserved performing artists.”
Proceeds from the raffle fund:
- Access and education for dance and the performing arts
- Community movement workshops centered on physical and mental wellness
- Presenting and venue partnerships
- Creation and curation of new artistic work
- Emerging artist mentorship and professional support
- Affordable artist residency housing
- Sustainable wages that help keep artist communities alive
“It was really just a beautiful collaborative space where I felt seen. But also I felt like I was doing something with and for Imani rather than that choreographer [to] dancer dynamic,” says West Devaney, Student at Purchase College.
Over $168,600 has been raised from grants, donors, commissions and residency support since gaudanse’s inception with impact, not limited to:
- 7 production premieres (3 interdisciplinary)
- International debut in Paris + 5 U.S. tours
- World premiere of nanibu + 4 NYC premieres
- 9 residencies supporting 15 paid artists
- 400+ audience members through free/sliding-scale access
Additional Prizes Still Available
While early entry prizes have already been awarded, additional prizes are still available. In addition to the grand prize home, raffle participants remain eligible for early-entry prizes and a luxury bonus prize, with all ticket holders automatically entered into every drawing.
The bonus prize includes a three-night Napa Valley getaway for two, featuring:
- A three-night stay at the Meritage Resort and Spa
- Wine tasting for two at Jessup Cellars in Yountville
- A three-hour gourmet lunch aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train
- A hot air balloon ride for two over Napa Valley
Final Drawing Details
The Grand Prize and Bonus Prize drawings entry deadline has been extended to May 23, 2026.
Additional prize details, raffle rules, images of the home, and a video tour are available at www.gaudanse.org.
About gaudanse
Founded in 2020 by Imani Gaudin, gaudanse is a nonprofit interdisciplinary dance production organization rooted between New Orleans, LA, and New York, NY. Gaudanse creates immersive, whimsical worlds that blend dance, performance art, music, film, culinary arts, and visual arts.
Through accessible programming, mentorship, workshops, and performances, gaudanse empowers early-career artists (particularly those from marginalized and underserved communities) through sustainable, wellness-centered creative practices.
Gaudanse acknowledges and honors that it lives and functions on the land of the Munsee Lenape, Canarsie, Wappinger, Houma, and Choctaw peoples.
