FUSED - French U.S. Exchange in Dance brings together the French and American dance communities by fostering dialogue and exchange, consolidating professional relationships, and providing opportunities for choreographic innovation. This multi-year partnership introduces artists whose works have not yet, or rarely, been seen in the partner country.

The National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy joined forces in 2004, with the support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Florence Gould Foundation, and FACE (French American Cultural Exchange), to create FUSED.

This program builds on the momentum of the cross-cultural choreographic influences between the U.S. and France, which go back as far as the 60s and which were extended with France Moves, a contemporary French dance festival held in New York City in 2001. The festival introduced Montalvo-Hervieu, Decouflé, and a younger generation of artists such as Lionel Hoche. The festival facilitated exchanges among the younger generation of choreographers and presenters in both countries, ultimately highlighting the need for a structured network to promote lasting, reciprocal French-American collaboration.

Two artistic advisors, selected for their extensive knowledge of the dance communities in France and the U.S., guide FUSED: Yorgos Loukos, the Director of the Lyon Opera Ballet, and Laurie Uprichard, the Director of Danspace Project in New York.