Evidence, A Dance Company celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Recently the company went on a four-week tour to Africa sponsored by the U.S. State Department.

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As Evidence celebrates its 25th anniversary, Van Lee has emerged as a pivotal figure in the company’s history and survival. He helped bring in about 2,500 active donors and board members from finance, law, fashion and media.

Brown launched the dance troupe with $800 borrowed from his mother and relatives, and at the time he and Van Lee had dinner, the company’s headquarters was his Brooklyn apartment.

Its budget has grown to $1.5 million last year from $95,000 in 2000. While many emerging dance companies struggle to find corporate donors in the recession, Evidence’s sponsors for its seventh annual “On Our Toes” summer benefit on Saturday in Water Mill, New York, included HSBC Premier, financial-services giant Prudential, ING Direct USA, and Continental Airlines.

Van Lee said Evidence’s fans and corporate supporters have connected with Brown’s unique style of conveying the black experience through modern dance.