Empowering thoughts for Dancers.

Morphoses this week at the Joyce

2011-10-26T11:13:00.004-04:00

Just a moment of self promotion: Morphoses opened Bacchae last night at the Joyce to a very important and enthusiastic audience. The wonderful dancers presented on this blog and I would love to share this show with as many people as possible. It is important not only as a re-imagining of a classic greek myth, but also as a remaking of a dance company's model. Lourdes Lopez, artistic director, and Luca Veggetti, resident choreographer, have created a spellbinding show! More information below!

Synopsis and performer biographers: www.morphosesbacchae.org

Tickets here.

Yusha Loves Everyone's Individuality.

2011-10-11T19:41:00.000-04:00

Yusha Marie-Sorzano is originally from Trinidad, she received her primary instruction from New World School of the Arts, The Miami Conservatory, and The Dance Theater of Harlem. She attended the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program and in her junior year was invited to join Ailey II. She has been a member of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and TU Dance under the direction of Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands. Ms. Sorzano has performed works by Ulysses Dove, Mauro Bigonzetti and Ron K Brown as well as with recording artists Wynton Marsalis, Beyonce Knowles, and Rihanna. She was a guest artist on Dancing with the Stars and has most recently starred as the lead dancer in the independent film "You Me and The Circus". When not performing Ms. Sorzano enjoys teaching both nationally and internationally.

Whendid you first begin dancing?

o I started dancing soon after moving to the states fromTrinidad at about 9. I am a product of the public school magnet programand took my first ballet class in a tiny studio attached to the cafeteria. Itwasn’t very pretty and smelt like tater tots.

Whatstyle of dance do you prefer and why?

o I can’t really answer that question. Each style offers something unique.However, I will not deny that at the end of the day there is nothing like anold school jazz combination…..pure satisfaction!

Whohave you worked with in the past?

o As far as concert dance I have danced with Ailey II, Complexions, TheAlvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Morphoses. In addition, I havedone some work commercial work with Beyonce, Rihanna, and was a guest artist onDancing with the Stars. My career has been a pretty mixed bag. It keeps me onmy toes!

Whodo you aspire to work with in the future?

o Not sure at present. As long as it inspires me I am on board.

Beinga freelance dancer, how do you earn your living, ie: do you have side jobs orskills you utilize for income?

o I teach modern and contemporary classes as often as possible. It’spretty awesome to be on the other side of the room. I tend to pick up new ways ofapproaching the art form when I have to use my words to explain it. It’s alsoreally inspiring when someone gets “it” for the first time.

Have you attended college or another kind of training?What/where?

o I am an alum of The Ailey/Fordham BFA Program.

Whatis the most challenging thing about your career? 

o Staying in shape during the in between.

Whatdo you feel and think when you’re on stage? 

o See Billy Elliot’s response in the film, Billy Elliot,when asked what he feels when he dances. I think that sums it up!

Howdo you keep yourself motivated and maintain creative thinking during your offtime?

o I find that I maintain motivation through unpredictability. I trynot to plan too much or get stuck in a routine. Don’t get me wrong; routine iswhat makes a dancer. I just find it thrilling to not know where I may end up atday’s end.

Whatis the most valuable advice you have received from a teacher or mentor?

o Everyone’s body is different. You have to do what works for you. I liketo apply this statement to my career as well

Whatelement, theme, or character from the Bacchae do you relate to most?

o Not sure, though I am continually challenged by Agave.

Whatis the best/funniest/most challenging experience of the rehearsal process thusfar?

o The best: New faces, sensibilities, and artistry
o The funniest: That’s a tough one…it changes daily.
o The most challenging: Staying true to the work while still learning thevocabulary. It takes a second to understand how a choreographer works. Whattheir likes and dislikes are. I find it challenging to balance what is asked ofme with what I want to say as an artist. We are the vessel for Luca’s language.So it’s important to be clear about what we are trying to convey.

Chris Bordenave 'keeps it fluffy' in preparation for the Bacchae

2011-10-08T21:00:00.000-04:00

Christopher Bordenave, a native of Los Angeles, CA, began his early dance training under master teachers Lula Washington, Karen McDonald, and Debbie Allen. He has studied and received training on scholarship with American Ballet Theatre, the Ailey School, Springboard Dans Montreal, and the Dance Theater of Harlem. Christopher has danced and performed works by Nacho Duato, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Zhukov Dance Theater, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. He also holds a BFA from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet/Dominican University BFA program as a member of the Inaugural Class.

To see Chris live, go to Morphoses performance of the Bacchae at the Joyce- October 24-30th, 2011. Or to see Chris in 2-d go here.

What style of dance do you preferand why?

I am a child of contemporarydance. Everything happeningtomorrow or the next day is where I find myself.

Who have you worked with in thepast?

I have worked with DesmondRichardson and Dwight Rhoden, Nacho Duato, Alonzo King, and Yuri Zhukov both asstudent and professionally.

Who do you aspire to work with inthe future?

Geniuses…madscientists…astronomers.

Being a freelance dancer, how doyou earn your living, ie: do you have side jobs or skills you utilize forincome?

I have been blessed to maintain myself solely as a dancer.

Have you attended college or another kind of training?What/where?

Upon graduating from high school in 2006, I attended SUNY Purchase for asemester. I transferred to The Ailey School's Fellowship Program for a yearwhile taking online classes through a community college, and then graduatedfrom LINES Ballet/Dominican University in 2010 with a BFA in dance.

What is the most challenging thing about your career?

Saying goodbye.

What do you feel and think when you’re on stage?

Every emotion all at once continuously until I'm in the dressing room.

What is the most valuable advice you have receivedfrom a teacher or mentor?

"Stay fluffy."

Every Step You Take- a review

2011-10-04T22:24:00.000-04:00

To readers, I am honored to have been found by an editor at Harper Collins to review Jock Soto's new book. You will see my official review below, but the unofficial review is that I would love to meet this man. He presents himself so positively and in service of the art form. It is truly a must read.

Every StepYou Take

Jock Soto withLeslie Marshall

New York: HarperCollins, 2011

271 pp, $24.99

ISBN-978-0-06-173238-6

Review by Brittany Fridenstine-Keefe

Jock Soto'smemoir, written with Leslie Marshall, comes out today. Entitled, "EveryStep You Take," the book is a charming homage to an inspiring male dancerwho dedicated more than two decades dancing at the New York City Ballet.

Jock Soto ispart Navajo Indian, and part Puerto Rican. His first encounter to dance was inthe form of Indian Hoop dances. After seeing Edward Villella on the Ed Sullivanshow, Mr. Soto was determined to learn more about formal western dance genres.His family is an inspiration in the sacrifices and support they offered toenable his study of dance. Mr. Soto’s pursuit of training led him to the Schoolof American Ballet, New York City Ballet's official school, and a separationfrom his parents at a young age.

Much of the bookis Jock's tribute to his deceased mother. Perhaps this is the meaning behindthe title. Perhaps he still feels a connection to her as he serves dance. Hisfamily was a part of his dance despite distance. Although positive in hisreflections, his separation from his roots is an underlying theme. Simultaneously,he acknowledges his need for space and a connection to who he is.

Personally, herecounts growing up in the gay community in the 80s. Mr. Soto reflects on hisgrowth as an individual through each of the relationships; doubly as hewitnessed the AIDS epidemic tearing apart his community. Working hard andplaying hard, Mr. Soto ran in the circles of many prominent art figures,including a close relationship with Andy Warhol.

Mr. Soto’scareer was an embodiment of the American dream; he was quickly and easilypromoted to a leading dancer at NYCB. He shares his is appreciation of his manyballerinas including: Lourdes Lopez, Heather Watts, Wendy Whelan, StephanieSaland, and Miranda Weese. As he recounts these relationships, he sharesnumerous human moments from behind the scenes. Mr. Soto worked in a magicaltime when the work of George Balanchine, Lincoln Kirstein, and Jerome Robbinswas well established and inspired. The New York dance scene was supportive andat the nexus of the form.

Throughout thebook, Jock presents himself humbly. When Peoplemagazine voted him one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in theWorld", he shrugged it off stating his merit was merely to fill aperforming arts quota. But he doesn't take himself lightly; he remains focusedon his mission as a dancer. Mr. Soto recounts the fleeting moments of a lifeonstage and the struggle to keep each performance alive. Before eachperformance, Mr. Soto would say, "it is going to be a different storytonight." Therein lies his dedication to "every little step" hetook.

Throughout thebook Mr. Soto shares recipes, which correlate to his growth. He keeps hisaplomb as he comically recalls using Gorgonzola in a tiramisu, but clearlycooking has become a new creative passion. A vehicle to meld his creativitywith entertainment and invest in the people he cares about. He continues toservice the field as a teacher at the School of American Ballet.

Jock Soto is animportant male figure in the ballet world. As such his memoir, "Every StepYou Take," is a refreshing and inspiring account for any artist livingtheir mission.

Brandon Cournay 'chassé ball changes' from Julliard to become a dancer at Kegwin + Company and Morphoses!

2011-10-03T08:49:00.001-04:00

Brandon Cournay is originally from Detroit, Michigan. He has danced with the Mark Morris Dance Group, and Kegwin + Company Extended. Brandon has performed the repertoire of Twyla Tharp, Ohad Naharin, Lar Lubovich, and Nacho Duato. Brandon has also performed in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and has appeared in commercials for Puma and Target. Brandon received his BFA from The Juilliard School.

You can see him in action at the Joyce Oct 24-30th in Morphoses production of Bacchae.

Additionally, follow his adventures through his social media links:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/brandon.cournay
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Brandon_Cournay

When did you first begin dancing?

I have been chassé ball changing since I was ten years old. I signed up to do a musical theatre camp at my school and after that, I was hooked. I became obsessed with my teacher's Capezio jazz sneakers... So, I talked my parents into getting me a pair. You better believe I wore them to school, no shame.

What style of dance do you prefer and why?

I prefer anything that is physical, organic, and inspiring.

Who have you worked with in the past?

I am having this really cool journey performing in both commercial and concert dance. Professionally, I've worked with the Chase Bock Experience, Mark Morris Dance Group and I'm currently dancing with Keigwin + Company.
While in school, I had the honor of working on creations with Matthew Neenan, Nicolo Fonte, and Larry Keigwin. When we would learn pieces for our repertoire concert choreographers such as, Mark Morris, Lar Lubovich, and Ohad Naharin all came in to help set and coach their pieces that we were performing. It was such an amazing experience to learn and work with the creators of such brilliant works.

Who do you aspire to work with in the future?

I'm really inspired my choreographers such as Aszure Barton, Crystal Pite, Peter Chu, Hofesh Shechter.
I want to work with anyone that is really pushing the envelope in dance. I'm really interested in working with anyone who is creating something inventive, imaginative, and accessible.

Being a freelance dancer, how do you earn your living, ie: do you have side jobs
or skills you utilize for income?

Teaching and choreographing are what I consider my ‘side jobs.’ I really enjoy it though, so I rarely consider it work. Which is cool. I also judge for dance competitions on the weekends.

Have you attended college or another kind of training? What/where?

I received my BFA from Juilliard in 2009.

What is the most challenging thing about your career?

I'd have to say the most challenging aspect of my career is living a balanced lifestyle... in sort of a "work hard/play hard" kind of way. As artists we are constantly on, constantly learning and exploring; sometimes whether we like it or not. Specifically for freelancers self-motivation is vital, our schedule and intentions change daily. It's easy to cram your self- planned day with tons of classes, auditions, and rehearsals to benefit your work and not take anytime for yourself... And vice-versa. It took me a long time to learn that taking a little time for yourself can benefit your work inside the studio tremendously.
It took me a long time to learn that guilty feeling of skipping your 10am ballet class to go see the new Twilight movie will soon go away. I stress the time in this scenario because we all know that movie tickets are only $6.00 if you go before noon. Paying for a full priced movie ticket as a freelancer in New York emphasizes the obvious and biggest challenge that plagues us all... Finances.

What do you feel and think when you’re on stage?

On stage, I try to sensitize my whole body as much as possible. I like to pretend I'm performing in a theatre that's 360 degrees around and that the audience is seeing me at every possible angle. Even if the choreography has a specific direction, to me there is no front. I want to know and feel what my leg bones, arm muscles, ribs, fingers, eyes...etc. are doing at all times, wherever they are in space. When I bring awareness to my whole body I feel I am able to communicate better as an artist. It's no longer about executing steps physically, but about how I am using my instrument, my entire body to embody and enhance the artistry of the work.

How do you keep yourself motivated and maintain creative thinking during your
off time?

I like to see a lot of dance. I think it's important to educate yourself on what you like and what you don't... and more importantly, WHY you like or don't like something.
I also listen to music a ton, the little dancer in my head is constantly improving to something up there.

What is the most valuable advice you have received from a teacher or
mentor?

Risa Steinberg, one of my mentors at Juilliard, was talking about evaluating feedback about your work. She said that if someone loves your work... awesome, if someone absolutely hates your work... awesome, but the problem comes when someone leaves the theatre without having an opinion of your work. I thought that was a very interesting statement.

What element, theme, or character from the Bacchae do you relate to most?

I relate most to the ever evolving pace and flow of the Bacchae. As well as the inspiration of the work, always looking forward to try something new.

What is the best/funniest/most challenging experience of the rehearsal process
thus far?

Best- Creating with such amazingly talented, diverse, and inspiring artists everyday. It’s been an honor to work and learn from such an eclectic group of dancers.
Funniest- Karaoke night!
Most challenging- Scooting up the stairs. At the Vineyard my thighs were so sore, I could barely walk!

For more information on Morphoses's production of Bacchae go to:www.morphoses.org

Morphoses dancer, Gabrielle Lamb, shares her thoughts.

2011-10-01T08:44:00.000-04:00

Photo by Ken Kramer

Gabrielle Lamb
Gabrielle Lamb is a native of Savannah, Georgia, and was trained at the Boston Ballet School. She joined Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal in 2000 and was promoted to soloist in 2003. Since 2009, she has been living in New York City and performing with Morphoses and Pontus Lidberg Dance. Her repertoire includes principal roles in works by George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon, Peter Quanz, Jiri Kylian, Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin, and Nacho Duato. She has also created leading roles in new works by Shen Wei, Stijn Celis, Pontus Lidberg, and Mauro Bigonzetti, among others.

Ms. Lamb is also a choreographer as well a self-taught video artist and animator. You can see some of her videos here.

For more information go to Gabrielle's personal website.

When did you first begin dancing?

I started dancing when I was 4, but hated it because the tights were so annoying
to put on. So I quit and then restarted the next year.---somehow I got over the
tights issue.

What style of dance do you prefer and why?

I prefer any kind of dance which originates with the intention to communicate and
connect. The more I learn, the less interested I am in virtuosity for its own sake.
I want to be able to let go and become someone else onstage, not to spend
those precious moments worrying about steps.

Who have you worked with in the past?

I've been lucky enough to work with a lot of talented choreographers and stagers
in the past. Some of those are: Natalia Makarova, Sylvie Guillem, Mats Ek,
Ohad Naharin, Christopher Wheeldon, Shen Wei, Peter Quanz, Stijn Celis,
Pontus Lidberg….not to mention all the fantastic dancer colleagues who have
inspired me over the years.

Who do you aspire to work with in the future?

Other artists who open new pathways in my mind, no matter what discipline they
belong to. A dream list might include Crystal Pite, William Kentridge, Robert
Lepage, Michel Gondry.

Being a freelance dancer, how do you earn your living, ie: do you have side jobs
or skills you utilize for income?

I choreograph and teach sometimes. I am also a self-taught filmmaker and
animator. I worked as the company videographer for Les Grands Ballets
Canadiens when I was still dancing there, and I've also done work for Morphoses
and BalletX. I'm preparing for a project with the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

Have you attended college or another kind of training? What/where?

No. I've taken a few classes in film, but generally I prefer teaching myself.

What is the most challenging thing about your career?

Keeping a sense of the long-term. It's too easy to get crazy about a small injury
that may be gone in two days---or a temporary lack of work---or the challenges of
learning new choreography. What seems impossible today often improves
overnight, so I've had to learn to back off being so rough on myself when I can't
have what I want straight away.

What do you feel and think when you’re on stage?

If I'm in the space I'd like to be in, I feel like time slows down and I can be
fearless. In the best moments I'm very conscious of the sensations in my body,
and I imagine being able to communicate those sensations to the audience. It's
like there's a line of communication that runs underneath the floor of the stage
and branches out to every seat in the house. If I'm not quite there, then I'm just
judging and chastising myself and thinking about what just happened or what's
about to happen 5 seconds from now. And I imagine that on those occasions the
audience feels somehow less connected as well.

How do you keep yourself motivated and maintain creative thinking during your
off time?

I don't have much off-time. I always seem to have some project to work on or
think about. On the less fun side, there is always email to reply to or scheduling
to do.

I do yoga every day, and unless I"m really on vacation, I take ballet class at
least 5 days a week.

What is the most valuable advice you have received from a teacher or mentor?

I was feeling envious of another artist's talent----and despair of ever being able to
approach her accomplishments. I expressed this to a friend and fellow dancer,
who wrote to me,"Use her journey as a template for what you want, the beauty of being yourself and expressing it to your full ability"…

This really made an impression on me---it reminded me to stay on my own path
and follow it as far as I can, and not to get hung up thinking I'm on the same path
as any other single person.

What element, theme, or character from the Bacchae do you relate to most?

I do an improvisation which is composed of asymmetrical arm movements which
evolve into symmetry. When I'm asymmetrical, my attention is very fragmented,
and when I achieve symmetry I become more focused, as though I'm making
a new connection between already existing ideas in my mind. This for me is an
interesting physical expression of the way that consciousness and creativity
work: disconnected streams of thought which with practice can become focused
and aligned.

What is the best/funniest/most challenging experience of the rehearsal process
thus far?

The best part of the experience thus far has been working with a group in which
every single person has something truly special and different to offer. I've been
working a long time, and I can say that it's pretty rare to be in a group where I
can watch and be inspired by everybody. Every day in class and rehearsals I
see coordination and phrasing that I'd like to steal and try to make work on my
own body.

For more information on Morphoses's production of Bacchae go to: www.morphoses.org

2011-09-19T23:33:00.002-04:00

Here is a paper I researched and wrote for my senior project with LEAP. The program allows for individualized learning, and I chose to research the potential of psychological factors on incidence and onset of injury. I was also fortunate to intern with the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries during my project. Although it is not of professional standing, I learned so much about planning, implementing, and presenting research; I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Biopsychosocial factors in injury: From an artist's perspective.

College for working dancers.

2011-09-15T19:04:00.001-04:00

Although there are many great university dance programs, dancers often enter their professional careers without a college degree. I am among those whose eagerness to begin dancing forced an absence from academia after high school.

But a dancer's career is short, and the benefit of a degree can have a profound effect on transitioning into the civilian workforce. Certainly going back to college after a dance career is an option, but now there are also programs which enable dancers to continue working in their professions while going to school.

One great option is a program called LEAP- Liberal Education for Artistic Professionals. It is a program affiliated with St. Mary's College in California; a small, private liberal arts college. Over 300 dancers have obtained their degrees through the LEAP program in LA, San Francisco, and New York. There are also plans to expand the program to Las Vegas and Chicago.

The LEAP website states, "Founded in 1999, LEAP makes it possible for these working adults to receive a comprehensive liberal arts education and earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Mary's College in 3 to 4 years of part-time study. Courses are offered at convenient times and locations and the program's flexibility encourages dancers to pursue individual interests and explore different disciplines. Our alumni have continued on to graduate studies and successful new careers in a variety of fields."

For more information, email leap@st-marys-ca.edu or call 866-306-0395. Or you can post a comment or email me as I am a proud student in the program and intend to graduate next spring!

Great Event hosted by Dance/NYC and the Taskforce for Dancer Health

2011-05-07T14:36:00.000-04:00

Dancers' Bodies. Promoting Wellness.

Richard Gibbs * Jared Angle * Jen Edwards * Melissa Gerson * Jenifer Ringer

Monday, May 16, 2011
6:30pm - 8:00pm

Abrons Arts Center
Henry Street Settlement
Playhouse Theater
466 Grand Street (corner of Pitt Street)
New York, NY 10022

RSVP: http://dancersbodies.eventbrite.com/

Calling All Stakeholders in Dance!
Dance/NYC and the Dance/USA Taskforce on Dancer Health invite you to join us in responding to the Taskforce's recent call to action to achieve the dancer aesthetic in a manner that promotes overall good health and protects the artist and performer. Led by Richard Gibbs, M.D., the town hall provides a forum to discuss case stories from the perspective of the health professional, cultural critic and professional dancer, including New York City Ballet Principal Dancers Jenifer Ringer and Jared Angle. What words work to promote dancer wellness? What positive practices? What can we as a field do for our dancers?
__________________________________________________________________________

Richard Gibbs, MD. After training with Perry Brunson and Vera Volkova, Richard Gibbs danced several years each with the Hamburg Ballet, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and First Chamber Dance Company. Richard then earned a degree in English from Harvard and an MD from Yale. At the invitation of the San Francisco Ballet in 1991, the Gibbs's created one of the nation's most progressive programs in dancer health in. Richard continues as the company's Supervising Physician. He lectures nationally on dancer health, and he continues to teach ballet having served on the staffs of the San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Harvard Dance Program and Washington State's Summer Dance Labs. Richard is the founding Chair of Dance/USA's national Taskforce on Dancer Health, and he is the lead author of the Taskforce paper, Guidelines on Nutrition for Professional Companies. In 2006, Richard introduced the idea of a standardized preventive healthcare screen for professional companies. Over 35 companies across the U.S. and Canada are now using the Taskforce Screen and working together to bring better health to those who dance for a living. In 1996, the Gibbs's founded the San Francisco Free Clinic where they provide free medical care for people with no health insurance.

Jared Angle was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he began his dance training at age six with the Allegheny Ballet Academy. In the fall of 1996, he entered the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, and for the 1997-98 he continued his studies at the School as a recipient of the Rudolf Nureyev Scholarship. Jared became an apprentice with New York City Ballet in March 1998 and joined the Company's corps de ballet in July of the same year. He was promoted to soloist in 2001 and to principal dancer in 2005. Jared is a Princess Grace Dance Fellowship recipient for 2001-2002. In May of 2004, he appeared in the Live From Lincoln Center broadcast of "Lincoln Center Celebrates Balanchine 100," dancing in Liebeslieder Walzer, and his film work includes Columbia Pictures' feature film Center Stage. For Jared's complete bio, including a comprehensive list of featured roles with the Company, click here.

Jennifer Edwards is a writer, culture critic, choreographer, and messaging consultant. She writes for the Arts and Living sections of The Huffington Post on topics including innovation in dance, culture, and wellness. The founder of JenEd Productions (jened.com), and co-creator of the Home/Body Project (homebodyproject.org), Edwards enjoys paring her passions for multi-media content, the written word, science, and technology. She will present her work entitled ‘Building Stages Across Platforms: How New Media is Changing the Landscape of the Performing Arts' this May in Austria for the International University conference, Performing Arts Training Today, and this July in Chicago for the annual Dance / USA conference. Her degrees, certifications, and accolades highlight her varied background and interests. Edwards holds a MFA in dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and was a professor of dance and choreography for several years. She holds RYT certification in Yoga philosophy, meditation, and physical practice and has taught yoga-informed stress management for the last 10 years for organizations including the American Heart Association and Columbia University Medical Center. She is a Spoken Word Slam Champion and an Award-winning performance poet and essayist. This September, Edwards will begin her post-graduate work in Organizational Change Management at Milano, The New School for Management and Urban Policy.

Melissa Gerson, a national leader in the eating disorder treatment community, entered the field of mental health after spending many years first, as a professional ballet dancer. Melissa trained at the School of American Ballet and upon graduating from the Professional Children's School in NYC, joined the corps of the Miami City Ballet in Florida. She was soon promoted to Soloist, performing featured roles in over fifty ballets until she retired in her mid-twenties. Ms. Gerson returned to New York City to study psychology at Columbia University where she went on to graduate magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Melissa earned her master's degree in social work at New York University and completed NYU Psychoanalytic Institute's post-graduate program in psychodynamic psychotherapy. She continued post-graduate training at the Center for the Study of Anorexia and Bulimia and at the William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis & Psychology. Melissa served as the primary mental health consultant for La Palestra Center for Preventative Medicine, NYC while concurrently building her private practice, with a specialty in eating disorders and body image concerns. In 2008, she founded Columbus Park Collaborative, a private eating disorder treatment center in New York City, where she now serves as Clinical Director. Since 2008, Melissa has developed, staffed, supervised and directed CPC's Day Treatment Program, an intensive treatment program for adolescents and adults with anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorders. She also recently founded and launched Columbus Park Behavioral Health, LCSW, LLC, which is a training initiative for clinicians in the field of eating disorder treatment and a clinic for individuals in need of affordable treatment services. Melissa maintains a private practice, in which she specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, depression, and anxiety, with a sub-specialty in the treatment of performing artists and athletes.

Jenifer Ringer was born in New Bern, North Carolina, and was raised in Summerville, South Carolina, where she began her dance training at age 10 with local teachers. At the age of 12 she entered the Washington School of Ballet, where she studied for two years. After attending a summer session at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, Jenifer was invited to enter the Winter Session at the School on a full scholarship. She became an apprentice with New York City Ballet in October 1989 and a member of the Company's corps de ballet in January 1990. Jenifer was promoted to soloist in 1995 and to principal dancer in 2000. She is a guest teacher at SAB and the Artistic Director of New York State's Summer School for the Arts ballet program. In 2002, Jenifer appeared in the Live From Lincoln Center broadcast of "New York City Ballet's Diamond Project: Ten Years of New Choreography," dancing in Mercurial Manoeuvres, and in 2004 she appeared in the Live From Lincoln Center broadcast of "Lincoln Center Celebrates Balanchine 100," dancing in Liebeslieder Walzer. Jenifer received her B.A. in English from Fordham University in December 1997. In July of 2000 she married former NYCB Principal Dancer James Fayette. For Jenifer's complete bio, including a comprehensive list of featured roles with the Company, click here.

Dance/NYC is a satellite of the national arts service organization Dance/USA. Its mission is to sustain and advance the professional dance field in New York City-serving as the voice, guide and infrastructure architect for all local dance artists and managers. The organization achieves this mission through three core program areas: advocacy and research, audience engagement and professional development. As a convener, Dance/NYC aims to connect and educate our constituency-strengthening the collective voice for dance. Visit www.dancenyc.org to learn more about our programs.

Dance/NYC is grateful to the Abrons Arts Center for hosting this event. Dance/NYC Town Hall Meetings are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. The program is also supported by the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

great link

2011-02-19T18:36:00.002-05:00

Granted there are now many point shoe brands and even materials with which they are made. This is a great inside.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/02/02/ballet.pointe.shoes/

The BESSIE'S are BACK!

2010-08-22T11:20:00.002-04:00

Dance/NYC 63 Greene Street, #605 New York, NY 10012 Phone: 212.966.4452 Fax: 212.966.6424 Web: www.dancenyc.org

August 1, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The New York Dance and Performance Awards, aka The Bessies, will take place Monday October 18, 2010 at 8 pm at Symphony Space in New York City. All lovers and supporters of dance are invited! Please come to celebrate dance work being honored and to find out what is happening with New York’s dance awards.

After a hiatus last year, this year’s ceremony will honor the work of the past two years, and launch the format for the new Bessie Awards, which are now under the umbrella of DanceNYC.

Six full productions from 08-09 and six from 09-10 will receive Bessies.

The full creative teams behind each of the shows will be included in the award (choreographers, composers, designers, and performers). In addition, six outstanding performers from the past two years will be honored with Bessie Awards.

There will be speeches and announcements throughout the ceremony by esteemed members of New York’s dance community. They will talk about the historic value of the Bessies, and detail the changes that will be made going forward. Revisions to the Bessies include both new award categories and a new structure for nomination and voting.

The aim is to continue the invaluable mission of the Bessie Awards: to gather the community, to honor outstanding work in the field of dance, and to advocate on a national and international level for the extraordinary range of dance being performed in New York.

Dance/NYC 63 Greene Street, #605 New York, NY 10012 Phone: 212.966.4452 Fax: 212.966.6424 Web: www.dancenyc.org

Bessies’ new producers

For many years Dance Theater Workshop, Danspace Project, and The Joyce have produced the Bessie Awards. Starting this year, the Bessie Awards will be under the umbrella of DanceNYC. As a wide-ranging dance service organization, DanceNYC is uniquely positioned to be a neutral, transparent, and inclusive home to the historic awards.

Lucy Sexton is the new independent producer of the Bessie Awards. She is working with DanceNYC and the outgoing producing organizations---Dance Theater Workshop, Danspace Project, and The Joyce---during this exciting and invigorating transition period. Please contact her with any questions about The Bessie Awards: thebessies@gmail.com.

The Bessie Committee

The committee responsible for choosing award recipients for the 08-09 and 09-10 seasons is: Nolini Barretto, Barbara Bryan, Rashida Bumbray,

Lili Chopra, Nancy Dalva, Joan Finkelstein, Boo Froebel, Stephen Greco, Virginia Johnson, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Brad Learmonth, Stanford Makishi, Brian McCormick, Nicky Paraiso, Brian Rogers, Philip Sandstrom, Yoko Shioya, Sydney Skybetter, Ivan Sygoda, Charmaine Warren, and Susan Yung.

The Bessie Steering Committee

The Steering committee responsible for setting policy and shepherding the awards through this transition period is: Michelle Burkart, Judy Hussie-Taylor, Carla Peterson, Mikki Shepard, Andrea Sholler, Elizabeth Streb, Martin Wechsler, and Reggie Wilson.

All that and a party!

2010-01-18T13:52:00.003-05:00

SCHEDULE

February 5, 2010

7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

WELCOME RECEPTION – Rubin Museum- Y2K Lounge.

150 West 17th Street

New York, NY 10011-5402

Hosted by Dance/NYC’s Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) and Arts & Business

Council’s Emerging Leaders of New York Arts (ELNYA)

February 6, 2010

8:30 AM – 6:00 PM

SYMPOSIUM – 3LD Art & Technology Center (80 Greenwich St. at Rector St.)

Includes General Session, 2 Break Out Sessions, and SmartBar one-on-one

conversations with experts in the field

THE GENERAL SESSION

8:30 – 9:00

Welcome & Registration; SmartBar Sign Ups

9:00 – 10:30

Opening Plenary

“The Changing Face of Dance Audiences”

Donna Walker Kuhne, Walker International Communications

10:45 – 12:15

IP & IT Workshop

“Latest Technologies Impacting the Dance Field”

Sydney Skybetter, Skybetter & Associates

Marc Kirschner, Tendu TV

Fred Benenson, Kickstarter.com

12:15 – 12:45

Catered in Lunch

12:45 – 2:15

Leadership Workshop

“Leadership, Start with the Why”

Simon Sinek, Start with Why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action

2:30 – 4:00

Town Hall Meeting

“Concert vs. Commercial Dance: Can’t we just get along?”

Panel: Sharon Gersten Luckman (Alvin Ailey), plus more TBA

4:15 – 5:45

Closing Plenary

“Telling the Story of Dance: Defining the Value of our Art Form”

Russell Willis Taylor, National Arts Strategies

Dorothy Gunther Pugh, Ballet Memphis

5:45 – 6:00

Wrap up & Goodbye

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

8:30 – 9:00

Insurances

Fractured Atlas

9:00 – 10:30

Health & Wellness

The Actor’s Fund

SMART BAR

10:00 – 5:00

Lois Welk (Dance/USA Philadelphia), Peter DiMurio (Dance/MetroDC), Jodi Krizer

Graber (Bravo! Wellness), plus more TBA

RATES

FREE - Opening Reception on 2/5/10 *Registration Required

Breakout Sessions on Insurance and Health and Wellness

SmartBar one-on-one conversations with experts from the field

$100.00

The full General Session Package including the Opening Plenary, IP & IT

Workshop, Leadership Workshop, Town Hall Meeting, & Closing Plenary

$20.00

1. Each of the 4 sessions offered as part of the General Session will be offered à la

carte. Choose any session or session combination at $20 per session.

Why you should come if you are a….

DANCER

Attend FREE sessions that focus on various insurance options and dancer health and wellness. Drop in on some

of the general sessions for just $20 a pop including a Town Hall Meeting on concert dance versus commercial

dance and bring awareness by contributing your opinion and giving testimonies on your personal experiences.

Meet with people who are coming to meet with YOU! Attend a FREE opening reception with the entire dance

community of New York including managers, board members, funders, and fellow dancers.

MANAGER

Here is an opportunity for us all to be together under the same roof for important information sharing and

problem-solving conversations working towards general advancement for the entire field. If you attended

Dance/USA’s Winter Forum last year in New York, you know the value of the New York dance community coming

together to share groundbreaking information, reports, and ideas, and the great importance of the

communications and connections that are made when we unite.

BOARD MEMBER or FUNDER

The Symposium will alert you to the most pressing issues and initiatives in the field and connect you to the work

going on the ground to see how it effects the organizations you represent and are supporting. The sessions

offered will help you to increase effectiveness and awareness as a leader in the field. Also, it is an opportunity

for you to unite or re-unite with dancers and dance organizations working outside of your organization and help

you to get a sense of where the field at large currently stands.

DANCE STUDENT

Begin your professional networking early and obtain a greater sense of the professional dance field of New York.

Meet established dancers, dance managers, and dance community members and learn about the numerous types

of jobs available. Learn new information, get ideas for school project topics, and expand your point of view to

bring back with you to classroom discussions.

Dance/NYC’s Mid-Year Symposium is open to ALL members of the New York dance

community as well as any member of the arts or for-profit business communities who have an interest

or do business in dance. In order to make this most beneficial to those we serve, we extend an

open invitation to everyone.

Please join us!

CLICK TO REGISTER HERE!!

*You must register even if you plan to only attend FREE events. Thank you!

At the Martha Stewart Show

2010-01-14T09:43:00.004-05:00

Live Blogging at the Martha Stewart Show.

So being a freelance dancer now in New York free venues of entertainment are very valuable.

The audience build up is quite an entertaining people study. The "warm-up guy" as he calls himself is very funny - a fairly sharp voice but easily engages with audience members. It is amazing how many people want their moment of fame on TV! The audience was instructed to "dress to impress"...quite a New York feat for 8 am on a weekday morning (well, at least for a dancer who often beats the streets in athletic wear).

Martha apparently blogs everyday. The guests include the "Whatever Girls" one of which is Martha's daughter.

Seeing the show I am even more interested how the production end happens....there are 6 cameras and the show and it is edited nearly live. From the end of the taping there is only about 30 minutes for a final edit. Sheesh!

I can't tell who is using the TelePrompTers from where I am sitting.

Here's the run down of the show....

I was just tossed a freebie- which is definitely exciting.

Now we are learning how to make Pad Thai with Pim Techanuanvivit

1/2 c fish sauce

1/2 c tamarind

chili powder to taste

little vegetable oil

cook shrimp, a pinch of garlic, puffy tofu, a spoon of the sauce- put aside.

add more oil, pickle turnips, a few Tbls sauce- constantly stir.

Reintroduce proteins, sprouts, garlic chives. (where's the egg and peanut?)

Other guests include: Alexis Stewart- Jennifer Complemenhut, Jeff Blumencranz- Andrew Ritchey- Brianna Campbell.

Oooh. I just learned how to cut a cake or pie. Take out the second piece that you cut. Very valuable for a dancer right!?

Next was a brief yarn card segment....it seemed like it was cut short somehow....I guess we are behind schedule? It's all fairly well orchestrated though...I suppose there is no room for error on these expensive television slots.

After the taping there was a little personal time for Martha with the audience. She took questions and really engaged. She is actually really funny....she made a great coy (well, overt) remark about her 6 inch heels.

Then there were promos....Martha is quite an experienced performer. She did make a single mistake with the script. Next is an exercise show...maybe I can get on to market Gyrotonic!

All in all, the Martha Stewart show was a blast. And free! Go to her website to try to score some tickets!

Healthcare

2009-12-23T10:48:00.002-05:00

Now being a freelance artist I am now addressing my own need for health insurance. It is an incredible cost and sometimes seems a luxury expense to a healthy young individual. But of course it is not a luxury, as a dancer, when ones' body is the primary tool to the art being created.

See the house bill here.

As the healthcare reform bill goes before the senate here are a couple quick thoughts from Dance/USA.

Dance/USA Statement on Health Insurance Reform
Dance/USA supports health insurance reform that ensures the existence of accessible and affordable insurance for all individuals, including those self-employed and in non-employer groups, and organizations involved in the creation and presentation of dance in the United States. In addition, Dance/USA supports health care legislation that includes measures that provide incentives to nonprofit employers that are equivalent to those provided to for-profit employers.

Many individuals in the dance field are young and often self-employed. Many dance organizations operate on small budgets and may be unable to offer health insurance benefits to employees. According to research conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts (2003-2005 American Community Survey):

Professional dancers and choreographers are the youngest group of artists with a median age of 26 and 80.8% under the age of 35.
Only 25% of professional dancers and choreographers work full-time year-round; 22% are self-employed.
In 2005, the median income was $20,000 for professional dancers and choreographers.

And, according to data collected by RAND Compare and the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Compensation Survey in 2007:

Households with income of less than $25,000 (in 2007 dollars) are nearly three times as likely to be uninsured as are households with incomes of $75,000 or more.
By age, the majority of the uninsured are under the age of 35.
24% of part-time private-industry workers have access to medical health care benefits.

In addition, according to studies done by Dance/USA between 2001 and 2006, a majority of dance artists hold an average of four part-time jobs, most of which do not carry health insurance. Some of the most common examples of part-time work include serving as a choreographer, performer, dance instructor, part-time dance administrator (often at different organizations) and/or part-time work outside the dance field.

Dance/USA has sought to share information on the health insurance reform proposals with our membership, and we encourage our members to take action in accordance with their own personal beliefs and values.

Coming up! DanceNYC mid-year symposium

2009-12-08T09:45:00.004-05:00

Great things are brewing at Dance/NYC. For those that are not familiar with Dance/ NYC it is a New York based extension of Dance/USA- the industry organization for dance. Basically they are the central "go-to" organization for all the companies, genres and dancers in New York. The resources, advice and programs that they provide are a great undertaking.

Coming up they are hosting a symposium that is meant to serve as a vehicle for the dance community to come together and think about various arts related issues. There is plenty of guided discussion, time to network and meet fellow artists, and also informative break-out sessions.

Below is the flyer with all the information, it promises to be a great event. See you there!

To Register Click Here!

An article by Liz Lerman

2009-10-26T12:17:00.002-04:00

A Proposed Job Swap To Save American Capitalism

By Liz Lerman

Do Wall Street executives deserve big bonuses during hard times? Does increased arts funding have a place in an economic stimulus package? I’ll leave it to others to debate these controversies. Meanwhile I’d like to make a modest proposal to solve some of our economic problems: Let’s do a job swap. We’ll put the corporate executives to work as artists while the artists run Wall Street.

Since their first task will be getting economic markets back on solid footing, I’m convinced that artists have the perfect resumès for their new jobs. Here’s why:

1. Artists work ridiculous hours for no pay. And most of the artists I know will keep working until they get the job done right.

2. Artists do not need fancy offices. In fact, they usually work in the worst part of town … until that part of town becomes fancy because the artists are there. Then they have to move because they haven’t paid themselves enough to afford the new rent.

3. Artists throw everything they earn back into the store – which is why they haven’t paid themselves enough. (I will admit that there was one time I didn’t do this. When I was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship back in 2002, I decided to open my first retirement account. I put the money in “very safe” stock market investments. I would have been better off putting it into my next dance.)

4. Artists do not need financial incentives. Artists do the work they do because they love it. Or because they believe in it. Or because they think it is a social necessity for our communities. Or because they know when people make poems or pictures or dances, our best human spirits emerge.

5. Artists do not expect to get anything if they do a bad job. Except maybe a bad review.

6. No artist gets a bonus because there is never enough money at the end of a project.

7. Artists keep very tight budgets. They know how to spend the same penny over and over (not by cooking the books, but by pinching, recycling, borrowing, bartering and plowing their economy-airline frequent-flyer miles back into the next project.)

8. Artists have a rightful reputation for fresh ideas combined with a capacity for self-evaluation that borders on recrimination.

9. Artists play well with others, having evolved highly efficient collaborative techniques in the service of their visions. But they are also very independent, delivering great things even when they work alone.

Meanwhile, in their new capacities as painters, poets, cellists and choreographers, our Wall Street executives might be experiencing a combination of culture shock therapy and ethical boot camp. Artistic practice may force them to discover what they really believe in, because the combination of introspection, discipline and craft that fuels an artist’s work (oh, and it is work) puts people in a very demanding state of truth. Doing what artists do every day, some might find themselves in overcrowded classrooms, excited to share their practices to help young people discover that they actually can learn. Others might be sparked to help communities solve problems by bridging differences through the unique power of their art forms. Those who have been lucky enough to get funded for their work will likely be staying up nights, filling out multiple forms to prove the exact use of the money they have been granted. All will find their moral compasses tested as they balance the demanding loyalties of pursuing personal vision and creating value for an audience.

The job swap I propose might have a final payoff: With artists in charge of Wall Street, you might even see people donate to the cause because artists know how to inspire others to participate together, to work for something that matters, to build on the intangibles of the human experience, to make a difference.

Imagine that kind of Wall Street.

Choreographer Liz Lerman is founding artistic director of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange in Takoma Park, Md., and a 2002 MacArthur Fellow. Over the next two months her company will be appearing in Ann Arbor, San Francisco, Houston, Bloomington, Burlington, Sapporo, Japan and the rainforest of Guyana.

Original CAN/API publication: March 2009

Degree Dance Collective

2009-10-10T12:29:00.004-04:00

I had the pleasure of meeting two savvy young New York dancer/administrator/choreographers last week. They have begun an organization called Degree Dance Collective that, according to their vision statement, is an ensemble of dance artists living in New York City united by their baccalaureate degrees in dance and who are artistically invested in creating in new dance works and committed to remaining engaged in the dance field by utilizing the contacts and knowledge garnered through their formal education.

Degree Dance Collective offers biweekly networking events, dance workshops with various teachers and choreographers, as well as group dance seeing events.

Although I don't have a degree in dance, I do see the need for this kind of organization in the New York dance scene. There is so much opportunity here that distilling your path, amidst it all and without distraction, is a constant struggle. Additionally, all the education or performing experience in the world do not prepare one for the challenges of finding a place in a new scene as vast as New York. Kudos to Degree Dance Collective for creating something vibrant, new and effective!

Just Give

2009-07-17T11:14:00.003-04:00

I just found a great resource for fundraising and philanthropic efforts. JustGive.org is a website that links to over 1.5 million charities and makes it easy to give by category or location. You can set up single or recurring donations and gift donations. They run these transactions privately and securely; plus they will make tax time easier by setting up a complete list of all your donations.

Additionally non-profits can utilize JustGive to collect donations for their organization. This potentially cuts a large amount of administrative work at a nominal expense. You can add a button to your website for free and it will collect donations, take care of tax information and provide online donor reports.

In the non-profit sector we are so reliant upon donations, I recently wondered about the reciprocity of others' generosity. I am determined that part of my new adventures include more philanthropy- of money and self. Interestingly the JustGive website give the following guideline on giving:

How Much to Give

What's the Average?
The average American gives about 3.1% of their income (before taxes) to charity, an increase from previous years but still well below the traditional 10% "tithe" for charity recommended by religious institutions.

Who Gives the Most?
The people that give the most actually make the least. Households earning under $10,000 a year -- far below the poverty line -- gave 5.2% of their income to charity. That's a larger percentage of their money than any other income group.

What's the Bottom line?
The average household donates $1,620 each year. That's just three dollars a day. Learn more.

You Make the Difference:
Did you know that individuals give 75% of all the money that charities receive? If we all give our fair share, no one will go hungry and no child will grow up in poverty. Sound idealistic? Everything depends on how we spend our money.

Give 5!
While 3.1% is the average, there is a movement to give more. Independent Sector, a coalition of nearly 800 corporations, foundations, and private voluntary organizations, is encouraging us to "Give 5" -- donate 5% of our income and volunteer 5 hours of our time each week.

It All Adds Up:
The amount of money and time that we alone can give may seem small but together as part of a national -- even global -- giving movement we are able to make dramatic changes in the quality of life on this small planet.

Fun...Fundraising.

2009-07-04T11:32:00.002-04:00

The first three letters of these two words are the same, but rarely do these two words share much in common. Fundraising is a necessary part of a dance project or companies existence. Ticket revenue, or earned revenue, rarely comes close to recouping the costs of labor, music rights, costume and marketing a show. Growing the audience base is one component to making a show financially successful, but equally, "making the ask" is part of the equation.

I am currently working with a summer company in the beautiful blue ridge mountains of North Carolina called Terpsicorps. Under the direction of former North Carolina Dance Theater member, Heather Maloy, Terpsicorps really does things a little different....and makes fundraising FUN!

First the company is set up as a summer only experience. It therefore employes dancers who are off contract from other companies around the country. Terpsicorps' budget is smaller than a typical ballet company by the abbreviated season as well. (The dancers are generously hosted by families and dance supporters in the Asheville area.) It serves to provide dance to the mid-sized community of Asheville, NC and also attracts the influx of summer tourists.

Some of the FUN we have had this summer included a pre-release screening of "Every Little Step" a documentary on the making and re-making of A Chorus Line. And next, including commercial to promote it, the BOWL-A-THON!

Yes, dancers and fun lovers bowling together for a cause. And to prove the fun that has already been had and what other fun will come is a commercial:

And if you feel so inclined, you can support this event- even from afar- and pledge here. Check out the slick custom designed website that accepts your pledges online- another wave of the future.

Fun Fundraising really does exist!

Son Lux- a must hear

2009-05-27T19:47:00.000-04:00

SON LUX: 2 NEW SHOWS - NYC & MINNEAPOLIS

I just performed with this artist in Minneapolis. Ryan Lott is the artist and an incredible one.

My next post will be more musings on this experience.

A day late and a peso short....

2009-04-30T11:22:00.004-04:00

I have been in Cali, Columbia performing with an international dance festival. Being in a foreign land and still dancing I feel connected to National Dance Week.

The official National Dance Week website offers advocacy tools as well as links to proclamations and guides to youth activities. Here is a state-by-state listing of National Dance Week events.

A message for 2009 about National Dance Week:

The future of dance lies where there are persons who do not dance.

These belong to two categories: those who simply did not learn, and those who think that they are not able to dance. They represent the greatest challenge for the dance teacher's profession.

In line with UNESCO's struggle against prejudice and discrimination, we are trying to expand the boundaries of dance and to change the current perception of what a dancer is.

Dance performances are not necessarily exhibitions of extreme physicality, accurate precision, or bursting emotion - they can be celebrations of interaction between performers. We can enrich dance concerts with dancers, singers, actors, narrators, mimes, acrobats etc., of all ages and all degrees of ability.

Bringing the 'excluded' into dance is a moral duty, but also opens a great door in times of economic crisis and unemployment. In every country there are millions of persons with physical or mental disabilities. We believe they are ready to dance.

They will create jobs to thousands of dance teachers. They can be assisted by the Ministry of Health, whose budget is many times bigger than that of the Ministry of Culture.

Integrating marginalized persons into the practice of dance is as important as integrating them into the workforce.

CID holds to the philosophy that everyone can dance.

Dance Day 2009 is dedicated to inclusive dance. Let us include all members of society into our classes and our performances.

Prof. Alkis Raftis

President of the International Dance Council CID

UNESCO, Paris

***************************************************************

1. The official Dance Day message is mailed to over 150,000 dance professionals in 200 countries. It is translated to dozens of languages. Please ask for a translation, or translate the message to the language of your country; send it to dance organizations and the media. You can find guidelines and previous messages at the CID web site.

2. Dance Day has been established in view of attracting attention to the art of dance, every year on the 29th of April. On that day, dance companies, dance schools, organizations and individuals, professionals as well as amateurs, are asked to organize an activity addressing an audience larger than their usual one.

3. The International Dance Council (Conseil International de la Danse - CID) is the official umbrella organization for all forms of dance in all countries of the world.

- CID is recognized by UNESCO, national and local governments, international organizations and institutions.

- Its members are the most prominent federations, associations, schools, companies and individuals in more than 150 countries.

- It is the supreme forum bringing together international, national and local organizations, as well as prominent individuals active in dance.

- It was founded in 1973 within the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, where it is based.

- UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Sponsorship

2009-04-18T10:41:00.002-04:00

Yes we know that the economy is struggling. I need to update the struggling company list on this blog which makes me very sad. However it is now time to think outside the box and bring fresh life to those endeavors which make art.

A friend recently emailed me about a trip to South Africa that her company is taking. To help facilitate this they have created a sponsorship package. It is a brilliant means to individually fund a project. I have posted her package here. Please feel free to help if you can, and also see the courageous model that has been made for another way to raise funds.

Sponsor the 2009 International EduDance Program
Bridging the Opportunities Gap Through the Arts

About The International Dance In Education (EduDance) Program:

Endorsed by the Embassy of South Africa and the National Association of People With AIDS, the
International EduDance Program teaches leadership, self-esteem, and civic responsibility to youth in
economically challenged communities across the globe. Utilizing our unique brand of EduDance to integrate
research-based human development curricula with rigorous dance training, the International Dance in
Education Program will launch a pilot project in the township of Sebokeng, South Africa in August of 2009.
In addition to delivering a month-long, culturally sensitive youth empowerment program, the 2009
International EduDance program will promote increased use of the arts in schools to enhance teaching and
learning, and to create employment for local performing artists. A percentage of funds contributed by
program sponsors will provide much needed financial relief to participating schools in the form of classroom
supplies and textbooks.

About Lesole’s Dance Project:

Lesole’s Dance Project (LDP) is a Maryland-based 501c(3) nonprofit dance company that teaches and
performs traditional and urban South African-, and afro-fusion dance. LDP has performed alongside artists
of international acclaim at such prestigious venues as Wolfe Trap and the Kennedy Center. LDP also
provides cultural enrichment and educational programs to elementary-, middle-, and high school students
across the United States.

Be among proud sponsors of the 2009 International EduDance Program and receive national
recognition for your support of positive youth development in developing nations. To initiate your
sponsorship, please select one of the sponsorship packages below, and submit the attached sponsorship commitment form.

____________________________________________________________________________

Sponsorship Packages

Underwriter Level $7,500 (Limited to three Sponsors)
Highest recognition at LDP’s 2009 Annual Show (June 30th)!
• Prominent logo display on event signage at LDP Annual Show
• Opportunity to make remarks from the podium
• Two-page spread advertisement in the Annual Show event program
• Logo display on front cover of the Annual Show program
• Ten (15) complimentary event passes
• Logo display and acknowledgement in print ‘save the date’ mailing
Highest recognition at South African Embassy Co-Sponsored Events!
• Invitation and opportunity to make remarks at a post-program showcase VIP reception hosted by the
South African Embassy in Washington DC.
• Opportunity to make remarks from the podium at the South African Freedom Day picnic.
• Tent and exhibit table at the South African Freedom Day picnic.
• Prominent logo display on event signage at the South African Freedom Day picnic.
In Country Recognition
• Prominent logo display on event signage at youth performances at Vereenigeng Civic Theatre in South
Africa
Plus!
• Company logo and description on LDP’s website through the close of the 2009 calendar year.
• Logo and acknowledgement in LDP’s electronic newsletter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Angel Level $5,000 (Limited to Six Sponsors)
Recognition at LDP’s 2009 Annual Show!
• Logo display on event signage at LDP Annual Show
• Full-page ad in Annual Show event program
• Logo inside Annual show program
• Ten (10) passes to LDP Annual Show
• Logo display and acknowledgement in print ‘save the date’
Recognition at South African Embassy Co-Sponsored Events!
• Invitation to attend, and verbal recognition from the podium at post-program showcase VIP
reception hosted by the South African Embassy.
• Verbal acknowledgement from the microphone at the South African Embassy’s Freedom Day
picnic.
• Tent and exhibit table at the South African Embassy’s Freedom Day picnic.
• Prominent event signage at the South African Embassy’s Freedom Day picnic.
In Country Recognition
• Prominent logo display on event signage at youth performances at Vereenigeng Civic Theatre
in South Africa
Plus!
• Company logo and description on LDP’s website through the close of the 2009 calendar year.
• Logo and acknowledgement in LDP’s electronic newsletter.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Champion Level $2,500
Recognition at LDP’s 2009 Annual Show (June 30th)!
• Company name display on event signage at LDP Annual Show
• Half-page ad in Annual Show program
• Logo display inside Annual show program
• Total of five (5) passes to attend LDP Annual Show events
• Logo display and acknowledgement in print ‘save the date’
Recognition at South African Embassy Co-Sponsored Events!
• Invitation to post-program showcase VIP reception hosted by the South African Embassy in
Washington DC.
• Company name listed on event signage at the South African Embassy’s Freedom Day picnic.
In Country Recognition
• Company name display on event signage at youth performances at Vereenigeng Civic Theatre
in South Africa
Plus!
• Company logo and description on LDP’s website through the close of the 2009 calendar year.
• Logo and acknowledgement in LDP’s electronic newsletter.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Benefactor Level $1,000
Recognition at LDP’s 2009 Annual Show (June 30th)!
• Quarter-page ad in Annual Show program
• Company name listed inside event program
• Four (4) passes to Annual Show
• Company name and acknowledgement in print ‘save the date’
Recognition at South African Embassy Co-Sponsored Events!
• Invitation to post-program showcase VIP reception hosted by the South African Embassy in
Washington DC.
• Recognition on event signage at the South African Embassy’s Freedom Day picnic.
In Country Recognition
• Company name display on event signage at youth performances at Vereenigeng Civic Theatre in South
Africa
Plus!
• Company logo and description on LDP’s website through the close of the 2009 calendar year.
• Logo and acknowledgement in LDP’s electronic newsletter during three consecutive months.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Supporter Level $500
Recognition at LDP’s 2009 Annual Show (June 30th)!
• Company name listed inside each Annual Show event program
• Company name and acknowledgement in print ‘save the date’
• Three (3) passes to attend LDP Annual Show events
Recognition at South African Embassy Co-Sponsored Events!
• Invitation to post-program showcase VIP reception hosted by the South African Embassy in
Washington DC.
• Company name listed on event signage at the South African Embassy’s Freedom Day picnic.
Plus!
• Company logo and description on LDP’s website through the close of the 2009 calendar year.
• Logo and acknowledgement in LDP’s electronic newsletter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friend Level $250
Recognition at LDP’s 2009 Annual Show (June 30th)!
• Company name and acknowledgement in print ‘save the date’ mailing
• Company name listed inside Annual Show program
• Two (2) passes to attend the LDP Annual Show during 2009 calendar year
Recognition at South African Embassy Co-Sponsored Events!
• Invitation to post-program showcase VIP reception hosted by the South African Embassy in
Washington DC.
• Company name displayed on event signage at the South African Embassy’s Freedom Day picnic.
Plus!
• Company logo and description on LDP’s website through the close of the 2009 calendar year.
2009 International EduDance Program

__________________________________________________________________________
Sponsorship Commitment Form
Please complete this form to confirm your sponsorship of the 2009 International EduDance Program.

Primary Contact:
(Contact with authority to commit funds.)
Name:______________________________________
Title:______________________________________
Organization:_______________________________
Address:____________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Telephone:_________________________________
Fax:______________________________________
Email:______________________________________
Secondary Contact:
(Contact for benefits delivery, if different. i.e.: Marketing Manager,
Communications Director)
Name:_________________________________________ _
Title:____________________________________________
Organization:_____________________________________
Address:_________________________________________
_______________________________________
________________________________________
Telephone:________________________________________
Fax:______________________________________________
Email:____________________________________________

SPONSORSHIP LEVEL:
Underwriter $7,500 Angel $5,000 Champion $2,500
Benefactor $1,000 Supporter $500 Friend $250

PAYMENT INFORMATION:
Check enclosed (Make checks payable to Lesole’s Dance Project.)
Please charge my credit card:
Visa MasterCard American Express
Card Number: ______________________________________ Expiration Date: ____________
Name as Displayed on Card: _____________________________________________________
Signature: ____________________________________________________________________

Please invoice me for Installment Payment(s) at a future date:
One (1) Installment on ________________________________________________________
Two (2) Installments of 50% each on ______________________ and ___________________
(Deadline to submit all installment payments is June 12th, 2009)

ACCEPTANCE & AGREEMENT:
We agree to the payment terms as listed above on this form.

SPONSOR: LESOLE’S DANCE PROJECT:
Signature: _______________________ Date: _______ ________________________
Name (please print): ___________________________
Lesole Z. Maine
Title (please print): ____________________________ Artistic Director

Please Return Form to:
Lesole Z. Maine
Artistic Director
Lesole’s Dance Project
P.O. Box 10132
Silver Spring, MD 20914
Phone: (240) 744-6693

Forsythe watch.

2009-04-01T22:16:00.002-04:00

I consider this subject as a resource to the always cutting edge/ always inspiring projects of William Forsythe. I have worked briefly with dancers that collaborated with Forysthe; all will attest to the evolution of Forysthe's process and his consideration of what art means to a greater world.

Today OSU and the Forsythe company released a beta version of a new project which links choreography to science.

http://synchronousobjects.osu.edu

The press release states:
The Ohio State University and choreographer William Forsythe announce the April 1, 2009 launch of the interactive web project, "Synchronous Objects for One Flat Thing, reproduced". Focusing on Forsythe’s complex ensemble dance "One Flat Thing, reproduced", the project presents an original collection of screen-based visualizations (video, digital artwork, animation, and interactive graphics) that reveal interlocking systems of organization in the choreography. The project aims to appeal to a broad public from diverse fields including but not limited to dance. Forsythe explains, “The project starts from the recognition that choreography is an organizational practice that employs fundamental creative strategies relevant to other domains.”

Synchronous Objects will be available online to the public on April 1, 2009 at:
http://synchronousobjects.osu.edu

A symposium to celebrate the launch of the project will be held at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, OH at 3 pm on April 1 (concurrent with the opening of the Wexner Center exhibition William Forsythe: Transfigurations). For international audiences, the symposium participants will contribute to an e-symposium online April 1.

The project is the result of a collaboration between The Forsythe Company, based in Germany, and researchers at The Ohio State University from design, dance, computer science, geography, statistics and architecture who work together at OSU’s Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD). Creative Directors William Forsythe, Maria Palazzi (ACCAD/Department of Design), and Norah Zuniga Shaw (ACCAD/Department of Dance) describe the research as a process in which choreographic ideas are the source of information for the composition of unique visual objects. These objects enable the ideas in the choreography to be quickly grasped in their entirety and suggest new interpretations.
“This process of transformation from a dance to a choreographic object requires cross-disciplinary collaboration, and in our community at ACCAD we have found that thinking in this way makes space for new connections between art and science, practice and theory,” explains Zuniga Shaw. Adds Palazzi: “People will access the information in the site in many ways. We want this to be a space of discovery.”

Forsythe, formerly the director of the Frankfurt Ballet (Germany) and now The Forsythe Company is recognized for his innovation in classical ballet. He continues to explore innovation in dance, often extending his choreographic process into new manifestations including installations and the expressive digital media tools at the center of this new collaborative project. The collaboration with the ACCAD/Dance team emerged out of Forsythe’s interest in working in an interdisciplinary research environment. He explains, “I was drawn to Ohio State because of the intense focus on interrelation between artists and scientists at ACCAD and the unique significance of dance in that community.”

The Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD) at Ohio State is a leading academic center for interdisciplinary teaching and research in computer graphics and visualization. The Department of Dance is recognized nationally and internationally for its leadership in choreography, performance, dance documentation, and dance and technology.

„Tanzplan Deutschland supports Synchronous Objects for One Flat Thing, reproduced in its role as an innovative, multimedia learning tool for dance students. Teachers and students from Germany’s dance-education institutions got a first impression of the project during lecture demonstrations and workshops at Tanzplan Deutschland’s first Dance Education Biennale, held in early 2008 at the HAU in Berlin.“ (Ingo Diehl, Educational Programme Coordinator, Tanzplan Deutschland)

"Rotterdamse Dansacademie/Codarts is very happy to have been one of the European supporting partners of Synchronous Objects for One Flat Thing, reproduced, and for our students to have had the opportunity to be involved in the early-stage development of this groundbreaking project. We look forward to incorporating the finished work into our dance teaching and learning programmes." (Samuel Wuersten, Director Rotterdamse Danceacademie/Codarts)

Synchronous Objects is the first phase of Motion Bank, an initiative that Forsythe envisions will become accessible repository of ideas developed through choreographic investigation.

For more information about Synchronous Objects go to http://synchronousobjects.osu.edu

Funding is provided by The Forsythe Company, The Forsythe Foundation, The Ohio State University Office of Research, Rotterdamse Dansacademie/Codarts, and Tanzplan Deutschland, an initiative created by the German Federal Cultural Foundation. The Forsythe Company is supported by the city of Dresden and the state of Saxony as well as the city of Frankfurt am Main and the state of Hesse. The Forsythe Company is also supported by Mrs. Susanne Klatten.

More tax advice.

2009-03-11T18:32:00.002-04:00

Here is a template that breaks down various performer related tax write-offs. Buying leotards and make-up payoff somehow!

There is also a great benefit to being able to claim oneself as a "Qualified Performing Artist". Wikipedia describes it as: an “above the line” deduction, meaning that it is used while computing a taxpayer’s Adjusted Gross Income. It is an exception to the general rule, which requires job-related expenses to be a miscellaneous itemized deduction subject to the “2% haircut” rule of itemized deductions. As such, it is a favorable tax situation for the performing artist taxpayer.

To qualify for this deduction, a taxpayer must fit certain criteria:

The taxpayer must have worked as a performing artist for at least two employers,
the amount of the deduction must exceed ten percent of the taxpayer’s gross income that is attributed to those performances, and
the adjusted gross income of the taxpayer, not counting this exception, does not exceed $16,000. See I.R.C. § 62(b)(1).

Happy tax time!

Tax Season.

2009-02-28T19:04:00.002-05:00

We are not born knowing how to do our taxes. Often it is not the most fun task in life (although I find it very satisfying!). I know may artists that have not filed there taxes only to be found by the IRS with huge fines. Artists may not fuel the economy by exorbitant incomes, but we still have the responsibility to pay our taxes.

Here are a few great resources for tax time.

First if you make below $56,0o0 you can e-file for free through the IRS website. You can save your work online as you go and through direct deposit immediately pay or file for refund.

Considering an artists work is specific, there are many write-offs that one may take. See here for a few examples. (It's a good reason why you should get your butt to class! Or maybe why that new leotard will pay off.)

Happy tax time!

Help a fellow dancer.

2009-02-23T20:59:00.002-05:00

Andrew Allagree is a dancer, and friend of mine, who is dealing with a relapse of a rare autoimmune disorder that is being labeled Brainstem Encephalitis (swelling of the brain stem). It first struck him in 1999. At that time he lost almost complete motor function, was on life support for two weeks, was sent to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, and subsequently began to teach himself how to walk again. Over a span of about two years he managed full recovery and went on to dance with Ballet Florida, danced in London, was in the opening cast of "Movin' Out" on Broadway, and last year spearheaded a campaign that raised $800,000 to help keep Ballet Florida from going under.

In December 2008 the illness suddenly struck again. Currently, he is in Good Samaritan Hospital in south Florida, where his condition fluctuates between ICU and "stable." There are no neuro-immunologists, the specialists he needs, in this hospital to help him. His medical bills over the past 8 weeks exceed $780,000; and because this is a pre-existing condition, he is not currently covered by any health insurance. The fund raising that is going on presently is in attempts at getting him an Air-Ambulance to UCSF in CA, where he has support of his family and partner, and where there are neuro-immunologists that are more experienced in dealing with this very rare, life threatening situation.

If you are a Facebook member and would like to support Andrew morally, you can "friend" him.

If you would like to support him financially, his Facebook cause is: Save Andrew Allagree Encephalitis Fund. The link: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/209029/47934879?m=2c16bad3

You do not need to be a Facebook subscriber in order to donate on this link.

Here is a video supported by the band Five For Fighting, featuring Andrew in his own work created after his initial recovery and before the relapse. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOrCOLDT3LA

Here is a news story from south Florida. If you click on the "play" button in the upper right you can watch the video article. http://www.wptv.com/news/local/story/Former-Ballet-Florida-dancer-hospitalized/K_nWefMNYUq47UAsx0IxPg.cspx

The NEA made it!

2009-02-14T17:06:00.002-05:00

The recent campaign to get the arts community mobilized and advocating to local legislators has paid off. In the conference committee on capitol hill yesterday, the funding for the NEA was reinstated in the stimulus package and passed both the House and Sentate vote.

The New York Times ArtsBeat Blog reported,

"To the relief of cultural institutions, the economic-stimulus bill approved by Congress on Friday preserved $50 million in financing for the National Endowment for the Arts. While minuscule by comparison with some other allocations in the bill, it is a hefty sum for the endowment, whose annual budget is $145 million. Sixty percent of the new money will go to individual arts projects competing for N.E.A. funds. The remainder will be be distributed to state arts agencies and regional arts organizations for disbursal.

Leaders of cultural organizations had been on tenterhooks throughout the week. An earlier House version of the stimulus bill had a $50 million allocation for the arts endowment, but it was excluded from the Senate version approved on Tuesday. And a week ago, Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, had won Senate passage of an amendment he proposed ruling out stimulus money for museums, theaters or art centers. (He lumped them with casinos, golf courses and swimming pools as undeserving.) Under the language approved on Friday, the arts groups were deleted from that portion; the bill does still explicitly rule out money for casinos, golf courses, swimming pools, zoos and aquariums.

Arguing for the $50 million in arts money on the House floor on Friday, Representative David R. Obey, Democrat of Wisconsin, said: “You know what? There are five million people who work in the arts industry. And right now they have 12.5 percent unemployment — or are you suggesting that somehow if you work in that field, it isn’t real when you lose your job, your mortgage or your health insurance? We’re trying to treat people who work in the arts the same way as anybody else."

From Americans for the Arts- A United Voice
This is an important victory for all of you as arts advocates. More than 85,000 letters were sent to Congress, thousands of calls were made, and hundreds of op-eds, letters to the editor, news stories, and blog entries were generated in print and online media about the role of the arts in the economy. Artists, business leaders, mayors, governors, and a full range of national, state, and local arts groups all united together on this advocacy issue. This outcome marks a stunning turnaround of events and exemplifies the power of grassroots arts advocacy.

We would like to also thank some key leaders on Capitol Hill who really carried our voices into the conference negotiation room and throughout the halls of Congress: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Appropriations Chairman Dave Obey (D-WI), House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Norm Dicks (D-WA), and Congressional Arts Caucus Co-Chair Louise Slaughter (D-NY). We also want to publicly thank President Obama for taking the early lead in recognizing the role of the arts in economic development. These leaders were able to convincingly make the case that protecting jobs in the creative sector is integral to the U.S. economy.

The arts are part of the solution!

2009-02-04T18:44:00.003-05:00

The arts are a powerful economic engine and play a vital role in our communities, enhancing each of our lives.

Get the facts, not the spin! Let’s keep and increase arts funding in the stimulus package!

Here are ten reasons why the arts should matter to you.

1. Increased funding in the arts invests in an industry that supports jobs, generates government revenue, is the cornerstone of tourism and economic development, and drives a creativity-based economy.

2. Nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences generate $166.2 billion in economic activity every year.

3. Nonprofit arts organizations return nearly $30 billion in government revenue every year.

4. Nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences support 5.7 million jobs.

5. Investment in non-profit arts generates a spectacular 7:1 return on investment. That is, $1 invested in the arts generated $7 in the community. $50 million to the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) would generate $35 million in economic activity.

6. The arts are shovel-ready – each dollar of arts funding goes to work immediately creating jobs, attracting investment, generating tax revenue, and stimulating local economies through tourism and consumer purchases.

7. Artists constitute a sizeable class of workers -- only slightly smaller than the total number of active-duty and reserve personnel in the U.S. military.

8. The performing arts draw more attendance than sports. 70% of Americans attend at least one performing arts event per year versus 53% that attend one sports event.

9. Children who receive an arts education on a regular basis are more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and less likely to engage in delinquent behavior.

10. A strong arts and culture sector and a creative workforce attract and keep businesses in the community - it is one of the top ten attributes corporations look for in a new business site.

The arts are not “pork spending”. Even if you are not an arts patron, the money spent on non-profit arts funding benefits you.

The money allocated for the National Endowment for the Arts represents less than 1% of the proposed economic stimulus package.The arts are part of the solution!

Take action now! Write your congressmen in under 5 minutes!
Click here: http://theperformingartsalliance.org/campaign/AmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentBill

Research comes from Americans for the Arts, the National Governors Association, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Performing Arts Research Coalition.

Dance/USA Winter Forum- This Weekend!

2009-01-28T12:54:00.004-05:00

Have you ever wondered what other organizations deal with in regards to employee turnover rates, health insurance premiums, salaries, etc. in this trying financial time? Do you know what a health screening can do for you or your dancers? Do you just need a community who can support in how your organization is run? YES?!? Attend this weekend's Dance?USA winter forum. It promises to be an inspiring and enriching series of meetings in New York City! Additionally there are special discounted rates for dancers!

Here is the write-up and links to further information.

Upcoming Winter Forum
Human Resources and Organizational Performance
January 30-31, 2009 in New York City

PRICE AND REGISTRATION - Reduced prices! “I fear that our organizations do not give the needs of administrative staff nearly enough attention. Let’s take the lead and raise the bar on human resource development in the arts!” - Rachel Moore, Executive Director of American Ballet Theatre.

Who Should Attend: Managing directors, artistic directors, human resource managers, operations managers, administrative staff of all sized companies, presenters, agents, service organization directors, choreographers and dancers are all invited and welcome to attend!
Location: 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center, directions Read more about our generous hosts.
Schedule for Friday January 30, 2009: *Subject to change
TIME/EVENT DESCRIPTION
8:30-9:30am Join us for a free breakfast!

9:30am Opening Remarks by Andrea Snyder, Executive Director of Dance/USA

9:45am Kristin Giantris, Vice President of the Northeast Region, Finance Fund will discuss the financial dynamics of various-sized dance companies and review the impact recessions have on arts organizations.

10:15am Human Resources lawyer, Kathleen McKenna of Proskauer Rose LLP, will tell true stories about human resources and economic crisis.

11:00-11:30am Dr. Richard Gibbs and Heather Southwick of the Task Force on Dancer Health will give an update on the Screening Project.

11:30am-12:00pm John Munger, Dance/USA’s Director of Research will present research on human resource issues during economic challenges regarding turnover rates, budget adjustments and compensation levels of Executive Directors, Artistic Directors and dancers of dance companies.

12:00-5:45pm Council Meetings (including free lunch)

6:00-9:00pm Networking and socializing reception. Free and open to all Winter Forum participants and the New York City dance community.Dance/USA is grateful to DeWitt Stern Group for their generous sponsorship of the Networking Reception. Thank you to the NYC host committee for their help with this reception.

Schedule for Saturday January 31, 2009: *Subject to change
TIME/EVENT DESCRIPTION

8:30-9:30am Join us for a free breakfast!

9:00-9:30am Introduction to Engaging Dance Audiences, Arts Policy Recommendations in the New Administration, and the Dance/USA 2009 Annual Conference.

9:30-10:30am Agenda setting - Name topics and issues concerning human resources and organizational performance that you most want to explore on a deeper level during the rest of the day. Led by facilitator Heidi Nobantu Saul.

10:30-4:00pm Breakout sessions. Discover who shares the same issues and expand your network; Engage in dynamic discussion; Share ideas and what you are learning in the field;
Identify opportunities through taking ownership of what most interests you;
Read more about the discussion.

4:00-5:30pm Plenary Conclusion, Closing Circle

Hope to see you there!

Yes We Can!

2009-01-23T12:56:00.003-05:00

It seems a bit brighter these days, winter always turns to spring. Particularly with this new government leadership comes great opportunity for individual responsibility. As President Obama stated in his Inauguration speech, "What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."

So again I ask what is our responsibility to dance? I would love to think that just creating the art is enough, but alas now more than ever our jobs (particularly the artists themselves) extend beyond "creators" and "doers".

I read a story in Newsweek recently about a governmentfunded abstinence campaign in the schools created by former President Bush. The campaign has received more than $1 billion dollars in government allotments. For 2008, according to Medical News Today , the Community Based Abstinence Education which "gives grants to groups that teach abstinence but not how to use contraception" received an allocation of $141 million. Yet according to the National Endowment for the Arts page, for the same fiscal year the government appropriated $144.7 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Comparing the two numbers the NEA only receives $4 million more, yet its programs cover both education and private non-profit arts organizations in a variety of disciplines.

Again what can we "doers" do? The first and easiest thing is to join the current campaign through the Performing Artist Alliance and petition your local legislators to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009. I just sent a letter to my sentaors and house representatives that reads,

"On behalf of my performing arts organization, I am writing to express our strong support for the inclusion of $50 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009. Among the numerous benefits included in this bill, support for the arts is an essential part of our nation's recovery and investment in a vibrant and creative economy-based future. I urge you to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009."

It was online, easy and free!

There is also recently a petition, driven by Quincy Jones, that has already complied over 76,000 signatures advocating for a cabinent level postion for the arts (sign up here). An article in the Washington Post cites a few top arts leaders in response to this momentum:

"Whether you call it a minister of culture or not, it would be wonderful to have someone with a policy role to coordinate arts education, cultural diplomacy and support for arts organizations. Those activities are not coordinated but divided among many offices," said Michael Kaiser, president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

"We need a voice that looks broadly," said Robert Lynch, president of Americans for the Arts, a national lobbying group. He is advocating a senior position, not necessarily a Cabinet post. "We are calling for a person at the executive office level who understands there is a National Endowment for the Arts, but also understands the arts portfolio in the Education Department, the State Department -- and in addition to the nonprofits arts, is looking at cultural tourism, broadband access and trade through records, movies and videos."

No matter what it is our responsibility and the time is now. Advocacy is a great tool. With the momentum of a new day it is time for us "doers" to move advocacy to the top of our to-do list!

Freelancers Union

2009-01-12T21:48:00.002-05:00

There is a great organization out there, not dance specific, that can offer free lance dancers health care, insurance and educational opportunities.

The Freelancers' Union is a free service that can group individuals to get discounts on insurances, health club memberships, eye wear and T-Mobile plans. Again the enrollment is free. Additionally they offer seminars and webinars on a variety of business and life skills topics. (Want more information on what your accountant is doing with your taxes?)

Additionally they provide a classified listing for jobs and a yellow pages to find or list specific people and professionals.

As our economy is in such flux, aligning ourselves with such great resources and knowledge is vital.

Reality check- it's your responsibility.

2009-01-01T16:35:00.004-05:00

ECONOMIC CRISIS!!!! It is all over the news and the reality is that when our donors and patrons lose their jobs it will affect the state of the arts.

On the left of the my blog I have complied a list of ailing ballet companies. Previously I posted links to information on Texas Ballet Theater and its struggles early this season. Large and small companies are losing donors, funding and audiences; this is likely just the beginning. In regards to TBT, the dancers themselves worked to secure the ballet's future by organizing fundraisers and being ambassadors to the community.

Transparency and collaboration are great ways to stick together as an industry. Again I can't speak enough to the work of Dance/USA. To that end, the winter council is fast approaching January 30th-31st at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Dancers can attend for $30 including some meals!

Below is a survey from 2004 from the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations, although the information may be a few years old, it does support the fact that art exists at all financial levels. As history proves, it always has. To me this is hope that although the arts may struggle and need to scale back, it will always exist. It's what we as artists and arts organizations do with out arts and resources that really matters.

WHO RESPONDED
* 59 arts organizations responded; 57 provided detailed financial information
* 25 are Arts Councils, 8 are Arts Centers
* 13 Service Agencies and 13 Discipline Based Organizations
*14 Organizations are Alliance Rural Arts Partners

TOTAL ORGANIZATIONAL BUDGET (including pass through)
* 14 Reporting Organizations have budgets under $200,000
* 17 Reporting Organizations have budgets between $200,000 and $500,000
* 6 Reporting Organizations have budgets between $500,000-999,000
* 14 Reporting Organizations have budgets in excess of $1,000,000
* 2 Reporting Organizations have budgets in excess of $10,000,000

PASS-THROUGH *Pass Through (including regrant funds) range from $2,500 to $8,107,100
*22 organizations do not have ANY pass through money

FEDERAL
*10 Organizations receive Federal Money, including NEA Funds.

NYSCA
*Grants range from $1,000 to $1,462,000 of those organizations receiving grants
*NYSCA grants range from .15 % to 68 % of Total Organizational Budget of those receiving NYSCA grants *Average NYSCA grant is 22.1% of Total Organizational budget
*The average dollar amount is $115,775; median is $49,500 (includes pass through)
*3 organizations receive no grant money
*15 organizations receive grants under $40,000; 10 receive $20,000 or less
*7 organizations receive grants between $40,000-60,000
*34 organizations receive over $60,000
*11 organizations receive grants in excess of $100,000

COUNTY
*30 organizations receive money from their counties; amounts range from $500 to $156,000

CITY
*28 organizations receive money from their municipality; amounts range from $500 to $784,583

OTHER STATE SUPPORT
*22 organizations receive money from New York State, other than from NYSCA

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO SALARY
*$26,000 is the lowest reported salary for a full time Executive Director
*$150,000 is the highest reported salary for a full-time Executive Director.

PAYROLL AS A PERCENTAGE OF EXPENSES
*The range for payroll as a percentage of expenses is from 5%-72%

BENEFITS
*48 organizations offer medical benefits to their full-time employees
*19 organizations offer dental benefits *23 organizations offer tax-deferred annuity
*19 organizations offer pension Employee contribution is required for most benefits.
Employee medical is generally included in benefits. Family coverage generally requires an employee contribution. Other benefits include: flex time, paid vacation, paid personal days, sick days, free or discounted programs, parking, transit checks.

PERSONNEL
*3 organizations reported no paid staff
*The largest reported paid staff is 98 FT and 102 PT
*Most organizations report at least 1 full time staff person

Dancers are the Face of Dance. AND we have a Voice.

2008-12-19T20:26:00.003-05:00

I have had a few recent forays into the journalistic world; perhaps inspired by the thoughts of this blog.

The first includes a Dance/USA article published in the quarterly publication. My intent was to provide a dancer presence in the the organization. The article is attached below.

The second was a personal reaction to some recent dance news in a large newspaper. I responded to the journalist both praising their dance coverage, but also pointing out some incongruities in the statements in the article. To my incredible surprise the writer responded to my email within 24 hours with a great dialogue on the subject.

It amazes me to think that these journalists and critics have such an influence on how work and the industry is perceived by an audience. But the artists themselves are not powerless in this influence because the writers can be so open to discuss their thoughts.

That is where it becomes our job to be engaged and active in the public relations of the dance world. Staying abreast of the news and commentary, and responding to it is a place to start.

Here is the Dance/USA article.

Mind of an Artist

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Dance Culture dance/usa

Dance/USA Taskforce on Dancer Health Screening- Information for Dancers

2008-12-15T21:51:00.002-05:00

The following is the information given to dancers about the health screening administered through the guidelines of the Taskforce for Dancer Health and Dance/USA. The screen has been a 100% positive, post hire process to help dancers work with their primary tool- their body. Results have informed dancers of underlying tendencies and imbalances as well as general awareness.

If you work in a company that doesn't administer the screening please contact Dance/USA to learn more, or lead your affiliated health care practitioner to the screen that is online.

Dance/USA Taskforce on Dancer Health Screening

Important Information about the Screen

This was created to help the dancer, help the dancer.

This has no relationship to management (except, we insisted that they pay you for your time)

The Screening info is totally private and confidential.

This is 1000% for sure.

The Screening info can never be shared with management, artistic or your colleagues.

Your Screening info is protected by the same doctor/patient code of all medical information.

The doctors and P.T.’s would lose their licenses and be prosecuted if this privacy and confidentiality code was broken.

The entire purpose is to help you:

Have better health
Dance better and longer
Avoid chronic problems once you retire

AGMA fully supports the Taskforce Screen.

Other Companies using the Screen this season:

1. Boston Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Houston, Pittsburgh, Ballet Austin, National Ballet of Canada & more.

Remember the Golden Era of Dance?

2008-12-14T11:12:00.004-05:00

Image from Achievement.org

Remember when..... dance was on television on a regular basis? ...Baryshnikov and Gelsey were regular household names? ...Suzanne Farrell was on the cover of Time Magazine?

Well....I suppose that amidst a failing economy dance may again have some venues to put itself, as an industry, back into people's everyday lives. With the reality television shows "So You Think You Can Dance" and Dancing with the Stars", more people than ever are tuning in; whether this impacts live theater ticket sales we can only hope.

And there is more.....Billy Elliot on Broadway is having an impact as PBS recently ran an incredible documentary on the three boys that star in the production.

Additionally Alastair Macaulay ran an article in the Times about the greater implications of the success of Billy Elliot the musical.

Here is an excerpt of "Finding Billy Elliot":

Production logistics.

2008-12-05T14:27:00.002-05:00

As I watch a new production team work American Repertory Ballet's Nutcracker in a new theater, I am reminded of all the behind-the-scenes details and jobs for a large ballet. Focusing lights, loading in and out of a space, setting up tissues and rosin, mopping, moving sets... it goes on and on.

Here is a new issue that may affect the state of our arts from Dance/NYC's e-newsletter:

Use Wireless Mics? Get up to speed

White Space

The wireless microphone technology currently in use by performing arts organizations will soon undergo changes. As TV goes digital in February, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is re-examining the use of the broadcast spectrum, specifically the -white space- that exists between broadcast television channels. Recent auction of the -white space- is resulting in a reorganization of the broadcast spectrum, changes to the allowable uses of the spectrum, and the development of new devices.
On November 4, the FCC voted to authorize the use of new devices that would operate in the same space currently used for wireless microphones. The FCC ruling includes certain -protections- for wireless microphones - please stay tuned for more information on this latest ruling in the coming months.

Meanwhile, a specific portion of the -white space- - channels 52-69, roughly between 700 and 800 MHz frequencies, had already been auctioned off, and current users, including performing arts organizations, will most likely be required to vacate this part of the spectrum by February 17, 2009.

The Performing Arts Alliance has filed comments with the FCC ( http://dancenyc.pmailus.com/pmailweb/ct?d=GnTX6gBzAAkAAAalAAJVcA ) on behalf of the not-for-profit performing arts community, urging the agency to find a viable solution to protect wireless audio devices ( http://dancenyc.pmailus.com/pmailweb/ct?d=GnTX6gBzAAkAAAgVAAJVcA ) from interference as new devices come into use. We are encouraging all parties to find a solution that is affordable for not-for-profit performing arts organizations and that will guarantee that migration to new technology and a new location on the broadcast spectrum will be free of interference during performances.

You are urged to contact your wireless microphone equipment manufacturer. Depending on make and model, your equipment could be re-banded with a new frequency range. Otherwise, it will need to be replaced. Please do this as soon as possible, especially if you are in a metropolitan market.

New from Google

2008-11-27T20:10:00.002-05:00

Google has a plethora of great features. A new one that my father recently discovered is Google "street view". As a function of Google Maps you can see a picture of the exact location that you are searching. For example here is the studio where American Repertory Ballet rehearses.

The advantage to this in a dancer's life is that one can find a stage door or new rehearsal location before arriving for a performance or service. Or considering that audition season is right around the corner, one can see the building as part of travel planning.

Go Google!

Dance Specific Health Resources

2008-11-24T20:55:00.002-05:00

Health care and injury management is an enormous issue for dancers and dance companies. Finding the right treatment can be crucial to getting a dancer back to work or training if injury occurs. Below are a few links to national organizations that can locate a dance/sport specialty service.

American College of Sport Medicine- they have members with dance medicine expertise.

American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons- you can search for a sports medicine specialist, but I couldn't find any advanced function to denote dance specific.

I did find this interesting article when searching the site for dance:

Keeping dancers on their toes
Dr. Richard Coughlin positively affects is the dance community in San Francisco. “Dance is an art form I came to appreciate when training in New York City,” Dr. Coughlin said. “It’s a beautiful combination of high culture and athleticism.”

While serving as a board member for a local dance company, Dr. Coughlin learned that, unfortunately, many performers are either uninsured or underinsured. “It soon became very clear to me that the dancers were a disadvantaged patient population,” he said, explaining dance troops often can’t afford to offer health insurance coverage for their members.

To serve these dancers’ medical needs and thank them for their commitment to the arts, Dr. Coughlin is one of the medical specialists who provides them with free care through UCSF’s Dance Injury/Prevention Clinic, which is housed in a new performance building, ODC Commons. The clinic recently expanded to offer general health services, such as nutrition counseling. “It’s become a healthy dancers’ program focusing on more than musculoskeletal injuries,” Dr. Coughlin said.

American Orthopedic Socity for Sports Medicine - you can search for a sports medicine specialist, but I couldn't find any advanced function to denote dance specific.

American Medical Society for Sports Medicine- you can search for a sports medicine specialist, but I couldn't find any advanced function to denote dance specific.

American College of Sports Medicine- Certified Professionals for health and fitness training.

International Association for Dance Medicine and Science- some great research including papers on bone density and female dancers as well as medical data on starting pointe.

Harkness Center for Dance Medicine- the best. Research, workshops and cutting edge specialists- but it is in NYC.

The real nuts and bolts.....FINANCIALS

2008-11-20T21:02:00.002-05:00

Seeing that we are facing a trying economic time, have you ever wondered about the fiscal responsibility of a particular non-profit organization. As part of a non-profit status, financial information is public information. Guidestar is the place to get that information.

Guidestar states:

If you care about nonprofits and the work they do, then you're affected by what GuideStar does—even if this is your first visit to www.guidestar.org. You see, we gather and publicize information about nonprofit organizations. Our reach is far and wide. Our database is broad and deep.

GuideStar's mission is to revolutionize philanthropy and nonprofit practice by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving.

We encourage nonprofits to share information about their organizations openly and completely. Any nonprofit in our database can update its report with information about its mission, programs, leaders, goals, accomplishments, and needs—for free. We combine the information that nonprofits supply with data from several other sources. You'll find GuideStar data:

on this Web site
on our many partners' websites.
in computer applications used by funding entities and private companies who work with nonprofits

If you're new to GuideStar, check out our demo for new users to learn more about finding the nonprofit information you need. Then start searching our site-it's free! You'll get even more information if you complete ourregistration form and log in-also free!

Why are we so passionate about nonprofit information? Because the best possible decisions are made when donors, funders, researchers, educators, professional service providers, governing agencies, and the media use the quality information that we provide. Those decisions affect our world today and will continue to affect it for generations to come.

A little self promotion.

2008-11-15T12:55:00.003-05:00

Pardon me while I foray into a bit of self promotion. It is Nutcracker time of course, and American Repertory Ballet, of which I am a member, has a very nice version of the holiday production.

This blog is meant to be a resource for dancers. Self promotion is not exactly a resource. I suppose the value in this post is a piece of advice that my husband often mentions... "Your intentions will never be fulfilled if they remain a secret."

I love this internet/digital age. There is at times too much out there to sift through, but the ability to e-blast and digitally share marketing material is a fabulous revolution.

If you are in the New York/New Jersey area and would enjoy a bit of Nutcracker merriment drop me a line and I will let you know which shows I am cast as what. (I rotate Marie, Sugar Plum, Chinese and Mirliton/German- a little more self promotion!)

Also, I am becoming a huge advocate for spreading the word about keeping the arts alive. The failing economy is already affecting the stability of many arts organizations. Broadways ticket sales are down by thousands and it was recently announced that "Spring Awakening" and "Hairspray" will be closing early next year.

The best thing that we can do is to live the arts and share our experiences with everyone we know. Perhaps a little self promotion is all we have.

Healthy Dancers- Part II

2008-11-13T20:47:00.003-05:00

I recently attended a meeting for the Dance/USA Taskforce on Dancer Health. It is a thrill to report that over twenty professional dance companies have implemented the post-hire health screen. Although more outcomes are still in development, one great benefit is the knowledge that dancers are acquiring in reference to their primary tool- their bodies!

I find it fascinating to learn what inherent or created imbalances exist both individually and within a company of dancers. There are some incredible people in the medical field donating many long hours for the well being of dancers.

One of the resources mention in the meeting was the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, aka IADMS. They have many articles on injury, injury prevention, healthy teaching practices and nutrition.

Here is an excerpt on fueling the dancer:

Nutrition Fact Sheet: Fueling the Dancer

To perform at their best, dancers need to be well fueled for classes, rehearsals, and performances. This paper will present a strategy for obtaining the energy needed for dance training and the right balance of carbohydrate, fat, protein, micronutrients, and fluids.

One important challenge facing many dancers is ingesting sufficient quantities of food to meet the energy demands of dance. The first step in planning a high performance diet is to be sure that the dancer is obtaining adequate caloric intake. The easiest rough estimate of how many calories a dancer requires during heavy training is 45-50 calories per kilogram of body weight for females and 50-55 calories per kilogram of body weight for males. For a more accurate assessment, dancers should consult a dietitian.

A low caloric intake will not only compromise energy availability, it can also lead to an under-ingestion of many micronutrients that could affect performance, growth and health. After calculating the number of calories needed, the next step is to estimate the necessary amount of carbohydrate, fat, and protein, the building blocks of the diets.

A dancer's diet should be composed of about 55-60% carbohydrate, 12-15% protein, and 20-30% fat

Healthy Dancers

2008-10-30T22:02:00.002-04:00

Gone are the days of suffering through mindless aches and pains and starvation to reach a specific aesthetic. Not that aches and pains nor an aesthetic exist, but more and more dancers are becoming educated about their bodies and self care.

ABT has both published a new book and also has an upcoming seminar for students and pre-professionals. New York City Ballet just had a similar seminar as well. The Harkness Dance Center offers many programs for professional and pre-professional alike.

ABT Healthy Dancer Open House

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE PRESENTS
ABT HEALTHY DANCER OPEN HOUSE
Seminars on Nutrition and Injury Prevention
Offered Free to Families, Students, and Instructors
Sunday, November 16, 2008, 12 Noon
Special Guest Appearances by Angelina Ballerina- and
Dancers of American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre will hold its first ABT Healthy Dancer Open House at its 890 Broadway studios on Sunday, November 16, 2008 from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. The Open House is a free event open to dance students of all ages across all disciplines, as well as parents and teachers throughout the New York metropolitan area. The event will include demonstrations by American Ballet Theatre-s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, a special appearance by Angelina Ballerina- and guest appearances by ABT dancers.

ABT-s Healthy Dancer Open House will offer seminars throughout the day from the following panel of ABT medical experts: Dr. William Hamilton, orthopedist, and Julie Daugherty, ABT physical therapist, will discuss injury prevention. Joy Bauer Nutrition will discuss healthy eating habits specific to dancers. Linda Hamilton, Ph.D, psychologist, will give -Advice for Dancers- from her monthly Dance Magazine columns. Special guest Angelina Ballerina- will lead demonstrations in safe stretching for children. Professional pointe shoe fittings by Capezio® will be available for students and pre-professional dancers.

ABT Healthy Dancer Open House kicks off the release of the new publication The Healthy Dancer: ABT Guidelines for Dancer Health, scheduled for release on October 20, 2008.
ABT Healthy Dancer Open House is sponsored by Payless ShoeSource®. For more information and to sign up for ABT Healthy Dancer Open House, please visit ABT-s website at www.abt.org/openhouse ( http://dancenyc.pmailus.com/pmailweb/ct?d=GSXJhQBzABAAABA9AAJI8g ) or call the Healthy Dancer Hotline 212.419.4383.

Job Description. Part VII- Executive Director

2008-10-12T19:44:00.003-04:00

JOB DESCRIPTION FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

In a typical dance organization there are two people on the top of the leadership pyramid. The artistic director that I have previously described and then the executive director of whom I will mention here. The executive director is essentially the financial and business head of the organization, the CEO of the non-profit. Together the artistic and exectutive director are the right and left brain respectively.

As mentioned in previous posts, each organization has its own inter workings; with today's tight economy, there are an increasing number of organizations that utilize one person to wear both the artistic and executive hats. But here is a summary of the executive duties of a non-profit organization.

The United Way of King County offers a plethora of non-profit governance resources. Including the following job description for executive directors by Jan Masoaoka:

At a recent gathering of nonprofit CEOs (executive directors) it was amazing how many people didn't have job descriptions - and almost no one had one that had been recently updated. Too often boards only look at the executive director's job description when they're unhappy with their executive or when they're hiring a new one. If you're writing or rewriting a job description, it may be helpful to have one for comparison. I've taken my job description as executive director of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services - one of the Board Cafe's co-publishers - and made it a bit more "generic" to serve as a template. Whatever job description you use, test to see that it both provides everyday guidance for the executive director and can serve as an evaluation tool at the end of the year. AND be sure to revisit and revise the job description as the job and the organization change.

Executive Director

The Executive Director is the Chief Executive Officer of ____________. The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors, and is responsible for the organization's consistent achievement of its mission and financial objectives. In program development and administration, the Executive Director will:

Specific committee responsibilities:

Assure that the organization has a long-range strategy which achieves its mission, and toward which it makes consistent and timely progress.
Provide leadership in developing program, organizational and financial plans with the Board of Directors and staff, and carry out plans and policies authorized by the board.
Promote active and broad participation by volunteers in all areas of the organization's work.
Maintain official records and documents, and ensure compliance with federal, state and local regulations.
Maintain a working knowledge of significant developments and trends in the field.

In communications, the Executive Director will:

See that the board is kept fully informed on the condition of the organization and all important factors influencing it.
Publicize the activities of the organization, its programs and goals.
Establish sound working relationships and cooperative arrangements with community groups and organizations.
Represent the programs and point of view of the organization to agencies, organizations, and the general public.

In relations with staff, the Executive Director will:

Be responsible for the recruitment, employment, and release of all personnel, both paid staff and volunteers.
Ensure that job descriptions are developed, that regular performance evaluations are held, and that sound human resource practices are in place.
See that an effective management team, with appropriate provision for succession, is in place.
Encourage staff and volunteer development and education, and assist program staff in relating their specialized work to the total program of the organization.
Maintain a climate that attracts, keeps, and motivates a diverse staff of top quality people.

In budget and finance, the Executive Director will:

Be responsible for developing and maintaining sound financial practices.
Work with the staff, Finance Committee, and the board in preparing a budget; see that the organization operates within budget guidelines.
Ensure that adequate funds are available to permit the organization to carry out its work.
Jointly, with the president and secretary of the board of directors, conduct official correspondence of the organization, and jointly, with designated officers, execute legal documents.

Job Description. Part VI- Board of Directors

2008-10-12T19:00:00.003-04:00

Who are your board of directors? For many dancers in many companies, it is hard to really get to know these people as they are rarely present on a day-to-day basis. But the role of a board is imperative for a non-profit organization. In fact the public/group governance is one of the requisites set up to become a 501(c)3. (That refers to the legal tax exempt status of a non-profit).

Personally I find it fascinating to know those on my board, they are a window into financial, medical, law and other professions. As the work of serving on a board is volunteer, I commend the work and responsibility that these individuals take on my behalf. They are also ambassadors for the art and as they go about their varied careers.

The boards' responsibilities are established upon the formation of each nonprofit organization and are as varied and unique as each organization. Typically a board sets a meeting schedule monthly or quarterly to oversee the running of the organization. Often there are committees and sub committees to address individual tasks, but again this is all specific to the organization and agenda of the time.

The Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations defines the Board and their responsibilities as follows:

Board of Directors

To do good work, board members or boards need to:
1 . Understand and be committed to the mission statement.
2. Broadly represent the community.
3. Participate in a working committee structure and have assigned responsibilities.
4. Understand and embrace stewardship and governance roles.
5. Understand their administrative role.
6. Have shared leadership responsibilities.
7. Manage change.
8. Develop annual and multi-year action plans. 9. Be self-critical and willing to engage in self-evaluation.
10. Possess the ability to evaluate, cultivate, train and replace leadership.
11. Financially support the organization and participate in the fund-raising process.

1. Understand and be committed to the mission statement. Since board members are the "sales force" of the arts organization, their full understanding and commitment to the mission of the organization is primary. Board members need to fully understand (and be able to communicate to others) the organization's mission. If they do not understand the mission, they will not be able to sell it to anyone else.

2. Broadly represent the community.
It is vital that an arts organization's board broadly represent the community's demographics, its arts groups and individual artists. Community leaders from education, business, industry, unions, the legal sector, local government, chambers of commerce and funders are excellent recruitment sources.

3. Participate in a working committee structure with assigned responsibilities.
Committees enable the board to work in depth in areas such as planning, finance, resource development, nominating, program and marketing. Board committees are established for many reasons: to assume part of the board's work-load; to develop a special expertise that will enable a board to act in a more informed and responsible manner on an issue; to save time; sustain a tradition; or handle a continuing organizational responsibility. Committee members are assigned responsibilities suited to their personal and professional strengths and interests. This insures success. Success, in turn, insures the board member's personal satisfaction and encourages their continued commitment. An effective committee is clear about its responsibilities and relationship to others and is flexible. To work well, a committee needs clear direction; an annual schedule; a specific statement of its charge; and clear and concise operating procedures.

4. Understand and embrace stewardship and governance roles.
The primary role of the board is to serve as the organization's governing body. The board is charged with establishing policy to be carried out through an administrative staff. Board members have a stewardship role: to speak on behalf of the organization; to promote its programs and services; to represent the organization in social and business and legislative meetings; to help support the organization financially, as well as in an advisory capacity; and to participate in the fund-raising efforts of the organization.

5. Understand their administrative role.
By-laws help clarify the role of the board. They outline the overall structure of the board and the organization. They define how an organization operates, and its parameters and they do this in relation to both the board and the administration. The line of responsibility separating the board (as the governing body) and the administration (as the body that implements policy) is clearly stated in the by-laws. The by-laws are the first area declaring this important division of responsibility. Personnel policies and manuals are the second area defining this division.

6. Have shared leadership responsibilities.
Shared leadership refers to a well-balanced assignment of roles and responsibilities. If the board has a strong committee structure, clearly defined job descriptions for chairs and committee members, as well as defined staff roles, the achievement of shared leadership should naturally follow. Problems can occur when, for example, the executive committee is taking action, where the full board should be taking responsibility, or when the board becomes too involved with the day-to-day activities of the organization and interferes with the jobs of staff members.

7. Manage change.
The capacity to manage change is critical to the health, success and growth of an arts service organization. If an organization is serving its constituency to the fullest extent, change is certain to occur. It is therefore important for the board of directors to recognize that change will inevitably occur within a healthy organization. A strong, flexible board will recognize the roads that lead to advancement and the achievement of the organization's mission and will lead the organization forward along these roads.

8. Develop annual and multi-year action plans.
With a clear and concise mission statement as a starting point, an arts organization is ready to develop both annual and multi-year plans to guide its activities. Input from the staff will provide the board with important criteria for making decisions, as will program evaluations, organizational assessments and audits. A well-written annual and long-range plan will incorporate both programmatic and financial outlooks. Annual and multi-year plans are only as valuable as the action they inspire. During the planning process, the board may take advantage of the expertise of the organization's staff and to provide information on the value and success of programs and services. The board may also wish to call on outside counsel to provide objective information that can help guide the actions of the organization and assist with evaluation processes.

9. Be self-critical and willing to engage in self-evaluation.
The capacity to engage in self-evaluation and the ability to redirect energy and focus when required is essential. One of the primary roles of a planning committee is to provide the board with the opportunity to regularly examine the activities and actions of the organization. Evaluation is needed to determine what modification or change, if any, is necessary.

10. Possess the ability to evaluate, cultivate, train and replace leadership.
The board can provide itself and each trustee with opportunities for evaluation. Evaluation happens in different ways. Through orientations and retreats, for example, the board can evaluate its own operation, as well as provide trustees with self-evaluation tools. Boards should provide training opportunities, internally through regularly scheduled orientations, and externally, through programs, workshops, seminars, lectures, books, articles and newsletters. Boards benefit from having a nominating or board development committee. This important committee is charged with the responsibility for evaluating the performance of the board and determining the type of board expertise needed to carry forth the organization's mission.

11. Financially support the organization and participate in the fund-raising process.
This is one of the most critically important roles of the trustee. Part of the stewardship role is to promote the arts organization to others and offer them the opportunity to assist financially. While each board member should support the organization within their individual means, each trustee in recognition of the honor that service to the organization bestows should stretch within their limits to fulfill their financial obligation.

Job Description. Part V- Marketing Director

2008-10-05T10:29:00.002-04:00

A cool new logo from Ballet Oklahoma.

The job of the marketing director is truly to get "butts in seats". Interestingly again the position varies company to company as sometimes the job is outsourced to an advertising firm.

Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet has some of the best marketing that I have seen particularly in respect to internet presence and interactivity. Additionally the company that I dance for has recently embarked on guerrilla marketing through fall fashion. The company dancers now have beautiful jackets embroidered with our names and company logo; the public can purchase various socks, shirts and pants as well as car magnets! If you want to pimp up your car with a magnet you can contact American Repertory Ballet through their website.

The marketing director of American Repertory Ballet, Christine Bragg writes of her job, "it’s my job to get our name out there. That entails: writing and disseminating press releases, creating performance marketing campaigns with online advertising, print advertising, and ground marketing, coordinating electronic communication with e-newsletters and facebook/myspace groups, planning and coordinating special events like post-performance receptions, handling comp tickets for performances, and meeting press at events and performances, just to name a few

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts- MediateArt

2008-09-29T20:16:00.002-04:00

I have previously mentioned Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, but here is specific information on a program that deals with work contract and condition disputes.

MediateArt: VLA's alternative dispute resolution, contract negotiation, and negotiation counseling program.

MediateArt, a VLA program since 1998, offers artists and arts organizations three services in an objective, supportive forum at a nominal cost: Mediation (dispute resolution), contract negotiation, and negotiation counseling. Respectively, these services assist artists and arts organizations in resolving arts-related disputes, in forming mutually agreeable arrangements among collaborators, and in preparing for a negotiation.

Artists have used MediateArt's services successfully for many types of matters: For example, resolving disagreements about intellectual property ownership, such as who owns the name of a band or film footage; working out the business terms, including compensation, credit and control, between a lyricist and composer for an opera; and working through differing opinions about the proposed services of a web-design project.

MediateArt's Mediation (Dispute Resolution) service offers a process for artists to resolve their differences with the assistance of neutral mediators. This service, an alternative to engaging legal representation to begin an adversarial process seeking a remedy, can resolve disputes without the significant time, cost, and resources involved in the type of process that may lead to litigation. Mediation is not an adversarial process resulting in winners and losers. Instead, our process empowers artists to resolve their own disagreements by coming to resolutions through win-win and creative solutions to these disputes. Through this effective model, we regularly help artists restore business and creative relationships that once seemed irreparable.

MediateArt's Contract Negotiation service assists artists and arts organizations in working though the terms and conditions of a prospective or existing relationship with the ultimate goal of expressing that relationship in writing. Among other things, this service provides a forum for artists to discuss and work through their mutual expectations, how the project is going to proceed, what will happen if the project does not occur as anticipated, and who is going to own and control the creative output. The two VLA-trained facilitators will assist in moving the discussion forward and focusing the participants on the critical issues. The end goal of the process is to produce a written agreement formalizing the terms and conditions of the working relationship.

MediateArt's Negotiation Counseling service helps artists analyze business opportunities and prospective collaborations in advance of creating a written agreement with another party. Negotiation Counseling may be useful for artists in several different contexts including artists who have negotiations that have stalled because of a lack of business skills, artists who are working with others without a written agreement, artists who would like assistance in analyzing an opportunity that has been presented to them, and artists who are preparing for mediation.

October is National Arts and Humanities month!

2008-09-27T11:15:00.002-04:00

Americans for the Arts in Washington DC coordinates and declares October National Arts and Humanities month. This is a time when art galleries, political activists and the media honor and focus on the contributions of art from coast to coast.

Now is the time. Despite our countries current economic crisis we need to support the arts. There is a huge opportunity for attention the election process.

This link will take you to the national website with links to local activities, political advocacy tools, creative conversations and ways to get involved.

President Bush expressed this in regards to last years National Arts and Humanities month, "National Arts and Humanities Month is a time to recognize the ability of the arts to lift our spirits and enrich our lives. I encourage our citizens to support the arts in their communities by attending a theater performance or concert, visiting a museum or library, or enjoying the many exciting cultural programs in their communities."

some down time

2008-09-21T18:44:00.001-04:00

For many of us a new season is under way and "down time" is valuable.

Here are a few links to some fun ways to get some R&R.

Free frogger online.

Garfield minus Garfield a esoteric take on the popular comic.

Do your part.

2008-09-18T20:56:00.002-04:00

This blog is a resource for dancers to empower themselves. At this time, every four years, we have an opportunity to exercise our right to vote. Here is a link to the governments page to voter registration, absentee voting and any thing else you made need to do your part.

If you think that things need to change or stay the same, you take responsibility and vote.

Job Description. Part IV- Artistic Director

2008-09-13T12:21:00.002-04:00

So who is the artistic director of a company and what do they do? Most simply the Artistic Director is the vision behind an arts organization. Interestingly in dance the artistic directors are often former dancers who have acquired leadership and business administration skills. They navigate the territory of both art making and the means of making art. Together the Artistic and Executive director are the top level of the pyramid in the organization. There are a many dance companies however that combine these two jobs into one person or devise an organizational manager or artistic manager to perform particular duties of the one of the positions.

And just from my own observations of Artistic and Executive directors that I have known, both jobs are 24 hour per day jobs.

Here is some information From the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations:

Artistic Director
Sample Job Description

Job Title: Artistic Director

Reports to: Executive Director

Supervises: Artistic and technical personnel

Responsibilities and Duties:
The Artistic Director is responsible for conceiving, developing, and implementing the artistic vision and focus of the organization. The Artistic Director is responsible for major decisions about the ongoing development of the aesthetic values and activities, after extensive consultation with the Executive Director

The Artistic Director:
- Hires, supervises and evaluates artistic personnel including directors, performers, designers, and stage managers
- Hires, supervises and evaluates key technical personnel, including Production manager and Technical Director
- Develops, implements, and evaluates programs for the year
- With Executive Director, develops annual program budget
- Acts as a spokesperson for the organization's artistic purpose via speaking engagements, public and social appearances, and, as requested, at fundraising events and solicitations
- Fosters the development of good relations with other cultural organizations by participating in meetings and joint activities where appropriate
- Directs at least one production per season
- Reports to the Board of Directors on a regular basis to give an update on artistic activity
- Supervises the maintenance of written procedures manual for technical and production staff

New goodies on this blog. Scroll Down.

2008-09-05T20:24:00.002-04:00

I am trying to stay up to date with blogging latest and greatest, although I am sure I am still far behind. But in case you haven't scrolled down all the way, please note the video bar at the bottom as well as the yoga pose of the day (which is suppose to refresh everyday!). As I have mentioned before, yoga is a great tool for dancers and office workers to realign their body at the beginning or end of a day!

Let me know if you have any recommendations for widgets or other resources to serve empowered dancers.

Career Counseling Workshops- on tour!

2008-08-31T10:59:00.004-04:00

Career transition for dancers is taking their services on the road. First stop Pittsburgh, PA then Minneapolis, MN (September 21-22) & Dallas (October 5-6). Remember that there are constantly offerings at the LA and NYC Career Transition for Dancers Offices. Check the website here.

From the CTFD newsletter:
National Outreach Projects bring our services to you. Career Transition For Dancers is taking it's programs & services on the road.

Whether you are a pre-professional, professional or former professional dancer, you are invited to attend our national outreach projects free of charge. Be sure to tell your friends.

Upcoming National Outreach Project

Pittsburgh, PA at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Sunday, Sept. 14 - Monday, Sept. 15

For more information or to reserve a place, call us at 212 764 0172 or email nationaloutreach@careertransition.org

Dancers trying to save the day- and their livelihoods.

2008-08-27T16:19:00.004-04:00

Texas Ballet Theater, under the direction of Ben Stevenson, is currently in major financial stress. An article from guide live.com cites that TBT needs to raise over a half billion dollars within the next 60 days to survive. TBT needs to raise between $1 to 1.5 million in the long term.

Unfortunately this is not a new situation to the dance world. We have lost numerous companies over that last five years including Ballet Internationale, Ohio Ballet, Oakland Ballet and many others. Ballet Florida just overcame a half million dollar deficit last spring.

The most interesting thing in the case of TBT is that the dancers have been afforded the opportunity to get involved and help raise awareness and funds to keep their organization afloat. Here is an article focusing on the 39 dancers of TBT.

If you, or anyone you know can help, "now is the time!"

Off season. Part III

2008-08-22T19:17:00.004-04:00

Here is a picture of my students from Mid- Atlantic Ballet in Newark, DE. I have guest taught and performed with these students for nearly five years.

So I am basking in the moment of another summer intensive program's completion. The past two weeks I have earned my living teaching young dancers in Delaware and Michigan. It has been very rewarding; full of sweat and profound improvements.

Teaching is a great way that many dancers sustain themselves and give back. I still don't really consider myself an expert in the field of dance, but I have made a great career of it and have ways of working with my body, sewing pointe shoes and presenting myself. I forget that these are all learned skills that in many ways are still very analog. (Although more and more students are realizing that YouTube! offers variations for them to learn).

This week in addition to ballet and pointe, variations and improv classes, we had a pointe shoe workshop and working lunches watching videos. The growth through the week was astounding and most importantly we all learned from each other. The students questions and struggles force me to reassess my theories on technique and artistry as well as how I communicate.

Although being a dancer in America usually means a fair amount of layoff time, I am finding that the outlets where I earn my living are varied and rewarding.

Managing a dancers life- an article.

2008-08-17T22:21:00.002-04:00

Below is an article on a west coast choreographer managing life in the arts. The excerpt is from a downloadable pdf publication called CROSSOVER: How Artists Build Careers across
Commercial, Nonprofit and Community Work by Ann Markusen | Sam Gilmore | Amanda Johnson
Titus Levi | Andrea Martinez. This is out of a great series of research papers from the Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs; the business school of the University of Minnesota.

They have compiled a number of economic arts impact articles over the past decade and although current conditions are vastly different than ten years ago, the information is relevant and packed with interesting stuff.

Sarah Swenson Pg. 64

Choreographer Sarah Swenson faces the unique challenges of running a commercial
dance company based out of Los Angeles. As co-founder of Sarah Swenson & Vox
Dance Theatre, she balances the demands of being a commercial artist with being a
nonprofit dance teacher. While the teaching supports both herself and her
company, it keeps her away from her own creative work.

In 1976, Swenson moved from Boston to attend New York University, but she
left after two years to focus on performing as a dancer. Early on in her
career, she worked with Jubilation Dance Company and Alvin Ailey’s third dance
company in a piece entitled Northside. In 1984, she began
studying at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and eventually started
teaching, working in repertory and performance coaching. Teaching provided stability
and allowed her to make a living exclusively in dance through teaching, dancing, and making
new pieces.

While still on the East Coast, she began to choreograph, earning a positive review in the New York Times for a piece she developed in 1990. By 1995 she had cofounded Seraphim Dance Theatre with the
late Raymond Harris, performing in New York venues such as the Aaron Davis Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the United Nations. A few grants trickled in, including support from the Brooklyn Arts Council.

After burning out on New York, Swenson came to LA. She decided to attend graduate school at California State University-Long Beach, where her choreography blossomed. “It was there that I started doing important work, when I was sure I had something to say as an artist.” After finishing her MFA, she landed
a job as a choreographer with The Long Beach Opera for a performance of Euridice by Jacopo Peri. She gravitated toward the stability of academia, taking a job at Missouri Valley College, in Marshall, but
resigned after two years and returned to Los Angeles.

With Sarah Swenson & Vox Dance Theatre, she has choreographed several pieces, some of which have been
produced in festivals, such as the Festival Under the Stars in Palm Desert, the South LA Contemporary Dance Festival in Torrance, and most prominently, the FIDA International Dance Festival in Toronto, which invited the company to return for a performance in the summer of 2006. Some of these appearances provide artist fees, and some awards. In each case, payments tend to be small.

Even so, Swenson makes it a point to pay the dancers most of the money to help cover their expenses.
Funding the project is a pressing issue. Swenson harbors reservations about becoming a nonprofit organization. “For me to be competitive I ought to have a nonprofit organization, but doing that will
probably make my life even more impossible than it is, and I’m not sure what I’m going to get out of it
because there is so much competition for so few grants.” In addition, she doesn’t see a clear path to
attracting corporate sponsorships, although Adobe has contributed support. “And I would have to
change my style, my choreography, who I work with, my contacts… everything. These worlds aren’t compatible.”

She covers her living expenses teaching courses at Cal State-Long Beach, Loyola Marymount University, and
Saint Joseph Ballet. But this hardly keeps her head above water, especially as she continues to do the basics of promotion and incurs expenses for website design, renting rehearsal space, buying sets and costumes. “I
spend a huge amount of time and money on how I am presented.”

This leaves her between a rock and a hard place: “I could teach more, but I’d be in a panic because I couldn’t keep the company moving.” She’s considering working with a dance agent in order to help focus her
marketing, publicity and organization efforts. And somehow, amidst all this, she continues to work as a dancer, most recently in a performance of the works of Rudy Perez at REDCAT.

Dance USA memberships.

2008-08-12T22:04:00.003-04:00

Professional Dancer Flier - Upload a Document to Scribd

Here are the new fliers for Dance USA memberships for dancers. It is really a great organization that opens many doors to new ways of thinking in respect to a dancer as a business as well as an artist. (We all need to eat right?).

In brief, if you are an employee of a company that is already a Dance USA member, you can apply for a membership for free. If you are a freelance dancer, or your company is not a member, there is a significantly discounted dancer rate of $30/ year (likely tax deductible). The benefits well outweigh the costs, so get involved!

Company Dancer Flier - Upload a Document to Scribd

Look what I did.

2008-08-11T18:05:00.002-04:00

Well, this is the second and final incarnation, but I created a website for my GYROTONIC® business. I have recently been certified and am trying to promote my business.

The first incarnation of my personal website is the true resource. Weebly is a free online website creator and host. The drawback is that the free web address involves having .weebly in the domain. But you can upgrade at a very reasonable rate. There are many templates to choose from and quickly design your site. And for those wishing to market themselves either for guest work or auditions, the online accessibility is convenient and shows very well.

Enjoy.

A little too personal perhaps...

2008-08-09T15:29:00.003-04:00

This blog is not intended to be a journal or diary, but rather a resource of links and thoughts for dancers pursuing a life in dance. However this blog is a creative outlet for my current thoughts and issues on my path as a dancer.

That said, how as dance artists do we serve the art beyond our selves? How throughout the sometimes painful and arduous process do we remain open and giving?

Dance is a very strange process. There is no check list, no finite time of completion (other than each curtain of each show) or ladder to climb. The process of dance is all encompassing and very personal. Growth in the process occurs through a series of critiques from an outside source as well as reflections from within. But with those external seemingly negative forces, how do we stay true to the inside motivation to dance?

On the other side of the scenario, how do we as artists humbly accept the praise of the audience post performance? Of course the praise feels great, but in order to fully serve the art, it is not about commendation. Approval is an ugly beast that deludes us. Success of one piece or show does not mean that the next venture will provide such results. And is it really art if in the end it is only created for the approval of an outside force?

Life needs art, my life needs to dance; without dance as art I can hardly speak.

A real way to get involved.

2008-08-08T16:18:00.003-04:00

The Southern Theatre in Minneapolis has had some leadership problems of late. Basically the board fired the director of nearly 35 years. Here is an Minnesota Public Radio story.

You can get active now by emailing the following petition letter to the mentioned email.

Members of the Southern's community met on Monday night. Much was
discussed but the primary outcome was that everyone present voted to
send a letter to the Southern Board requesting an outside, independent
evaluator to comprehensively examine the situation at the Southern.
More specifics on what this will entail is detailed in the letter
below. The Jerome Foundation has agreed to help pay for it,
Springboard for the Arts has agreed to help coordinate the logistics.
We have spoken with many current and former staff and they support it.

This is a major step towards transparency and accountability but we
need your voice to make it happen.

The letter below needs to go out ASAP with ALL OF OUR NAMES ON IT.
Time is of the essence!

Here's what to do:

Read it, then do the following:

- Send an email to Karen Sherman kesksay@earthlink.net with your name
and your title/affiliation/company/no company/etc., if you so choose.
Do this so that I can easily cut and paste and add your name to the
list of supporters of this action.

- Next, forward to your colleagues, your own board if you have one,
friends, supporters -- even if they don't live in the Twin Cities.
The Board is hearing from people across the country and it does
matter! They did not anticipate that there are national interests at
play.

This really is urgent -- in part because the 2008-2009 season artists
need this process underway before the season is too far along and that
is right around the corner. So please, do this right now.

If you have any questions about this, please email Karen Sherman at
kesksay@earthlink.net, or Carl Flink at flink003@umn.edu, or John
Munger at Jrmdance@aol.com.

Thank you for your continued attention and concern,
The Southern Community Working Group

P.S. -- Apologies if you are getting this twice...

August 6, 2008

To the Southern Theater Board:

We write to you as concerned members of the Southern Theater's
constituency.

We share a deep concern for the future of the Southern Theater; for
the fair and respectful treatment of its staff, including 30 years plus
Artistic Director Jeff Bartlett; for the artistic integrity of its
programming; for a system of structure and leadership that upholds the
theater's organizational mission; and for the preservation of the
Southern Theater as an artist-centered and driven institution.

Large segments of the Twin Cities performing arts community are
clearly up in arms over the Southern Board and interim management's
handling of this situation, and the ongoing lack of clear communication
about what Jeff's "indefinite leave" and other changes mean to the
direction of the Southern and its commitment to fostering artistic
exploration and risk-taking.

We propose that an outside, independent evaluator be brought in to
examine the situation and report its findings to the Southern and the
community. This evaluator, agreed upon by the Board and representatives
from the constituency of the Southern Theater, would interview all
parties (including the staff, artist community, and Board), to offer an
evaluation of recent events and the current status of and future plans
for the organization - e.g., the relationship of the organization to
the artist constituency, the sudden dismissal of the founding artistic
director, the lack of an articulated plan for continuity of artistic
leadership and transition, staff concerns and structure - and suggest
strategies for moving forward based on an assessment of the needs of
all.

We believe that funding can be identified to support a focused,
time-limited assessment and we will be responsible for securing that
funding. The Jerome Foundation has made a commitment and other funders
will be asked for contributions. Springboard for the Arts, a
nationally-respected arts organization based in St Paul that provides
consulting services to arts organizations and independent artists, has
agreed to serve as a neutral conduit for the funding process and to
facilitate identification of an evaluator acceptable to both the
Southern Board and the artistic community.

The community stands behind it. We have spoken with several current
and former staff and they support it. We hope that you will make a
gesture of reconciliation with your artistic constituency and inroads
towards organizational health by agreeing to participate in this
mediated, neutral evaluation.

We believe this is urgent because:

It has been almost four weeks since Jeff Bartlett was put on
"indefinite leave."

It has been over two weeks since the public meeting called by the
community, at which the Southern Board provided no clear answers as to
the status of artistic leadership or organizational structure at this
beloved theater.

The Southern Theater's website continues to list no artistic leader
and a host of Interim positions:
Interim Executive Director; Interim Development Director; Interim
Technical Director; Interim Production Manager.

To date, only a handful of artists and community members have received
proactive phone calls or emails from the Board or Executive staff.

Finally, The Southern risks a potential exodus by its current and
future season artists, and a general boycott by the community. To
quell this potential disaster and out of deference to artists with
unsigned contracts, this evaluation needs to be conducted before the
2008-2009 season is well underway and we propose it be completed by
September 15, 2008.

In order to secure funding and identify potential evaluators, we need
the Board to confirm its willingness to act on this proposal by August
14. Please email Laura Zabel at Springboard for the Arts
(laura@springboardforthearts.org) and Karen Sherman
(kesksay@earthlink.net) with your response. Laura will then coordinate
recommendations for evaluators and serve as a liaison between the
Southern Board and the arts community around this issue.

Sincerely,

Political Advocacy Tool

2008-08-03T13:01:00.002-04:00

The Performing Arts Alliance hosts an easy to navigate website where you can utilize form letters to contact your local government officials.

Here is an example of a current pending arts issue:

Prior to 1969, artists, writers, and composers were allowed to take a fair-market value deduction for their works donated to a museum, library, or archive. In 1969, however, Congress changed the law, and as a result the number of works donated by artists dramatically declined. The effect of the 1969 legislation was immediate and drastic:

* The Museum of Modern Art in New York received 321 gifts from artists in the three years prior to 1969; in the three years after 1969 the museum received 28 works of art from artists—a decrease of more than 90 percent.
* The biggest loser was the Library of Congress, which annually received 15 to 20 large gifts of manuscripts from authors. In the four years after 1969, it received one gift.
* Dr. James Billington, Librarian of Congress, says, “The restoration of this tax deduction would vastly benefit our manuscript and music holdings, and remove the single major impediment to developing the Library’s graphic art holdings. [The] bill would also benefit local public and research libraries. When this tax deduction was allowed in the past, many urban and rural libraries profited from the donation of manuscripts and other memorabilia from authors and composers who wanted their creative output to be available for research in their local communities.”

H.R. 1524 and S. 548 are identical to legislation that the Senate has passed five times in the past few years, but that has not been reviewed by the House.

The American Arts Alliance is a member of the Legislative Planning Committee for Arts Advocacy Day 2008. Positions in this brief were developed in partnership with the Committee.

AdvocacyBasics - Upload a Document to Scribd

Job Description. Part III- TEACHER

2008-07-29T19:12:00.003-04:00

Many dancers transition or even supplement their performing careers teaching. Some teach dance and others become certified in other exercise systems. Going into such great depth with one's own physicality is part of the path to becoming a dancer. That investment is well transferred to helping others with their bodies. My husband, Matthew Keefe, is even more altruistic in his teaching citing that "dance is an excuse to teach the greater lessons of life" ie: discipline, teamwork, focus and determination.

As far as the details and description of the job, Jennifer Hart of Ballet Austin writes, " I was hired as a full-time faculty teacher. I teach mostly in the Academy but I also teach, what we call at Ballet Austin, the community school. Those classes are open to everyone. I also teach the apprentices and trainees to the company in the morning. My day is usually broken up in the fall to where I teach in the morning, have a long afternoon break and then teach again in the evening from roughly 4-8:30. I also teach Saturdays for 5 hours in the morning and am done by 1pm. If the school needs a substitute for a class and I'm available then I teach extra hours.

My other duties include: meetings, which happen several times a month, on topics related to technique, class regulations or, mostly, talks about students and the issues that surround that, whether its technical issues or behavioral; student evaluations; twice-yearly meetings with students; choreography for year-end performances.

Other things I do for my job that are not duties but I consider them important to my job are: watching other teachers teach and class plans."

In the summer there are also intensive programs that offer the opportunity to teach resume building classes, watch videos critically with students and teach many, many hours.

Here's an article covering many details about running a school and teaching in general.

Here's an article, orginally published in Dance Magazine, about hiring dance teachers.

Job Description. Part II- PRODUCTION

2008-07-27T15:59:00.006-04:00

Jobs part II. A production involves so many people aside from just those on stage. It's easy to forget about all who contribute to a show when we are engrossed in our individual responsibilities. Additionally with a little schooling, as dancers consider options beyond dancing, many of these jobs can tie together other interests while keeping one in the field.

The following is an incredible summary of positions in the theater contributed by Kevin Jones a great lighting designer/stage manager for the James Sewell Ballet. He also stage manages the O'Shaughnessy theater at the College of St Catherine in St Paul, MN. Kevin has devoted his life to serving the theater especially dance from the production side- if you take him out, you can get some great stories!

Production Manager

The PM is the head of the production department. It is a managerial bridge between the artistic and administrative side of an organization. Most of the time, this is a very high level of position in the organization just below or equivalent to the Artistic or Executive Director. This person has the job of overseeing the artistic vision of the organization from a production viewpoint. The PM oversees the budget and vision of the production department which would include all the stage managers, costumers, designers and the crews. It is often considered a more artistic administrative position as the PM must have an insight to the artistic side of the company to envision what and where the company’s production needs will be in the short and long term.

Production Stage Manager

The PSM is the person who oversees the day to day operations of the company’s needs from a production standpoint. They support the needs of the performing part of the company. They would work closely with the Company Manager with an oversight of the other Stage Managers (If any). They sometimes replace a Company Manager, but tend to have more of a production background than an artistic background. This is a production department parallel position to a Company Manger (who is usually an artistic department employee).

Here is a link for a handbook for stage managers....including a personal account of the fist show this manager called. Even production succumbs to stage fright at times!

Stage Manager

The SM is the person who is in charge of the shows the company puts on stage. Once the show is in the theater, the SM is in charge of making everything run smoothly. If there is no director or other artistic person overseeing the performance all the notes, staging, blocking, etc all are overseen by the SM. In theater the SM is different for each show. They stay with the play from preproduction meetings through auditions, casting, rehearsals techs, dress rehearsals and all performances. They are the conduit through which all information flows. After the director gets the show open on opening night the director and all the designers leave the play in the SM’s hands to oversee and care for. All notes, cues and staging documentation are kept by a SM for the production. In dance the SM is the person who is most familiar with the ballets in the rep. They would often be in rehearsal learning the ballet with the dancers (often running sound) and taking notes for the rest of the production and artistic staff. The dance SM has the same responsibility in the theater as a theater SM. They call all the cues, etc. once a show is in place and oversee the actual shows.

Lighting Designer

The LD is the designer who illuminates the particular dances in the repertory. Sometimes there are resident designers who design most or all of the repertory for a particular company, sometimes there may be many different designers.

An article by Jeffrey Salzburg listing effective collaboration for choreographers working with lighting designers.

Lighting Director

The Lighting Director is the person who ensures the Lighting Designers designs are recreated accurately after the design is completed. They will generally adapt the original design as needed for the current repertory plot or tour.

The Crew

When there are crew positions for an organization they break down into these departments:

Carpenter(s): The Carpenter is in charge of the hard and soft scenery for the production. They would get the scenery in and in position for the production and work for the SM during the rehearsals and performances. They would deal with anything like snow or rain onstage that is rigged overhead as well

Electrician(s): The Electrician is in charge of the lighting equipment and works with the Lighting Director to complete the plot. They would get the lighting in, hung focused and working before the rehearsals and performances. They would work for the SM during the run or tour. They would generally deal with all of the electrical special effects like fog, projections, strobes, etc.

Props: In dance the Props department is in charge of anything that is not scenery or a costume and is used on the stage. In dance the props person is in charge of the floors and the floor maintenance as well.

Costume Department

After the costumes are designed by the designer, they are built by the costume department. The costume department consists of three or four general types of positions in dance and theater. The department is overseen by costume department managers or department heads. The department heads work for the Production Manager and oversee the entire department. In the theatre there are also dressers who help with loading in and unpacking, steaming or pressing costumes, dressing and quick changes, and repacking and loading out.

Larger costume shops have this general breakdown of positions:

Cutters:

There are cutters who develop the patterns for and cut out the patterns for the costumes.

Stitchers:

There are stitchers who assemble the costumes and do the fittings of the costumes.

Shoes:

There are shoe people who deal with shoes (brand, color, inventory, distribution, etc.)

Other crafts:

And there are wig/hat people who deal with wigs, hats, hair pieces, etc. Often there are dyers and painters involved in the process as well.

As in my previous post about the job of dancers, most companies in current economic conditions do not employ a single person per job position. Usually positions are combined ie: company/stage manager, lighting/production manager, costume/wig/shoes...etc.

To reiterate I have also known of and participated in projects and dance companies where dancers have aided many of the production or costume duties for a show.

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts

2008-07-26T23:31:00.003-04:00

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts' (VLA) provide advocacy as well as legal services to artists and arts organizations. They have the Art Law Line, a legal hotline; the VLA Legal Clinic for VLA members; in-house appointments with VLA staff attorneys; and pro bono placements for low-income artists and nonprofit arts organizations with one of over 1,200 volunteer attorneys.

Additionally they provide workshops that guide one through the process of establishing a 501(c)3 organization.

I recently spoke with someone who used VLA's services and was very pleased. Everything was reported accurate and professional, if a little slow- but hey it was free!

It's nice to know that you can have legal guidance on your side!

Microsoft doing its part.

2008-07-20T20:40:00.003-04:00

Microsoft is supporting nonprofit organizations by offering free software and web based programs to increase productivity. One of the huge benefits of the program is free server space online to back up and share various documents and applications. There are also tech grants for 501(c)3 organizations as well as links to refurbished computers.

Check it out!

Job Description.

2008-07-19T20:54:00.004-04:00

This blog is intended to be the beginning of a series of entries breaking down the various departments and jobs within a nonprofit dance organization. (And yes there are for profit dance organizations out there! Momix and Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet just to name a few).

I find the position of dancer the easiest job to relate. But what, in this economic time, is the job description of such a title? Honestly I have never been provided a job description, have you? Then, there is the competition within the field to consider. When auditions roll around, not only do we willingly provide discriminatory information such as age and weight, but we have little idea of salary range or job description for the employment which we strive. In my experience, the label "dancer" has been redefined as I have sought to help the organization in whatever means possible. Unless you are employed in a large company- by Dance USA data defined as a budget of $5 million or greater- time spent in the studio, or on stage, is just the beginning of the duties of "dancer". (Check back here later this year or with Dance USA for exciting research on salary and other employment comparisons).

Ballet dancers have always been responsible for sewing their own pointe shoes. I consider it a bond that is formed with the primary tool of the genre. Of course reviewing new choreography is always the "homework" of the dancer. I have spent countless hours pushing aside furniture to review choreographic material or writing counts or intentions in a journal.

Anja Gallagher-Syfrig currently a director of a small company in Switzerland notes... "Dancing for "someone else" usually just involved rehearsing and sewing costumes, maybe doing some research on a certain topic that a piece was focusing on, or teaching in a little outreach project in a nearby school." Anja was a member of Ballet of the Dolls in Minneapolis. The "dolls" as they are lovingly referred to are an "all hands on deck" kind of organization where dancers regularly sew costumes, build sets, help each other rehearse. Recently they acquired and renovated their own theater; the dancers did much of the work themselves.

I have previously worked for a company where I handled the daily schedule (I didn't create the schedule, but rather gathered the information and noted it in a public space for the company members), I ordered and distributed shoes, and I transported and laundered costumes. It was very rewarding to have responsibility beyond dancing. I saw great benefits to fellow co-workers and in the stress levels of my boss! I have also served as a company representative mediating issues between the dancers and the staff or board.

A university database that provides job descriptions summarizes,

"Dancing is very difficult, strenuous work, and the hours of rehearsal can be tedious and exhausting. Most dancers remain in the field only because they love to dance and would not be happy in any other occupation. Dancers often work nights and weekends, which is when performances are generally scheduled. They also travel frequently because large dance companies usually take their shows on tour.

Many professional dancers are members of one of several unions, depending on the type of dancing they do and in what medium they perform. Generally dancers work thirty hours per week, including rehearsals, matinees, and evening performances; however, individual dancers often negotiate separate contracts with producers in order to receive higher salaries or shorter working hours.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly income for dancers is $8.54. Because dancers often hold short-term jobs that range in length from one day to three months, employment can be characterized as irregular at best. Salary varies widely. Dancers who work with performing arts companies earn a median income of $14.82 per hour.

Competition for employment as a dancer is expected to remain very keen through the year 2014. The number of dancers who seek professional careers will continue to exceed the number of job openings. Only the most talented dancers will find regular employment.

Approximately 20 percent of dancers are self-employed, meaning they receive no benefits. Unionized dancers receive some paid sick leave and vacations, as well as health insurance benefits."

Dancing is definitely a lifestyle choice. One must always serve the art first and foremost. Putting in six-hour rehearsal days doesn't sound like much, but the work truly exceeds the tally of hours. (Interestingly note- I just learned of dancers who only spend three hours per day rehearsing in the studio. While that may be all the work they need, it is not typical of the workload in mid-sized companies).

PS- another resource for information about the dancer- The American Dance Guild.

Career Transition....Professional Development?

2008-07-17T14:55:00.008-04:00

First let me begin with a few questions: Is career transition a scary term? Is professional development available to performing artists? At what point do we begin thinking about the "what's next"?

Very few of us are so lucky to reinvent ourselves on the stage as many times as Baryshnikov or Gus Solomons Jr. But we don't have to leave the pursuit of dance as we mature or transition. Career Transition for Dancers is a great organization providing counseling, research tools and funding for professional dancers at any point in their career. The funding requires a minimum of seven years professional experience, but doesn't necessarily have to be a "career transition" it can also be for professional development.

I have many years left to dance, and last spring I received a grant of $2000 to assist with my interest in teaching Gyrotonic. The process was fairly simple and very informative as well. I recall a very humbling moment going through my contracts of years past and totaling my net income....well let's just say I have lived a rich life on very little money! Add that to the research that it takes as long to make a professional dancer as it does to make a doctor- an average of 20 years. When a dancer wants to pursue more education Career Transition for Dancers is a valuable resource.

Here's info on the grant that I received:

Caroline H. Newhouse Scholarship Fund
Remaining 2008 grant deadlines: Sep 3 & Nov 5

Provides $2,000 scholarships or grants to initiate an academic or retraining process or to help professional dancers with start-up money for a new business. Please note: Choreographing and teaching dance is not applicable for meeting eligibility requirements.

There is also a support group that meets in NYC:

"Midcareer Moves" is a dynamic support group led by Career Counselor, Anita Lands. This group helps dancers with professional, personal, emotional and psychological transitions and provides them with action steps and resources to move ahead.

The group meets monthly on Wednesdays from 6:00-8:00pm at

165 West 46th Street, Suite 701. New members are always welcome.

Next meeting: Wednesday, July 23
RSVP to groups@careertransition.org

I suppose that in essence we are always transitioning. Although we devote our lives to dancing, transitioning in reference to our careers should be part of how we evolve, not something to fear.

Dancing in the woods?

2008-07-10T21:00:00.006-04:00

Dance is truly a unique art form in that it requires a specific kind of space to work. A painter can travel abroad with his/her paints and create when inspiration strikes. Musicians can practice in the privacy of their own homes. But dancers need a special floor (both in texture and buoyancy), possibly ballet barres, and tall ceilings at minimum. (Obviously site specific pieces aside).

I recently traveled to Europe and performed a solo show in two locations. It was amazing how difficult it was to find space to rehearse. In the end I rehearsed in a music hall with a wood floor and risers, it was a humbling experience to say the least.

But there are resources in New York to connect dancers, choreographers and companies to available rehearsal/performance space. This NYC Dance Spaces website is a free information source of available rehearsal and performance spaces throughout the five boroughs. The user friendly interface allows you to choose the size, location and purpose of your search. You can also search for subsidized spaces that start as low as $10/hour through the New York State Council for the Arts.

The Hennepin Center for the Arts, administered by ArtSpace, is located in Minneapolis, MN and offers 6 floors of studios which are often rented for various uses. ArtSpace is dedicated to supporting artists in many capacities including subsidized work space- not to mention the spaces are big and beautiful in the middle of downtown Minneapolis. (More on ArtSpace on another posting).

If you are not in the NYC area, I recommend checking Dance Magazines' Annual Dance Directory where you can search for studios and schools in a particular locality. I have rented space a few places across the country, sometimes even just to give myself class. People are usually very generous and excited when their space is rented.

Space is a precious commodity, both the woods and available dance spaces seem to be finite at best. But both are out there to be used and enjoyed.

Fractured Atlas

2008-07-06T16:58:00.002-04:00

So this resource has already been mentioned, but here are some more wonderful things that Fractured Atlas can offer.

Health care
Liability Insurance
Job Bank
Publicity Services
Development Grants
Special Discounts
Online Classes
Fiscal Agency

Fractured Atlas - Upload a Document to Scribd

Again through membership with Dance USA a membership to Fractured Atlas is free (Regularly $75). And an individual professional dancer membership to Dance USA starts at $30.

Adam Natale spoke at the recent Dancer Council at the Dance USA convention in Denver and also mentioned that Fractured Atlas can provide consultation for artists on their programs and any issues that occur with associated services. They truly work for the artists.

Business Model Presentation

2008-06-30T14:12:00.003-04:00

Have you ever wondered where the money in a dance organization comes from? Or where that money goes? Have you ever thought about how money and performance opportunities differ between companies?

At the Dance USA convention in Portland, Oregon in 2006, David Mallette an arts consultant based out of Texas put together the following power point presentation comparing a number of dance companies. A few of the comparisons were based on how the organizations served their audiences in a unique capacity. Later in the presentation the numbers appear to show how the organizations budgets differ.

I wish that I could have his witty and engaging critique with this power point. Mr. Mallette humorously refers to the infrastructure of an organization as the "sexy stuff". Please note also that the transfer of power point to blog space is still in it's infancy (to my knowledge) and some of the transitions in the presentation are missing.

BUSINESS MODEL - Upload a Document to Scribd

David Mallette

Management Consultants for the Arts

www.mcaonline.com

And of what importance is that to a dancer? The more that I know about how the money comes into the organization in which I work, the more connected I feel to it as an artist. All those people who also work 6 hours per day but aren't in the studio are integral to the opportunities that I have in the studio. All those earned income (audience) and contributed income (donor and board members) people have a particular importance and balance in the organization.

Off season. Part II

2008-06-27T16:30:00.002-04:00

This is the image I took from my phone while participating in a free yoga class last week in Bryant Park. The class meets on Tues. from 10 - 11 am and Thurs. from 6-7 pm. Yoga is a great way to maintain some physical function during a layoff. A setting like this can't be beat, and seeing that I am unemployed at the moment, the FREE really can't be beat. The quality of the class was very good; it is sponsored by Lululemon athletic wear and you don't even need to have your own mat.

Here some information about what's happening in Bryant Park.

Other cities offer similar programs. In Chicago bright and early on Saturday mornings, instructors from Lakeshore Athletic Club lead free yoga (8 AM) and Pilates (9 AM) classes on Millennium Park’s lush Great Lawn.

Check your local newspaper or yoga studio for regional offerings.

"Dance of Pain"....hmm...healthcare?!?

2008-06-26T22:18:00.002-04:00

A Hartford, Connecticut paper writes about a dancers pain.

On a personal note, gyrotonic is mentioned in the article, and I have to agree that it is a great rehabilitative/ preventative exercise modality for dancers.

Health care. Part II

2008-06-26T20:36:00.005-04:00

In 2002 I read an article siting that nearly 4 out of 10 dancers didn't have health insurance or were under insured. In the last five years, the cost of doctor visits and insurance premiums have skyrocketed. Here are a few more resources for non-insurance based health care programs:

The Harkness Center for Dance is part of the NYU Medical Center and Health System. They provide free consultations with an orthopedic doctor and follow up with a physical therapist who specializes in dance injury. Additionally they will provide clinics for dancers, teachers and other medical professionals to prevent common injuries.

Dance Clinic
240 East 18th Street (at 2nd Avenue)
Ste. 21
212-598-6022

The Artist Access program is associated with the Woodhull hospital in Brooklyn, NY. They provide sliding scale fees or a trade of artistic services to patients for medical services.

AccessArtist - Upload a Document to Scribd

Springboard for the Arts in Minnesota offers discount community clinic with various services. They also offer a discount voucher to further defray costs.

Again the Actors Fund has a database of state by state offerings some of which are insurance based, and some of which are other programs.

I would love to hear how you address your health care needs and also what your company provides for you. Go to either:
facebook dancer forum- Dance USA
or
the performing dancers alliance on the google groups
and share your experience.