New Adventures

Photo by Rex Tranter

Here is an article recently published in the Rockford Register Star. The nature of my work has recently involved my family's relocation to this exurb of Chicago. Life has only gotten busier, but we are excited to bring our skills to Illinois. 

Introduction: Brittany Fridenstine-Keefe and her husband Matthew moved from New York City to Rockford in January. Matthew is the new Artistic Director of the Rockford Dance Company and Brittany is a dancer and instructor. She will dance the part of Cinderella later this month. I had the opportunity to see a short preview at RDC’s Hansel & Gretel performance and it was, in a word, breathtaking. After the performance, I met Brittany and introduced her to my 3 year old granddaughter. Brittany knelt down to talk with her for a few moments and made a lasting impression. Two months later my granddaughter randomly tells people she met the Cinderella.

A Ballerina’s Story

When Brittany was young, she had double vision. She was enrolled in dance lessons when she was four years old because she was cross eyed. Brittany’s mother was a therapist and hoped dancing would help her with coordination and improve her vision. Eventually, Brittany had an eye surgery to correct her crossed eyes, but the love of dance was deeply instilled.

Through all of the changes early in her life, Brittany found stability in the training of dance. She was determined to become a ballerina and was accepted into the prestigious professional training program at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Brittany finished her training while performing in the company productions of the Nutcracker, Coppelia, and  A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Although she she was determined to dance, she saw the value of a good education and through hard work and vigilance she graduated as valedictorian of her high school class.

After high school, Brittany moved across the country to Pittsburgh, PA in hopes of landing a full time dancing contract, being accepted to the prestigious Pittsburgh Ballet Theater Graduate Program. Eventually she was hired in Pittsburgh, but she kept her gaze on the horizon searching for artistic fulfillment. She went on to continue her career with Ballet Memphis, Minnesota Dance Theatre (Minneapolis, MN), the James Sewell Ballet (Minneapolis, MN), American Repertory Ballet (Princeton, NJ), Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance (Ashevelle, NC), and Morphoses (New York, NY).

She has performed principal roles in all of these companies. Some of Brittany’s highlights include:Emily in a ballet adaptation of the Thorton Wilder play Our Town, Sugarplum fairy in theNutcracker, as well as works by Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, and many more. Each role provides insight into a new character or place.

Brittany’s dancing career has offered her an opportunity to see the world. She has performed in Iceland, Germany, Italy, and Colombia. Dancing is more than a career, it is a lifestyle. Through sharing her passion with people in many different countries and cultures she has learned the power that dance has to transform the ordinary to the extraordinary.   Dance provides the opportunity to travel the globe both in the physical realm and by using your imagination.

Brittany has dedicated herself to become the eyes for the next generation. She teaches dance and she is certified to teach the GYROTONIC® expansion system to dancers and people who wish to feel like dancers.

Rockford Dance Company’s Cinderella will be performed at the Coronado Theatre, March 24, 7:00 PM and March 25, 3:00 PM.  For ticket information contact: rockforddancecompany.com

Degree Dance Collective

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!

Job Description.

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.

Dancing in the woods?

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

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.

Read this document on Scribd: Fractured Atlas

Business Model Presentation

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.

Read this document on Scribd: BUSINESS MODEL