great link

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!

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!

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

Sign up to meet one-on-one in 30 minute increments with:

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

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

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

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

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