Tax Season.

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.

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!

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!

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!

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, directionsRead 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!

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

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.