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

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!

Just Give

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.

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!