What is a Dance/USA Council?

A Dance/USA Council is a peer group generally denoted by your membership category (e.g. – Service Organizations Council, Presenters Council, etc.) or job function (e.g. – Managers Council, Marketing Council, etc.). The Councils gather every June for the Roundtable conference at various locations across the country. The Council meetings have been established to give members of Dance/USA regular opportunities to meet and discuss current issues and trends in the field and how it affects their business. The Council sessions are not used as a marketplace, but as a gathering of industry professionals engaged in networking and career development in a peer-to-peer, collaborative environment. The meeting agendas are devised by members of each council and facilitated by the Council chair. Non-members of Dance/USA are allowed to participate in the meetings at the Council Chair's discretion. For information on upcoming Council meetings, visit the “meetings” page of the website at www.danceusa.org/meetings/index.htm and watch your email for Council updates.

For information on Council Chair Elections, scroll down or click here.

There are two types of councils: Standing and Ad Hoc. Standing Councils have representation and voting rights on the Board of Trustees, where as Ad Hoc Councils do not. Standing Councils include:
Agents/Artists Representatives
Artists- Artistic Directors of member companies and individual choreographers
· Artists
· Artists - ballet specific
Managers
· Managers of budgets 4.5 million and greater
· Managers of budgets 1 million-4.5 million
· Managers of budgets from 350,000-1 million
· Managers of budgets 350,000 or less
Presenters
Service OrganizationsAd Hoc Councils include:
Businesses
Dancers
Development
Educators
Marketing
Students
Task Force on Dancer’s Health

Council Election Procedures & Updated By-laws

In November 2006, the Board of Trustees approved amendments to Dance/USA's by-laws to adjust the committee structure to more effectively serve the needs of the organization as it grows. Under the new by-laws, the Executive Committee (formerly composed only of officers and elected council chairs) will be determined by Board vote on a slate of officers and committee members at large selected from the full Board membership and put forward by the Trustees Committee annually. This change will allow for the Executive Committee to be assembled with forethought from a larger talent pool.

The Executive Committee will focus on providing governance oversight of the financial and operational management of Dance/USA. At the same time, the Programming Committee, formed in July 2007, will include all elected Council Chairs as members. This committee works directly with the programming staff at Dance/USA and focuses on developing, refining and promoting Dance/USA’s programs, especially convening's and professional development offerings.

In order to allow the Trustees Committee time to consider incoming Council Chairs for positions on the Executive Committee for the next term – which begins immediately upon the close of Dance/USA’s annual spring convening (typically in June) – we are asking councils to appoint or elect their next Council Chair in advance of the annual spring convening (preferably no later than March 15th). The next term of each incoming or returning Council Chair begins immediately upon the close of the annual spring convening (June) and lasts for one year. A Council Chair may serve up to three consecutive one-year terms. If a Council Chair has not reached their three term limit and wishes to remain as Council Chair for a second or third term, their intentions should be made clear prior to the election or nomination period. A council may also choose to elect a chair elect/co-chair for the council. The chair elect does not serve in an official capacity (i.e., on the Board) and is not subject to term restrictions, but does assist with council activities and is often designated to take over as Council Chair when the current Chair finishes his/her term.

The current Council Chairs will contact members of their Councils early in the new year (January or February) to prepare for an electronic election over the member listservs. This electronic election will not only allow us to put together incoming committees more effectively, but will also allow council members who can not attend the Roundtable to vote for a Council Chair.If you have any questions about the changes in Board committees or the election process for Council Chairs, please contact your Council Chair. Board Chair Cookie Ruiz (cookie.ruiz@balletaustin.org), or Vice-Chair Dick Caples (dickcaples@aol.com).