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April 28, 2010

Grab Some New Audience Engagement Strategies at the Annual Conference
If ever there was a hot topic in dance, audience engagement is it! So let's get serious about it.

At this year's Annual Conference, several of our break-out sessions focus specifically on issues related to AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT. We'll look at who's attending performances, and who's in the pipeline as tomorrow's dance audiences. By breaking down barriers such as age, ability, geography and ethnicity, participants will develop strategies to build sustainable audiences and draw them deeper into our art form.

Audience Engagement Break-Out Sessions

Writing About Dance – Past Relic or Persistent Craft?
Newspaper space for reportage and reviews has dwindled. Is the dance writer an endangered species? Do alternative venues and funding fill the gap? Are your ticket sales, ads, grants, visas and new ideas impacted? Leading critics discuss the media crisis. Organized for Dance/USA by the Dance Critics Association.
Panelists: George Jackson (Moderator), Ballet Review critic, past chair Dance Critics Association and Carmel Morgan (Moderator), freelance dance critic, Ballet-Dance Magazine on CriticalDance.com; Christopher Blank, dance & drama critic; Michael Crabb, dance writer and broadcaster; Nancy Galeota-Wozny, arts writer, Culturemap; Alastair Macaulay, chief dance critic The New York Times; and Alexandra Tomalonis, founder/editor of DanceView magazine and danceviewtimes.com, founder/director of Ballet Talk

The EDA Learning Community: What’s in it for You
As a pilot program, Engaging Dance Audiences strives to identify effective practices for building and sustaining audiences, and to share what is learned with the field, within a short feedback loop that encourages discussion, exchange, and replication. Find out how to use the online EDA learning community to ask and answer your own questions about audience engagement.
Panelists: Suzanne Callahan (Moderator), Manager, Engaging Dance Audiences and Rebecca Krause-Hardie (Moderator), Trainer and Consultant; with speakers from the EDA grantee organizations

Defining The "Other”
Every artistic voice must identify their ‘other’ to engage with community and audiences. This very diverse group will discuss the potential for issues of access, new audience development initiatives, inclusive and targeted marketing and innovative outreach programs.
Participants: Paula Terry (Moderator), Director AccessAbility Office, National Endowment for the Arts; Fred Michael Beam, Executive Director, Invisible Hands International; Judith Smith, Artist Director, AXIS Dance Company; Gay Hanna, Executive Director, National Center for Creative Aging; Carlota Santana, Artistic Director, Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana

All-Star Dance Marketing (or Twittering in Times of Uncertainty)
Trying times require cutting-edge marketing, yet traditional PR practices can't be abandoned. This panel will discuss marketing ranging from Twitter choreography, moo cards and google bombing to successful twists on print/video campaigns.
Panelists: Justin Ternullo (Moderator), Founding Partner, Design Brooklyn; David Persky, Executive Director, ZviDance; Ariel Richmond-Parks, Creative Director, Accolade Arts Associates; Megan V. Sprenger, Director of Marketing, Dance Theater Workshop

Entering Community
In this workshop, based on experiential learning, participants will embody effective leadership practices that strengthen and develop our understanding of entering, building/engaging and exiting community. Participants will gain tools and methodologies for community engagement, including navigating a variety of assumptions regarding community-based practices.
Led By: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Founding Artistic Director, Urban Bush Women with Maria Bauman, former company member of Urban Bush Women

In addition to audience engagement, other break-out sessions will focus on artistry, managment, and international exchange. You can mix and match sessions from the four tracks to make this your Conference.

REGISTER NOW!
Reserve your place at the 2010 Annual Conference today! Remember, emerging leaders and first-time attendees receive 10% off their full Conference fee.

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Invite Your Board Members to the Trustees' Day at the Annual Conference

Invite your Board members to attend the 2010 Annual Conference!

Dance/USA is excited to offer our first-ever Trustee's Day at the Annual Conference -- an opportunity for trustees of Dance/USA member organizations to gather with peers from across the country to discuss their work as stewards of dance organizations.

Highlights of the day include an overview of the state of field from Douglas Sonntag, dance program director, National Endowment for the Arts; a onversation with Rohit Burman, director of MetLife Foundation’s Culture Program;a panel discussion on Board Development and Participation; and the 2010 Honors Celebration at the spectacular U.S. Botanic Gardens.

The Trustees' Day will take place Friday, June 18 from 10am-4:30pm. Registration is $150 and includes information sessions, lunch and the Honors Celebration.

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Dance/USA Receives Funding from MetLife Foundation to Support the New Stages for Dance Pilot Program
April 28, 2010

Dance/USA is pleased to announce the receipt of a $150,000 grant from the MetLife Foundation to support the New Stages for Dance pilot programs in Chicago and San Francisco and the third year of the program in Philadelphia. The program, which runs for two years beginning this May, provides theater rental subsidies for dance artists in these three communities, allowing them to increase their visibility and audience-building capacity by performing in major venues that would typically be beyond their financial means. As administrator of this grant, Dance/USA will partner with its branch office Dance/USA Philadelphia, as well as two member service organizations—Audience Architects in Chicago and Dancers’ Group in San Francisco.

read the full press release

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How Are the Current Economic Rough Waters Affecting You?
The Research Department wants to hear from you!

As part of Dance/USA’s continuing effort to capture a picture of how the current economic turmoil is affecting the dance field, we have updated the Rough Waters Survey. On average, this survey can be completed in 12 minutes. Please click on the link below to access the survey or copy and paste the website address into your web browser to take the survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/RWSIV

Would you like to see the survey before you take it? Visit http://www.danceusa.org/roughwaters for a PDF download.

The deadline for completing this survey is Friday, May 21. The Dance/USA research staff thanks you for your time and participation.

Dance Service Organizations: please contact Victoria Smith, research associate, directly at vsmith@danceusa.org, if you would like your constituents to participate in the survey or to share your observations on how your community is being affected by an uncertain economic future.

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Advocacy Update
Help Dance/USA Advocate for an Improved Visa Processing System
As many of you know, Dance/USA is working in coalition to address the inconsistent and unpredictable nature of visa processing for foreign guest artists. To assist us with our advocacy efforts, we need to hear from you! What RFEs or denials have you received in the last six months? Is this more than usual for your company? You can e-mail Dance/USA’s Government Affairs office at advocacy@danceusa.org and attach a scanned copy of your RFEs and denial notices. It is extremely important that we compile these notices as evidence of unjust or unusual requests for additional evidence.

Performing Arts Alliance Files Comments on Network Neutrality with the FCC
On Monday April 26, the Performing Arts Alliance, of which Dance/USA is a founding member, filed public comments with the FCC in support of net neutrality. Monday April 26 was the FCC deadline for filing Reply Comments in this proceeding. To read the PAA public comments, visit: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7020436972. To learn more about net neutrality, visit the Future of Music at: http://futureofmusic.org/issues/telecommunications-policy/network-neutrality

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) offers Webchat on Health Care Reform
On Friday, April 30 at 2:30 PM EST, the Dept of HHS will be offering a webchat to discuss how the Affordable Care Act will hold insurance companies accountable. You can send your questions in advance to healthreform@hhs.gov and watch live at www.hhs.gov/live. HHS will also take questions live from Twitter using handle @HHSGOV. For more information health care reform from HHS, visit: http://www.healthreform.gov/

Tax-Free Employer-Provided Health Coverage Now Available for Children under Age 27
As a result of changes made by the recently enacted Affordable Care Act, health coverage provided for an employee's children under 27 years of age is now generally tax-free to the employee, effective March 30, 2010. The Internal Revenue Service announced today that these changes immediately allow employers with cafeteria plans –– plans that allow employees to choose from a menu of tax-free benefit options and cash or taxable benefits –– to permit employees to begin making pre-tax contributions to pay for this expanded benefit. IRS Notice 2010-38 explains these changes and provides further guidance to employers, employees, health insurers and other interested parties. Source: IRS

Dance/USA Members Participate in Arts Advocacy Day 2010
On April 12 and 13, Dance/USA members Jacqulyn Buglisi (Buglisi Dance Theatre), Rodney Trapp (Dance Theatre of Harlem), Conrhonda Baker (Alabama Dance Council), Olu Yemisi (Olu Yemisi & Company) and Dance/USA board member Wayne Hazzard (Dancers’ Group) traveled to Washington DC to participate in Arts Advocacy Day. In describing his experiences on the hill, Wayne Hazzard noted, "We had great conversations with the staff members of Feinstein, Boxer, Pelosi, Miller and Barbara Lee. The conversations were enthusiastic and yet tempered with caution about the deficit and the President not wanting any increases. No surprise there... I let them know I will be back in June!" Rodney Trapp from Dance Theatre of Harlem also shared his experiences, stating: "This type of grassroots advocacy is so important. I was able to visit with Reps Rangel and Lowey and Senators Gillibrand and Schumer." Thank you to all the Dance/USA members that participated in Arts Advocacy Day!

Dance/USA’s Advocacy website is continually updated with legislative news and resources. Visit our site often to learn about federal advocacy news affecting dance organizations in America. https://www.danceusa.org/newsactionalerts

Questions about the Advocacy Update? Email Dance/USA Government Affairs Director, Amy Fitterer, at afitterer@danceusa.org

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