Choose from four tracks of engagement at this year's conference! 

Building New Models - 2011 Program Envelopes include:

• AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
  The ever-important audience - how do we attract, educate and assess them? With an eye toward engagement, this track investigates ways to improve the creative experience for ticket buyers and connect communities so that dance is viewed as integral in their cultural life. 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. Build shared bridges.
  
  
• MANAGEMENT
  Looking ahead to the next decade, managers in the field will be called upon to revise roles, responsibilities, and relationships. While emphasizing hands-on learning, this track will help administrators identify bold new business models, evaluate opportunities for shared resources, and examine innovative strategies for successful governance. Participants will come away with new goals and ideas, backed by the skills and resources to achieve them. Lay the foundation.
  
  
• ARTISTRY
  Artists are known for their propensity to challenge and cross boundaries, and such ingenuity among dancers and choreographers is more critical now than ever. In this track, gather with artists to explore pioneering partnerships in cross-discipline projects, methods for merging traditional and contemporary work, and more. Craft the vision.
  
  
• TECHNOLOGY
  Technology is a driving force, a platform that continues to evolve and morph, and affect the way you do business in the future. In this track, we will explore how to bring applicable value to your organization and the field via online networks, outlining social media communities and effective listening tools to chart a path in this ever-changing environment. Construct a platform.
  

We are asking registrants to pre-select their Break-out Sessions in advance of the Conference so that we can make appropriate room assignments and avoid over-crowding. You will be prompted to pre-select your Break-out Sessions during the registration process.

Please review the descriptions of all the Break-out Sessions and select those you plan to attend. You can mix and match from the four tracks of engagement. Joining another session during the Conference will only be possible if space is available. We request your assistance in honoring your selections.

Break-Out Sessions run concurrently. Click the session times below to view the options available during each time period.

Thursday, July 14, 3:45-5pm
Friday, July 15, 9:15-10:30am and 10:45am-12pm
Saturday, July 16, 2-3:15pm

Thursday, July 14, 3:45-5pm

MANAGEMENT: Forecasting the Future of Arts Funding
Has the recent economic crisis affected funders - if so, in what way? Will funding continue as usual - if not, what will take its place? Join us for a one-on-one conversation with a national funder as they identify the major issues facing foundations, and how this will affect arts funding over the next decade.
An interview with Regina R. Smith, Board President, Grantmakers in the Arts
by Sarah Solotaroff, The Chicago Community Trust

ARTISTRY: The Experience of Mentoring
Experience an interactive mentoring session about the value and methods of guiding the creative practice, conducted by leaders of CHIME (Choreographers in Mentorship Exchange) and CDF (Chicago Dancemakers Forum), two of the country’s successful mentorship and creative process programs.  After a brief introduction about their respective artist mentoring programs, representatives from CHIME and CDF will guide pre-selected choreographers and dancers from both the San Francisco and Chicago programs through a brief choreographic problem - witness mentoring in action!
Following the live demonstration, attendees will engage in small group discussions and a moderated Q & A session to collectively dialogue about the value of mentorship, how to improve and support the rigorous practice of making work, and suggestions about how this important principle can be nurtured in various communities. In a condensed, snapshot setting, this mentorship session will highlight how the host programs’ support both lessens choreographers’ isolation and stimulates ongoing creative interactions--lessons that will resonate throughout one’s career.
Moderator: Heather Hartley, Director, Chicago Dancemakers Forum
Margaret Jenkins, Artistic Director, Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, CHIME  Representative                                                                                                 
Ginger Farley, Consortium Member, Chicago Dancemakers Forum
Margi Cole, Artistic Director, The Dance COLEctive, and former CDF Lab Assistant, and Dancers, TBA

TECHNOLOGY: Building Stages Across Platforms: Effective Content Creation & Curation-Making Blogs/Vlogs that Engage (First Presentation)
This workshop explores the nuts and bolts of blog writing and promotion, and pitching projects to unlikely targets. Participants will brainstorm & collaborate on-the-spot. Everyone will leave with a game plan in place. Building Stages is based on Jennifer Edwards’ work as writer/choreographer/content creator, whose work is featured on multiple media platforms, including Martha Stewart’s Whole Living Magazine and the Huffington Post. Her paper by the same title will be presented in Austria at the International University’s May 2011 conference titled, Performing Arts Training Today.
To learn more about this project: http://www.jened.com/building-stages-across-platforms
Jennifer Edwards, Founder, JenEd Productions 

SPECIAL SESSION AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT: Engaging Dance Audiences: Adapting the Results to Your Organization and Audience
As a pilot program, Engaging Dance Audiences strived to identify effective practices for building audiences, and share what was learned with the field.  As EDA concludes, grantees and managers will share insights so that dance practitioners can learn, adapt what worked, and avoid what didn’t.  Results center around three larger themes:  1) Connections through Technology.  Technology is used in ways we never dreamt of 10 years ago, allowing for an endless, and daunting, array of potential connections with audiences.  Hear about online viewing of high definition performance; a web-based platform for audience engagement; and remote viewing of live performance.  2) Connections through Participatory Experiences.  In a speed-dating format, hear about adapting visual arts curriculum and kinesthetic memory techniques to increase audiences’ understanding of, and engagement with, dance. 3) Connections through Community-Building.  Hear about grantees that build longer-term relationships audiences through using social media; sharing mailing lists and events, such as “opening acts” at dance concerts; forming affinity groups, such as dance docents and advocates; and reaching younger audiences.
Learn about the nine projects and what was learned, and select the three that you would like to visit with during the session.

Moderators: Suzanne Callahan, Manager, Engaging Dance Audiences and Andrea Snyder, Senior Advisor, Dance/USA
With speakers from all nine grantees: American Dance Festival, Minnesota Shubert Performing Arts and Education Center, Misnomer Dance Theater, ODC, On the Boards, STREB, Trey McIntyre Project, Walker Art Center and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

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Friday, July 15, 9:15-10:30am

MANAGEMENT: It’s hardest in the middle: SUCCESSFUL new initiatives FOR group-show touring, and regional / national co-operative platforms
Leaders from the SCUBA National Touring Network (serving the Seattle, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Philadelphia communities), and the InnerState Dance Project in California, will discuss their programs. This is a “DIY  / how-to” for mid-sized presenters and emerging  / mid career artists, looking at enhancing their touring activity or creating a similar network in their own region. Discussion will include approaches to age old questions of: group show curation, co-operative networks THAT SERVICE the creation-to-performance continuum, tour preparation for DIVERSE VENUES, and diverse artists / presenters working together to make more dance.
Moderator: Terry Fox, Executive Director, Philadelphia Dance Projects
Laurie Van Wieren, Dance Curator, Southern Theater, Minneapolis
Rob Bailis, Director, ODC Theater, San Francisco
Tonya Lockyer, Executive Director, Velocity Dance Center
                   
TECHNOLOGY: (Almost) Free Technology-When You Need It, How to Use It, and How to Keep Abreast of New Tools
This session focuses on free or relatively inexpensive technology, what it can do for dance organizations, how to use it, how to decide if a technological tool is useful for your particular organization, and how can staying on top of new technological trends that can make life easier and save money. New tools are being invented all the time, so a definitive list will be assembled and posted closer to the conference. Current contenders include Google Analytics, Vimeo, join.me, and Campaign Monitor. While specific tools will be discussed, the larger goal will be to empower attendees to experiment with new technology and think critically and creatively about using these tools.
Moderators: Betsy England, Client Relations Manager, Design Brooklyn and Caleb Custer, Marketing Strategist/Video Editor/Site Architect, Design Brooklyn  

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT: Conversation Lab: Innovative Projects in Online Audience Engagement
Join a “conversation lab” focused on innovative projects in online audience engagement. Jim Leija and Liz Stover from the University Musical Society (Ann Arbor) and Connie Chin from Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival will start the conversation by describing two new projects that engage communities online: the UMS Lobby and the Virtual Pillow. Terence Marling, Rehearsal Director for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago will offer an artist’s response to these kinds of projects. Join our conversation by being curious, sharing your own experiences, and learning from others who are doing similar kinds of work online. Our goal is to bring people together for cross-pollination, creative thinking, and collaborative knowledge sharing.  Although specific topics will evolve through conversation, when you’re talking about online community engagement, certain topics always seem to emerge: dispelling myths about and barriers to engaging your staff and stakeholders in social media; thinking creatively about how both online and on-land experiences enhance audience participation; understanding staffing and budget implications; building your community and audiences; creating and providing great content. Ultimately, though, we all want to explore how performing arts organizations can harness the power of virtual dialogue, audience reviews, lively blogs, and the marketing impact of the community’s own words.
Moderator: Jim Leija, Manager of Media & Online Iniatives, University Musical Society
Liz Stover, Programming Coordinator, University Musical Society
Connie Chin, General Manager, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
Terence Marling, Artistic Associate and Rehearsal Director, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago

ROUNDTABLE: Common Problems: Finding Valuable Solutions (First Presentation)
Working in small groups, attendees will be presented with pre-selected case studies in several arenas, including HR issues, finance/budgeting, marketing, audience outreach and many more. A facilitator will guide these discussions, as we listen to one another and assist in finding creative solutions that can be applied to our own organizations.
Facilitator: Donna Walker-Kuhne, President, Walker International Communications Group

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Friday, July 15, 10:45am-12pm

ARTISTRY: Lessons Learned: Is Art Making at the Center of Our Practice?
Dance makers of our generation have been called upon to create hybridist practice in work and life to sustain themselves and their work. A combination of research, choreographing, rehearsing, teaching, producing, and administration, has become recognized as the artist’s way in America. This panel examines lessons learned from the experience of the last 40 years operating within the 501-C-3 model and new operating models/structures that are emerging for choreographers and dance makers today.
Moderator: Melanie Stewart, Director, Melanie Stewart Dance Theatre
Bill Moskin, Arts Consultant
Molly Shanahan, Artistic Director, Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak

TECHNOLOGY: Building Stages Across Platforms: Effective Content Creation & Curation-Making Blogs/Vlogs that Engage (Second Presentation)
This workshop explores the nuts and bolts of blog writing and promotion, and pitching projects to unlikely targets. Participants will brainstorm & collaborate on-the-spot. Everyone will leave with a game plan in place. Building Stages is based on Jennifer Edwards’ work as writer/choreographer/content creator, whose work is featured on multiple media platforms, including Martha Stewart’s Whole Living Magazine and the Huffington Post. Her paper by the same title will be presented in Austria at the International University’s May 2011 conference titled, Performing Arts Training Today.
To learn more about this project: http://www.jened.com/building-stages-across-platforms
Jennifer Edwards, Founder, JenEd Productions   

TECHNOLOGY: #ThisIsHappening!: The Future of Tech, Dance, and Online Community
Sydney Skybetter, Artistic Director of Skybetter and Associates, Dance/USA Trustee, will prognosticate on the future of dance tech and talk about the online trends your organization can’t afford to ignore. Skybetter will focus on forecasting and trending, with an emphasis on what’s  coming next, and discuss how organizations can prepare themselves for the technology to come. A Q & A will address organizations’ burning tech questions about the future of online social media, audience engagement on the Internet and return on investment for online development projects, among other subjects.
Sydney Skybetter, Artistic Director, Skybetter and Associates

ROUNDTABLE: Common Problems: Finding Valuable Solutions (Second Presentation)
Working in small groups, attendees will be presented with pre-selected case studies in several arenas, including HR issues, finance/budgeting, marketing, audience outreach and many more. A facilitator will guide these discussions, as we listen to one another and assist in finding creative solutions that can be applied to our own organizations.
Facilitator: Donna Walker-Kuhne, President, Walker International Communications Group

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Saturday, July 16, 2-3:15pm

ARTISTRY: Changing Company Models: Shaping a Sustainable Future
As companies undergo major changes-be it economic, geographic, or shifts in leadership, we’re challenged to incorporate the old while innovating for the new. This multi-generational panel will examine new measures of success and the shifting goals of dance companies in 2011. We will share accumulated knowledge on how to deal with change and use what has come before us for a sustainable future.
Moderator: Ellen Chenoweth, Projects Manager, Dance Exchange
Cassie Meador, Artistic Director and Company Member, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange
Amy Smith, Co-Director, Headlong Dance Theater
Jana La Sorte, Executive Director, Urban Bush Woman

MANAGEMENT: Music Rights – Demystifying the Process! (New)
Using several models, artistic individuals and company managers will discuss the use of recent music and music in the public domain that is played on tape during performance as well as utilizing live music during performances. The moderator and group will also cover the merits of commissioning, and securing the funds to do this. A primer of terms and basic steps will be available.
Moderator: Lissa Rosenthal, Executive Director, The Future of Music Coalition
Ranee Ramaswamy, Founder/Co-Artistic Director, Ragamala Dance
C.C. Conner, Managing Director, Houston Ballet
Nancy Umanoff, Executive Director, Mark Morris Dance Group
Seth Boustead, co-founder and Executive Director of Accessible Contemporary Music

TECHNOLOGY: Next-Generation Video Production: Myths, Challenges, Opportunities
Leading practitioners in production and next-generation distribution of performances on video will share their insights and experiences in bringing product to market, while addressing many of the real and perceived challenges that have prevented dance companies from reaching, growing, and monetizing their audiences by means of video distribution strategy. Subtopics covered include video capture technologies, technical standards, union negotiations, production fundraising, vendor selection, music licensing, revenue models, and marketing and promotion.
Moderator: Zachary Whittenburg, Dance Editor, Time Out Chicago
Scott Silberstein, Co-Founder/Executive Producer, HMS Media
Marc Kirschner, General Manager, TenduTV
Carol Fox, President, Carol Fox & Associates and Board President, Audience Architects

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT: Cultivating Cultural Voyagers: Stimulating Cross-Ethnic Attendance for Dance
The story is familiar: When a Latino or Latino-American dance company is on the bill, there are more Latinos in the house, along with the mostly-Caucasian core audience. When an African or African-American company performs, more African-Americans attend. But if the arts are really about fostering civic dialogue, strengthening communities, and helping people understand the world we share, this cultural silo-building cannot be the end of the story. What does it take to encourage Asian-American audiences to attend a Latino performance, or Latinos to attend an African-American-based company? Join us in a participatory discussion about helping audiences find their way out of their own “cultural comfort zones” and cross the borders of ethnic identity through the common ground of dance. We’ll hear about a four-year-old initiative at The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago that combines multicultural research, a logic model, and targeted marketing to understand the obstacles and opportunities for increasing repeat cross-ethnic attendance, regardless of the cultural-specificity of the work presented. We’ll also hear from other innovators working to develop diverse audiences for ethnically-rooted dance and performance and dialogue with you about what works (and what doesn't) in your organization.
Moderator: Peter Linett, Partner, Slover Linett Strategies
Phil Reynolds, Executive Director, Dance Center Columbia College Chicago
Julie Mushet, Executive Director, World Arts West

SPECIAL SESSION: Navigating the National Endowment for the Arts Application Process
Learn about NEA funding opportunities in Dance through the agency’s Grants for Arts Projects guidelines, and tips on how to make your application successful, including using Grants.gov.
Doug Sonntag, Director of Dance, National Endowment for the Arts
Janelle Ott Long, National Endowment for the Arts Dance Specialist

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Additional Conference Programs geared to move us successfully towards 2021 include:

Town Hall Gathering
Thursday, July 14, 11am-12:15pm
Join in responding to our Plenary Speaker, Pico Iyer, and share hot topics with your colleagues.
Moderator: Caitlin Strokosch, Executive Director,  the Alliance of Artists Communities

Live Arts
Saturday, July 16, 7:30-8:45am
During the Buffet Breakfast, conference participants will share in Live Arts, current Dance/USA member's artistic projects curated by Lane Czaplinski, Artistic Director, On The Boards.
Facilitator: Anna M. Thompson, Executive Director, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center

Roundtables
Friday, July 15, 9:15-10:30am and 10:45am-12pm
Facilitated problem-solving with your peers on pre-selected case studies from the field. Everyone will participate, and take away creative solutions applicable to their own organizations.
Facilitator: Donna Walker-Kuhne, President, Walker International Communications Group

General Session
Friday, July 15, 4-5pm
A report from Wolf Brown on their recent survey of how audiences see their involvement in dance performance and what our field can do to develop a stronger presenter/audience dynamic.
Alan Brown, Principal of WolfBrown
Jennifer Novak-Leanard, Senior Consultant, WolfBrown

Dance/USA Mentorship Program
Mentee Orientation Session
Wednesday July 13, 1-2pm
This session will focus on the role of the mentee in a mentorship relationship, with discussion on setting and achieving goals, monitoring expectations of the self and others, and learning ways to communicate aspirations effectively.

Mentor Training Session
Wednesday July 13, 2:30-3:30pm
This session will address the role of the mentor in a mentorship relationship, with discussion on how to build meaningful communication channels, when and how to utilize expertise and resources, and what tools result in effective guidance.

Joint Mentorship Activity Session
Wednesday July 13, 3:30-4:30pm
This session marks the official beginning of the journey for the Dance/USA Mentorship Program participants.  In addition to setting the course for the mentorship relationship and sharing goals and expectations, participants will be invited to discover more about themselves as people and artists through a presentation on personality analysis and building connections.  Cookie Ruiz will be a guest speaker during this session.
Facilitator: Angelica Daniele