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December 17, 2008

Dance/USA Launches New and Improved Website!
We’ve got a whole new look! After nearly two years of planning and development, Dance/USA is pleased to announce the launch of phase one of our newly designed website. Phase one focuses primarily on the look and navigation of the site, updating content, and streamlining online registration for events. Future phases, coming in 2009, will bring online membership renewal, the ability for new and renewing members to create or update their own profile, a secure members-only section, easier access to research data, more e-commerce, and other opportunities. Please visit us at www.danceusa.org and let us know what you think.

Dance Forum: New Realities in the World of Dance
Friday, January 9, 2009
9am - 12pm
Hilton Hotel, Concourse A
New York, New York 10019
Free to attend, no rsvp required.

How are dance artists/companies and presenters facing the economic realities that are confronting them? This year, the Dance Forum will focus on readjusting (or adjusting) to the current economic climate. Networks are changing, and presenting dance in the 21st Century does not resemble how it was presented in the last century. Join with leaders from the field for an open conversation about what this means for dance presentation and touring, management, and audiences.
We have gathered a group of dance artists and presenters who are looking at different models of touring and presenting dance work, and also asked them to talk about the economic challenges we all face, particularly how they are looking at models for presenting dance, sustaining a company and building audiences.

Panel members
Jamie Merwin - olive Dance - PA
John Michael Shert - Trey McIntyre, ID
Stephen Petronio - Stephen Petronio Dance Company, NY
Tere O'Connor - Tere O'Connor Dance, NY
Jill Sigman – jill sigman/thinkdance, NY
Walter Jaffe - White Bird, OR
Baracka Sele – New Jersey Performing Arts Center

Moderator
Anne Dunning

Special one-time only 60% discount offered on the Winter Forum!
Two full days of professional development (including breakfast, snacks and lunch) for only $50!

Due to economic circumstances, Dance/USA has dropped the registration fees drastically. Hopefully this special offer will encourage those people who can reach NYC without high travel or hotel costs to join us for important discussions about how human resource management impacts organization’s survival, especially in these rough waters!

View new prices!  See who's coming!

Dance in the New Year and the New Administration with a Barack Button
Dance/MetroDC along with Dance/USA is offering Inaugural Barack buttons pictured below.

The glossy buttons are high quality, 2 inches by 2 inches, with a clear image of Barack DANCING, as he appeared on the Ellen Degeneres show. Along with the caption: “Dance - Yes We Can”.


National Pre-inauguration prices:
$8 for one button($6 + $2 handling)
$13 for two buttons($10 +3 handling)
$50 for 10 buttons ($45 + 5 handling)

Interested in ordering in bulk? Please contact Dance/MetroDC Director Peter DiMuro for more information.

Proceeds from Dance/USA national membership sales will be placed into a fund to enable attendance by regional artists at Dance/USA convenings.

So wear your dancing Barack across the nation proudly. Washington, DC will be flooded with these pins by the inauguration, great reminders to our friends in this new administration that dance will be part of the dialogue.

To order your buttons, Contact Office Manager Kellee Edusei at 202.833.1717 or danceusa@danceusa.org with your order and credit card information. To ensure delivery before the Inauguration, orders must be received no later than January 1, 2009. (Members local to the DC metropolitan area can purchase through the Dance/MetroDC office at info@dancemetrodc.org)

Engaging Dance Audiences
Dance/USA receives $1.5 million to support innovative pilot program

Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional, not-for-profit dance, announced today that it has received a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to inaugurate Engaging Dance Audiences (EDA), the first national funding program and related study of audience engagement practices focused specifically on the art form of dance. The three-year, $1.5 million award will enable the dance field to explore new methods of engaging audiences and analyze current activities.

read the full release

How are the Current Economic Rough Waters Affecting You?

Dance/USA is making an effort to capture a picture of how these rough waters are affecting our members and how they are responding. We have built a 10-minute survey to get to the heart of the issues your organization is facing, and we need your input. This Rough Waters Survey, powered by SurveyMonkey, asks about changes in performance seasons, contributed revenue, and what steps your organization is taking to prepare for future change. 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/s.aspx?sm=JpjHaxeOd8iv2iQCJ0gUTg_3d_3d

As a Dance/USA member, a benefit of your membership is access to the most current research on issues and trends in the dance field. If you participate in this survey, we will share the final results with you to help you determine how your organization is faring in the current economic climate relative to a national picture. Although the hard times are not likely to go away soon, the dance field is adept at managing limited resources and thinking creatively when faced with a challenge. Help us prove it by visiting the link above and taking the survey.

Deadline for completing the survey is Friday, January 2nd. The Dance/USA Research staff thanks you for your time and participation.

Government Affairs Update

Arts Policy for the New Administration

If you have not already done so, Dance/USA would like to encourage you to read the Arts Policy Statement submitted to President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team and the co-chairs of the Congressional and Senate Arts Caucus. The statement has been gathering co-signees from national organizations and inspiring positive feedback from the arts community. Share the document with your colleagues, members and staff and send us your feedback. Dance/USA participated in the crafting of the Arts Policy Statement.

Congressional Staff Briefing on Not-for-profit Organizations

On Tuesday, December 16, Congressmen John Lewis (D-GA) and Wally Herger (R-CA) hosted a Congressional Staff Briefing on not-for-profits and the economic downturn. The briefing highlighted the work not-for-profits continue to do in communities despite serious financial cutbacks. Ford Bell, president and CEO of the American Association of Museums, shared stories of museums that are organizing transportation for students from low-income neighborhoods and are sharing their facilities with other community groups. Other nonprofit organizations that testified included the YMCA, National Health Council and Independent Sector.
Dance organizations across the country contribute to our communities through educational programs, shared art experiences, partnerships with community organizations and by igniting economic prosperity. The current economic times is a perfect opportunity for dance organizations to highlight how they contribute and enhance community life.

Wireless Microphones Should Vacate the 700 MHz Range

Attention all dance companies that own wireless audio equipment: The wireless microphone technology currently in use by performing arts organizations will soon undergo changes. Following February 17, 2009, wireless microphones will most likely be banned from operating between channels 52 – 69. Separate from the white space issue, this change is one example of the re-allocation of the broadcast spectrum due to the DTV transition.
Please contact your wireless microphone equipment manufacturer. Depending on make and model, your equipment could be re-banded with a new frequency range or it may need to be replaced. Please do this as soon as possible, especially if you operate equipment in a metropolitan market.

Senate Passes the Pension Relief Bill

On December 11, the Senate passed by unanimous consent the Worker, Retiree, and Employer Recovery Act of 2008. The bill provides short-term relief to not-for-profit organizations that sponsor defined benefit plans. Not-for-profits affected by this bill are encouraged to write the White House and urge President Bush to sign the bill. For more information, please visit Independent Sector.

NPAC Summary Report now available

The final report from the National Performing Arts Convention (NPAC) 2008 is now accessible through the home page of the NPAC website. You can download a pdf of the full report from the homepage or open a brief, excerpted highlights document.


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