So! Congratulations are in order. You’re about to graduate from your dance program and enter into the real world. I hope you’re feeling amply prepared, totally comfortable and at ease with the mammoth transition to come.
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Guys? … Oh. You’re freaking out? You feel like you don’t have a clue what you’re getting into? How you’ll get paid / afford rent / find a place to make work / find auditions / get a job / afford insurance / pay off your historically huge student loans?

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Dance/USA remembers Frederic Franklin, one of the United States’ great ballet dancers, teachers, stagers, and ballet masters. His career spanned much of the 20th century. In 2008, Franklin received the Dance/USA Honor award for his “extraordinary leadership in the field through artistic excellence and force of vision.” Franklin died on May 4, 2013. From the Green Room reprints excerpts from an interview by long-time critic and dance writer Mindy Aloff conducted in 2008.

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Resources to get you started on your artistic journey to China from cultural exchange broker Alison M. Friedman.

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China is exciting and chaotic and your dance company should go. Before you buy your plane tickets, however, it is important to understand the context of China’s performing arts market in order to manage your expectations and plan a strategy for touring successfully.

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On December 31, 2011, the Park Armory in New York was filled with a wet-eyed crowd of modern dance lovers bidding farewell to the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Never before had a legacy company, one that made its mark over 58 years and changed the way we understood and created dances, shut its doors in such an abrupt but planned manner. Cunningham was an iconoclast from beginning to end.

Earlier this month the Merce Cunningham Trust released a case study detailing the extensive Legacy Plan crafted by the Cunningham Dance Foundation. The 88-page report provides details on the controversial arrangement that dismantled the Cunningham Dance Company, shut down the Cunningham Dance Foundation, as well as closed and sold off of the Merce Cunningham Studio in New York City.

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What does sustainability look like in the making and presenting of professional concert dance? We turned to Dance Exchange for some sustainable practices to consider.

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How does a small business artist make it happen? Inspired by Dance/USA’s article, “Serious Selling,” about the production and profit practices of the San Francisco Ballet’s merchandising and products, which are sold in its “Ballet Shop” and on tour, I set out to give inspiration to the many of us in the arts community who strive to make it happen -- on a far smaller scale. Read on to find out how.

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Thirty-nine hapless heterosexual women were then asked to observe the 30 dancing avatars, and rate them for “dance moves.” On a seven-point scale, these women (hopefully paid for this excruciating experience), rated the dance moves from “extremely bad” to “extremely good.”
We are not making this up.

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Not necessarily, but an honest comprehension of and deep appreciation for dance and dancers is, for most, what compels them to commit to the mission of running a dance company. Read on to hear from directors about their experiences.  

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Three years ago, Nashville Ballet moved from a traditional non-profit leadership structure (artistic and executive directors, a board president) into one that looks more like a for-profit company. Artistic Director Paul Vasterling assumed the title of CEO while remaining artistic leader, and reports that the results have been only positive:  better communication, efficiency, and cohesion throughout the company. Dance/USA spoke with Vasterling about how it works.

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