Building Bridges for Ballet’s Future
What does it take to create a great community outreach dance program at a ballet organization? Some key ingredients include: community need, planning and preparation, good timing, strong program leadership, local funding, a committed community partner, organizational buy-in, engaging curriculum, dedicated instructors, and interested program participants. Read on for former Ailey dancer April Berry’s report on how model ballet programs are built and sustained.
Authenticity: The Best ‘Best Practice’
The art world is too small to have competition among administrative teams, write Jennifer Edwards and Sydney Skybetter, either from different organizations or within organizations. Read more about our need for
need multiple thriving arts organizations in each community to grow a healthy arts market overall.
Navigating the Thicket, Then and Today
Ivan Sygoda has been a fixture in the dance world since he joined
Pentacle as tour manager in 1976 after a first career teaching French
language and literature at various colleges in the Northeast. This month
(July 2013), he transitions from director to founding director. Dance
writer Mindy Aloff spoke with Sygoda about the changes the dance field
has undergone and what he thinks about current trends exclusively for From the Green Room.
Conference 2013 Report: From Racial Equity to the Future of Dance
From crucial networking sessions for artistic and executive directors to
share programming hits and budgetary misses to paperwork how-to’s for
grants and insurance, to sustaining partnerships and forging bonds in
the community, Dance/USA’s 2013 Annual Conference held June 12-15 in
Philadelphia reflected the wide spectrum of interests and issues
confronting the organization’s members. Read on here for Karyn D. Collins’ report.
Sharon Luckman Receives the Dance/USA Trustees Award
Sharon Gersten Luckman, former long-time executive director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, will receive the Dance/USA Trustees Award June 13 at its annual conference in Philadelphia. Catch up with Luckman in an interview with arts journalist Karyn Collins on what makes Ailey such a successful dance organization, what other companies can learn from the Ailey company success, and where she sees the field in the future.
Great Wall Expectations:
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.
Parsing the Merce Cunningham Dance Company Legacy Plan: A Special Report
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.
The Sustainability Dance
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.
Serious Selling for the Small or Independent Dance Organization
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.
Resources for Touring China
Resources to get you started on your artistic journey to China from cultural exchange broker Alison M. Friedman.