What if all of us involved in the dance field started acting like citizens of the dance world instead of just participants? And I mean everybody: dancers, choreographers, dance writers, dance studio owners, university department heads, competition companies, presenters, costume, set and lighting designers. Did I forget anybody? As the least funded of the art forms, we have neither the resources nor the energy to do a lot more, but add together many people doing a little more, and you end up with a lot.

ORGANIZING PEOPLEIf your advocacy campaign involves organizing a group of people, you’ll need to consider what makes a good experience for a volunteer. If your advocacy campaign involves organizing a group of people, you’ll need to consider what makes a good experience for a volunteer. On the Presidential campaign, I was responsible for organizing and deploying about 2,000 volunteers. Many of them volunteered over and over. I asked them why, and here is what I learned: • Respond quickly: Volu...

I am something of an accidental advocate. I spent most of my adult life disengaged from anything that seemed like politics. I could list the reasons, but you probably already know them – quite possibly, you already share them. But in 2004, when Barack Obama made his famous convention speech, I said to myself, if that guy runs, I’m in. Long story short, I started by collecting signatures to get him on the ballot in New York State in October 2007, and ended up in charge of a 2,000-person volunt...

Idea #1: Public PerformanceThe goal: Create visibility for your community, raise awareness about the impact of the arts, or ask people to take a specific action.The action: Organize as large a group of people as you can — anywhere from ten to a hundred. Create a short, easy-to-learn phrase that can be repeated. Create a short list of rules that can vary the performance of the phrase — change of facing, change of speed, etc. Participants learn the phrase in advance. (Maybe through a YouTube vi...

To talk about dance in the 21st century, one must reach far beyond the genres of Western concert dance. Ballet, modern, jazz and contemporary dance are merely starting points for current discourse.

I am proud of the long history and legacy created by Dance/USA Journal; I’m equally excited about the new opportunities for discourse that will be available to us in this online format.