Determination and Perseverance: Dance/USA ‘Ernie’ Awardee Ann Williams Builds a Legacy in Dallas
Ann Williams receives the Dance/USA Ernie Award this month at Dance/USA’s annual conference in Austin, Texas. Williams founded Dallas Black Dance Theatre and her tireless dedication to the dance world and to encouraging black dance around the country has empowered young dancers, leaving a lasting legacy.
Ella Baff, 2016 Dance/USA Trustees Awardee: Sustaining a Dance Mecca in Western Massachusetts
As this year’s Dance/USA Trustees awardee, Ella Baff is being recognized at our annual conference in Austin, Texas, for her contributions to dance — particularly 17 years at the helm of Jacob’s Pillow Dance. Read on for more on how Baff advanced the dance field.
Development Dialogue: Phoning for Funds
Among a board member’s many responsibilities and opportunities, the chance to reach out to audience members and say “thank-you” is among the most powerful and rewarding. That personal touch with a patron is valuable. Read about how Ron Fredman harnesses this practice as a development tool.
Dyeing to Match: Dancewear for Everyone
Dyeing to Match is a national awareness campaign about the lack of new dancewear for darker skin tones. This is an issue of equity and diversity; the dancewear industry produces things that they say are nude but that always are a shade lighter than the skin tones of many of our students and dancers.
Development Dialogue: Watching the Winds
We hear, in whispers and loudly, that political and economic uncertainty, changing corporate priorities and the world’s daily chaos seem to be giving businesses sudden pause and tighter budgets, at least when it comes to the arts. Read more in this month’s Development Dialogue.
Leadership Corner: Dennis Buehler, Executive Director, Oregon Ballet Theatre
Every leader needs a fundamental understanding of how each part intersects and works together in their organization, whether it’s operations, marketing, production, business, they all serve, ultimately, the mission, said Oregon Ballet Theatre Executive Director Dennis Buehler. Read more on leadership here.
Weaving a Future for Inclusive Dance
Judith Smith cofounded AXIS Dance Company in Oakland, Calif., as one of the first contemporary dance companies to create and present dance on dancers with physical disabilities who used wheelchairs, prosthetics and crutches performing alongside nondisabled dancers. In May 2016, AXIS brings together physically integrated dancers and dance companies, presenters, dance service organizations, and funders with expertise in this area for the first time since 1997.
Development Dialogue: Please … And Thank You!
Most arts organizations offer donor benefits to show gratitude and motivate support. Companies typically tie these to the level of giving: the more you give, the more you get. Read on for 11 successful ideas from development colleagues around the country on saying thank you, then feel free to share your own.
Leadership Corner: Melanie Rios Glaser, Artistic Director, The Wooden Floor, Santa Ana, Calif.
Melanie Rios Glaser of The Wooden Floor, which offers dance training and academic and social service support to at-risk youths, discusses collaborative leadership, which is essential in managing her growing Santa Ana-based dance organization as it expands its reach across the country.
A Cautionary Tale: What Can Happen When Your Personal Video Goes Viral
Who hasn’t shared a fun personal video on social media? Read dancer/choreographer Alexandra Beller’s cautionary tale about what can happen when a personal video goes viral.