Dancers on the Hill: Arts Advocacy Day 2011
On April 4 and 5, 2011, more than 500 arts advocates from across the country met in Washington, D.C., to tell their elected officials about the important role the arts play in the lives of constituents and the communities where they live.
Prepare for Arts Advocacy Day 2011
On April 4 and 5, 2011, approximately 450 artists, arts administrators, philanthropists, and corporations will descend on Washington, D.C., for the 24th Arts Advocacy Day (AAD). Coordinated by Americans for the Arts, this year’s AAD occurs during intense budget debates, as legislators are making crucial spending decisions in an effort to reduce the national debt. This year, several key issues are at stake, including funding for the National Endowment of the Arts and Arts in Education programs.
Dance Civics 101: Being a Good Dance Citizen
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.
Dance Advocacy: Tips for Organizing People
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…
An Advocacy Primer: Tips From an Accidental Advocate
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…
Dance Advocacy: Three Ways You Can Get Started Right Now
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…
An Open Letter to Barack and Michelle Obama
The use of the arts in community service programs in a systematic fashion, for example, is an excellent way to ensure that innovative and engaging activities reunite, reskill, and repower citizens. And dance, of all of the arts, teaches us to do those things by thinking on our feet, outside the box, and with each other.