Social-Media Whore Versus Savvy Self-Brander
The first time I joined in the social-media craze was back in 2004,
right after I had joined Pacific Northwest Ballet. I had friends that
had been using Myspace for a couple of years, but I felt that there was
no real reason for me to join in the fun. Little did I know that social-media would
eventually take over my entire idea of communication, nor did I envision
that it would become one of the greatest tools to market businesses to
mass audiences.
Dance/USA Honors a Legend: Philadanco’s Joan Myers Brown
Joan Myers Brown has had an extraordinary career. The founder of Philadanco!, one of Philadelphia’s preeminent dance companies, as well as the driving force behind both the International Conference of Black Dance Companies and the International Association of Blacks in Dance, Myers Brown has lent her artistic guidance, her nurturance of many dancers and
choreographers, her visionary leadership and grace under fire to many in the dance
field. On June 13, she will be honored by Dance/USA for her contributions to the field. Read this personal account about Joan from long-time Philadelphia dance critic Merilyn Jackson.
How To Work With a Lighting Designer
The word “design” implies both planning and execution.
Many people
think lighting design is created in the technical rehearsal. This is
not so. Others see the myriad pieces of arcane drawings and paperwork
that surround the professional designer and think that they constitute
the design. Again, not so.
The lighting design is created in the
designer’s head over the course of several weeks before the production
loads into the theater. Read on for a perspective on working with lighting designers.
The Hunt for New Work: Matching Choreographers to Companies
Selecting new choreographers for a program or a season seems a
straightforward enough process at first glance. Read on to find out how artistic directors
seek out new works for their companies sifting the choreographic gold from the dross.
Instagram 101: How Dance Companies and Organizations Can Harness It
With Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest, today there are so so many social networking options, why add one more to your over-flowing to-do list? Renowned dance photographer Christopher Duggan explains why Instagram can be a fun marketing tool and offers up some tips, too.
The Artists’ Residency: Planting Creative Seeds
The artist residency is a venue that offers artists creative, generative
time away from their normal place of work; a space in which the
creation can follow inspiration, rather than an imposed schedule. The
opportunity to change one’s environment, have dedicated creative time,
and invest in process is, in my view, becoming increasingly critical in
our field of multitasking artist/administrators.
Music Licensing 101: The Pretty to the Nitty-gritty
Music licensing can feel like scary stuff. If you’re anything like me, an artist by nature and nurture who has honed arts-business skills through my own entrepreneurial efforts, then you probably get that panicked, semi-nauseated feeling at the mere mention of “legal responsibility.” However, I’ve learned is that licensing music for dance isn’t actually complicated at all.
It’s All in the Journey
An artist-centered sharing of culture and creativity is a practice
embraced by many choreographers; serving an essential purpose in
fortifying artistic inspiration and creative explorations, stimulating
the artistic journey from the studio to the stage.
Making a Mark: Dance and Social Justice
Increasingly, community outreach is just the tip of the iceberg for some dance companies, and artists and social justice organizations are finding mutual benefits to deeper and more prolonged partnerships. That deliberate choice of engagement, as opposed to outreach, seeks to erase some of the traditional hierarchies between dancers and community members.
Safe House: Dancing in the Ivory Tower, Part 2
It’s been said that the university ranks as one of the chief supporters of the arts in the United States. With the migration of more and more working choreographers into university environments, it’s clear that artists are able to continue to create both inside and outside of these institutions. While the halls of academia offer some distinct advantages, most particularly to oft-itinerant and nearly always-struggling dance artists, other challenges and demands can sap their time and energy in their new environment.
