Blueprint Call To Action

“Dance is a field with more guerrillas than institutions” –John Munger, Director of research and information at Dance/USA

Dance/NYC’s mission is to strengthen the professional dance field in New York City.  They help to foster a society that appreciates the art of dance and supports the creative process.  In 2007, former Dance/NYC Executive Director Michelle Burkhart created the Junior Committee (JComm) to advocate specifically for young professionals in dance and to serve as a liaison between the organization and its younger constituents.  JComm is a diverse sample of the field’s guerillas and our partnership with Dance/NYC brings us in from the fringes and allows us to effect an institution.  Our relationship is mutually beneficial and we work together to serve the dance community.

Bravo! Dance/NYC & JComm Initiatives Spotlighted in Press This Week

The State of NYC Dance report was released today by Dance/NYC! Check out the two articles by the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal that coincide with the announcement of this major study on the field. Be sure to download the full report or highlights (expertly designed by our very own Lori Byargeon) available for free.

This research is concurrent and directly related to the Dance/NYC Junior Committee’s Dance Workforce Census: Earnings Among Individuals, Ages 21-35. Initial findings were presented today by key members of the Committee; be on the look out for an official report coming to a conference or symposium near you.

This week also included coverage by Dance Media of Dancing Through College and Beyond, a sold-out annual conference that took place on Oct 30, 2011. Check out video highlights at Dance Media’s college dance hub, DanceU101.com, including a performance by Parsons Dance and Dance Magazine’s Editor-In-Chief Wendy Perron’s account of her personal journey to college.

Both of these initiatives included the efforts of many members of the Junior Committee, which plays an intrinsic role in supporting the mission of Dance/NYC.

Congratulations and thank you to all who helped to make both a success!

Census conversation continues…

Last spring the Dance/NYC Junior Committee took on its first major research initiative: a “Dance Workforce Census: Earnings Among Individuals, Ages 21-35.” Previous groundbreaking studies commissioned by Dance/NYC posed related questions to dance-making entities. However JComm’s initiative has given voice to individuals directly via social media and grassroots activism— to fuel a conversation.

And last night the conversation continued… Dance/NYC held the State of NYC Nonprofit Dance Town Hall Meeting at the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center, Buttenwieser Hall.  Cultural researcher, Catherine Lanier, delivered preliminary findings on the State of NYC Nonprofit Dance to a packed house.

Thank you for participating in our research.

Hello, Dance Community:

Thank you.  Over a thousand Dance/NYC constituents in the Junior Committee’s peer group (ages 21-35) have answered our call to action: to be counted. Others of you have spread the word for us. You have inspired us with your messages of encouragement. You have re-energized us with your enthusiasm for this research. You have emailed, tweeted, posted, and discussed. You have volunteered your valuable time. You’ve walked up to strangers to talk about it. Thank you.

FAQs about the DANCE WORKFORCE CENSUS

May 2, 2011.  From the team behind the census initiative, here are answers to some frequently asked questions.

Who is being counted in the census?  Our goal is to document how one critical segment of  the workforce in our field is surviving in NYC.  We want to count everyone 21-35 years of age who works in any capacity to support professional dance in New York City, including but not limited to:

• performers
• choreographers/creative artists
• educators
• representatives
• managers and administrators
• designers
• technicians
• consultants
• publicists
• writers
• critics

What kinds of questions are asked?  If you are such a worker, the census requests information about what type of work you did in the year 2010, and on what terms.  We don’t want your name or your employers’ names.  It will take 10-15 minutes to complete the census.

Why cut off at 35?   With limited resources and volunteer capacity, we have designed this research to focus intently on one demographic—the Committee’s relative peer group. Recognizing this demographic is one part of a greater whole, we will work to use research findings to make a case for, and craft effective methods for, future research that may encompass the entire New York City dance workforce, and looks forward to community conversations to this end.

How do I know my information will be safe?  How will it be used?  Reassuring fact #1: The research is being conducted pro bono by our partner, the Bloustein Center for Survey Research (BCSR) at Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.