Showings on Facebook

I recently got invited to an inspiring new group on Facebook called “Showings on Facebook”.  It is an online forum for showing choreography and getting objective feedback.  This group has discussion at its core, without obligation to how much or little members participate.  It is basically an online, volunteer audience, awaiting for a new video posts to voice their opinion and share ideas.

Showings on Facebook was started by Christiana Barnett-Murphy, a dancer, choreographer, and former ADF (American Dance Festival) student.  Christiana was inspired to create the group after gathering knowledge over the years from ADF’s feedback forum “Open Showings” and from its former coordinator Jen McGinn.

All sorts of artists from across the country have joined the group and actively give feedback to their colleges on Showings on Facebook.  It is a great way to bounce ideas off people that are outside of your daily sphere and may be unfamiliar with your work.  If you are a choreographer out there interested in getting feedback from a new audience, I highly recommend joining this group!  Dancers and supporters interested in aiding the creative process will dig in too.  Here is a direct link to the Facebook page:  (You will find the group closed, but all requests will be granted)

 http://www.facebook.com/groups/322345811125974/

Here is an overview of Christiana’s guidelines for interactions in the forum.  I think it outlines the group’s goals and dynamics very well.

Hi Everyone, Welcome to the Showings forum on Facebook. This group is meant to give choreographers a chance to show their work to an audience outside of their immediate dance community, with the intent of receiving helpful feedback from the other members. While there may be some limitations by not seeing the work live, I believe there is still good information that can be shared through video. Here are a few guidelines to help us all experience the benefits of this group…

 For those showing work:

• Feel free to share your work at whatever place you are in your process…

• We ask that if you do show a video of your work, please refrain from sharing too much information. While it can sometimes be tempting to give us the history of your piece, it can often be more helpful to you, if you allow us to just respond to what we see…

• Please don’t ask us to imagine anything (such as lighting and costume ideas)…

 • Use this opportunity to get what you need. If there is a pressing question you feel needs to be answered, ask it…

 For those giving feedback:

• Please refrain from using the terms “I liked” and “I didn’t like”. Try to maintain the idea that the feedback you’re giving is meant to help the choreographer achieve what THEY are desiring.

• Also, please try not to use the term “interesting”, … Try to expand your vocabulary and express what the work made you think of, or how it made you feel.

• Overall, in any of the feedback you give, try to make it as helpful to the other person as possible.

So… join me on Showings on Facebook and let’s get the discussion and inspiration going!  Thanks Christiana and Jen for bringing us all a new stage.

New Year, New Members, New Attitude

Dance/NYC’s Junior Committee welcomed new members to the team over the summer, and didn’t waste any time preparing for a year filled with exciting projects.  Maintaining a focus on advocacy we have several projects in the pipeline geared to sharing the Junior Committee model to other areas of the country, as well as leading a group of participants to Albany for Arts Advocacy Day.  Continuing our research in the field, we are investing our time and energy towards a second phase of Census work to analyze the collected data for release.

[Member Blog] Lori: Get Connected and Stay Connected.

Ever make a valuable connection at a conference? Or have an inspirational meeting with a potential mentor? Or become moved by a panel session to take action?  But then somewhere between the subway ride home and the next morning’s coffee you realize you forgot to exchange contact information let alone names with your like-minded colleagues and the thought of taking action on your own is a daunting task compared to your daily responsibilities of simply making rent.

Good news.  The solution is easy, variable to your preferences, and can even be fun.  Get Connected and Stay Connected.

Twitter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest information about what you find interesting. Simply find what interests you and follow. At the heart of Twitter are small bursts of information called Tweets (140 characters each).  However you don’t have to tweet to get value from Twitter.  You still have access to the voices and information surrounding your interests. You can contribute to the conversation, or just read along and receive up to the second information.

Common topics within tweets can be searched for using the hash tag, so that results display a conversation of tweets on your search topic.  For example, if you search #dancesymp (not case-sensitive), you’ll get a list of tweets related to the Dance/NYC Mid-Season Symposium, happening this Saturday, Feb. 24. In a way, hash tags allow you to create communities of people interested in the same topic by making it easier for them to find and share info related to it.  At the Dance/NYC Mid-Season Symposium, a live feed projected will display search results for #dancesymp, unveiling the conversation as it happens in real time around us, written by us.  Note the contributing tweeters, and be sure to follow those you would like to continue to stay connected with.  Perhaps even address individuals/organizations via a direct message or their handle (ex: @DanceNYCJComm or @DanceNYC) to share information and continue the conversation.

Newletters – most organizations share their news and events through e-blast newsletters emailed to their constituents.  Simply joining their mailing list and checking your email can keep you informed in the community and ways to get involved. Here’s a few I recommend.  Please leave comments adding on others I’ve surely missed.

• Dance/NYC Junior Committee
• Dance/NYC
• Emerging Leaders of New York Arts RSS Feed and Google Events Calendar
• You’ve Cott Mail

Facebook – is continuously updating and bettering functionality to stay connected with friends.  Pages allow businesses and organizations to connect with their fans and build a stronger following and web presence.  With various widgets and upgrade options there are many ways Facebook allows organizations to engage with their fans.  Newly implemented, Facebook is also tracking page traffic analytics, sending weekly reports to page admins.  Check out our Facebook page, Dance/NYC Junior Committee, and be sure to Like us.

So don’t get left behind.  Engage in the conversation.  Get Connected. And Stay Connected.