Features > Day in the Life of DanceThe Dance Enthusiast connects to dance behind the scenes with photos, videos + more

Engaging Ideas and Practical Tips for Creating Your Dance of The Future

Tips from the participants of Dance/USA's 2011 Annual Conference ...things that Isadora Duncan never thought of

From the Scribbly Notebook and Video Files of a Dance Enthusiast

©Christine Jowers 2011 for The Dance Enthusiast

---

 

Video: Two Minutes of Essential Design for The Dance of The Future

 

 

1. Define Your Own Identity.

   Who are you? What is it that you do? How does your work effect other people? What do you offer? What can you offer?
   Embrace your niche, and embrace the  differences of others. I think the words used were "honor the depth of differences ( between people)
   as differences grow stronger when we imagine they don't exist."

 

 

 

---

 

 

2. Amidst the mayhem of technology and change changing faster than ever, how can you find stillness?

A place where you don't feel pushed about, but quiet and refreshed enough to focus on work you value?How do you create a "home" with your art work? How can you create a supportive community around your art work? Participants in the town hall had different ideas about "stillness": telling dancers to chuck their cellphones during lunch hour and spend time talking to each other; administrators taking breaks from paperwork and meetings to watch rehearsals; breathing exercises and mini-meditations at desks. There were many ideas around creating home and stillness and community in the Engaging Dance Audiences meetings. ( which I will go into later)

---

Elizabeth England and Caleb Custer of Design Brooklyn on Tech, Tech , Tech.

 

3. Remember, "technology is there to HELP you," Elizabeth England stressed. It is imperative that you learn how to use it,

   so that you can decide how to best invest your time . When considering technological platforms to embrace, think about these areas:

 

 

   FUNCTION -What can a particular platform do for your artistic work? How can you  best use it? Why not try the platform out for free, making use of online
   video to understand operations. If you feel shy about negative exposure online, ie. " Will I do something stupid?" " Will everyone think I am an
   embarrassment?"  (England pointed out she hears this from clients) Just as we do offline, she reminds us, use common courtesy and common sense as
   your guide when sharing information. Still shy? You can always start out by using a pseudonym.

   RESOURCES-Will you save or extend your  money, staffing time, and creativity by using a specific platform? Can it replace or enhance something that 
   you are  already doing? Can great promotional emails replace postcards or other paperwork? Can the video platform Vimeo, for example, help you with
   marketing, or enable you to audition dancers from across the country? 

 

---

  
Video Example- How Using The Vimeo Platform Will Connect The Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company to New Audiences.

  

---

  IMPORTANT QUESTIONS-

These are things you should ask about any new social media tool you employ, Caleb Custer, pointed out. " How easy is it to  import information from one
platform to another? Do you lose information in the process?" It is crucial to  investigate exporting options before employing a
new technology and entering thousands of bits of important information you don't want to lose. Custer pointed out that Facebook, for all the concerns
about its control over our information, is very good about exporting and transfering data. We will be exporting data and changing platforms at some point.This is technology, remember, and something newer and better is always around the corner. 

  
GOOGLE ANALYTICS-

With digital files you can track numbers immediately which means, you can clearly see in chart  or number form how your effectively
you are engaging with your audiences. How do people interact with you? When people link to your website where do they come from? How many new visit do you get to your site versus returning visitors? Where do people begin a journey on your website and where do they go? What campagaigns are "worth it" for
you to expend energy and time on.  All these questions can be answered by taking advantage of this free tool.
 

---

A Dance Enthusiastic Minute of Engaging With Technology- Online Presence

 

---

  
   For More Change,Changing Faster and Faster ... Read Zachary Whittenburg's Article: Technology as Muscle in a Crowded Market Place also Check Out
   Sydney Skybetter's Explanatory Slide Show #ThisIsHappening




 

 

---

The Dance Enthusiast’s DAY IN THE LIFE covers the stories behind dance/performance and creates conversation. For more behind-the-scenes stories from NYC and beyond, click here.

---

The Dance Enthusiast - News, Reviews, Interviews and an Open Invitation for YOU to join the Dance Conversation.