A fundraiser to create a dance piece to premiere at Gibney Dance Center in New York City on Aug. 11,12, and 13, mentored by Doug Varone
We all love art, right? Whether it’s a song you can’t stop singing along to, a painting that makes you feel more at peace every time you see it, or a pair of jeans that fits you just right, art is a part of all of our lives, every single day. Chances are, the artists who created that art are a part of your vocabulary, too. Whether you love T. Swift or Korn, Monet or Warhol, Chanel or McQueen, you support artists on a daily basis.
But just where did these artists come from? Because, the world didn’t always know their names. Someone supported them, nurtured them, helped them find a career in which they not only had talent and a dream, but the determination to work hard and create something new.
That’s where you can help me. I’ve been dancing since I was young. I had the opportunity to be in a civic regional ballet company while still in high school, I majored in dance and economics while on scholarship at Denison University, I performed with a modern repertory company in Rhode Island, I built a dance program and taught within it for three years in South Korea, and during that time, I’ve choreographed numerous pieces under various circumstances across the Northeastern United States and in Asia.
Using work created over that time period, I applied and was selected as one of 12 choreographers to participate in a mentorship with choreographer, Doug Varone, an internationally recognized leader in the field of modern dance. As part of that mentorship, I am creating a dance piece that will be shown at the Gibney Dance Center in New York City on August 11-13, 2016. In order to make it happen, I need your help.
Here are some of the things your money will contribute to:
Why pay the dancers? Because they’ve spent years training to be intricate, specific movers and they deserve to be compensated for their time. Why rent the space? Because dance needs large, open areas to be fully developed. This piece also requires that the dancers (and I) spend 4 days in New York while we participate in technical rehearsals and the performances. Once again, I believe in compensating the dancers for their time in anyway I can.
This showing in New York is a HUGE opportunity for me and I can’t make it happen without your support. Imagine for a moment that your favorite artist wasn’t supported in his or her early endeavors…would you really want to miss out on that?
Thank you in advance!!!!
Risks and challenges:
A dancer could be injured or dropout – though I do not plan on being in this piece, I am a hugely physical presence when developing a work in the studio. Therefore, if I were to lose a dancer for whatever reason, I would be prepared to go into that person’s place.
The record company could deny music rights to the piece I want to use – if this were to happen, I would use the money allotted to music rights to pay one of the musicians I have developed a working relationship with over the years to create something for me.
I could not finish the piece in the two week rehearsal period: I have given myself some buffer time in August to complete the work in case I cannot complete it during the rehearsal period I have established in June.