Hello there dance organizers!
I have just returned to Maine after a trip to White River Junction. We sure
are going to have a great weekend together at *Puttin' On the
Dance*<http://www.puttinonthedance.org>!
Couple of important reminders:
*** Deadline for Earlybird Rates is September 1. *Get your registration
<http://www.puttinonthedance.org/register/>in the mail by then to take
advantage of discounted fees.
*** Scholarships still available. *After processing the early scholarship
<http://www.puttinonthedance.org/register/scholarships>applicants in one
batch, we have some additional funds to offer, as applications come in.
While in VT, Mary, Linda & I...
- Visited the venue, Hotel Coolidge <http://www.hotelcoolidge.com>, and
envisioned it buzzing with dance organizers. It was Mary's and my first
time seeing it in person, and not only is it a cool place, but it will be
even cooler in November with all of us roaming the hallways, sharing meals,
and meeting in the various conference rooms.
- Pieced together more details regarding the Program - Mary & Linda are
fine-tuning the program content, session leadership and schedule further
over the next couple of weeks. Check the website
<http://www.puttinonthedance.org>for updates or get in touch with us via
email or Facebook.
- Received news of another group's support for the conference! THANK YOU to
*New England Dancing Masters* of VT - longtime dance organizers and avid
promoters of traditional dance for children, families, schools &
communities. If you don't already know these wonderful folks and their
publications, check out www.dancingmasters.com.
- Got updates on incoming registrations (so far, our group includes dance
organizers from Ontario, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, and even Jonesborough, TN!)
During our planning meeting, the four of us also had some inspiring informal
conversations about the joys and challenges of dance organization, just as
we expect we'll have again in November with all of you.
Let me (or any of us) know if you have any questions, especially so
you can register
<http://www.puttinonthedance.org/register/>by Sept 1 for Earlybird
Discounts.
Happy organizing!
Chrissy Fowler
207-338-0979
nedanceorgs(a)gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/PuttinOnTheDance
Puttin' On the Dance: A Conference for Northeast Dance Organizers
November 11-13, 2011
www.puttinonthedance.orghttp://www.facebook.com/PuttinOnTheDance
Chrissy Fowler (ME) Delia Clark (VT) Linda Henry (MA) Mary Wesley (VT)
Chris Page wrote:
>
> (tap, tap, tap -- is this thing on?)
>
> A bookings etiquette question:
>
> For a special contra event (weekend, daylong event), is it better to
> ask performer's availabilities in serial or in parallel?
>
> In other words, should one focus on one bookee at a time, only moving
> on after a non answer, or a reasonable amount of time?
>
> Or is it better to ask multiple talents at once, and then select from
> those that responded?
>
Great questions Chris, and interesting replies all. And great to see a flurry of activity on the SW Organizers list.
(a) As a dance organizer, I can only speak to booking for a monthly dance series. We do it both ways. First in parallel - inviting everyone who's on our list of priority performers for the given booking cycle, asking for dates they're available, and telling them we need a reply by X date and that we'll get back to them to let them know which date will work. Then when many of the spots are full, we go one at a time, until we're booked.
(b) As a performer, I can speak to special events. I agree it's really nice to know that people are contacting other bands/callers. It affects how I negotiate and how much I invest in the exchange. In a weird circumstance this year no fewer than five different musicians asked me if I could call w them for the same exact wedding (I couldn't, already busy), and the irony was that I had also had a conversation w the bride-to-be which led me to believe she was ready to hire me if only I'd been available. Yikes! (The dating analogy is a great one, even though in some ways it is indeed 'nothing personal, and just a way of doing business.' I wonder if caterers or tent companies take much offense re. being contacted as part of a slew of possible caterers/tent suppliers...)
When I have gotten a call about a gig at the very last minute, I have left messages for a few different musicians at once, hoping someone will get back to me in the final hour. In those cases, I do tell them that I'm calling other people.
Mostly I work in series though.
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast, ME
(tap, tap, tap -- is this thing on?)
A bookings etiquette question:
For a special contra event (weekend, daylong event), is it better to
ask performer's availabilities in serial or in parallel?
In other words, should one focus on one bookee at a time, only moving
on after a non answer, or a reasonable amount of time?
Or is it better to ask multiple talents at once, and then select from
those that responded?
Curious,
(and also curious if anyone's still on this list)
-Chris Page
San Diego
We four Puttin' On the Dance conference planners have a lot going on these
days, from planning the program to receiving registrations. We're very
excited, and will tell you more details soon.
Speaking of soon... The *Early Bird Deadline* is coming up *very *soon!
All Early Bird rates are in effect for registrations *postmarked by
September 1*. Send in your registration
form<http://www.puttinonthedance.org/register/registration-form/>by
the end of the month to take advantage of the discounts.
We have great news on the *Scholarship* front. Both the regional *New
England Folk Festival Association *(www.neffa.org) and Maine's music and
dance group, *DownEast Friends of the Folk Arts* (www.deffa.org) have
provided grants for our scholarship fund. *Thank you *NEFFA
<http://www.neffa.org/>& DEFFA <http://www.deffa.org/>! If scholarship
support would help you attend the conference, send us your completed
scholarship
application <http://www.puttinonthedance.org/register/scholarships/> when
you register <http://www.puttinonthedance.org/register/>.
We updated the posters on the Fund your Attendance
<http://www.puttinonthedance.org/register/fund-your-attendance/> page of the
website, to reflect this additional support. "What's the Fund Your
Attendance page?!?" you ask. It offers a whole lot of interesting and
useful ways your dance series can pay for the conference. And the posters
are to help when you...*Ask for donations from your dancers & performers!*
(Just one of the *many *handy tips on the "Fund Your Attendance" page!)
Let us know if you have any questions, and see you in November!
Chrissy
nedanceorgs(a)gmail.com
207.338.0979
--
Puttin' On the Dance: A Conference for Northeast Dance Organizers
November 11-13, 2011
www.puttinonthedance.org
Chrissy Fowler (ME) Delia Clark (VT) Linda Henry (MA) Mary Wesley (VT)
