Ah yes, just one more reason to become local consumers and local producers! And in any case, even w only a minimal guarantee driving hundreds of miles, as a caller I'd still be working for a smaller loss than most dance organizers.
As we all know, we do this important work of making dances happen for many many many reasons, but getting rich isn't realistically one of them.
C
> Chrissy said
>
> > As a caller (for whom this is a large part of my livelihood), I will
> > work with many arrangements as long as it's communicated clearly
>
>
> I assume that most of your gigs are 'local' then. At 51c/mile allowed
> by the IRS you don't have to travel very far to be making a loss!
>
> Michael Barraclough
> www.michaelbarraclough.com
>
>
In responding to Rickey's question about dance finances, I'm copying an email that I sent to a Maine dance organizer who asked the following question: "In the meantime, how much is a reasonable fee for a caller for an
evening? Is there any standard pay in the Maine
Contradance circuit?"
QUOTE:
Re finances: There's no standard!!! (Nowhere, not in Maine, not anywhere.) This
very subject is one of those to be addressed at the Puttin' On the Dance conference! :)
Whatever the arrangement, I believe it should be communicated clearly and early (when the band/caller is booked.) I also think it's up to the series to decide what's financially viable for them.
As an organizer, I advocate guaranteeing a minimum which the dance
is reasonably likely to cover (say $50, $75, or other) then adding on a
bonus if there's more $ in the till after paying Expenses. In Belfast we give
80% of any remaining money to the performers and keep 20% for the
series kitty. I believe this is the most fair arrangement, and no one
bears the risk (series, performers) and everyone shares the surplus.
The series kitty pays for months when we can't meet the guarantee, and
additional expenses like insurance, etc. In both Belfast and Dover NH
(a series I ran when there) we started w one guarantee amt, then over
time we raised the per person guarantee. I like to pay per person. But
some groups pay one amt for caller and another for band regardless of
band size.
As a caller (for whom this is a large part of my livelihood), I will
work with many arrangements as long as it's communicated clearly, but
if someone asks me what I want, I'd ask for $100 guarantee. It's
up to the series to decide if that's viable. If the series can't offer
a given amt, it's my prerogative to either agree to call for a lower
guarantee or regretfully decline the opportunity to call, with no hard
feelings either way. Only time I've noticed hard feelings on anyone's part
is when the series agreed to overreach its budget, or when parameters
weren't clear in advance.
And finally, in our initial stages of both dances I've been part of organizing (Belfast, Dover) we
overreached our budget on the first couple dances, just to be able to
attract musicians who would be a draw. But once we built momentum, we
were able to re-pay any small early shortfalls.
In a related topic, I have always championed the concept of charging
as much as I think the market will bear. We did that in Belfast, and
it just was an overall boost in terms of the books. Many dances are now
$9 or $10, which is a big difference from $5 or $6 in terms of covering
expenses. Organizers have enough to do without having to worry about
paying expenses out of their personal pocket!
Hope this 2cents is useful!
Chrissy
:END QUOTE
And hope that these sorts of meaty exchanges continue on SW Organizers list. So juicy, so fruitful, so relevant, so useful for all!
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast, ME
7 years ago, I sent out the first invitation e-mails asking people to
join a new discussion group called SharedWeight. Since then, the site
has become about much more than helping new callers. We've added lists
dedicated to helping organizers and musicians. And yesterday we added
the WebContent list that already has 40 members in the last 26 hours.
Seth and I are beyond pleased that so many of you have found the lists
to be valuable resources and have built a supportive community dedicated
to sharing information. Thank you all for your participation (even if
it's just lurking!).
So, Happy Birthday to all of us! With many more to come.
Chris Weiler and Seth Seeger
SharedWeight admins
>(1) Easy question: ... What percent of the gate would
>you give to the talent? Would you retain any for the organization?
You need to establish the principle of Treating Your Performers Fairly with your very first dance. This means that performers should feel that, for the circumstances, that the pay is fair. The organizer's goal is to get the best, most qualified performers, and, having treated them fairly, can get them back. To achieve this, you may have to forgo the house taking in any money. Once the series is more established, and (with hope) attendance is building, you can divert some money to the house to address expenses or maybe put some away for a rainy day, so that you can give performers a reasonable guarantee.
If you have some seed money, so much the better, because it is all too easy to go into the hole during a series early dances. Later on, once the viability of the dance has been established, you can better estimate the amount (preferred to percentage) you'd ideally like to divert to the house: Fixed Expenses + Rainy Day allowance.
(2) >Speaking just for myself, we may want to try to
>continue to fill the niche that this dance always used to. If in fact this
>is the vision that others helping to organize this wan,t how do you
>recommend we convey that to potential dancers? I am asking about how to
>realize a vision once that vision has been developed?
Resurrecting the series with the same properties as before (talent pool, publicity, refreshements [if any], sound system, etc.) is easiest for the dancers to get their heads around. "Oh, the Deerfield dance is back. I went there once, and I know about it." Making conscious changes presents an advertising challenge for you, and it may be easier to make BIG changes than little changes.
For my money, the biggest influence to dance vision is the quality of the talent that you hire. Hiring workman-like, adequate bands may not attract dancers from 100 miles away, so the dance will have a more local community dance feel, especially if you hire a caller that tends to cater to the newcomer's needs. On the other end of the spectrum are the hot bands that draw crowds, and callers whose programs and presentation is more appreciated by the diehards.
Of secondary importance to your vision are the "other things". Do you want to have a community building/social aspect to the dance? Then have a pre-dance potluck (or dessert potluck, or after-dance trip to a diner,...). Do you want to put out the welcome mat for the new dancers? Advertise a pre-dance workshop. Do you want to raise the level of the dancing? Tell this to the callers, and they'll push the dancers a bit.
Good luck!
Hi all,
2 Questions; one easy one not so easy.
(1) Easy question: I am involved in trying to restart the dance that
takes place in Deerfield, NH on the first Saturday of the month. It was
started and maintained by Marianne Taylor for 7 or 8 years before her recent
death, and it for her as well as for the dance that we want to continue the
event. We have a little seed money (I am not sure how much) and hope to
attract callers, musicians and perhaps a sound person for a share of the
gate. It seems to me that as organizers we probably should not give the
talent all of the gate. There might be gas money, but if I understand the
current situation correctly, that might be the only guarantee. Anything
else will probably be a share of the gate. What percent of the gate would
you give to the talent? Would you retain any for the organization?
(2) Realizing a vision: There are other dances within an hour or so at
the same time. These have tended to attract serious dance gypsies. The
Deerfield dance had always been a more low key dance with some older
dancers, some pretty young dancers and a larger share of beginners. We need
to attract a solid core of dancers but do not want to hurt attendance at
these other dances. Speaking just for myself, we may want to try to
continue to fill the niche that this dance always used to. If in fact this
is the vision that others helping to organize this wan,t how do you
recommend we convey that to potential dancers? I am asking about how to
realize a vision once that vision has been developed? This is a big
question and one that I hope those of us going to the "Puttin' On the Dance"
conference might discuss. But I would love to hear your thoughts on this
here as well.
So, one small fairly urgent question that we need to settle very soon, and
one larger question that we will probably need to work at for a while.
Thanks for being there,
Cheers,
Rickey Holt, Fremont, NH
Hello everyone!
Your responses have been overwhelming! Chris and I have set up the new email list: webcontent(a)sharedweight.net. Head on over to this page to sign up:
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/webcontent
Here are our guidelines for this list:
> This mailing list is for developers of websites for traditional dance organizations. This is a place where developers and website maintainers can support each other by:
>
> • Sharing information
> • Discussing issues related to hosting and content
> • Discussing topics from utilizing social media to different software options
>
> Members are encouraged to send questions to the group and learn from those with more experience.
>
Please move the current WordPress/hosting discussion over to this new list.
Enjoy!
Seth & Chris
Hello Organizers!
I'm sure in the coming weeks many of you will get a copy of this through a
variety of means.
Please see below & feel free to pass it along to others!
How can the Country Dance & Song Society (CDSS) make dancing and music more
rewarding for YOU? The Board is planning for future directions, and would
very much appreciate input from CDSS members AND non-members. We're about to
hire a new director, and to enter our second 100 years (!) Where should we
focus our resources? How can a continent-wide organization help your local
dance/music community the most? Give us your opinions here --
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/cdss-community
And join the board's strategic planning discussion here (no login necessary)
-- http://forums.cdss.org/
Thanks!
Brian Gallagher
Here's what's happening at Puttin' On the Dance: A Conference for Northeast
Dance Organizers <http://www.puttinonthedance.org/>.
*REGISTRATIONS:*
- The conference is *filling up!* Nearly 70 dance organizers are now
registered. So far we're a diverse group - age (20s to 70s), experience
organizing dances (4 months to 35 years), types of dances (monthly rural
community, urban weekly, gender free, English, family, contras, chestnuts,
and more), organizational structure (from one person shows to huge
non-profit boards), and location (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, ONT, VT as well as MI,
PA & TN) Wow!!
- Our original capacity target was 75-80, and while we may be able to
squeeze in a few more, if you *plan to come* but have been procrastinating,
*now *would be the time to send in your registration.
- We've posted updates on our website regarding current availability of the
various housing options.
- Registration forms and details are on the POtD
website<http://www.puttinonthedance.org/register/>
.
- Remember, the regular rates are in effect.
*SCHOLARSHIPS:*
- Scholarship funds are *still *available - thanks in part to the generosity
of many individual dance organizers who've registered for the conference and
*made a donation*.*
*- *New!* We've just gotten word of support from the Monadnock Folklore
Society <http://www.monadnockfolk.org/>, a NH folk arts organization which
directs various concerts, music sessions, and the Johnny Trombly memorial
scholarship, as well as the every Monday/2nd Sat Nelson NH dances and the
1st Sat Peterborough dance.
- Thanks MFS & generous donors among the registrants, as well as CDSS,
DEFFA, NEFFA, & New England Dancing Masters!
*LEADERSHIP & PROGRAM:*
- New session leaders are coming on board as Linda & Mary continue to work
on the details of the program and coordinate with the session leadership.
- We're always happy to hear suggestions of Northeast dance organizers who
also happen to be be talented and skilled presenters or teachers. Contact
us here: nedanceorgs(a)gmail.com
And finally, some of you have asked how the venue held up in the aftermath
of recent hurricane flooding in VT. The Hotel Coolidge is fine, although
that whole region has suffered major structural damage (roads, bridges,
water/sewer, electricity, homes/businesses). According to Delia, who lives
in the Upper Valley, the locals have really come together in solidarity with
their neighbors, showing the power and the importance of community.
On that note, we look forward to building community with many of you in
November. And of course, happy dance organizing to all!
Cheers,
Chrissy
--
Puttin' On the Dance: A Conference for Northeast Dance Organizers
November 11-13, 2011
PuttinOntheDance.org <http://www.puttinonthedance.org/>
http://www.facebook.com/PuttinOnTheDance
Chrissy Fowler (ME) Delia Clark (VT) Linda Henry (MA) Mary Wesley (VT)
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)
Hi all,
A question for bookkeepers / treasurers:
Are you a nonprofit group registered as such with state, filing the appropriate regular tax returns with the state?
We (Queen City Contras, in Burlington, Vermont) receive a nice corporate donation every year, partly because we are a 501c3 with IRS, through CDSS. But we have not registered with the state.
Here is the problem: Our bank has stopped accepting checks payable to our dance group, because regulations require that we have a business account, using a business name that is registered with the state.
Thanks,
-Brian Appleberry
