Re: [Organizers] 2 Questions

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