November 30, 2005

New White Paper Available

I just uploaded a white paper version of "Building a New Dance Economy: Expanding Opportunities for Dancers and Choreographers" in PDF format.

Click here to download white paper.

This white paper offers a concrete plan for how the international dance community can build a sustainable and profitable dance marketplace that will generate millions of dollars of additional revenue for dancers, choreographers and other participants in the dance industry.

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November 29, 2005

Introduction to Building a Profitable Dance Economy

I just added a post in four parts that spells out my gameplan for how the dance community can be more successful and increase revenue opportunities for all participants. My plan is ambitious - essentially I'm saying that if dancers, choreographers and organizations in the dance world follow my recommendations, millions of additional dollars will be created for people involved in dance.

Today's four posts are actually a continuation of two earlier posts I wrote on November 10, 2005:

- First Post from November 10, 2005
- Second Post from November 10, 2005

Links to four posts that comprise today's article:

- Part I
- Part II
- Part III
- Part IV

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Part IV of IV: Building a Profitable Dance Economy

(This post consists of 4 parts: This is part IV. Link to previous sections: Part I, Part II and Part III)

5) Copyright Challenges and Licensing

While I’m recommending that large numbers of choreographers and dancers copyright their works, the result of having so many dance pieces legally protected could lead to many intellectual property challenges unless important issues are dealt with upfront.

If the dance community followed the path I’ve recommended above, these are some of the questions that would probably have to be resolved early in the process:

- Can the US Copyright office be convinced to require that all dance works be submitted in the UDNL?

- What types of dance works and choreography can or should be copyrighted?

- Who should be the copyright holder? A dancer, all the dancers, the choreographer or others? Will different copyright application submissions tend to give certain parties copyright interests? If a choreographer submits just a dance score, then the choreographer gets the copyright. But if a video of a dance piece is submitted, what are the rights of the individual dancers with respect to their participation, their movements, their bodies and their silhouettes? What I’m getting at is do dancers get a cut of a dance piece that ends-up being licensed for commercial purposes?

- If full dance scores along with complete videos and pictures are submitted, which parties have access to this content? Is this data available in part or in whole to the public? (Probably not and this issue is sure to be problematic). Are people required to have permission from the copyright holder before viewing or gaining access to more than just a preliminary portion?

- For what purposes can this digital data (scores, videos, pictures) be used?

On the positive side, there will be many new opportunities for choreographers and dancers to license their work and generate new revenue streams:

- As thousands of dancers start filing copyrights for their dance works, it is likely that new licensing bureaus will be launched similar to ASCAP and BMI in the music industry. These licensing bureaus for dance will manage the process of licensing dance works to commercial and not-for-profit entities ranging from a choreographer who wants to restage a work to a TV production company that is about to film a commercial.

- A series of new legal documents will need to be created that offer a recommended approach to how dance works should be licensed, what the rights of the participating parties should be, and how licensors and licensees might go about calculating a price structure for the agreement.

- There will be a host of issues that relate to rights management and ensuring that dance works are not used in unacceptable manners. There will be clear challenges when it comes to controlling how digital content such as videos and pictures should and can be used. These are similar issues to what the music and film industry have faced and continue to face. Hopefully the successes and failures of the music and film industry will provide a helpful roadmap on how to address these challenges.

6) A New Marketplace and New Revenue Opportunities

Now that large numbers of dance pieces are notated and protected within a rights management system that ensures that choreographers and dancers get paid when their works are licensed, used and distributed, we can consider how dancemakers will make money.

Since there will be thousands of documented dance pieces in digital format, entrepreneurs will begin to recognize the size and scope of the dance industry.

These businesspeople will start to ask some intriguing questions:

- What if I created a dance portal where users could purchase dance performance videos for any style of dance and transfer these video files to their handheld devices? Dancers and/or choreographers would receive a royalty for each sale.

- What if I created an online dance distribution network that enabled website publishers to choose which dance videos (performances, social dancing or educational video) to run on their websites. This network would insert commercials and split ad revenue with the dancers and/or choreographers.

- What if I created a website that sold a large selection of dance on film videos that could be purchased in DVD format or were available for download? Once again, dancers/choreographers/producers get a cut of every transaction. And since the entire video footage for each dance on camera video was already digitized, the owner of this website could press DVDs as needed and avoid paying for inventory.

These are just a handful of questions – the list could go on and on. Here are additional websites that will be created primarily as a result of the existence of a large inventory of notated and protected dance works:

- Dance licensing organizations create their own search engines to allow users to search for works they wish to license.

- A virtual audition website is created that enables show producers, academic institutions, dance companies and others to preview performances by specific dancers.

- Game developers search a website to identify dancers for inclusion in an upcoming high definition, multi-player computer game that features tap dancers.

- Academics, researchers and librarians search specialized online database by dance styles, dance movement, period of work, and other very detailed criteria for purposes of re-staging or research projects.

- Choreographers and artistic directors search a database of all performances of a specific work before starting their own rehearsal of this dance piece.

- A website is created that allows dancers and choreographers to purchase complete dance sheet notations so that they can stage their own performance of the dance piece.

- People who participate in virtual worlds (this is a large and growing marketplace) can purchase/license an animated version of a dance performance so that this performance can take place at, say, a digital resort within the virtual landscape. Since most dance pieces will be captured by motion tracking systems, it is not difficult to convert the digitized 3D wireframe version of the performance into an animated show.

- Friends and families that want to learn how to dance at home or evaluate a dance instructor that teaches at a nearby studio can search a database of instructors who teach different styles of dance and then watch video clips of each instructor. Then the instructor can be booked online for a remote Internet-based dance instruction class via two-way videoconferencing.

- Producers of TV/Web ads and product placements can search a database to find dancers to include in these ads and shows.

- A website publisher can build a site that features a calendar of local dance events and classes. Visitors to the site can preview videos of performances and classes.

- Event and meeting planners can search for and evaluate dancers for showcases and dance classes at corporate and association meetings, conferences and tradeshows.

Conclusion

The dance community (dancers, choreographers, artistic directors, dance associations, teachers, researchers, writers, producers, and anybody else involved in the dance world) can increase the size of the dance marketplace by millions of dollars – possibly tens or hundreds of millions – by pursuing the gameplan described in this article.

The reason why this gameplan will work is because today there is no dance marketplace for the selling and buying of dance works and derivative products and services. My gameplan solves this lack of a commercial marketplance and in the process will increase revenue opportunities for everybody involved in dance.

(This post consists of 4 parts: This is part IV. Link to previous sections: Part I, Part II and Part III)

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Part III of IV: Building a Profitable Dance Economy

(This post consists of 4 parts: This is part III. Link to previous sections: Part I and Part II. Link to remaining section: Part IV)

3) Motions Tracking and Animation

So far, our goals have been:

- Create a universal, royalty-free dance notation language that is actually easy to use and is used by large numbers of dancers and choreographers.

- Support a market-driven economy that will risk private capital to develop software programs that will be used to notate all dance works.

Realistically, many dancers will want a faster way to notate dances. Even with the best software program, it's still going to take a lot of time to notate a dance.

So in addition to dance notation software, we can also turn to motion tracking and capture devices to record dance pieces in our UDNL.

Here's how motion tracking systems work:

A dancer (or athlete or actor) wears a series of small reflective markers that are placed on the joints of his or her body. Encircling the dancer are multiple video cameras. The dancer starts to dance. As the motion starts, the video cameras record the movement of the markers. The end result is that a three dimensional image is captured on a computer. Now there is a 3D wire frame digital sequence of images that represents all of the movements of the dancer through the duration of the dance piece.

Once this 3D sequence is created of a dancer or dancers, the software could be designed so that the wire frame images could be automatically converted into the UDNL.

If you've used motion tracking systems, you'll point out that motion tracking systems are way too expensive for tens of thousands of dancers to use to notate their work. You would be right if you considered the market as it is today – motion tracking systems are currently expensive.

But, once again, let's turn to the marketplace. If we create a universal dance notation language that is easy to use and is widely embraced, then we have a marketplace of tens of thousands of dancers who will want to notate their dance works in an accurate, fast manner.

This larger audience will encourage private companies in towns and cities around the world to create motion-tracking dance studios. Just as musicians go to recording studios (and there are recording studios just about everywhere), dancers would now be able to go to performance motion tracking studios.

As more motion-tracking recording studios pop-up, the more competition there will be for motion tracking devices, the more improvements there will be in motion tracking technology, and the lower the costs will be to purchase this equipment and set-up a recording studio. End result is that dancers don’t have to pay a lot to record their dance pieces using motion capture equipment.

4) Copyright Protection

It’s very important that the dance community has an improved means of protecting intellectual property rights of both dancers and choreographers.

Specifically, there should be a universally accepted approach to filing copyright applications so that all dance works are submitted in the same way to the US Copyright Office.

As of today, the US Copyright Office accepts filings for works of choreography in many different formats. Here are the basics:

Choreography and pantomimes are also copyrightable dramatic works. Choreography is the composition and arrangement of dance movements and patterns usually intended to be accompanied by music. As distinct from choreography, pantomime is the art of imitating or acting out situations, characters, or other events. To be protected by copyright, pantomimes and choreography need not tell a story or be presented before an audience. Each work, however, must be fixed in a tangible medium of expression from which the work can be performed.

Works of choreography can be submitted in the following ways:

for choreography, the work may be embodied in a film or video recording or be precisely described on any phonorecord or in written text or in any dance notation system such as Labanotation, Sutton Movement Shorthand, or Benesh Notation.

This hodgepodge of accepted submission formats makes it less likely that choreographed works will be submitted for copyright protection and makes it just about impossible for anybody to search a database of copyrighted dance works. The end result is that there is a huge void in the dance marketplace that is depriving many dancers and choreographers from making money.

Here’s how the copyright system should work:

a) All dancers are encouraged to record their dance pieces with the UDNL. Either dancers use a software program or motion capture to transform their works into the UDNL format.

b) All dancers are encouraged to take digital video and pictures of their dance works.

c) The US Copyright Office (and copyright offices around the world) should only accept choreographed dance pieces saved in the UDNL (both a digital file of the UDNL should be submitted along with a printout of the UDNL for the specific dance piece). Dance Works should also be submitted in digital video format and in digital picture format.

By following this approach, all dance works are submitted to the copyright office in a consistent manner and all dance works (the UDNL score, the video and the pictures) are saved in digital formats.

Now consider what happens:

a) Most dancers and choreographers for the first time ever will both notate their dance works and will submit their dance works to the copyright office in order to protect their intellectual property.

b) Dancers, choreographers and others will be able to search a database of copyrighted works to see what has been copyrighted.

c) Dancers and choreographers will now be able to convert their intellectual property (their preserved and protected dance works) into revenue streams – much more about this in section 6 below.

d) And, as a result of the new UDNL, the new dance notation software programs and motion-tracking recording studios, and the protection of this intellectual property, dance works will finally preserve their integrity for future generations. I was struck by an article, “A Ballet Writ on the Air” in this past Weekend’s Wall Street Journal by the paper’s dance critic Robert Greskovic about the staging and performance of Jerome Robbins’s “Afternoon of a Faun.” (Saturday/Sunday, November 26-27, 2005, page P9”).

Here’s the opening paragraph of Robert Greskovic’s article:

Masterworks in the performing arts are an elusive breed: they exist only when someone chooses to put them on. In the case of dances, keeping them on the boards can prove especially complex. With no internationally agreed upon means of notating a dance work’s “text” for posterity, the longer a dance lives, particularly beyond the life span of its choreographer, the more new audiences are dependent on whatever care is taken to maintain the choreographer’s intentions. As Agnes de Mille once noted, “’dancing’s writ on the air.

Greskovic has identified the problem, but he doesn’t realize there is a solution. Dance works can indeed be preserved for the ages with the choreographer’s intentions intact. So what I’m offering by my recommended approach to capturing, documenting and protecting dance works serves both commercial and artistic ends. It ensures that all works of dance are protected and preserved while at the same time laying the foundations for a market-driven dance economy that will help all dancers and choreographers attain greater success.

(This post consists of 4 parts: This is part III. Link to previous sections: Part I and Part II. Link to remaining section: Part IV)

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Part II of IV: Building a Profitable Dance Economy

(This post consists of 4 parts: This is part II. Link to Part I. Link to remaining sections: Part III and Part IV)

Gameplan in Depth

The rest of this article elaborates on the six-point gameplan I summarize above:

1) Universal Dance Notation Language

It is imperative that a universal, easy to use and read dance notation language is created. This system must have the ability to notate all forms of dance (i.e., all forms of human movement through space and time).

It must be universal so that dancemakers can benefit in the same manner as musicians benefit from their universal notation language:

- Almost all works of music are preserved
- Musicians and consumers of music only need to learn one notation system
- Musicians can easily protect their intellectual property rights
- Musicians interpret existing music scores they do not have to re-create music pieces without guidance

This new Universal Dance Notation Language ("UDNL") must be usable for concert dances, social dances and all other dance forms. It may or may not be based upon existing notation languages.

Since some works of dance are more complex and thus more difficult to document, the UDNL should be a tiered system that allows notation to be recorded in a selective "layered" fashion.

I'll use music notation to explain. If you want to play popular songs, you can buy a "Fake Book". A Fake Book is a condensed form of music notation that consists only of the melody line and the recommended chord progression. If you're sitting down at a piano reading a Fake Book, you create your own rhythmic and harmonic structure for the song you are playing. In other words, certain parts of the song are left out and you fill in the blanks.

My hunch is that the same can be done for dance notation. That a choreographer, for example, can decide which "layers" of a dance piece to record and which "layers" will not be recorded. This approach makes it possible for a dance piece to be recorded more quickly and it is recognized that this streamlined recording approach will omit specific types of data that must be filled in by choreographers reading this abridged score. I've not specifically identified what the "layers" of the UDNL would be - I leave that up to the experts who would create such a system or modify an existing system. But I do believe that creating such a layered system may be a key factor in the creation of an UDNL that could be used on a universal basis. I say this because choreographers and dancers with only limited knowledge of the UDNL would now be able to document their work quickly and painlessly.

To streamline the notation process, the UDNL should include modules for different types of dance. For example, in international style ballroom dance competitions, there are specific types of moves that are executed. There should be a way to create what I'd call a plug-in module that would speed-up the process of recording these ballroom-specific moves within the overall context of the UDNL.

Finally, the use of this notation system should not require the payment of any fees – it’s royalty-free.

2) Notation Software

All dance works can be notated using a dance notation software program that supports the UDNL. Software can run on standard computers (PCs or Macs), or handheld devices. Or, web-based hosted applications can be deployed as well.

But it is very important that the DNB or a replacement entity that creates UDNL does not develop the actual software program. The DNB should be in the business of creating accepted standards not actual software programs and technologies.

Last year, the International Conference Exploring Research and Programming Potential for Labanotation was held. There's a conference report (PDF) that summaries the participants discussion about how to move forward to create improved software to document dance works.

The conference participants explored two different approaches in their efforts to create better software. The first approach consisted of making it easy to exchange dance notation files among existing Labanotation software programs that are not compatible with each other. The second approach was to create a new software program from the ground-up. The conference participants decided to pursue the first option because, it was decided, developing a new software program would be too expensive. I don't know if any progress has been made in this effort since the conference concluded.

Toward the end of this conference report the issue of how to raise money to fund this effort is broached:

One concern was whether we would be able to raise sufficient funding from arts sources. It was suggested that our skills with movement analysis, as conceptualized in Labanotation, have a lot to offer the sciences. If we are able to define a project that researches how our methods can assist the sciences, using notation and technology, we could approach sources of scientific funding that have programs with larger grant levels." (P. 10).

Please read the above paragraph again.

What the conference participants are saying is that their desire to create improved software for notating dance is so insignificant within the context of the dance community that they have to go outside the dance world to achieve their objective. So they enter the science world and distort their aims in order to get the money to pursue their real objectives.

The dance community needs a much better approach.

If the dance world wants high-quality software programs to notate dance, they should think and act on a much larger scale. Instead of always looking toward grant making entities to provide funding (the Dance Notation Bureau just fired almost all its staff because it couldn't get money from grant making organizations), the focus should be on supporting the creation of a market-driven economy that supports the entire dance community.

What I'm saying is that the dance world ought to stop focusing all of its energy on praying that the US government will invest more money in the arts, hoping that more grant-making entities will fund dance projects, and expecting more donations from the public. While none of these endeavors should be abandoned, they should represent only one of a series of approaches that dance organizations use to generate revenue from performances and other projects.

But, instead, imagine what would happen in the following scenario:

Leaders of dance from around the world representing all forms of dance get together over a period of six months to one year and create the new Universal Dance Notation Language that I describe in the previous.

All the participants devote their energies to creating a single, easy-to-use dance notation system that will be embraced worldwide by virtually all dancers and choreographers.

The end result if that you'd have created a new market-driven dance economy!

If tens of thousands of people do something - anything - private companies will step in and create products to serve this audience. In the context of the dance world, private companies will risk their capital to create new software programs that can be used by dancers to notate their dance pieces in the UDNL. Private companies will create these software programs because they see how large the marketplace is and they believe that they can make money by selling this new software.

The reason why I said above that the DNB should create the notation standard but not the software was because nobody in their right mind would fund a software program that is used by a very limited number of academics and librarians. But the marketplace will solve your problems if the entire world of dancers is notating dances using the same language.

(This post consists of 4 parts: This is part II. Link to Part I. Link to remaining sections: Part III and Part IV)

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Part I of IV: Building a Profitable Dance Economy

In this post (which consists of four parts) I offer my gameplan for how dancers and choreographers can make more money by first creating a universal dance notation language.

I realize that making a connection between notating a dance piece (think of writing out a music score but doing it for dance movement instead) and making more money for dancers may sound like a strange connection. But I encourage you to read on. There definitely is a connection and one that will help grow the dance economy in unprecedented ways.

Here’s the quick summary of my gameplan:

1) The dance industry creates a universal, easy-to-use dance notation language that all dancers and choreographers will use to notate and preserve almost all of their dance works.

2) Since a large percentage of dancers will be ready to use this new dance notation language, software developers will have an economic incentive to create and sell software programs that save dance choreography in this new notation language.

3) Dancers and choreographers will want an additional faster means of notating dance works that does not require use of a software program. Because of the burgeoning market for notation services, motion-tracking-based dance notation bureaus will spring-up in cities and towns around the world to record dance performances and convert them into 3D computer-based renderings. (Think of a recording studio but for dance performances). These sequences of wireframe images can then be output automatically into the new dance notation language.

4) Dancers and choreographers in large numbers will now submit copyright applications of their dance works. These applications will consist of a printed and digital version of the choreography in the new notation language along with a complete digital video version of the dance performance. Now all submitted dance works will be in the same identical dance notation format, which means that they can be searched and compared for the first time.

5) Before detailing how the dance economy will explode as a result of taking the above steps, legal issues relating to the protection of intellectual property rights for dancers, and the recommendation of guidelines for the optimal way of licensing this intellectual property must be considered.

6) As a result of the existence of a large library of notated and protected dance works supplemented with digital video of these performances, private companies will have a huge incentive to create revenue-generating online services and distribution channels that will enable dancers and choreographers to make money through licensing, sales, performances and classes on an unprecedented level.

Previous Post Recaps

The four parts of today's post are a continuation of two posts that I wrote a couple of weeks ago. Here are links to these earlier posts with brief descriptions of each:

In Part I (November 10, 2005), “Dance Insider Calls for New Management for Dance Notation Bureau,” I wrote about Dance Insider Publisher and Editor Paul Ben-Itzak’s call for new management for the Dance Notation Bureau (DNB). Then I share my premise which is that the DNB should not just get new management but they should change their focus and direction to ensure the vitality and profitability of the dance world.

In Part II (November 10, 2005), "Dance Notation and Why Dance Pieces are not Documented," I point out that the Labanotation dance notation system used by DNB to document and preserve dance works has only limited value since almost nobody uses it and it is too difficult to master. Then I compare Labanotation with our music notation system which is easy to use and master, has no competition from other forms of writing musical scores, and is universally used by amateurs and professionals alike. I conclude by saying that a successful dance notation must have the same positive qualities as our standard music notation system if it is to be embraced on a large scale.

Today's Post

In this article, I want to layout the steps that an entity such as the Dance Notation Bureau (DNB) or its replacement should take in order to strengthen the dance community and help dancers and choreographers make more money.

Starting Premises

I’d like to first recommend a few starting points:

1) The only way that the DNB can preserve the great works of dance is by ensuring that all works of dance can be preserved. Refer back to what I said about music notation. The masterpieces of classic music are widely accessible because all music can be documented. If the works of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven were preserved in an obscure music notation system, then none of their works would be played today except in very rare cases and only for very small elite audiences.

2) The fact that you have to be a highly trained dance notator to record a dance piece means that the dance notation system being used is too difficult. For 99% of dance works, it should not be difficult for a choreographer or dancer to notate the piece - and to do it in a reasonable amount of time.

3) The DNB must be commercially-minded. If the DNB continues to use an obscure notation system to notate a limited number of works, funding organizations will never provide the needed financial infusion.

(This post consists of 4 parts: This is part I. Link to remaining sections: Part II, Part III and Part IV)

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November 28, 2005

Who Stands Up for Dance?

There have been some unfortunate recent news stories relating to dance that have me wondering which dance associations or organizations fight to ensure the on-going success, continuity and profitability of dance.

First, here are the stories:

- In "The Squeeze on BDC" Rachel Feinerman of Downtown Dancer discusses the likely closing of Broadway Dance Center, which is being forced to vacate its dance studio space in Midtown Manhattan. The New York Times on November 23rd writes about the on-going legal battle between BDC, with 3,000 dance students per week, and the new owner of the commercial building where the studio is located. BDC has set-up a new website, SupportBDC.org, to encourage supporters of this dance studio to take action to preserve the dance studio at its current location.

- The Colorado Ballet, as reported by RockyMountainNews.com on November 16, 2005 in "Ballet's Finances Wipe Out Six Shows," canceled six of its 30 performances of this year's staging of The Nutcracker. The cancellation was due to a lack of ticket sales. Edward McPherson in Onward and Upward has two posts about the cutting back of Nutcracker performances (Post 1 and Post 2). In his second post, Edward attributes declining Nutcracker ticket sales to competition from Radio City Rockettes.

- On November 9th, IndyStar.com reported that Indianapolis-based Ballet Internationale, in operation for 32 years, was closing its doors on the day of the article and there would be no performances of The Nutcracker this holiday season.

- The NYC-based Dance Notation Bureau, which documents and preserves classic and contemporary dance works, was forced for financial reasons to layoff almost its entire staff on October 28th. DNB provides updates (click "Rallying Round the DNB; Need Still Urgent" link) on its efforts to raise more funding to continue their work. The Dance Insider was the first to break this story on October 31st. (The Dance Insider followed-up this story on November 8th). The New York Times wrote a piece on November 7th, "Dance Preservation Organization, in Financial Turmoil, Lays of Most of Staff" (If you want to read this NYT article, you unfortunately have to pay).

(I've written two pieces about the DNB and dance notation: "Dance Insider Calls for New Management for Dance Notation Bureau" and "Dance Notation and Why Dance Pieces are Not Documented." I hope to finish this series of posts soon.)

In most industries and professions, there are usually associations or advocacy groups that keep their members updated about the latest news and developments that affect their industry, and take leadership roles in spearheading coordinated action to address collective challenges.

My question for the dance world is who is in charge? Do associations and other groups that represent different interests within the dance community work independently or together to address common concerns? Do they take joint-action to educate their constituencies about pressing topics? Do they launch coordinated public marketing campaigns so that the public at-large knows about important issues and are encouraged to take action?

Let's go back to news stories I wrote about above:

- Is the Broadway Dance Center on its own? Are local dance associations and other dance-related entities supporting the efforts of BDC to keep its current studio location? What for example is Dance/NYC doing? Dance/NYC, a branch of Dance/USA, is dedicated to the needs of dance in the New York City area. One of its stated aims is to address "issues of space and real estate" for dance companies and studios. Robert Yesselman, director of Dance/NYC, offered excellent testimony (PDF) to the Committee on Cultural Affairs of the NY City Council on October 28th in which he describes the tremendous real estate challenges faced by dance artists and offers specific recommendations for improving the situation. But, if you go to Dance/NYC home page, headlines section or real estate section, there is nothing about Broadway Dance Center. That strikes me as odd. Isn't this an issue that Dance/NYC should be rallying the dance community around? Shouldn't information be provided to Dance/NYC website visitors on how to contribute money or participate in the upcoming rally on December 1st in front of BDC studios?

- In the case of the cut-back in Nutcracker performances by Colorado Ballet and the closing of Ballet Internationale, who is holding dialogues within the dance community and who is planning an action plan to address the specific challenges of dance companies outside the largest cities? Maybe these conversations do take place behind the scenes, but there ought to be a large-scale public conversation tied to a specific action plan to ensure the financial health and vitality of performing arts companies in cities and towns throughout the US. Dance/USA in its November 16th edition of its email newsletter "The Spin" did include a news item, "Ballet Internationale Closes After 32 Years," which quotes a story from The Indianapolis Star. But that's it. Has or is Dance/USA formulating a gameplan to ensure the vitality of dance companies in second and third tier cities? If yes, what is this gameplan and how come it's not promoted through its website?

- And finally, what is the dance industry's position regarding the Dance Notation Bureau (DNB). Is DNB on its own? Must it fend for itself and not expect the support of other dance organizations? Now maybe it does get support from other dance entities, but nobody has bothered to publicize this information online. I haven't come across any information on any dance website that mentions the DNB's financial troubles and encourages dance fans and dancers to make donations. (A few weblogs have written about this story including mine) Does nobody within the dance community care about notating dances or the DNB? When Paul Ben-Itzak shares his strong opinions about the DNB, does anybody in the dance world have any reaction? He wrote:

...I now believe that if this invaluable organization is to continue with its precious mission and fulfill its utility, the DNB needs an entirely new and more dynamic board leadership, including people who either have money or have the clout to raise it.

But not a word in response. No public discussion. No public debate. No nothing!

From the lack of online response by entities that represent the dance community to the above stories and an evaluation of information that is primarily publicly available on the Internet, these are my conclusions:

1) The associations and organizations that represent dance interests do not cooperate and provide little of concrete value to the dance community at-large.

2) Too much time is spent complaining and not enough action is taken. The dance community complains about a) not enough press coverage, b) not enough US government support for dance, c) not enough grants to support art, d) not enough donations, and e) not enough real estate. But what, in the end, do dance associations and organizations actually do to improve and strengthen the dance community. How are dance companies being helped and how are dancers being helped?

3) The dance community has absolutely no idea of how to leverage the power and ubiquity of the Internet to reach millions of customers and supporters.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe great things are happening behind the scenes; maybe important initiatives and undertakings are mapped-out at industry conferences; or maybe fundraising events are solving the financial and economic woes of the dance community. But the fact remains that none of these worthwhile initiatives and activities, if they exist at all, are reaching the online world. And the Internet today is the most important medium for discussing pressing issues, reaching a huge audience and mobilizing constituents for action.

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November 22, 2005

Emerging Digital Dance Careers

When dancers think about their careers, they think about live performances and live classes. The focus is on dancing in front of other human beings who are present in the same room at the same time.

This notion that dance must be performed in front of real audiences is no longer valid. Dance is about motion in space and time. There's no reason that dance must be limited just to the "real" world.

Over the next five years, there will be such a huge proliferation of digital dance opportunities for professional dancers and instructors that many dancers will soon be earning more money by selling and licensing their performances and classes in digital format than they will from live presentations.

Here's a brief run-down of emerging digital distribution channels and opportunities for dancers:

1) Video Syndication

New companies are emerging that make it possible for anybody to upload video content to the web and make money from advertising when their video is played through hundreds or thousands of different websites. For example, Brightcove, a private company that just received $16.2 million in funding, is creating a syndication network for video programs. Any website can make any selection of videos available from their site. When these videos are played, 15-30 second advertisements are added.

Dance companies and dance instructors can take advantage of this video distribution network by uploading performances and classes. Each time a video is played, the dancers get a cut of the revenue.

2) Integrated Product Placement

Online video advertising is going to grow like crazy. In part to support the increase in available video content as I just described. Some online video ads will be discrete video segments of up to one minute in length. But most advertisements will be in the form of product placements that are integrated into a storyline, a music video or a dance piece.

Watch this video ad from Nordstrom department store. What you'll be watching is a video remix of the popular music video from the 80's "Our Lips are Sealed" from the Go-Go's. Clips of models wearing Nordstrom clothes and accessories are interspersed with the actual video of the Go-Go Girls. And the featured products are displayed right below the video clip so that you can buy them online from the retailer.

This type of promotional marketing is perfect for dancers. Advertisers need a way to get online viewers to actually watch their video ads - a difficult proposition in any medium. And featuring professional dancers performing different styles of dance is a great way to draw the attention of multi-tasking, easily distracted viewers.

3) Remote Dance Classes

As Internet bandwidth continues to improve, there will be more opportunities for dance classes to be distributed in real-time to distant locations.

Western Michigan University and Case Western Reserve University have teamed-up to deliver dance kinesiology classes over Internet2, the new high-speed Internet. Jane Baas, associate professor of dance at Case teaches this course on the science and mechanics of dance via the university's videoconference facilities.

This type of distributed real-time class instruction offers huge opportunities for delivering dance educational programs at the college and university level as well as to dance studios and even private homes.

As more people purchase wide-screen high-definition TVs (HDTV) and have access to high-speed Internet connections, it no longer is difficult or far-fetched for a group of friends to get together at home and have a remote instructor lead a dance class.

4) Portable, Transferable Media

Recently I've posted stories asking why dance companies aren't sharing video clips via Apple's iTunes so that owners of the new iPods could watch these dance performances on the go ("Dance and the 99 Cent Video" and "Where Are the Dance Podcasts?".

TV programs are already being sold inexpensively through iTunes and there is no reason that dance performances and classes cannot be sold through this distribution channel as well.

And what is likely to further accelerate this move toward portable digital content is that TiVo, the maker of a digital video recorder (DVR), just entered deals with Apple iTunes and Sony Playstation Portable so that TiVo recorded programs can be transferred to these mobile devices.

While it is not clear yet how a dance company would sell performances or classes for download by TiVo and transfer to a mobile device, this e-commerce functionality cannot be far away.

5) Computer Games

The graphics and versatility of computer game consoles and games continues to improve and in the process will eventually offer more opportunities for dancers.

Today Microsoft launched its new video game console Xbox 360, which features improved graphics quality and is HDTV compatible. According to Wired article, the graphics are not yet photorealistic, but still very impressive.

Sample Xbox graphics

While most games are action-packed sports contests or shoot'm up adventures, a less violent breed of interactive games will inevitably gain greater popularity. Already Dance Dance Revolution is a huge hit but features directional information not actual dancers.

What's bound to be on the horizon are almost photorealistic games that feature dancers or cheerleaders participating in multi-player dance competitions and, hopefully, other dance-related storylines.

As these dance-themed games take-off, there will be a greater need for dancers to be featured in these interactive gaming experiences.

6) Virtual Worlds

Are you ready to perform a dance program in an online 3D virtual world?

Well recently, a participant in the Project Entropia role-playing game, with more than 300,000 players, spent $100,000 - real US dollars - to purchase a virtual piece of land with the intention of building a resort.

Jon Jacobs, known in Entropia as Neverdie, will call his entertainment oasis Club Neverdie. Gamers, in the form of their customized avatars, will come to this new club and spend real dollars (in the form of Entropia currency) to socialize and watch live performances.

As millions more join these virtual environments, more entertainment of all types will be needed including dance performances. And since there is real money to be made and the visual quality of these environments is verging on lifelike, there's no reason not to figure out how to create your own digital dance performance company.

Other virtual worlds include Second Life and There.

Posted by Doug Fox at 12:45 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 21, 2005

The Rise of People-Centric Applications

The Internet is increasingly people-centric as opposed to data-centric. This means that more people find online resources and meet others based upon recommendations from other people not just by searching for data.

For example, applications such as Furl and del.icio.us are link sharing services. You can browse lists of categorized links saved by your friends and then link to sites you find interesting. Or you can participate in social networking sites such as Friendster that facilitate meeting others and finding things of interest.

This on-going transition to more people-centric applications and services is important to dance companies and performance venues - and all marketers - because just about all mainstream applications are heading in this direction. In addition, there's no reason not to start using some of these services because they are inexpensive and you can reach large audiences in record time.

Here's a list of collaborative and sharing applications:

Link Sharing

- del.icio.us
- Furl
- Yahoo My Web 2.0

Picture Sharing

- Buzznet
- Flickr

Social Networking

- Friendster
- MySpace.com

Personalized Search Engines

- Rollyo

Posted by Doug Fox at 12:46 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 18, 2005

Advertisers Embrace Dancing

Here are two fun advertisements that feature dancing characters - one a dancing Doughboy and the other a dancing Citroen:

I came across the Pillsbury Dancin' Doughboy on Leigh Witchel's dance blog.

The Dancin' Doughboy is a Flash animation that allows you to create your own dance routine by selecting moves and choosing your song. As Rachel Feinerman from Downtown Dancer says in comment to Leigh's post this Flash application is similar to The Ellen Degeneres Dance Maker. But unfortuneatly, it doesn't seem like this Dance Maker game is still available. Here's the post I wrote about it in October: "Bust A Move with Ellen Degeneres".

The second dancing ad is for the Citroen C4. This is also a Flash animation that features a video of a Citroen C4 transformed into a robotic dancer. The dancer deserves credit for a solid stretching regime before initiating its dance routine. It's fun to watch. (To watch ad click link on bottom left that reads "See the TV Ad")

The following screen shot from Citroen ad is from Car Pages.

Posted by Doug Fox at 6:03 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 17, 2005

Dance Videos for Auditions

Some questions:

1) What percentage of dancers create videos (DVD/VHS) for their auditions?

2) How do dancers create these videos and how much money do they spend?

3) Does creating a good quality video make a big difference in terms of the odds of getting a job?

4) If you don't have an audition video are you at a disadvantage?

5) What are dance companies/shows/schools/others looking for in a good video?

6) Are there many auditions where you can submit a video instead of performing at a live audition? What are pros and cons?

I was thinking about these questions as I was searching for articles and resources that had to do with either making dance audition videos or guidelines for submitting these videos:

- Dance Magazine article by Eric Wolfram, "Fast Forward: 12 Tips to a Winning Audition Video"

- Photo and video tips for dancers from Mark Twain

- Jazz Dance video specifications for NFAA.ARTS Awards

- Video audition guidelines for Rockette Summer Intensive (PDF)

- Summer Dance Institute auditions

- Julliard Summer Dance Intensive video/DVD requirements

Posted by Doug Fox at 6:42 AM - Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Audio Podcast Coming Soon

I'm soon going to introduce audio podcast for dance with a strong focus on technology, the Internet, the future of dance and related issues. The audio programs will primarily consist of interviews.

I can easily record in-person audio interviews, save them in digital format and upload the files to my blog. But many of the people I want to talk with are located throughout the world. So I'm trying to figure out the best and cheapest way to set-up a recording system. I'm about to experiment with Skype for making international calls over the Internet - it saves a lot of money. But I'm not sure that the audio quality is good enough.

Once I do the phone-based interviews, I'll either save the conversations directly to my hard drive or to an external digital audio recorder that I have. Then, I'll edit the audio files and upload them. People who want to listen to the audio programs can either go to the Great Dance blog or subscribe to a new feed that will consist just of the audio podcasts.

Please let me know if you have thoughts about how to set-up audio podcast recording system or have ideas for what topics I should cover in the interviews.

Posted by Doug Fox at 6:04 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 16, 2005

Rachel Feinerman on "Embracing Blogs" White Paper

Rachel Feinerman has post, "You Say You Want a Revolution" in her Downtown Dancer blog in which she offers kind thoughts about my white paper, "Embracing Blogs":

For those of you who haven’t yet noticed, Doug Fox of Great Dance has been leading a call for a revolution. His white paper on dance companies and use of technology and his recent post on changing the inherent relationship dance companies have with print reviews and building audiences, is nothing short of revolutionary.

In her post Rachel also talks about how the dance community has tried various approaches to reaching larger audiences. She includes links to TV shows and innovative dance programs that have had mixed success in reaching out to people who usually do not attend performances.

Posted by Doug Fox at 7:09 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Open Thread: Dance and Blogging

This is open thread for feedback on the topic of blogging in the dance world.

If you have a blog related to dance, please add a comment or trackback describing your blog and, possibly, your upcoming plans for your blog.

If you don't have dance blog, please feel free to add your comments and trackbacks about the best way that blogs can be used in the dance world.

I review comments and trackbacks before posting - I usually do this pretty quickly.

Thanks and I look forward to your comments.

Posted by Doug Fox at 4:23 PM - Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (1)

Continuing the Conversation about the Dance Blogosphere

Leigh Witchel offers his thoughts about my white paper, "Embracing Blogs: A New Blueprint for Promoting Dance on the Internet."

A blog may be inexpensive but it is labor-intensive. The things Doug mentions - cultivation of a voice and consistency especially – are not to be taken lightly. Writing is a skill. It takes me a good hour to do a decent blog entry.

As Leigh points out writing a blog can be time-consuming - I often spend more time than I realize writing and editing a single blog entry. In my white paper I did not explicitly deal with topic of how much effort would have to be spent by a dancer or dance company to update their blogs. My guess and hope is that over time, a number of dance companies will turn to blogs as one of their primary marketing/communication mediums for reaching their audiences (dance audiences, sponsors, press and others). And, in the process, less time and resources will be spent on other, more traditional forms of communication such as creating direct mailing pieces and writing press releases. Since blogs, as I explain in my white paper, offer a better way to communicate and interact with audiences, the extra time spent sustaining quality blogs will be justifiable.

Yes, writing is a skill, but at the same time, successful blogs can be written and presented in many different ways by people who share their stories and insights in different manners. A photoblog, for example, that consists of pictures from performances or rehearsals with brief text annotations may prove to be very engaging.

Good blogging isn’t just a diary or an advertisement. It’s the careful cultivation of a public persona...My suggestion would be that if you enter into the blogosphere because you want to contribute to the discussion, you will do something of value. If you enter it to promote your dance concert people will, and should, smell it a mile off.

The issue of how dancers and dance companies use their blogs is critical. I agree 100% with Leigh that anybody who is serious about building a successful blog should carefully consider the "public persona" they wish to create. It will take time and energy. Using the example of promoting an upcoming performance, the question is how does a dance company write about it in their blog? I think the goal is to provide value to readers. Maybe you educate them, maybe you discuss the intentions of the choreographer or maybe you seek feedback and suggestions. But you definitely don't post a blatant promo piece and leave it at that - although you should highlight upcoming performances that is the goal in the end. For the most part, I avoid blogs that just list upcoming classes and performances - to me the people/organizations publishing this marketing material are using blogs, but they are not blogging in any meaningful manner.

Amateur voices in the blogosphere are essential. The blogosphere thrives on having a large number of voices. I’d also like to self-interestedly say something for recognizing the value of the pros...

...One reason I love writing for Danceview Times is that it adds the value of new media (immediacy, access and SPACE!) while preserving a level of quality associated with print. But there's plenty of dross on the Internet because of the low barrier to startup. I started writing because I thought too many people were looking at the dancers and too few at the dance. I find it disheartening when I see "You too can be a critic" articles. Writing on dance isn’t about voicing your opinions – I mean, who really cares what I think of Christopher Wheeldon or Ashley Bouder? I love her and you loathe her and that’s that. Why do I love her and what can I show you about her? Can I show you a different way of looking at a blackbird? The dance writers I admire are champions of an aesthetic. I skip the ones who write a self-centered and self-aggrandizing litany of opinions.

I want to stress that I'm not questioning the value of professional dance critics. The purpose of my white paper and recent blog post is to explore how the audience for dance can be expanded. One of my answers is that by having more bloggers writing about dance online, both professionals and amateurs, more people will learn about and experience dance for themselves. Clearly some blogs will be horrendous and others will be wonderful; some blogs will cover topics that may seem trivial to experienced dance-goers and others will feature posts that provide more "meaningful" commentary. In the end, I think it's all good if it grabs the attention of dance newcomers and helps dance companies be more successful.

I hope that Rachel, Doug and I aren't setting up an echo chamber of links and trackbacks. Rachel Howard wrote hopefully yesterday about the blossoming of the dance blogosphere. I think we need a few more people to join in before we can savor the bloom on the rose - so make a comment or post your own entry!

As things stand now the small number of dance bloggers does represent a type of echo chamber. But I think it is important that we are starting to build upon, react to and critique each other's ideas, and learn from each other in the process. More and more people within the dance world will visit our blogs and will see the comments and trackbacks - they'll see that we are in the early stages of building a dance-focused blogosphere. So the existence of our interactions are bound to give others ideas of how they can contribute and create their own vehicles for growing the conversation about dance.

Posted by Doug Fox at 9:53 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 15, 2005

Bypassing the Mainstream Media to Promote Dance

In previous post I linked to blogs and online newspapers that have recently featured stories about the decline of dance coverage in local papers.

This paucity of dance coverage is one of the major complaints within the dance community.

Here's where I stand on this topic: dance companies, presenters and dance critics should accept as fact that any direct effort to encourage newspapers and magazines to increase coverage of dance will not be successful. Letter writing campaigns to newspaper publishers and editors, for example, are a waste of time and energy. I agree with much of Rachel Feinerman's statement:

I’m not discouraging the community from fighting for the newspaper space we’re going to lose but one has to wonder whether what we have now is even worth fighting for. How worthwhile are the small paragraphs that barely have enough room to name the show and the choreographer?

So if the mainstream press will not cover dance, then how will dance companies, presenters and performance venues build audiences?

Here's my four-part game plan for bypassing the traditional media:

1) Build Your Own Multimedia Distribution Channel

As I described in my 24-page white paper, "Embracing Blogs: A New Blueprint for Promoting Dance on the Internet," the most important first step that dance companies can take is to build their own multimedia weblog to ensure large-scale promotion for upcoming dance performances.

If you can't get the coverage you want and need in the local media, then build a direct communications channel with your own audience. It is not expensive or difficult to create a blog and promote it on the Web.

2) Recognize New Categories and Types of Dance Writers

When thinking about getting coverage for your upcoming performances, it's important to think about dance coverage in new ways.

There are certain assumptions that we take for granted when we think about published articles written about dance performances:

- Assumption One: Only professional dance critics (as opposed to hobbyists) will write about performances

- Assumption Two: The written pieces will be reviews (as opposed to, say, a viewer guide on how to watch a dance piece) of dance performances

- Assumption Three: Reviews will be delivered almost exclusively through words (as opposed to pictures, audio descriptions and video clips) and will usually be in print format - although more reviews are now appearing online

Now, let's think about these underlying assumptions in the context of how dance promotion and criticism can be presented in the online world.

Essentially, each of these assumptions is way too limiting when it comes to the web. If you uncritically accept these assumptions, then you will significantly limit the type of promotion you will receive online for your dance performances.

Assumption One: Professional Dance Critics

Terry Teachout has a piece in the Wall Street Journal, "You, Too, Can Be a Critic," that explores how art journalism is expanding through weblogs. He identifies an emerging type of online arts writing that is done by practitioner bloggers - artists who also offer their own arts criticism.

But Terry is not going far enough. Not only can professional critics and practitioner bloggers write about dance and the arts online, but hobbyists and enthusiasts who simply want to share their passion and insights can and do blog as well. Admittedly, Terry is focusing specifically on art criticism; I'm focusing on the larger pool of anybody and everybody who may write about dance.

Assumption Two: Just Dance Reviews

We are so used to reading dance reviews that we never consider that there are other ways to convey information about dance.

Many years ago (about 1984), I read the autobiography of the Spanish-born filmmaker Luis Bunuel (for the life of me I can't find this book on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or the web). In addition to recalling that he drank everyday and smoked a daily pack of Ducados into his 80s, I remember that he told an interesting story about the early days of silent movies in Mexico.

When silent movies were first shown to audiences, the series of moving images did not present a coherent narrative to viewers. Essentially nobody had any clue what was happening on the screen. So a person called an "explicador" stood up-front by the side of the screen and explained how to understand the storyline and the interactions among the actors. Over time, if I recall correctly, viewers developed an intuitive understanding of how to interpret movies and no longer required the aid of an explicador.

At the same time I was reading Luis Bunuel's autobiography I was watching my favorite baseball announcer Tim McCarver (well I've watched Tim McCarver over many years). The reason why I think McCarver is great is because he offers strategic insights into the game that I never thought about. Even though I played baseball growing up, McCarver would offer a way of looking at plays that I had never contemplated. I can't say the same for most football announcers, which frustrates me to death. I've played in pick-up games over the years, but I've never played in an organized football league. So it would be nice if for once a TV football announcer would offer some insight into the strategy and tactics of professional and college football teams, but they almost never do.

With Bunuel's silent movie "explicadors" and McCarver's play-by-play insights in mind, I'd like to introduce a new type of dance writer. This is a writer whose focus would be to reach out well beyond devoted, very knowledgeable fans of dance to the much larger audience of people who would be more than happy to become dance enthusiasts if somebody would simply show the way.

Current dance criticism is often not very accessible to people who haven't been immersed in dance for years. So dance writing in the form of reviews does not serve the purpose of growing the community of dance fans.

Taking myself as an example: I do not always understand the dance reviews that I read. I would like to understand them and I'm sure that over time I will as I attend more dance performances and continue taking dance classes (I'm taking Jazz classes right now at Joy of Motion in DC).

What I really could use - and I'm sure many others would benefit as well - is an "explicador" in the form of Tim McCarver. I want knowledgeable dance enthusiasts writing in their blogs about dance in a manner that is more educational than critical. I want to learn how to understand a dance piece, and what I should be looking for and thinking about as I watch a dance piece. Essentially I want a non-academic, dancework-specific dance appreciation course. But I don't want it in the abstract I want these types of insights for dance performances I will see or just saw.

When it comes to the web, there is no premium on space as there is with newsprint. So there is no reason that this type of introductory dance writing cannot exist side-by-side with reviews and commentary by professional dance critics and practitioner bloggers.

Assumption Three: Text-Based Reviews

Words, words and more words are not the only way to cover dance. It is increasingly easy to share pictures, audio clips and videos with audiences. As of today, I don't think that there is a single blog that provides multimedia coverage of upcoming or past dance performances. This lack of use of multimedia content is too bad because there is nothing like engaging video to get people excited about upcoming performances.

So to wrap up this section on identifying underlying assumptions, I think that when we consider how the web can be harnessed to cover dance, it's important that we don't allow ourselves to be boxed into the prevailing notions that only professional dance critics can cover dance and that this coverage must be in the form of written reviews - there are many additional ways for us proceed.

And if we start with the notion that there are many different types of people who can write about dance (professional critics, practitioner-bloggers and amateurs) and that dance can be written about in different ways (criticism and introductory guides), then we dramatically increase the number of outlets on the web that may write about your upcoming dance performances.

3) Prepare Your Own Multimedia Content

As new types of dance coverage take root through blogs and websites, it is very important that dance companies, presenters and venues play a proactive role in providing a wide-range of multimedia content to these new outlets.

In other words, dance companies must make good quality digital pictures and video clips available of upcoming and past performances to both professional and non-professional websites/blogs that cover dance. This multimedia content should be placed on a dance company's website and anybody who covers dance should be encouraged to use the videos and pictures on their own sites in order to provide coverage of these dance performances.

There seems to be an incredible reluctance on the part of dance companies to share images and videos of dance performances. Maybe dance companies want to protect their creative work - that is clearly understandable. But if the goal is to get as much coverage as possible in order to build audiences, then, I think, it is imperative that dance companies devote the time and effort to creating and distributing this multimedia content to as many websites/blogs as possible. If protecting copyrighted content is important, it is not difficult to add logos and watermarks to video files and digital pictures to ensure proper attribution and recognition.

4) Support Local Bloggers and Networks of Bloggers

In many cities and regions, we will soon see an increase in the number of local bloggers who are writing about dance - these bloggers may be professional critics or they may be amateurs.

In some cases, local bloggers are likely to join together in formal or informal networks in order to provide greater coverage of the local dance scene.

I think that it is very important that dance companies support and encourage these bloggers. Dance blogging is going to start growing exponentially, and, along with your direct blogging efforts, these independent blogs will begin to attract a lot of attention from people who are considering what dance performances to attend.

So one of the reasons why you will want to provide ample multimedia content about your dance performances as I described right above is so that these local bloggers are encouraged to feature your dance programs.

Something else to keep in mind: The more blogs that cover your upcoming dance performances the higher your own blog will be listed in popular search engines. Search engines often determine how they list results based upon the "authority" of a website. "Authority" means the number of websites that link to your website. So if a lot of blogs link to you, then you will have a high level of "authority" and your website will be displayed higher up in search results.

Conclusion

The mainstream press cannot be convinced to increase their coverage of dance. Given that coverage will only decrease in these traditional outlets, it is necessary for dance companies to take direct charge of getting as much publicity as possible.

To ensure wide-spread coverage, dance companies as well as presenting organizations and venues should:

- Create and promote their own multimedia blogs
- Recognize that there are many ways that dance can be covered online in order to reach die-hard dance fans as well as newcomers to dance
- Provide multimedia content to these emerging online media outlets, and
- Support emerging local dance bloggers and networks of bloggers

Posted by Doug Fox at 11:15 AM - Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (1)

November 14, 2005

Dwindling Coverage of Dance in Newspapers

There are a number of recent blog posts and articles that address the topic of shrinking coverage of dance and the arts in local newspapers.

Below I include links and brief summaries of these pieces. In my next post, I'll share my thoughts:

- In NYC Dance Journal, Shannon Jowett writes that The Village Voice will soon be cutting back its dance coverage. He encourages dance fans to contact the paper to encourage continued coverage of the New York Dance Scene.

- Rachel Feinerman in Downtown Dancer, also referring to the pending Village Voice cut-back of dance coverage, believes that it may not be worth fighting for such limited dance coverage in the first place and its best to look toward weblogs and the Internet to increase coverage of dance.

- In Rachel's second post about the need for more dance space, she highlights and agrees with comment by Gail of Let Go of Your Butt blog that the online world is an ideal medium for dance criticism given its ability to share video clips and foster dialogue.

- In the Wall Street Journal, Terry Teachout has a piece, "You, Too, Can Be a Critic," that discusses the declining coverage of the arts in newspapers, which is being replaced, in part, by an increasing number of art critics who are now sharing their perspectives through weblogs. Terry believes that a new category of practitioner-bloggers (critics who are also practicing artists themselves) will have a positive effect for arts journalism. (You can also read Terry's blog About Last Night).

- And Rachel Howard in a review of Bebe Miller's "Landing/Place" at the end of October points out that her local newspaper, the Chronicle, did not feature an article about this performance. Rachel encourages her readers to write to the paper to encourage more coverage of dance.

Posted by Doug Fox at 8:50 AM - Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

November 11, 2005

"Butts In The Seats" Reviews Blogging White Paper

Joe at the "Butts In The Seats" blog wrote a nice piece about my new white paper, "Embracing Blogs: A New Blueprint for Promoting Dance on the Internet".

Joe pointed out one of limitations of my paper:

The only problem I saw with his paper was that the need to have donations and other transactions pass through a secure server wasn't mentioned. If you are a novice at blogs, you probably need to know that as well.

No question that there are important issues to address regarding secure e-commerce transactions before soliciting funds online. What I had in mind, although I didn't say this in my paper, was that dance companies would probably use third-aparty applications to do the actual collection and processing of donations. This is an important topic to cover in the future and I'd like to learn more about how dance and other arts organizations are collecting contributions online.

Posted by Doug Fox at 9:06 AM - Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Dance and the 99 Cent Video

Producers of TV shows and music videos are in the early stages of trying to figure out how to generate revenue by making their programs available via a pay-per-view model.

Click to view larger image of this screen shot of dance videos and TV shows available through iTunes

Apple, through its iTunes service, kicked-off the trend by making songs available for iPods at 99 cents. Now you can go to iTunes and buy music videos and popular TV programs for just $1.99 a piece. TV networks don't want to miss the bandwagon. Both NBC and CBS just announced plans to make their hit shows available for 99 cents a piece.

And the producers of the Emmy Awards, recognizing the increasing popularity of video content for cell phones, handhelds and other alternative devices, have created a new awards category for these emerging video formats.

These new distribution channels for video content will soon offer dancers and dance companies a new way to make money. Whether you want to sell a video of a stage performance, a dance on camera film, or a specially created video for online distribution, there is no reason that you cannot soon be selling videos for anywhere from $0.99 to $5.00 - and making good money in the process.

Posted by Doug Fox at 8:20 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 10, 2005

Dance Notation and Why Dance Pieces are not Documented

In my previous post, I wrote about The Dance Insider's Paul Ben-Itzak's call for a new management for the Dance Notation Bureau.

In this post, I would like to begin to offer my vision for how a revitalized Dance Notation Bureau can play a key role in ensuring the future financial health and well being of dancers, dance companies and choreographers from around the world.

Some background first: The Dance Notation Bureau documents and preserves dance works. What this means is that trained dance notators, using in this case a system of notation called Labanotation, create written records of dance works. With this written record, choreographers can then read this form of notation and replicate the dance piece. It's the same concept as reading a piece of sheet music. A composer writes out the music and then a person can play the music by following the notes on the sheet music.

But there is a big problem with Labanotation - it is too difficult to learn and very few choreographers even use this methodology for preserving their dance pieces or re-staging previously documented performances. That means that Labanotation is used by a small group of dance notators and librarians who only document and preserve a very small, select group of dance works. To date, the DNB has scores for under 700 dance pieces - that's a pitifully small number.

Now let's go back to music notation. My guess is that our system for notating music goes back more than 500 years. Today this European-based system is universal. All composers and musicians use it to document their music and all musicians - casual and professional - use it to play music.

I'm not much of a piano player, but I can open-up a music book with easy to play Mozart pieces and play them on a piano. I'll need to practice a piece 25 times or more, but I will figure it out and I will eventually be able to play it in a moderately decent manner.

Why is it that I can read the music notation? Because I taught myself. I bought a book with pictures and instructions on how written notations correspond to keys on the piano.

Why could I learn how to read this music notation in a short period of time? Because it's relatively easy. I'm not talking about sight-reading; I'm just saying that from an intellectual standpoint, I can read and identify the written notes on sheet music. I can teach anybody of just about any age how to read these notes.

Why was I willing to spend time learning this notation system? Because I know that it is a universal system and once I learn it, I can read any piece of music for any style of music. Technically, at the time, I didn't think about the fact that music from around the world was notated in the same manner. But, if I knew that there were different competing systems of music notation, I would have been frustrated. I would wonder why do I have to learn to read different notation systems in order to play different pieces of music? Is there something inherently different from one musical work to another? The answer is obviously no.

Now let's look at dance notation in a different light:

1) There are competing dance notation systems. The Dance Notation Bureau uses Labanotation. There is also the Benesh Movement Notation system and other approaches. There is no one universal system for notating dance movement through space and time.

2) Labanotation and other systems of notating dance are too difficult. If they were easy to use, more people would use them.

3) Dance notation systems are only used by highly trained experts to notate very specific limited numbers of dance works. That means that over 99.9% (it's actually higher) off all professional and non-professional dance performances from around the world are not notated. Most people don't even know that notation systems exist and even if they did, these systems take way too much time to learn and use.

Now to my main point:

As long as dance does not have a universally used and accepted notation system that is easy to learn, use and read dancers, dance companies and choreographers will be deprived of important revenue streams.

In my next post, I will explain how such a universal, easy to use notation system can transform the careers of dancers and choreographers.

Posted by Doug Fox at 12:11 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Dance Insider Calls for New Management for Dance Notation Bureau

Paul Ben-Itzak of The Dance Insider continues his critique of the Dance Notation Bureau, which was forced to lay-off most of its staff on October 28th.

(Dance Notation Bureau press release describing downsizing and November 7th New York Times article (registration required) about this development).

Paul calls for new leadership to continue the important work of the DNB, which documents and preserves classic and contemporary dance pieces using the Labanotation notating system:

In breaking this news and commenting upon it last week, I tried to be understanding; after all, just as no one sets out to make a bad dance, I'm sure that neither Weber [board chair] nor DNB executive director Ilene Fox set out to make a bad dance notation bureau. And if they were showing any real acknowledgment of the work they need to do -- instead of attributing the DNB's problems to an errant grant, disappearing bookkeepers, traveling executive directors and departing board members -- I would be all for rallying behind them. But frankly, from the press releases and other words filtering out from Weber over the past week, I now believe that if this invaluable organization is to continue with its precious mission and fulfill its utility, the DNB needs an entirely new and more dynamic board leadership, including people who either have money or have the clout to raise it.

I agree with Paul, but I would go well beyond a call for new management. I believe that the Dance Notation Bureau should have a completely new structure and new focus in order to ensure the vitality and profitability of all forms of dance.

In my next post I will share my vision of how a revitalized and refocused DNB can reposition dance so that dancers, dance companies and choreographers around the world can make more money from their creativity and talents.

Posted by Doug Fox at 11:36 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 9, 2005

Mirror Dance Documentary Premiers Next Week On PBS

The new Mirror Dance website went up yesterday on PBS. Mirror Dance is a documentary, airing on November 15th, that traces the lives of Cuban-born identical twins that followed different dance careers and live paths after the Cuban Revolution of 1959.

By age 11 Ramona and Margarita de Saa both intended to pursue a lives in the ballet and both eventually became members of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. But in 1964 Margarita left Cuba for political reasons and her family moved to Narbeth, Pennsylvania where she eventually founded the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet. And Ramonda, who stayed in Cuba, became director of the Cuban National Schools of Ballet.

This one-hour documentary, filmed in the US and Cuba, traces the lives of both sisters and their eventual reunion in Cuba after being separated for 40 years.

Just reading the website for Mirror Dance is moving - It will be great to see the film next week. The website features a Q&A with the filmmakers, background info. about the Cuban Revolution and a video clip. You'll find another clip on the website for Frances McElroy, the films co-producer and co-director.

Posted by Doug Fox at 6:05 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 8, 2005

"Rhythm Is It" Review

Brendan McCarthy has an excellent post in his Dancerdance blog about the "Rhythm is it" documentary that follows Scottish choreographer Royston Maldon's efforts to prepare youngsters for a performance of Stravinsky’s "Le Sacre du Printemps" in Berlin.

From Brendan's write-up and the movie trailer, the film sounds wonderful and charming. "Rhythm is it" is available on the German Amazon.com, but not on the US Amazon.com.

Brendan emailed me that unfortunately the producers are having trouble distributing the film internationally.

Posted by Doug Fox at 1:13 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 7, 2005

Embracing Blogs White Paper Now Available

I've just uploaded a new white paper: "Embracing Blogs: A New Blueprint for Promoting Dance on the Internet"

This paper is in PDF format and requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Here's the brief overview of this 24-page document:

This white paper delivers a concrete plan for how dance companies can create and promote Internet marketing campaigns that increase audience sizes, generate more revenue, get more press coverage, create more knowledgeable audiences, and inspire greater enthusiasm for all forms of dance.

I'd appreciate your thoughts and feedback about this blueprint.

Posted by Doug Fox at 4:14 PM - Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

November 4, 2005

MoMA on iTunes

In my post yesterday about podcasting in the arts world, I left out the Museum of Modern Art.

I just realized that MoMA features a large number of audio tours on iTunes. Here's a screen shot. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Also, you can visit the audio page on the MoMA website to learn more about their podcasts, and to watch audio tours in conjunction with Flash animations that provide a visual component to these programs.

Posted by Doug Fox at 5:12 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 3, 2005

Where Are the Dance Podcasts?

It's good to see that in the visual and performing arts world audio podcasts are beginning to catch on.

Andrew Taylor has a post about some of these new podcasts:

- The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra has launched an E-Label version of its classics on iTunes. From the press release you can link to MSO's music on ITunes.

- The Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, Tennessee has a number of recent podcasts of exhibits at the Frist. I'm listening right now to one done by Exhibits Curator Mark Scala who is explaining a few works from the Hudson River School. He's giving a live tour and asking the audience questions as he discusses the paintings. Sounds interesting but I think I have to be looking at the paintings to benefit from this audio tour.

- GalleryCasts seems to be a new directory of art-related podcasts - there are currently four podcasts available.

- Stanford University has created Standford on iTunes, which includes a good number of audio files from lectures, music, and books and authors on its special section on iTunes - very impressive and very free.

So the question I have is when will the dance world join the podcasting fun? I think that video podcasts in particular would be a great way to promote upcoming dance performances.

Posted by Doug Fox at 4:47 PM - Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

November 2, 2005

Retail Dance Festival in San Francisco

The 2005 Retail Dance Festival takes place this weekend at Union Square in San Francisco. Retail Dance, launched in 2001, features the work of local choreographers whose pieces are performed in retail showrooms, store windows, hotels and restaurants. Consumers get to experience dance free of charge, retailers underwrite the brief performances, and dancers and choreographers are compensated and have an opportunity to promote their upcoming performances and classes as well.

This festival is presented by choreographer Kim Shipp who created the concept of Retail Dance in 1998. And this year's festival features the work of eight choreographers whose work will be performed at six different locations over two days.

I like this idea of retailer-sponsored dance performances - it definitely benefits all participants. This concept ought to be explored in other cities.

The works are based upon the marketing needs of the retailers. The press release reads, "It is [the dance works] an artistic collaboration between a choreographer and a business in which the content of the work is inspired by the retailer’s site, product, or special event."

The event producers are happy to embrace the commercial nature of this dance event. Their home page features the following quote from a Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal review of a previous year's festival: "Once witnessed, you might dub it 'product-pitching pirouettes' or 'moshing for merchandise.' How about a little dancing with your shopping experience?"

My complaint is with the website for Retail Dance. It's too somber (just black and white) and not very interesting. Retail Dance just calls out for colorful pictures and videos. Why not charge the retailers a bit more and get them to underwrite a website with video clips of the performances and video interviews with the store owneres/managers? This way the retailers would benefit from both the actual event and from on-going promotion on the web.

Posted by Doug Fox at 4:08 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 1, 2005

Lay-Offs at Dance Notation Bureau

The Dance Insider has a piece by Editor and Publisher Paul Ben-Itzak about what could be the demise of the Dance Notation Bureau (DNB) based in New York:

The Dance Notation Bureau -- whose mission of recording and preserving choreography makes it one of the most critical dance organizations in the world, with a library of more than 600 dance scores by dancemakers from Petipa to Bill T. Jones -- Friday laid off most of its paid staff, including executive director Ilene Fox and veteran notators Leslie Rotman and Sandra Aberkalns, the Dance Insider has learned.

The article continues:

The DNB was founded 65 years ago in New York City by Ann Hutchinson Guest, Helen Priest Rogers, Eve Gentry and Janey Price, with the purpose of recording and preserving dances in an intelligible, comprehensive notation -- Labanotation, first published in 1928 by Rudolf von Laban. While details were sketchy at presstime, the lay-off of five of its six paid staffers could potentially have far-reaching consequences for the recording and preservation of major works of choreography so that future generations of dancers can render them accurately.

The reason for the lay-offs, according to Paul Ben-Itzak, is probably the result of a lack of sufficient funding to support the DNB's dance documentation efforts.

This is unfortunate news for the dance world.

As you can see in the Dance and Technology resource guide, I've spent a lot of time learning about online resources and papers that relate to dance documentation and preservation. I plan to write more about this topic soon - primarily from the perspective of how efforts to document and preserve dance can be integrated into a larger commercial/public effort to digitize dance related assets and license and/or sell this intellectual properly in new ways to previously untapped markets.

Posted by Doug Fox at 2:17 PM - Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)