When I was a kid growing up in the Washington D.C. suburbs, my parents dragged my sister and me to pretty much any live performance at the Kennedy Center or Wolf Trap. This usually involved getting dressed up (something we hated), driving a long distance (my sister got car sick) and sitting through yet another performance we didn’t understand or care about.
As much as we were sure this qualified as abuse, I’m really glad my parents did this. For some reason, deep in the recesses of my brain, an appreciation for the arts took root. It lay pretty dormant until I was in my 20s, living in Chicago, and could afford to go see plays, dance performances and other arts productions. During the time I lived in Chicago, there was a small explosion of storefront theaters popping up on the north side of the city. Many of these were started by former Northwestern University and Depaul Theater majors who wanted to do their own thing. In fact, I saw two plays that were staged in a storefront above a bar and both eventually made it to Broadway.
What I noticed is that the arts can operate on a shoestring. At one play, there was literally a cardboard box that had been put out for donations. Imagine having to solicit funds with a box that your shoes came in!
So, now I have a ballet dancer in the second company of one of the biggest ballet companies in the U.S. So, I’ve learned a thing or two about funding for ballet companies. And, it isn’t pretty. Recently, Julie Kent, the Co-Artistic Director of the Houston Ballet, gave a talk, and an audience member asked her about government funding for the arts. She smiled, sighed heavily, and replied by saying that there simply isn’t any. Sure the National Endowment for the Arts might award a grant. But, it’s only for one year and you have no idea if it will be renewed.
As a result, ballet companies are left to rely on donors, tuition from an affiliated school and ticket sales. And, with most companies, dollars from these three revenue streams are down. The Dance Data Project just published a report outlining the decrease in expenditures in the top 50 ballet companies and it’s scary. Budgets have been cut anywhere from 10% to 50% depending on the company.
You’re probably reading this and thinking, ok so it’s bad. What’s your point? My point is that it’s up to all of us to support the arts in our community. And, that doesn’t just mean going to see your kid in the Nutcracker, although that’s always a good idea! There are some ways to support the arts that don’t necessarily require a lot of money.
Repost Social Media Posts From Arts Organizations
Seriously, this is the easiest thing you can do. We just saw that a local dance company is performing at the aviation museum near our house. Yes, our little neighborhood has both an airport and an affiliated museum. And, this weekend, there was a dance performance there. Although we had a conflict, I reposted the information and was thanked by a few people who said they might go check it out. This costs nothing and you never know who might decide to go!
Volunteer
This takes more time and not everyone has it. But, if you do, organizations are always looking for help. Whether it’s ushering at a large ballet company production or selling tickets for your local dance school’s winter show or chaperoning kids backstage, opportunities abound. It’s also a great way to see productions for free!
Arts organizations also need help in their back offices. Are you an IT wizard? Online marketing specialist? Have a media list a mile long? Administrations in smaller dance companies always welcome help like this!
Go Watch Local Performances
We all have friends with kids who do some sort of performing arts. It usually costs about $10 to go see a local children’s theater play or dance performance. Showing up for a local performance sends the message that the arts matter in your community. It also helps encourage kids when they see that the community is behind them.
When my son was 13, he got cast as Fritz in the San Francisco Ballet School Nutcracker. And, you know who showed up to watch him? The two biggest bros in his middle school. And, they sat in the front row and cheered. One of these boys is now headed off to play college soccer. Despite huge differences in interests, they showed up for my kid and validated that what he was doing mattered.
Things like this may not seem like a big deal. But, when you show up, it sends the message to kids in the arts that what they’re doing is as important as what the soccer or lacrosse kids are doing. And, this is what makes for a rich, vibrant and diverse community.
Make Contributions To Scholarship Programs
Nearly every company affiliated ballet school and conservatory has a program to expose low income students to dance training. In San Francisco the San Francisco Ballet School (SFBS) has something called Dance In Schools. Teachers from the SFBS go out to schools to offer dance classes throughout the year. And, they scout kids who may have potential and invite them to join the school with a fully-funded tuition scholarship. When my son entered SFBS at age 13 there were at least three boys in his class who came in through Dance In Schools.
And this isn’t just a PR move on the part of the schools. There is research to back up. According to the National Civic League, “Exposure to the arts plays a key role in positive social outcomes. In our most vulnerable communities, low-income neighborhoods with cultural resources have 14% fewer cases on child abuse and neglect, and ‘at-risk’ students involved in the arts are 23% more likely to attend college that peers with low arts involvement.” Want to help improve your community? Send $10 to one of these scholarship funds.
Create Lifelong Arts Lovers
I seriously thought my parents were trying to ruin my life by dragging me to all that cultural stuff when I was a kid. But, when I became an adult, I realized what they were doing. My friends laugh at me now because they know I’m happiest sitting in a dark theater watching some sort of live performance. It doesn’t stick with everyone, but it’s worth trying.
And, it doesn’t have to be expensive. Some of the smaller ballet companies out there often have outdoor performances that cost little and sometimes nothing. Or, go to the spring showcase at your local high school.
Our motto with our kids was that we took them to everything we could. Did it always stick? No, not even with our dancer. Some stuff was just a bust. But, it’s always worth a try.
Plus, if you have a dancer, it’s important for them to see stuff. We didn’t know much about ballet, but we thought it was important for our son to see everything – jazz, tap, ballet, you name it. I’ll never forget when we took him to Berkeley to watch Alvin Ailey perform. For those of you who have not seen The Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, get yourself to a show. It’s damn near a religious experience. The first time we took our son, when he was eight, he did not move. An eight year old boy didn’t move. For two hours. This, along with a few other things, is what made him think he might want a career in the arts.
And, even if your dancer doesn’t go pro, they represent the next generation of dance audiences. So, get them started early on this!
Give Money
If you are in a financial situation where you can make contributions to arts organizations, by all means, do so. We are seeing more and more instances, post-Covid, of ballet companies really being on the ropes. The one that appears to be having significant trouble is Louisville Ballet. They have about 90 days to raise $3 million, or they will have to make drastic cuts. I wouldn’t be surprised to see other companies, especially smaller, regional ones, start dealing with the financial aftermath of the post-Covid world.
While many companies were able to secure PPP loans from the government, that money has been long spent. And, ticket sales are down across the board. As an anecdote, we’ve been subscribers to the San Francisco Ballet and I have not seen a sold out house more than once or twice in the last two years. I imagine this is the case at other companies as well.
The brutal truth is that funding for the arts kind of sucks in the U.S. And, for those of us who have kids going after a professional dance career, it’s important that as many dance companies as possible can survive and thrive. More companies mean more job opportunities for everyone – not just dancers, but choreographers, musicians, make-up artists, costume makers, lighting and sound experts, and so much more.
So, please consider supporting your local arts organizations in whatever way you can.
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