9.10: 21st Century Dance Education- Entrepreneurship
- Page ID
- 295037
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)College dance coursework in the 21st century should embrace and cultivate areas of competence where dance is an entrepreneurial endeavor as much as it is a creative act. Entrepreneurship is an understanding when there is an opening in the marketplace that no one else is servicing and having the business sense to know how to go after this new opportunity at the right time. An entrepreneur is one who organizes, manages, and assumes responsibility for the risks associated with a business or enterprise and also stands to benefit the most from the success of that project, and a successful entrepreneur will possess many abilities and characteristics, including passion, vision, motivation, curiosity, adaptability, flexibility, persistence, and a willingness to learn (Stanford, n.d). Features of entrepreneurship are:
- Administration
- Marketing
- Construction
- Community Outreach
Dance administration is a job not for the faint of heart. It’s a crucial job that gets little to no applause. Normally administration is something the professor or a dance director would take care of, but as a student, to learn the ins-and-outs of the expectations of dance administration or project management can ready you for the REAL world of work. This might include collaborating with the professor to complete the theatre reservation forms. Normally there is a questionnaire, venue reservation, and ticketing applications. An administrator might also create the show order, double checking the order of the digital playlist compared to the show order, and also will edit and triple check the print program for typos, misspellings, or errors.
An entrepreneur is one who organizes, manages, and assumes responsibility for the risks associated with a business or enterprise and also stands to benefit the most from the success of that project. Entrepreneurship means understanding when there is an opening in the marketplace that no one else is servicing and having the business sense to know how to go after this new opportunity at the right time. A successful entrepreneur will possess many abilities and characteristics, including passion, vision, motivation, curiosity, adaptability, flexibility, persistence, and a willingness to learn (Stanford, n.d).
Marketing is a multi-faceted job that includes capturing the legacy of a dance group or performance experience, creating archival materials for documentation and promotion. Another aspect of marketing is, of course, media and program graphic designer. Construction is comprised of two primary roles, one being costume design and construction, inventory and storage, loaning/renting, tracking, laundering, and re-inventory. The other is that of stage properties (props) or set design and construction. Lastly, community outreach might include sponsorship, fundraising, event hosting, mini-tours for charity outreach or philanthropic efforts using dance in an ambassadorial capacity.

(Nazareth College from Rochester, NY, USA. Ekabhishek. (2009, September 25). Contemporary dance at its finest. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bend_and_Snap,_contemporary_dance_performance_at_Nazareth_College_Arts_Center,_Rochester,_New_York_-_20090925.jpg)
An explicit example of dance entrepreneurship is how a choreographer goes about visioning costume choice and transmitting that vision to the costume department, dancers, or parents depending on who is supplying the costume for the performance. The useful functionality of costume choices and costume cost ($$$) can greatly impact the ability of a choreographer to actualize their vision for how their work is costumed. Choreographers need to dop research and be realistic about budget. Understand
- Stylistic Needs – What does the choreographer envision?
- Costume / Fabric / Pattern / Seamstress Costs
- Shoe style requirements / Shoe Color Requirements
- Skill level of Dancers / Technical needs of dancers impeded by the costume selection?
- Dancers (and your) Interpersonal Needs / Body Types / Sensitivity to skin color, body shape, or other-abled requirement such as a wheelchair. Long flowy sleeves would not be appropriate in this instance, for example.