Contestant's Case to Win

The Lake County Dance CoOp is my effort to broaden appreciation and to build an audience for high-quality concert dance and dance instruction. I also want to inspire adults in my area to be physically active and to live their dance fantasies by taking regular classes and performing if they want to do so.

There are no serious adult dance classes in this county at all and the only performance opportunities are at dance studio recitals, which severely limits the audience pool and the sophistication of the themes that can be presented.

The instruction at all four of the county's studios is geared largely toward children and adults have a difficult time finding classes to take that don't include kids as young as 8 or 9 and taking class every day is nearly impossible.

I am working to build a dance company, a professional quality performing arts education program, a concert series bringing professional dance companies into the county, and a dance festival that will bring performers, students, and tourists into an area that has only a fledgling tourism industry and no culture of professional performing arts beyond music concerts. Currently, residents who go to the theatre must travel for at least 45 minutes, partly over mountain roads, for regional shows or up to two hours to attend an event in San Francisco or Sacramento. Many have given up on going to the theatre at all even though they miss it and would go if there was a local venue. For some people the lack of a rich cultural life is one of the reasons they eventually decide to move away in spite of everything else they love about living here.

I am 42 years old and a lifelong underachieving yet serious and very well-trained dancer (please read my biography on my website). I helped to found and run a local performing arts school and was instrumental in this county's first ever presentation of a full-length Nutcracker. It played to a sold out house for four shows. I created the concept, using the Party Scene as a play with a script that I wrote inspired by my translation of the French version of Hoffmann's story written by Alexandre Dumas, pere. I also edited the soundtrack so that there was music to go with the dialogue, helped to design the production, and I arranged most of the funding for costumes and equipment. I was the Assistant Director and I performed the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

I'm not going to hang up my pointe shoes yet and I'm ready to achieve. Fortunately, I have no serious injuries and I've remained active so that's not a completely ridiculous proposition. There are twenty years of choreographic concepts rattling around in my head. I have always believed that everyone could enjoy serious dance if it was done well, with creativity and relevance and I've always wanted to prove it.

I have one other serious dancer working with me so far, she also doubles as my Business Manager and Assistant Director. I just recruited one of my regular students to do some work with PR and marketing. I teach one ballet class per week and rehearse for two hours a week at a local yoga studio because that's all we can currently afford. I will be adding at least one private class in the coming weeks.

**7/11/09 -- Two new dancers this week! Both are interested in helping with development. Heidi is a clogger and belly dancer and Kelly is an all around dancer like me with a specialty in Ballet Folklorico.**

**7/4/09 -- We decided to offer a schedule of four classes beginning in September. The yoga studio we rent from will be putting us on their schedule now and yoga students will be able to use their yoga class cards to take Dance CoOp classes.**

** We've been on Facebook for a while -- we have 55 fans so far, some of whom I don't even know! The Dance CoOp now has a channel on YouTube (www.youtube.com/thedancecoop) where we will post our County Fair video and any other videos we produce. So far it is a collection of videos we like. We're also on Twitter (www.twitter.com/thedancecoop).**

** Taking bids to have someone else do the financials on the business plan. It's taking too long for me to learn it and do it at the same time. $500 seems to be the going rate. I'll have to shop it around to my supporters, but it's the best way to keep the momentum going and to be able to find financial support sooner rather than later.**

I am writing a proposal to fund an original ballet, based on a Pomo Indian legend, unique to this county, for which I will audition dancers from area colleges and studios. My mother is researching and writing the fleshed out version of the story. The music, which is to be a fusion of traditional and modern styles, will be composed and performed by local musicians.

**6/29/09 -- Finished the words part of the proposal for the ballet. I have assembled some of the numbers, but now it's time to get serious with the math.**

We are also working on a surprise dance event, to be recorded on hidden cameras, for our County Fair in September.

**6/22/09 -- The music for the County Fair event has been chosen and engineered. The proposal for the Fair Board is written and ready. We hope to make the presentation within two weeks and audition dancers immediately after the Fourth of July.**

**6/28/09 -- My Assistant Director and I did about half of the choreography for the County Fair event and mapped out the rest.**

**7/1/09 -- We finished the choreography except for two small sections being done by other choreographers.**

**7/2/09 -- Submitted a written proposal to the CEO of the County Fair.**

**7/9/09 -- Decided to approach another large County event for permission to stage our dance event in case the Fair says no. We feel too strongly about it to let it go.**

**7/20/09 -- THE FAIR SAID YES!!! We'll be holding auditions beginning July 29!!! Rehearsals 3x a week for the month of August. Performing Labor Day weekend. We will be distributing handbills immediately following displaying a schedule of every single dance class available to adults around the county as well as sponsors' advertising. DVDs will be distributed to sponsors, participants, and media outlets for promotional use. We need to raise about $2,000 to cover production costs.**

**7/23/09 -- Our first press coverage! http://www.record-bee.com/entertainment/ci_12893349 **

**7/28/09 -- The concept for Guerilla Dance II has been born. Working on the proposal for the local Chamber of Commerce, they already like the concept, to stage the next one at an event of theirs.**

**8/16/09 -- Posted our first video to YouTube, a how to demo of Guerilla Dance I for people to learn and rehearse with. www.youtube.com/thedancecoop **

**9/4/09 -- Guerilla Dance I was a great success and lots of fun. Will post the video in a week or two on YouTube. Guerilla Dance II has been approved. Auditions in October.**

**9/14/09 -- We've been invited to stage another Guerilla Dance for a local school fundraiser using the teachers, board members, and staff as dancers. A disco theme!**

**9/15/09 -- Just posted the first version of Guerilla Danace I to YouTube. The final video will have footage from several videos edited together. http://www.youtube.com/user/thedancecoop#play/user/8B5A1E2759FDA75D **

The Dance Coop is currently based in my bathroom, where I sit and write, on two business plans (one for the Dance Coop and one for our first production), and listen to music, plan, design, and try to figure out avenues for funding and PR and attracting serious dancers -- we share a wireless connection and that's where the reception is the least annoying.

**6/27/09 -- We received some samples from 'Sheer Naturals' makeup -- another startup competing in this competition -- to test for possible placement in a local salon or salons in support of the Dance CoOp and its dancers.**

**6/30/09 -- Just got a line on an 800 sq ft space available by the hour for classes.**

**6/28/09 -- Enrolled with Resource Nation through Ladies Who Launch for start up consultation through their StartMeUp program. Will be speaking with Michelle by phone on Thursday morning about what I've done and what's to be done next.**

**7/6/09 -- Contacted Brendita of Brendita's Body Works (another contestant in this competition) for information so that we can test her products to go along with the Sheer Naturals mineral makeups. Hoping to receive some samples soon.**

**7/6/09 -- The yoga studio where we rehearse has approved our schedule of evening classes to begin in August.**

**7/6/09 -- The Lakeport Chamber of Commerce asked today if we would help in choreographing a fundraiser in January.**

**8/09 -- Joined the Chamber of Commerce.**

Someday there will be a studio here so that we can have access to the 5pm-8pm time slot when most adults are available and willing to take classes.

I forgot to mention that we are applying for acceptance into a fiscal sponsorship program with a 501(c)3 organization that supports artists and emerging arts organizations while they work toward their own non-profit status.

**6/24/09 -- Began writing for fiscal sponsorship application with New York Foundation for the Arts. Challenge Number One: Describe my project in 75 words or less. After several attempts, I managed to do it in 74 words. I cannot begin real work on the application as the cycle has not yet been reset. They will announce new enrollees in the first week of July. After that I will be able to begin my application for the cycle ending November 6, 2009.**

I know it doesn't sound glamorous now, but it will be! We'll be stars in this county! And, seriously, the potential for growth and eventually attracting big names and big money is tremendous. This area is ripe for the branding, and picking! We are convenient to the Napa Valley and almost completely undeveloped with no real tourism yet.

I chose Greenest because, once again, this area is incredibly underdeveloped, under served, and underexposed. The cultural development of our communities is, I believe, exceedingly valuable for quality of life in so many ways -- far beyond economic impact. In terms of social change in this particular area of California, again, the potential is tremendous. No performers other than musicians come here from outside and the only theatre events are locally produced plays, musicals, and Arts Council fund raising events. They're very good, but they're not enough. Not enough comes in from outside. The schools don't have music or art programs and they don't get visiting performers very often, if at all.

This area was economically and socially challenged before and during the real estate boom and has been heavily affected by the bust. I believe that this kind of development is vital to the area and I believe I can be successful if I can just get my work in front of the right eyes and into the right ears.

Did you know that the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, based in Ashland, was begun in the 1930's and now brings over 400,000 people to Oregon every year and trains scores of actors?

Did you also know that Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in rural Western Massachusetts was founded during WWII and that audiences arrived at the first shows, after climbing to the farm, on the road locally known as 'Jacob's Ladder' because of its steepness and the number of switchbacks, by horseback and on foot? Further, the following year saw the construction there of the first theatre in the US designed specifically for dance. Jacob's Pillow is still going strong and not only hosts its internationally acclaimed dance festival there but it is also home to a world famous residential dance training program.

It's true. (Imagine a Paul Harvey voice here.)

It's also true that there is no equivalent large, dance oriented event/organization like them anywhere on the West Coast.

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