Another Giving Tuesday has come and gone, and Dogtown is once again thankful for all of its supporters! Thanks to the generosity of our community, Dogtown has been able to provide unique and professional dance experiences and services to the Greater Richmond area since its opening in 2010. Dogtown has a diverse audience of 14,000 patrons and 350 dance artists in 20 genres that impact more than 11,000 dancers; we could not do this without your support. To commemorate and thank our supporters, here is a highlight reel of Dogtown's contributions to the community over the years:
Dogtown Presenter’s Series:
Beginning in 2015, the Dogtown Presenter's Series is a two-week exhibition in the fall, presents six performances by a selected local dance company or artist and two weekends of related professional classes for the public. The theatre strives to support artists of all genres, welcoming non-traditional dance styles. One artist or company is selected by an adjudicated panel of local dance experts each year for their ability to present transformative experiences, sparking and stretching the creative boundaries of artists and audiences alike.
Richmond Dance Festival:
Beginning in 2013, the Festival consists of a month-long exposee of diverse choreography that encapsulates professional performances and master-level classes to the public with visiting artists. The business model for this festival is somewhat unique in the Richmond area. It is specifically designed to be an opportunity for visiting artists to avoid obstacles to performing live -- such as production, travel, and marketing costs -- that offers them the same privileges of performing and building their reputation in front of a broad and diverse audience. Dogtown makes it a priority to compensate artists for their contributions to the Festival. These services are unparalleled by any other nonprofit dance organization in the Richmond area.
Touring Artist Series:
In its second year, Dogtown’s Touring Artist Program builds on the successes of the Artist Resource Program, Richmond Dance Festival and Dogtown Presenter’s Series to bring two renowned yet smaller independent artists from outside of Richmond for three seasons of performances and educational events. The Touring Artist Program provides these artists with the opportunity to expand their touring while also providing the opportunity for Greater Richmond to experience innovative, independent dance.
Artist Resource Program (ARP):
Dogtown Dance Theatre’s Artist Resource Program
administers and provides direct services to low-income artists wishing to teach and perform in a professional environment. Benefits that Dogtown provide to the artists participating in the Resource Program include free marketing and public relations support for their current dance programs, as well as bi-annual workshops that address the needs of dance artists: curriculum vitae development, budgeting, portfolio building, grant writing, and technical theatre assistance training. This program is vital to ensure the longevity of educated and resourceful artists in Richmond.
THE ARTIST RESOURCE PROGRAM ANNUALLY PROVIDES:
56 hours of dance classes per week
32 hours of rehearsal per week
3 mainstage performance opportunities for artists annually
40 hours of technical support per month
2 annual professional development workshops for artists
Classes & Workshops:
Dogtown artists teach a large variety of classes and workshops regularly throughout the year. Many of these classes and workshops are free to the public, or very low cost to attend to encourage dancers of all economic backgrounds to expand their dance education.
ExCELL:
The ExcELL program at Dogtown, in collaboration with Sacred Heart Center, provides professional dance education to high school teenagers who are Level 1 English Language Learner students. ExcELL celebrates cultural differences rather than pushing students to assimilate, builds confidence, and offers social-emotional support in a safe environment.
Rentals:
Dogtown is a center for dance professionals, community members, and companies to access studio space for content generation, class hosting, rehearsing, and recreational use. This studio space is invaluable to supporting the proliferation of dance in the Richmond area, giving artists the necessary space to work and commune.
Since opening, Dogtown and its staff has accomplished a tremendous amount, including:
● Dogtown’s Presenter’s Series 2019 received the Best Collaborative Dance Experience in the inaugural RVA Dance Awards (2019)
● Executive Director received Women in the Arts award from Style Weekly (2018)
● Creation of the Artist Resource Program (2015)
● Creation of the Mainstage Performance Series (2010)
○ Richmond Dance Festival (2012)
○ Mardi Gras RVA (2010)
○ Dogtown Presenter’s Series (2015)
○ Touring Artist Program (2020)
● Recipient of annual funding from National Endowment for the Arts (2016-Present)
● Recipient of annual funding from Virginia Commission for the Arts (2015-Present)
● In the last five years, Dogtown has grown from serving approximately 30 artists to over
350.
● In the last five years, Dogtown‘s budget has grown from around $40,000 to over
$250,000.
Dogtown has accomplished much over the years, and all of its staff are happy and grateful to do work in service of dance in the Richmond area. Dogtown only hopes to grow in its service, and the support of the Richmond community allows it to do so. Dogtown has many goals for the upcoming 2021 season, including:
● An increase of 20% in diversity from 2019's 30% of artists being non-Caucasian.
● Offer at least one aesthetics that was not offered in 2019 or 2020 through performances and classes.
● Offer at least 1 artist and/or company the opportunity to show their work fully produced for the first time in their career.
● Offer the Manchester community 20 mainstage performances, 50 workshops, and 500+ classes.
●Serve 3,100 or more artists and patrons each quarter.
Be on the lookout for all of the programming and services that Dogtown will be providing in 2021. We know it will be our best year yet! Once again, we thank our community for being a part of our story at Dogtown; without all our supporters, artists, patrons, class-takers, teachers, and friends, we could not do the work we do.
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