Working Towards a Global Market

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April 30th: Oconee Performing Arts Society, May 1st: Small Plates Choreography Festival, July 31st: Community Engagement Artists and Creatives Grant, December 31st: New England Presenter Travel Fund, December 31st: Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet Scholarship, December 31st: 24 Seven Dance Convention, December 31st: National Theater Project Presenter Travel Grant, December 31st: Breck Creek Artist-in-Residence Program

As told to DDP by Assis Carreiro

Limón Dance Company rehearsing Kayla Farrish’s “A Quake that Held Them All”
Photo by MJ Edwards

A question that comes up in our discussions with choreographers, time and time again, is simple but loaded with further implications that may determine whether or not an artist is successful across the board: How does one break into the international market? Dance Data Project® is continuing to provide choreographers with tools to expand both their expertise and reach. In an effort to better guide dancemakers to the answers to this question and others, we are delighted to offer our latest resource, a new Choreographer Checklist: Working Toward a Global Market.

The checklist was put together in collaboration with Assis Carriero MBE, a London-based artistic consultant and manager with three decades of industry expertise and knowledge of dance and the wider arts and culture sectors around the globe. Assis has worked with a number of well known artists to secure commissions and offers bespoke mentorship following years of leadership and producing experience. Previously, Assis worked as the Artistic Director & Chief Executive of DanceEast and Artistic Director of Royal Ballet Flanders before joining the New English Ballet Theatre as Head of Strategic Planning and Development.

Read more about Assis on her website, www.assiscarreiro.com.

Download the Checklist directly Here

I spend a lot of my time mentoring choreographers at various stages of their careers. Some are starting out and seek to better understand how to break into the competitive US and overseas markets. Others are transitioning from dancer/choreographer to full-time freelance horeographer. Yet a third group are exploring breaking into the world of ballet from a contemporary/modern background. Many choreographers want to expand opportunities outside their home country base. There is no magic formula for making a full-time career as a choreographer. Times are currently very tough for both companies and choreographers around the globe. Not only is it a saturated market, but most companies are rescheduling work and not taking on new, live commissions. Still, eye-catching new work may pique the attention of an artistic director at any moment, so it’s best to be bold and be prepared.

Here are some basics to think about as you move forward as a choreographer:

WEBSITE
Is your site up to date with images, biography and good quality video links? Is it clear, uncluttered? Do you provide a contact email so that people can reach you? If not, create a new email for your website so you are easily reachable and emails don’t clog your personal email. Most people don’t want to fill in contact forms.
VIDEO LINKS
Make sure you have short, high-quality video links of no more than 3 minutes. Ideally stage/ performance videos, not studio work. Show a variety of work, 3-4 good videos.
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES
We live in a connected world, and dance is visual, so you need to ensure you are set up across channels that are popular for for dance— namely, Instagram and Facebook. Instagram videos get a lot of hits, and you can always check who has been watching them – keep them short, and make sure you have permission to show them on social media. And, separate your personal handles from your professional ones – cats, dogs, babies and holidays can have their own separate pages from your professional ones.
FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES
Create work on your friends and colleagues who may not currently be working and make good quality videos that you can share on social media, in order to attract the attention of companies, artistic directors, and new audiences.
WORKING INTERNATIONALLY
Many questions arise when considering international opportunities. Which international artistic directors are commissioning works or programming emerging choreographers? Would your work fit into the company’s aesthetics and director’s vision? If the answer to the second questions is no, don’t bother them with your work. If yes, send them a friendly email with appropriate links and see what happens. (When travel restrictions ease – if you can afford the trip, travel abroad, visit companies, watch performances and rehearsals, offer to teach and/or give workshops, and start to break the ice).
DON’T LOSE FAITH!
Right now, times are tough. Go back to where you trained and/or danced and offer your services as a choreographer live or on zoom for digital performances. Colleagues or acquaintances met throughout training and career may well be able to open doors when least expected.

DDP wishes to offer its sincere gratitude to the following individuals and organizations, who collaborated on this document.

Ty Woodfolk
Director of Human Resources, Diversity, and Inclusion, Chicago Shakespeare Theater
DDP Advisory Council Member
Erin Sanchez
Manager of Health, Wellbeing, and Performance for One Dance UK
Emma Lister
Podcast Host, MOVERS SHAKERS MOVERS
Co-Director, Makeshift Company
Zoë Ashe-Brown
Choreographer
Podcast Co-Host, MOVERS SHAKERS MOVERS
Whistle While You Work: Robyn Doty and Frances Chiaverini