Successful Contemporary Dance Company

7_17_09 This month's topic is, what is success in dance? It is a topic I wonder about a lot. We are a small dance company. We have not performed for millions in big stadiums like U2. (In fact, I don't think our work reads from far away anyway. It's kind of close-up dance.) We do not have the following of Ailey. There is very little chance that we will appear in history books. We perform for small audiences, usually. (We have rarely performed in large venues.) Our yearly budget is extremely small. From the measure of wealth or fame, we are as unsuccessful as they come.

But if the measure were quality, how would we fare? It's hard for me to say, since I am so close to this work. Quality is my goal, however--my only goal. In my eyes, we achieve it, since I like to watch our work. I like how it unfolds gradually. I like the simple intimacy of bodies wrapping in harmony, or in conflict, together. It is beautiful to me.

These are brave words since, like it or not, without money, I can't pay dancers. Without at least a little fame, no one comes to our shows. It's a tricky balance sometimes. The practical demands for running a dance company are tremendous: a staff of people could work forever on the administrative side and still not manage every angle--and we don't have a staff. We have me, plus invaluable aid from my wife Jennifer Mueller, our counselor, photographer, and general guru about all things non-profit; technical support from Alexander Short; and the support, both artistically and administratively, from our avid group of performers. It's a bit like a family farm: unnoticed by big industry, not a narrative likely to get picked up by a network and turned into a weekly drama (Waltons notwithstanding). We are folks striving to create art in a culture that appears oblivious. It's fun, though. It's really fun! I guess that's why we keep at it.