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December In-step Newsletter
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Thank You Video starring Thelma Wong MacDowell
Thanks to our most recent donor through our IndieGogo campaign, Thelma Wong MacDowell! Check out her Thank you video on our Youtube channel. Happy Holidays!!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Where does StLDT get off with that Youtube video?
St. Louis Dance Theatre's vision documentary video has now “gone viral” thanks to YouTube. Since its release, we have had many supportive comments and we are so grateful for your support and words of encouragement. However, there have been one or two who may have been confused about the purpose of the video. For anyone who has questions, let me take a moment to clear up some things.
The goal of this video is twofold. It is obviously to persuade fine people like you all to support to our company’s season premiere, but also to introduce you to an issue that has been fettering the dance community in St. Louis for a while. Regardless of what style of dance you prefer, or how talented the dancers in the city are, the fact is, there are far less opportunities for St. Louis dancers to make a living dancing than in many other major cities across the nation.
The dancers in this video are not just members of our company, excited to have an opportunity to perform for their community, they also represent countless dancers who are city natives or attended one of our fabulous universities, only to find that they had to choose between the dream of a dance career or remaining in St. Louis where only a handful of paid dance positions are offered. They may not represent ALL dancers in the city, it was never stated that they were supposed to, but they have their stories to share and they are valid as such.
The numbers don't lie and the charts make the facts a little clearer.. Research of professional dance companies* in St. Louis and two other mid-west cities show that the St. Louis metro offers the highest number of college degree programs in dance, but the lowest number of actual positions once these students complete their training. *Determination of “Professional Dance Companies” based on the same requirement used in the 2002 Chicago budget of $150,000 + and full-time contract positions greater than 25 weeks per year. http://www.danceusa.org/chicagoil
Furthermore, the previously mentioned study of dance companies over the three Mid-western cities showed a deficiency in the types of companies offered in St. Louis.
This vision documentary IS the vision of our artistic director and founder of this organization. The purpose of this this video is to promote the growth of a community of dance professionals supporting, collaborating, challenging and celebrating what could be a powerful artistic and economic force for St. Louis. It is about acknowledging our city’s artistic achievements, addressing current challenges and foreseeing future accomplishments if our community can come together to help us make history!
I would like to close by once again offering an invitation to visit us! We love the chance to share our passion for dance and the city of St. Louis with people.
Sincerely,
Wendy Markum
Executive Director
St. Louis Dance Theatre
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Make your ride sexy in 2 seconds
That is right, the StLDT super sexy groovy auto decals are IN! - Company Dancers, Scholarship ladies & staff, you are SEXY!!... so you get one free!
- Donors to StLDT, yours will be given as a token of our gratitude...and you are also sexy!
Don't be sad :-( if you don't fall into either category, you can mention that you joined my blog and you can be sexy as well with a FREE decal!
* Disclaimer: StLDT makes no guarantee that putting this sticker on your car will in fact make you a sexy person, unless you have your own PT Cruiser and it is blue and driven by Wendy.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Yes, that is what I said...
This is Wendy, the executive director and one half of the team that runs St. Louis Dance Theatre. The other half will pop in soon enough, but while I have your attention I am going to talk about ME! If you have met executive directors in the past, you are aware that is one of our favorite things to do. So obvious from my name, I am a female executive. This makes me pretty unique, well not in this organization because Paula is also female, but in the business world, its a biggy! Only about 30% of nonprofit organizations are led by women in the U.S. and it is slightly lower for the corporate world. In addition, I am a spry 36 years old, which in executive circles is pretty young. And while I don't feel extremely youthful, especially watching the beautiful twenty-something dancers in the company; in the board meetings, I am the baby. StLDT has put itself in a pretty unique situation by choosing an under 40 female to run the business side of the organization and on a daily basis I try to prove this was a good decision.My friends (the ones I had back when I had a social life) like to tease me about the fancy new title, but I think my actual title should be "grassroots executive director". If the term "grassroots executive director" sounds like an oxymoron, that is because it totally is... Grassroots, by definition means "the common people in contrast to the typical elite". And the term "executive director" brings thoughts of some middle aged rich white guy in a fancy suit and tie, who drives a BMW, golfs during the week, eats at fancy restaurants and jets off at a moments notice for "business". If you were able to squish them together, you might have something like a typical Wendy day.
6:30 am Wake, drink coffee, eat some Trader Joe's High Fiber fruit, nut cereal (really quite fabulous), drink more coffee...
9:00 am Arrive at my office but first I swipe my card to park in the garage across the street (I pay for this privilege myself but worth every penny for convenience and the fun ramps I get to go up and down daily)
9:15 am Enter my crazy cool office with oversize desk and chairs that spin and roll.
9:30 am Walk around the studio and office to empty trash, change t.p. and paper towel rolls. (pretty glamorous)
9:50 am Grab some coffee (the AD is in charge of this coffee making duty)
9:55-11:00 am Answer company emails, update company twitter, FB, linkedin, website.
11:00-11:15 am Visit with dancers after their classes and answer questions.
11:30-12:30 pm Lunch meeting with Paula to go over task lists, bounce ideas, answer questions and share a tuna packet and Sunchips. (BTW: I appreciate the biodegradable bag, but WOW it is really loud!)
12:30-4:00 pm Work on development, finance, and operations side of the organization and wondering how the day got away from me...
4:00 pm On my way back to the parking garage after stopping into the Culinera to pick up something for dinner. (If you haven't checked out this place you are missing out)
4:30 pm Home in time to let out the pups and start dinner before getting back to work on company business.
5:15 -7:00 pm Work on marketing for the organization and SEO for website (with intermittent breaks for FB, twitter, etc)
7:00- 9:00 pm Dinner with the family, Rachel Maddow show
9:00-11:30 pm More company business (with intermittent breaks for Farmville)
11:30-Midnight Get ready for sleep and prepare to do it all again in the morning.
So that is an example of an average day for a grassroots executive. No golf, no jet-setting, instead of fancy restaurant, lunches mostly come in a tuna pouch. And fancy suits? They don't work well for cleaning bathrooms and kitchenettes.
Your typical exec may find this way below their pay grade, this grassroots exec thinks it is her dream come true! Speaking of dream, it is almost time for bed.............
Friday, August 20, 2010
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