PARTY
CELEBRATE
FUNDRAISE
MAY 29TH 2024 @ SPACE
On May 29th we invite you to party, celebrate, and fundraise with us at SPACE. This uplifting evening will feature performances by little house dancers, guest artists, drinks, music, and dancing.
Some of our special guests will include: Courtney Swain (composer for our latest production, Noisefloor), Casco Bay Movers (dancers from the local studio where little house rehearses), Maya French (Managing Director of our big sister organization, Palaver Strings), and our favorite Portland DJ, SOFT JAWS.
Your ticket includes access to our event and performances, and one drink ticket for a signature cocktail, generously provided by our friends at Cocktail Mary.
This event has been made possible by members of our Sustainers Circle.
TICKETS
Why are there different ticket prices?
We want to encourage members to buy a ticket based on what makes the most sense for them. Those who are able to buy a ticket at a higher price help keep this event accessible for more people. All of the funding we receive from these tickets will go directly towards our fundraising efforts - helping us accomplish the goals we listed below.
Why are we fundraising? Where does the cost of your ticket go?
Organizational Changes
We are currently fundraising to help make changes to our organizational structure. little house dance is currently an LLC. This year we are hoping to create a board so that we can move forward and gain 501C3 status. Gaining 501C3 status opens up many more doors for us as a small, but burgeoning company. It allows us to apply for both public and private funding and operational grants to keep our work sustainable. The creation of a board will invite voices both within and outside the dance community into our company.
Community Offerings
In partnership with our local home studio, Casco Bay Movers, little house hosts open classes throughout the year. In addition to providing a training resource for members of our community, these classes also provide our dancers with the opportunity to practice and gain confidence in their teaching in a professional setting. Each class costs $100 for our organization. On average we receive $50 in class fees per class, meaning that we spend approximately $50 every time we host an hour and a half long class. These classes have provided an important place for folks to access dance and be a part of the little house community. It is our goal to keep hosting these classes throughout the year on a weekly basis.
Our Dancers
It goes without saying that a dance performance does not exist without its dancers. Having worked professionally in the field of dance for over 10 years I continue to be struck by the lack of awareness that presenters, theaters, and funding bodies have on how much time is required in order for a work to make its way onto the stage. Oftentimes performance fees maybe cover the cost of paying our dancers to perform, but it is pretty much unheard of for these fees to cover the extensive hours spent in rehearsal to bring a work to life. When we are working on a new creation our dancers rehearse an average of 17 hours per work. Currently our dancers are paid a minimum of $20 an hour for rehearsals. If we hire 6 dancers for a creation period of 8 weeks the dancer fees come in at $16320. Over the next 24 months our goal is to raise this minimum to $23 an hour.
What are we celebrating?
In addition to celebrating all that we have accomplished in the past four years (multiple performances within Maine and beyond, expanding our educational offerings through workshops and intensives, and collaborations with other artists and organizations) we are want to give more visibility to the work that we have been doing within the community to create opportunities for dance to happen in Maine! We want to celebrate the work that we are doing with the young dancers in Portland, our adult students, and esteemed artists and colleagues to shed light on the incredible dance work that is happening in our state.
Unable to attend but still want to support?
There are still ways to help support even if you cannot attend our event on May 29th! You can help spread the word by sharing information with friends, family, and community, follow us on instagram to keep up with our other events, or make a tax-deductible donation through our Fiscal Sponsor, Fractured Atlas.