Dance and Commercialism

[pygmalion]

Ha! I bet you thought I'd never ask. :wink:


What's the deal with dance and sales? True, dance teachers and promoters, etc, all have to support themselves. Even not-for profit dance organizations have to find imaginative ways to help pay the bills. It can't be avoided, I don't think. People have to live, and very few dancers have the means to do their craft for free. That's nothing new.

So how do you draw the line? How do you know when dance-related commercialism has gone too far? There's a lot of really obnoxious stuff out there. (Intrusive or misleading ads, etc.) What do you think about the commercial orientation of many dancers, teachers, studios, or others?

[jon]

I am left completely unworried of the ever-present threat of dance teachers becoming fabulously wealthy on the downtrodden feet of their students.

I don't care for the manipulative and exploitative marketing techniques frequently discussed WRT some ballroom studios, but aside from that, I'm all in favor of more commercialization and a healthier dance business community. I'm also in favor of more dancer-run non-profit events and organizations. It's all good.

[pygmalion]

Yup. I think that the majority of people in the dance "business" are struggling to get paid. A few people, comp promoters and big names, are very comfortable. But dancers and teachers are often strggling for business and just trying to make a decent living, I think. *shrug*