Thread: Money for big shows

How do ya'll raise money to front for big shows, if you're not non-profit?

I think ticket sales are the most part.
If you had big names dancers are they paid?

Originally Posted by toria_dances

If you had big names dancers are they paid?

I know of many REALLY big names here in Southern California who have done big shows for no monetary compensation. However -- and this is a big "however" -- a DVD of the show is produced and distributed, so the dancers' images and names could potentially get alot of exposure.

I did a small-scale but 100% pro show with some pretty good-size SoCal names in it as part of the 10th anniversary celebration of our festival; although I couldn't pay much, most performeres were surprised to be offered anything at all. Of course, I didn't distribute the video of that show, either.

****

Most of the folks who run festivals, shows, etc, front their expenses with their own funds, which is probably why we don't have a whole lotta big shows around. I know that some producers are able to work with some of the larger merchants, who can help with some of that upfront expense. Of course, being non-profit and able to tap in to grant money sure would be a wonderful thing . . .

(and remember, "non-profit" doesn't mean "no profit")

Deborah

Mastercard, Visa, and a lot of hand wringing.

Originally Posted by Bellydancingcaroline

Mastercard, Visa, and a lot of hand wringing.

Ahhhh . . . the master of truth with brevity . . .

Deborah

I would recommend bartering and looking for sponsors/partnerships. For example, for our last show we traded an ad in our program for an ad in the local arts/culture magazine... that sort of thing. Our event was tied in with Women's Month so the local women's center and the YMCA helped with some of the expenses.

I was able to use a local theater on the promise of decent ticket sales.

It was on a Sunday night, though. There is no way I could have gotten a Friday or Saturday.

This is what I was afraid of :-)

We've actually been doing a really big theatrical show every year for quite a while, and it keeps growing and growing....last year our opening number involved people from 3 dance troupes (one of them a group of jazz dancers) and included fire, wings, fans, veils, leaps, splits....you name it. This year, we're having Yousry Sharif in, Samara from New York performing, Virginia from Miami performing, Erika from Chicago, and of course us, and some other local groups, and we'd like the show to be even better, so we're actually incorporating various men and women from around the community, and we're doing some massive stage props....thrones, hanging backdrops, and crazy costuming.

Whew, I keep trying to convince my instructor to turn non-profit so we can keep doing these professional shows. our ticket prices have to increase to accommodate all these great performers, but we're not in a giant town, so we have to really pound the pavement to get the word out and bring people in. Needless to say, she's on pins and needles when it comes to making her money back from the investment in the show.

Anyway, I was hoping maybe folks had some novel ideas for how to get their hands on some extra dough. a troupe member of mine had a great idea to possibly hold a day of children's workshops and charge a small fee or ask for donations in exchange, and have all of us in the troupe donate our time to the effort in order to raise money. I suppose a raffle of some sort might also be helpful (ticket raffle or something, with call outs at show intermission). Other thoughts?

Sell tee shirts and other merchandise...
Also, can you partner with a non-profit to bring your costs down? For the Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive, we work with a local non-profit who helps us book the theater. We give them free tickets to the show, they save us hundreds of dollars in rental costs. It's a win-win.

Do you mind me asking about your numbers? How many people on average attend? What is the ticket price? What are the major expenses?

A raffle can be a good money-maker, but it is a lot of work. I've found it's best to have large-and-expensive-looking baskets full of stuff, rather than a bunch of small trinkets. Also if you have more than one basket, have more than one drawing, so people buy tickets for basket 1 and also for basket 2. Give a discount for buying multiple tickets. At tribal fest they had a raffle and it's $10 for as many tickets as equal the length of your arm. Ha! Pretty funny, but it does encourage people to get $10 in tickets (rather than $1) and also encourages people to find their long-armed friend to buy the tickets. That's why those supermarkets suggest you buy two or get 5 for this price, it encourages excess purchasing. (1 ticket for $10 sounds expensive, but 12 tickets for $10 sounds like a good value!)

Another thought for funds: you could apply for an Arts Grant. Some city Arts Council organizations sponsor grants, and there are some available at the State or National level as well.

You might pair with another group, like an ethnic student union, to co-sponsor an event, if it features their ethnic dance.

I have seen people do a student fundraiser show (at their local studio) before a big show. Students will get their friends/spouses/parents to come watch them and then it raises money for the big show.

Workshops in conjunction with a show can be good and profitable in raising money to cover the cost of the show as well.

good luck!

Two areas of caution:

1) If you want to hold a raffle, check your local and state gaming laws.
2) If you are going to produce and distribute a DVD you need to look into distribution rights for the music, not only the consent of the performers.

~~Kimahri

why does going non profit bring the costs down? dont understand?

hopefully you'll get enough attendance with yousry's workshops to pay for the show and maybe break even. ;)

but that doesn't help you get the up front money you need to pay deposits and stuff.

the group I'm in is trying a shimmython again this year (anybody want to sponsor me? even $5 is awesome!). :) our main money raising event is a day with two 2-hour workshops (taught by folks either donating their time or teaching for a lower fee than usual) and an evening hafla featuring the workshop instructors (again, donating their performances) and workshop participants. we've done this with a silent auction and with a bake sale.

holding other workshop-only events throughout the year can help raise money, too. 20 people at $35 for a 2 hour class and a 70/30 split with the instructor will get you about $170 after expenses, with not very much effort other than getting the word out. teach the workshop yourself and pay yourself $50/hour and that leaves $550 profit.

Originally Posted by artemisia_danst

why does going non profit bring the costs down? dont understand?

Doesn't, but it does open you up to grant opportunities that are generally reserved for non-profit arts organizations.

Originally Posted by Sonja2

Doesn't, but it does open you up to grant opportunities that are generally reserved for non-profit arts organizations.

Actually it can bring costs down dramatically where some venues are concerned. For example, renting an auditorium from a public school district in my area is close to $1000 for a Saturday night show. A non-profit can get that space at the same time for a tiny fraction of that.

~~Kimahri

Do you have vendors? They pay in advance for vending real estate.

Nilaja

Originally Posted by Sonja2

Doesn't, but it does open you up to grant opportunities that are generally reserved for non-profit arts organizations.

Also, if you are not non-profit, it means you are for profit, and you have to pay taxes on what you make. If you are a small business those taxes are high, and you have to make more to break even, if that makes any sense.

Stupid small business taxes.