We push back against the glorification of the “starving artist” and instead champion a new future where artists can thrive AND live their dreams!
1:1 Sessions
Building a healthy dance organization or a flourishing career can feel impossible if you try to do it by yourself. At Dance Wire, you’ll find a team of dance consultants that work 1:1 with artists and organizations in areas such as fundraising, marketing, vision, and strategic planning.
For Individuals
These sessions are for you if…
- You love the creative side of your work but struggle with the administrative side
- You struggle to manage the feast/famine rollercoaster of gig work
- Being an artist feels chaotic and overwhelming
- You have a specific project you want to bring to life, but “life” keeps getting in the way and you never move forward on it
- You are sick of explaining yourself to people who don’t understand what you do!
For Organizations
These sessions are for you if…
- You or the people at your organization are wearing too many hats and may not have high-level expertise in their roles (Marketing/Fundraising/Grant Writing)
- You want your company to grow and can’t figure out what’s getting in the way
- It would be a dream to have clear, concise, and manageable goals with a step-by-step path forward written out for you so you can focus on the artistic side of your work
- You are sick of explaining yourself to people who don’t understand what you do!
“Dancers are so used to flying without a net that we don’t even realize how much potential for growth there is when we have an organization like Dance Wire lifting us up.”
Laura Cannon – ProLab Dance
Cost of Sessions
To assure ALL creatives have access to our Sessions, we have adopted the Green Bottle Sliding Scale to help individuals determine the right level for them.
CELEBRATE
$100/month for 6 months
- I am comfortably able to meet all of my basic* needs
- I may have some debt but it does not prohibit attainment of basic needs
- I own my home or property OR I rent a higher-end property
- I own or lease a car
- I am employed or do not need to work to meet my needs
- I have regular access to health care
- I have access to financial savings
- I have an expendable** income
- I can always buy new items
- I can afford an annual vacation or take time off
ACT
$50/month for 6 months
- I may stress about meeting my basic needs but still regularly achieve them
- I may have some debt but it does not prohibit attainment of basic needs
- I own or lease a car
- I am employed
- I have access to health care
- I might have access to financial savings
- I have some expendable income
- I am able to buy some new items & I thrift others
- I can take a vacation annually or every few years without financial burden
BELIEVE
$0/month – email to get on waitlist
- I frequently stress about meeting basic needs & don’t always achieve them
- I have debt and it sometimes prohibits me from meeting my basic needs
- I rent lower-end properties or have unstable housing
- I do not have a car and/or have limited access to a car but I am not always able to afford gas
- I am unemployed or underemployed
- I qualify for government assistance including food stamps & health care
- I have no access to savings
- I have no or very limited expendable income
- I rarely buy new items because I am unable to afford them
- I cannot afford a vacation or have the ability to take time off without financial burden
* Basic Needs include food, housing, health care, and transportation.
** Expendable Income might mean you are able to buy coffee or tea at a shop, go to the movies or a concert, buy new clothes, books, and similar items each month, etc.
FAQs about our 1:1 Sessions
What’s included?
All 1:1 Session Packages include…
- Direct personalized support from people who get how challenging being a dance artist is! If we don't know the answer to your question, we have a national network of dance professionals to tap into for answers.
- Unlimited email support – if you have a question outside of your session, shoot us an email.
- 1:1 Sessions Tracker – we take notes during a session so that you don't have to. We turn those into a custom document with your goals, accomplishments, your next steps, and any resources we discuss. You can refer back to this whenever you need to.
- Access to Co-Working space: a place to share energy and ideas with other dance artists and us. Includes free parking, access to conference rooms, whiteboards, kitchen, and common space. Learn more here.
How often do we meet?
You set the frequency of your sessions based on how much time you are able to dedicate to advancing your work. If you need more assistance from us, you are welcome to schedule more frequent sessions. If you just want someone to hold you accountable for taking the steps needed to achieve your goals, we’re here for that too. Most people find consistency to be the key to success.
In case you’re not sure what frequency best fits your needs, we’ve gone ahead and created two options based on our previous clients’ experiences:
Option 1: Slow and Steady (all sliding scale packages default to this)
- Frequency – Meet once a month for 6 months
- Why? Monthly sessions allow you to fully integrate the information from coaching into your work before tackling your next steps and priorities.
- This option is great for long-term projects and ongoing operations.
Option 2: Accelerated (if you need this option let us know and we can create a special invoice)
- Frequency – Meet twice a month for 3 months
- Why? Sometimes, when we decide to do something, we don't want it to take 6 months. Meet with us twice monthly to really kickstart the project you're working on.
- This option is great if you have a time-constrained project you need to complete.
What should I expect during my first Session?
In your first session, we will explore the full picture of…
- where you are at
- what your goals are
- your desired timeline for reaching them
From there we will let you know how the program works and give you an honest recommendation as to whether we think we can help you reach your goals!
What is a Session Tracker?
This document is where we track your progress, give you assignments, send you links to resources, and celebrate your accomplishments. See a sample of the 1:1 Session Tracker document here
Do I have to pay up front?
No, if you'd like to pay upfront, we are happy to send you a one-time invoice, however all of our LEVELS are set up to be auto-pay once a month for 6 months.
Where do the sessions take place?
If you’re local or part of the Portland dance community, we’d love to invite you into our office space near the South Waterfront in Portland for a face-to-face session.
If you’re not local, we can meet for 1:1 sessions via zoom or video call!
How do I know if I could benefit from a 1:1 Session?
The best way to know what your thing is is by sitting down with us – face-to-face in our Portland office space or via zoom – for a free intro session. After that first session, you’ll have a better sense of what you need to do and how you will do it.
What areas can you help with?
Our main focus areas include:
Vision/Career Coaching
- Identify financial goals and develop a healthy relationship with money
- Establish an achievable balance of time and money
- Explore opportunities for building a career in dance
Bring a Project to Life
- Clarify the vision of your project
- Identify who will be involved
- Make a budget for how much it will cost
- Explore funding opportunities to cover costs
Strategic Relationships + Board Training
- Learn our 5-step guide to building strategic relationships
- Help your board learn to leverage their networks
- Create an action plan for every person in your organization
- Keep your action plan organized with lines of accountability
Strategic Planning
- Create a roadmap for your business for the next 2-5 years.
- Identify goals, processes, and outcomes based on internal and external factors.
- Create a professional strategic plan to share with funders and donors
Grant Research/Review
- Review our master list of dance funders in the area to find the right fit.
- Create a plan for a whole year or a single project.
- Make a plan for reaching out to funders and talk to program officers.
- Bring written proposals in for review before submitting them to make sure they are clear to someone outside of your work.
Fundraising Plan
- Learn how to identify potential donors
- Learn how to identify those that could add value to and help your work.
- Make a plan to fundraise for either an event/project or for a full year.
Not sure if we cover your area of need? Reach out! We’ll be honest and transparent about whether we’re a good fit for you and your project.