New project takes NetGain to Vancouver Island

Photo: Cowichan Feather Headdress, courtesy of First People

NetGain is off to Duncan, B.C. next week to contribute fundraising expertise to the redevelopment of the Quw'utsun' (Cowichan) Cultural and Conference Centre, located in the Cowichan Valley. It is a matter of public record that the Centre has been plagued by mismanagement, dwindling popularity amongst both the native community and tourists, and, as NetGain can say with confidence at the launch of most projects, "the status quo is intolerable."

B.C. interests have risen on a crest of excitement and goodwill around the 2010 Olympics, but business is general, as we are all aware, has not been great.

More to come and I promise to send photos when on site as well.

Who wants to go see contemporary dance?

You probably do...

if you already volunteer somewhere...

or have seen a live performance lately...

At least according to the stats.

I asked our research associate, Andrew Swales, to write something for the blog on the environmental scan of the Canadian contemporary dance “industry”. Essentially his findings, or more aptly, his lack of findings, confirmed our impressions of this marginal art practice. He was struck by the lack of reliable statistical data on contemporary dance and found his efforts to establish a potential audience for Kaha:wi Dance Theatre frustrated by unclear or downright contradictory data.

Without consistent numbers it was difficult to uncover which demographic finds contemporary dance the most appealing or to determine the share that Kaha:wi could claim.

Traditional demographic indicators (e.g. income, education) were not reliable predictors of a potential audience, but other indicators, such as whether someone is involved in his or her community, or whether someone has visited an art gallery, do appear to be more closely related to other arts participation rates that could be applied to dance.

Therefore, it is more beneficial for Kaha:wi, a small company with a negligible marketing budget, and niche artistic groups like it, to try to connect with arts audiences as they volunteer or take in other live performances, rather than spending advertising dollars on targeting a gender, income bracket or education level.

Specifically it suggests that those who are interested in art and performance of any kind could be interested in contemporary dance. There are undoubtedly huge marketing benefits that could be reaped simply by collaborating with artists in other disciplines.

It appears that dance “enthusiasts” make little distinction between enjoying dance and enjoying any other art form. The challenge for Kaha:wi and those working to broaden the audience for contemporary dance is to create bridges with other disciplines that people can cross with ease.

Photo by jere-me

TEDCO - Revelations and Leaks

Doug has been collaborating on a review of a "city agency" (now revealed as TEDCO, the Toronto Economic Development Corporation) for the past few months.

Yesterday we were called by Jeff Gray of the Globe and Mail. He was looking for one of the authors of the report. (Of course, the report that is eventually released by the City of Toronto is not the same report that was put together by NetGain and the Randolph group, as with many other consulting studies generated for city staff). The NetGain/Randolph report was the result of many hours of analysis, interviews and deliberations about the future of TEDCO.

The article by Jeff Gray, "Mayor unveils new development plan", can be found here.

Apparently the original NetGain/Randolph report was leaked by someone (possibly a member of City staff) to a blog.

And from my overview of various articles and the comments posted, very few people know what is actually going on or why change may be necessary (or why certain people resign or why certain positions remain unfilled or became empty in the first place).

TEDCO was formed in 1986. That's over 20 years that they've been working their magic. As Janet Jackson might say, speaking for Toronto, "What have you done for me lately?"