Blogging My Way to the National Performing Arts Convention

Lindsay Live | Jun 05, 2008 | there are 3 comments 3

On Thursday, June 12, I will be speaking at the National Performing Arts Convention in Denver, CO on a panel discussion called The Online Salon Movement , an interactive session that will address how the "blogosphere" continues to transform the ways in which artists, arts organizations, audiences, critics, and the media interact and communicate with one another.

I will be speaking as the resident "artist-as-blogger," examining the ways in which new media offers artists an important voice that has been lacking in traditional media.

The past couple of weeks I have been thinking about this topic, specifically how my involvement in the blogging community has changed my relationship to my own art-making.

After college, I decided to detach myself completely from the world of choreographing, performing, dancing, and acting in search of a more conventional career path. But recently, after spending almost two years staring at a boring beige cubicle wall, I realized that I wasn't cut out for the mundane. I was 5 years old when I started acting and 7 when I started dancing. The performing arts is where I belong. So how does all this pertain to blogging and the new media?

The answer is two-fold.

Firstly, freedom. As a classically trained dancer, I have plenty of discipline, but I constantly crave freedom. The freedom to move around, to express myself, and to be autonomous. My 9-5 job doesn't afford me those opportunities, but blogging does. I can blog anywhere, any time, and about anything. In a way, blogging is like dancing itself - through new media, I can connect not only with my audience, but also with myself.

Secondly, as someone who has been out of the performing loop for a couple years, blogging has helped me get my finger on the pulse again. By reading other blogs and engaging in dialogue with other bloggers, I feel like I am getting back in the scene. I can find out about new companies and upcoming performances, read about dance fashion trends, find information about classes and auditions, get injury prevention tips from other performers, and so on. One of the most helpful things is seeing video content posted by other bloggers. Watching other people dance is a very helpful tool that helps enhance my understanding and awareness of my own movement.

So as I prepare to return to my roots and re-enter the world of the performing arts, I find that blogging has given me a huge push in the right direction. It has helped me connect with myself as an artist while also reconnecting to the community I left behind.  

In addition to examining how blogging has changed my relationship to my own-art making, I will address a few technical aspects of new media. How important are formal writing skills when blogging about the performing arts? What are the pros and cons of a group blog like Dancer Universe? What drives reader participation and how important is it?

Most of the featured bloggers here on Dancer Universe fit the description of artist-as-blogger, so I'd love to hear some of your thoughts and ideas on these topics to share with convention attendees.  

Here is some more detailed information about the session from the NPAC website:

The Online Salon Movement  
Thursday, June 12, 2008; 4:30-5:45pm
Room 303 at the Colorado Convention Center  

Moderator: Monica Reinagel , artist and blogger-in-chief, Nutritiondata.com and nutrition guru, Epicurious.com

Speakers: Lindsay Dreyer, dancer, blogger, DancerUniverse.com; Joshua Kosman, classical music critic, San Francisco Chronicle and blogger, pacificaisle.blogspot.com; Drew McManus, arts consultant, Adaptistration.com; Dave Urlakis, digital assets director, Steppenwolf Theatre Company

The "blogosphere" continues to transform the way arts organizations interact with the media and the public at large. At a time when more traditional media outlets continue to shrink arts coverage, a wide variety of passionate bloggers writing about all of the performing arts have developed an audience of millions of readers and have challenged the critical paradigm by building a new dialogue about the arts. A panel of bloggers will offer a wide ranging commentary on the arts ecosystem and the continuing evolution of the technosphere.

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tags Enthusiast, Blogging, National Performing Arts Convention (all tags)


Blogging My Way to the National Performing Arts Convention | 3 Comments | Post a Comment
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Questions about dance blogging

Lindsay, enjoy being on the Salon Movement panel next week.

Do you have favorite dance blogs? Do you think that blogging creates more opportunities for choreographers and dancers? And do you think that blogging leads to larger audiences for all kinds of dance?

I look forward to your thoughts.

Doug Fox
http://greatdance.com

user icon dougfox | Jun 05, 2008 | rated none by 0 others

Professional Blogging

Call me old school, but I definitely think there should be formal writing training for bloggers. Yes, the blogging format is free and is meant to be an artistic expression. But, as more and more people turn to blogs as sources of news, I believe bloggers should also be responsible in how they deliver their opinions and facts to the blogosphere.

Basic grammar skills and writing proficiency, in my mind, help to create at least a sense of professionalism in a blog. Also, having a clear aim to each post, and for that matter, having a clear purpose for blogging also help. Stacie Strong is a great example of that. She's a tapper who posts on tap-related issues. It's clear-cut, but it's also inspiring to witness that insider's point of view.

At any rate, I could go on and on, but the bottom line is, if we are going to communicate about dance as artists, we should have a mission, just as any dance company is required. And as writers, we should double-check our work and make sure we are communicating clearly.

user icon Wendy Garofoli | Jun 05, 2008 | rated none by 0 others

Dance Blogging

Doug,

I do have a few favorite dance blogs, the first being Dancer Universe, of course. I also enjoy the Winger and my friend Allison's blog, Dancing Perfectly Free.

Blogging has definitely created more opportunities for dancers and choreographers on so many different levels, the most obvious example being a completely novel way of communicating. Traditional media has long excluded the artist from the conversation, but blogs give dancers and choreographers an authoritative voice outside of the dance studio. It has given them the opportunity to explain and expand upon their work, receive feedback from viewers and other dancers, and increase and mobilize their fans. Before blogging, this kind of dialogue and active participation was largely absent from the dance community, especially outside of big cities. The dance world is always changing and evolving, and if you don't live in New York or LA it can be pretty difficult keeping up with it. Blogging gives those dancers and choreographers a direct link to the current happenings, trends, and techniques in dance.  

And yes, blogging does lead to larger audiences as I hinted at above. A good example is the company Cedar Lake - they have a really active blog which has been successful at reaching out to new audiences as well other bloggers through meet and greets, some of which have been attended by Dancer Universe writers.

Bottom line is that blogs have really changed the way artists communicate with each other, giving them opportunities traditional media has not afforded. I'm looking forward to the National Performing Arts Convention so I can hear from other performing arts bloggers how the internet has expanded and enhanced their fields.

-Lindsay

user icon Lindsay Live | Jun 10, 2008 | rated none by 0 others

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