Producing Dance

Stacie Strong | Feb 03, 2009 | 0

Duets for My Valentine, St Louis (Feb. 7, 2009) and Chicago (Feb. 14, 2009)

Have you ever thought of producing your own show but wondered "is it possible?" or "where do I start?"   Read on to learn how Gina Barrera took the reins into her own hands just one year after graduating from college, going on to produce both live dance and films in Chicago, St Louis and Los Angeles.

Gina Barrera has quite a resume.  Not only is she the founder of Luminous Arts Productions, she also has 25 years of dance experience combined as a producer, a performer and a dance educator. She possesses over 20 years of rhythm and show tap dance training from such notable programs as The Edge Studio in Los Angeles, Chicago Tap Theatre, Rhythm ISS and MADD Rhythms Chicago. She has performed professionally with Black Orchid Theatre Chicago, the St. Louis Muny and Starlight Theater Kansas City. Gina possesses over 10 years experience teaching dance at reputable facilities throughout St. Louis and Chicago, including COCA, Leaping Lizards, and Dance Elite.  Gina is a member of DIVA LA TAP, a professional tap dance company in St. Louis MO. She holds a B.A. with a photography and dance emphasis from Columbia College Chicago.

Gina's route to becoming a producer has been meteoric.  After graduating from Columbia College Chicago in 2002, Gina  produced Chicago Dance Movement 2003, a 2-day competition, workshop, and performance for Chicago's pre-professional dance community. In 2004 Gina took over producing the show Duets for My Valentine in Chicago, which included dancers from Chicago's top dance companies, including River North Chicago Dance, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and Chicago Ballet.  In 2005 Gina graduated from the New York Film Academy's Producers Program at Universal Studios Los Angeles. Gina has also produced several short films in Los Angeles, including the musical Carpe PM, and was the assistant to a producer at HBO.  In 2007, she founded Luminous Arts Productions and in 2008 brought  Duets for My Valentine back to Chicago after premiering it in St. Louis.  As busy as she is producing the 2009 version of Duets for My Valentine (more on that later) she took time to talk to us about how she came to be doing what she's doing.

SS:  What is the job of a producer/presenter?
GB:  A producer basically creates all aspects of a show from scratch. If it's a dance show, the producer is in charge of everything from booking the theatre, to hiring the dancers, to implementing all of the advertising and press, to creating the ads if he/she doesn't have a graphic designer, to marketing the show, to selling the tickets (aka: getting butts in the seats), and also to hiring any production staff for the actual show.  It's a big job!

SS:  How did you get into producing?
GB:  When I was a kid I was constantly creating dance and theater shows with the neighborhood kids. Even if they couldn't dance and sing, I'd put my friends in my show and then we would rehearse it and perform it for our parents in the backyard, kitchen, or basement (one time on my brother's skateboarding ramp, that made  a great stage). After I graduated college, I decided to do it for real and hosted a 2-day dance competition, master class, and show event in Chicago called Chicago Dance Movement. I got to know the local dance scene in Chicago and then chose my Master Class Teachers who were also going to be the Competition Judges. The show consisted of the professional dance companies that each teacher/judge was connected to. Anyhoo, long story short, the producer of Duets for My Valentine at the time, Bob Barrett, came to see the show part of Chicago Dance Movement and afterwards wanted to know if I would be interested in taking his show over. In 2004, I purchased the rights to Duets for My Valentine and have been the producer of it ever since.

SS: Do you always perform in the productions that you put together?
GB: No way! Out of the six productions I have produced, I have performed in only two of them. It's very stressful and time consuming to do both, but it was fun.

SS: As a producer, what do you look for in a company/dancer?  
GB: I am really big on innovative and interesting choreography. As long as the technique/skill is strong (my number one prerequisite), I'm happy.  I also absolutely love to see dances that are highly creative, well-rounded, and audience friendly. I like universally emotional pieces as well.

SS:  Do you prefer being a producer or would you prefer being an Artistic Director of a company?
GB: I prefer being a producer because I personally love to work with dancers/performers from all different companies versus one group of dancers from my own dance company, if I had one. I love being able to bring artists together from all different companies and backgrounds. The whole point for me is to put people on stage to show their art (not that an Artistic Director doesn't also do that sometimes), versus doing choreography or managing a company of dancers and deciding their repertoire, etc.

SS: How does being a dancer help you as a dance producer?
GB: Of course it does.  It helps me better decide who to present and gives me the ability to communicate more thoroughly with the dancers I present.  It also has helped me have an eye for good technique.

SS: What shows do you have coming up?  
GB: Duets for My Valentine will be performed on Saturday, February 7, in St. Louis, Missouri, and on Saturday, February 14 in Chicago, Illinois, both at 8 p.m. Visit www.DuetsForMyValentine.org for more info.

SS: What makes this show/these shows special?
GB:  Duets is a collection of romantic dance duets that echo the highs and lows of being in (and out of) love performed by over ten professional dance companies in each city.

SS: Have things gotten easier because you're repeating the production now?
GB: Many aspects have gotten easier because of the repetition of doing the show annually. The biggest benefit is getting to  know the dance companies and individual dancers throughout the years.

SS: What's your biggest headache when producing?
GB: Selling the tickets and marketing the show are the most challenging, as well as fundraising.

SS: What's your biggest joy when producing?
GB: I love choosing the duets for the show, that's probably the most fun next to actually watching the show. I always try to watch the show. The year I danced in the shows I didn't really get to watch them, and I have regretted that ever since. I work too hard for the entire year to not enjoy watching the actual show. The after-parties are  a plus too.

SS: What would you tell someone who is getting into producing, either as a self-producer of their own company's shows or the producer of a collaborative effort like Duets?
GB: I would tell them to make fundraising and grant applications your number one priority. If there's no money, there's no show. Besides selling the tickets, it's the most challenging aspect of producing non- profit dance (or theater) concerts. Creating a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization will make fundraising and applying for grants possible.

And that's it!  Thanks so much to Gina for sharing her knowledge and experience.  Be sure to check out Duets for My Valentine if you're in or near Chicago or St Louis in the next couple of weeks.  It's a one of a kind show with all sorts of great and diverse dancers.  

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