A N N U A L R E P O R T. Invigorating Life through Dance!

Transcription

1 A N N U A L R E P O R T Invigorating Life through Dance!

2 St. Louis Dance Theatre, doing business as The Big Muddy Dance Company, was founded by Paula David and incorporated in May 2010 as a 501(c)3 organization, defined by the Internal Revenue Service. All donations are tax-deductible. 27 outreach programs implemented in employees from eight states 24.6 % growth in net revenue compared to

3 CORPORATE ANNUAL REPORT 3 About the company Vision: The Big Muddy Dance Company is a St. Louis-based repertory dance company which seeks to build a love of dance by providing fun, experiential, and highly entertaining performances. By engaging both emerging and established choreographers, collaborating across the community through senior outreach, and training future performers through our school and trainee program, we constantly strive to invigorate life through dance. The Big Muddy Dance Company is comprised of 12 dancers who train and rehearse 5 days a week, 5.5 hours a day. The artistic side of the company is led by Artistic Director Brian Enos, former dancer with Houston Ballet and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and nationally renowned choreographer. Mr. Enos makes all artistic decisions about production, choreography, training, programming, and rehearsal. The business side of the company is led by Executive Director Erin Warner Prange, who works with an administrative volunteer and acts as a liaison to the Board of Directors. Mrs. Prange supervises and/or implements all communications, fundraising, finances, and human resources. The Big Muddy has three branches in its organization with specific aims in programming. First, the company s main activity is its performance season, which consists of three production runs in the St. Louis area in addition to community performances for fellow nonprofit organizations and special events. Second, the company perform at over 25 retirement facilities in the St. Louis area and beyond. The outreach program also includes the continued development of a hands-on movement workshop for Alzheimer s and dementia patients, collaborating with several local institutions. The mission of invigorating life through The mission of invigorating life through dance is evident in all three programs... The Big Muddy is always committed to the highest quality possible. As of August 1, 2015, the company rehearses and holds open classes at its new studio space, The Marcelle Theater at 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive in the Grand Center Arts District, managed by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. Fellow tenants include New Line Theatre Company, Dance St. Louis, STL UpLate. provides open technique classes in ballet, contemporary, and jazz on a daily basis to ages 13 & up, concentrating on adult beginner classes as well as professional/ advanced level classes as an outlet to fellow professionals. Third, we provide a senior citizen outreach program called Senior Embrace, in which the dancers dance is evident in all three programs within the company for various audiences and in different avenues. Whether in a class setting through quality instruction, or through personal stories with seniors, or amazing athleticism on the stage, The Big Muddy is committed to the highest quality possible.

4 4 CORPORATE ANNUAL REPORT Dear supporters, The Big Muddy Dance Company has begun its fifth anniversary season thanks to its avid supporters and volunteers. The company of 12 dancers has grown immensely since its first season, and although we still recognize our Pioneer Partners for their entrepeneurial spirit to get us started in 2011, there have been many more contributors that have jumped on the train along our journey. We are so grateful to those who financially support our causes of great artistry, entertainment, athleticism, senior citizen outreach, dance education and training, and innovative programming. As you continue to support our activities to improve the arts community in St. Louis and beyond, we make a promise to maintain the highest quality of technique, choreography, and performance as we move forward into our next chapter. Our goal to put St. Louis on the national map of dance becomes more realistic every day. If you have supported The Big Muddy Dance Company in the past, I hope you will continue to do so and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity. If you are unfamiliar with our company, I urge you to look through some of our materials online and see what kind of difference you could make. To all of our supporters, we make a promise to maintain the highest quality of technique, choreography, and performance as we move forward into our next chapter. Erin Warner Prange, Executive Director

5 CORPORATE ANNUAL REPORT 5 Our financial standing is a true measure of our most valuable and intangible asset of all people. Brian Enos Artistic Director Mr. Enos, originally from San Francisco, CA, began studying ballet at the age of 16. After his training at the Maria Vegh Ballet Centre and The Houston Ballet Academy, he was invited to join Houston Ballet at the age of 18. After several years performing with Houston Ballet, Mr. Enos went on to dance for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for eight years, before retiring from the stage in He s danced leading roles in works by choreographers such as Jiri Kylian, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Ben Stevenson, Twyla Tharp, and Christopher Bruce, among others. Mr. Enos also has an impressive choreographic career spanning 15 years, with over 30 original works, and glowing reviews from both critics and audiences throughout the United States and abroad. Some of the companies on which he s created work include: Houston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Ballet Met, Nashville Ballet, Grand Rapids Ballet, Thodos Dance Chicago, and many more. Erin Warner Prange Executive Director Born and raised in St. Louis, Erin Warner Prange holds her B.A. in Dance and Spanish from Colorado State University and her Masters of Fine Arts in Arts Management and Leadership from Webster University. In 2006, Erin taught dance for the Boston public school district through the Topf Center for Dance Education, and danced with Fusionworks II in Providence, RI under the tutelage of Deb Meunier and Stephanie Sanford. After moving back to St. Louis, she worked as atrek Dance Collective s Education Program Coordinator, and worked as the head coach of the dance team and color guard at Webster Groves High School. Erin founded the modern and contemporary programs at the Dance Center of Kirkwood, and was a company member of the Slaughter Project under artistic direction of Cecil Slaughter before joining The Big Muddy Dance Company as a dancer in Erin has had the privilege of working with talented artists such as Chung-Fu Chang, Lee Cooper, Jody Weber, Marcus Schulkind, and Christien Polos in her study and training. Dustin Crumbaugh Studio Manager (Houston, TX) began his formal dance training at Houston Metropolitan Dance Company s pre-professional second company, Houston Met Too. Since graduating high school, he spent two years as a dance major at Point Park University where he performed works by renowned choreographers such as Margo Sappington, Robert Battle, and Harrison McEldowney. He then completed his traineeship with Ballet Austin, where he performed works by Stephen Mills, Gina Patterson, Septime Weber, and Dwight Rhoden, and trained at LINES Ballet, where he studied under master teachers such as Alonzo King, Maurya Kerr, and Amy Raymond. Dustin joined Houston Metropolitan Dance Company as a professional company member in 2005, and in 2007 joined Luna Negra Dance Theater under the direction of Eduardo Vilaro, performing works by Edgar Zendejas, Alejandro Cervera, and Gustavo Ramirez Sansano. He then danced on scholarship at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and participated in Springboard Danse Montreal, working with Jose Navas/Cie Flak and Julian Barnett. In 2009, he performed with Cerqua Rivera Dance Theater until joining The Big Muddy Dance Company in 2011.

6 6 CORPORATE ANNUAL REPORT

7 CORPORATE ANNUAL REPORT 7 Board of Directors Dave Toben, President Christy Beckmann, Vice President & Treasurer Karin Schute, Secretary Lauren Brickler Ann Rice Jan Albus K Wentzien Kathie Winter Sonny Saggar, M.D. In a surprisingly short time, the Big Muddy Dance Company has become one of the most exciting ensembles in town. -Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post Dispatch The following items are expected of our board members on an annual basis: 1. Attend 3 quarterly board meetings each year, including the budget approval spring meeting. 2. Either donate or fundraise $1,000 annually. 3. Either buy or sell 6 tickets to each production (3 total) per season. 4. Every board member must serve on a committee: Marketing, Finance, Fundraising, Senior Outreach, Friends Organization.

8 8 CORPORATE ANNUAL REPORT The Financial Picture Over the last two fiscal years, The Big Muddy Dance Company has completed each season with a positive net profit, and the administration for the company is working diligently to develop a sustainable system of revenue for future seasons. With several changes in programming such as an increase in touring (Performance Fees), a decrease in summer intensive programs to reduce instruction costs (Classes & Intensives), and an increased effort in grant-writing, the company has secured a similar bottom line to the season but with much more security. The amount of individual donations in the season resulted in large part from a substantial generous angel donation from a founding supporter as a one-time gift. In , the amount of individual donations decreased but mainly consisted of smaller donations and compilations, which is much more stable and dependable as a revenue stream. One goal of The Big Muddy Dance Company s financial commitee is to keep programming costs at least 70% of the overall expense budget each season. As administrative and fundraising costs increase, so must revenue to maintain the ratio of funds. The largest expense in the company s annual budget is 12 dancers salaries. In fall of 2014, we made the stride forward to become a W-2 employer, and therefore contributing towards taxes for our dancers, unemployment, and workers comp insurance. The The company is working diligently to develop a sustainable system of revenue for future seasons. 12.5% Fundraising 16.8% Admin 70.4% Programs

9 CORPORATE ANNUAL REPORT 9 next step is to hire a development coordinator on staff, as well as provide benefits (including health insurance) to our company dancers and full-time staff members. As we progress administratively to become more sustainable financially, we hope that the benefits offered to our artists will also result in long-term sustainability on the artistic side. Trainees and apprentices that go through our educational programs for several years will ideally begin to step into the company so that we may maintain an ongoing source of new talent and training for consistent turnover and reliability in quality. Objectives in fundraising for the season are: increase in special events through The Big Muddy Ball attendance and table sponsorships at higher levels; increased corporate donations through matching board contributions and Senior Embrace sponsorships; increased summer intensive tuition due to our new studio space in Grand Center. The Big Muddy Dance Company s Senior Embrace program is a large component of the company s fundraising campaigns and consists of a percentage of the line items Choreography, Dancer Salaries, Rehearsal Space, Marketing, and Travel. In the company is implementing the Route 66 tour, bringing its outreach program to senior citizens in 9 different facilities along Route 66 throughout Missouri and Illinois, beyond its previous St. Louis audience. INCOME 06/30/15 06/30/14 Corporate Donations 9,080 12,786 Classes & Intensives 43,267 75,095 Grants 45,540 15,606 Individual Contributions 17,213 58,451 Performance Fees 37,250 21,277 Special Events 81,700 63,333 Tickets/Admission 16,396 25,317 Other 1,957 1,820 TOTAL INCOME 252, ,687 EXPENSES Programs 168,106 (70.4%) 195,853 (74.5%) Fundraising 29,824 (12.5%) 29,636 (11.2%) Administrative 40,149 (16.8%) 37,189 (14.1%) TOTAL EXPENSES 238, ,678 NET INCOME 13,724 11,009

10 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive St. Louis, MO Tel: E: