A Very Unorthodox Wanted Poster
In 2007 I moved to Tartu, Estonia and learned that there are more people in the world that think the way I do. Ballet dancers do not have to be underpaid, unappreciated slaves to their own dreams. I was paid well and it was because the culture was hungry for ballet. The audience followed what was happening in the theater in the same way they followed politics or local sports, and the government and private donors saw investment in the Arts as investment in humanity. People on the streets could name the most famous Estonian dancers without a blink and they could recount to you the details of the last ballet they had seen and how it was different from the one before that. As a dancer living there I felt safe.
In New York I dread telling people what I do, not because I am embarrassed by my answer but because I fear they will embarrass themselves when they hear it and reply “Right, but what is your real job?” I have been lucky to manage never having had a job that was not dance related and that has allowed me to always have my focus on ballet. Since moving back to New York it has become increasingly more difficult to make ends meet, most ballet companies cannot afford salaries at a livable wage and when living in one of the most expensive cities in the world I am not sure what else to do.
Fundraisers often auction dates with eligible bachelors or unique behind-the-scenes opportunities but in either case those experiences are not the point, the true return is in watching your investment grow. Patrons for dancers is not a new idea, nor is it so uncommon and the most important benefit that this arrangement holds is its intimacy with your investment, it is a unique kind of philanthropy.
I am looking for a philanthropist and if you are interested in becoming a patron please write me.
-Steven
How Much Is That Dancer the Program? – The New York Times – August 15, 2004