Interview from Susan Ditz
Allegra Searle-LeBel
photo by Scott Mathey
of Good Works – clear, precise recap of Stimulate’s direction & background!
http://bit.ly/ciXfAf
Social entrepreneur Allegra Searle-LeBel is the artistic director of Stimulate Dance in Seattle, which she co-founded in 2007. After working as an independent performer and teacher with companies such as Alvin Ailey and Broadway Bound, her goal was to effect change in the arts industry by creating a sustainable local dance business model.
What is the vision for your company?
“Stimulate Dance is founded on two principles: The first is Accessible Art – we make contemporary performances part of people’s everyday lives, both with content and context. We make dances that people can relate to, and we bring art into personal spaces (homes, businesses, public parks and streets, festivals, and more). The second principle is Sustainable Art – dancers and choreographers are generally unable to make a living with their art; we decided to see if we could change that. Our work model is based on financially sound business practices that take into account the real costs of creating dance. With the amount of time and training that goes in to becoming a professional dancer, you’d be surprised how many dance projects don’t pay – it’s an art form that currently exists on the love of the people doing it, so people build careers in teaching or arts administration. That may just be how it is when you make art in this country. But we believe that by building broader applications of this art form outside of just the theater and by developing personal relationships with the audience, we might just create more of a market for dance.”
What inspired the evolution of the of the Stimulate Dance concept?
“We started talking to our audiences, and realized that people are often uncomfortable or unsatisfied at contemporary theater and dance performances. Generally, audiences weren’t growing. In order to create satisfying performance experiences that reached diverse audiences, we started applying creativity to the presentation format.”
What’s your definition of success?
“Satisfied audiences and healthy artists. We’ve built audiences from the ground up by making art that resonates for people who already enjoy dance AND for people who don’t identify as dance lovers. We have already hit some of our business milestones: hired our first full-time employee, and every team member gets a monthly stipend. Our Capital Campaign 2010 started very strong in Q1 – this is funding that will be a bridge for our operations until our own venue is ready for regular shows. We’ve come this far due to the support of many people: our families, fans, and friends, as well as financial contributions from donations and grants. Key organizational support comes from Shunpike (administration & finance) and Washington Community Alliance for Self-Help (business development). We’re members of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, and when we have our own performance space, we’ll be able to build even further. Eventually we’d like to share our strategies and model with performing groups all over the country.”
What has this journey taught you?
“Building anything takes a lot of explaining. Some people love it, some people hate it and most people will just forget about it. No one cares about it as much as I do, so I have to share my passion with you if I want you to care at all.”
What’s next on the horizon for you?
“Building a home as the resident dance company for a new arts venue here in Seattle. Our missions align precisely – bringing in diverse audiences and financially supporting artists.”
What advice do you have for other social entrepreneurs?
“Stay focused. So many amazing possibilities come up; it takes constant evaluation of trade offs and reminders of the long-term goals to build a strong foundation.”
Stimulate Dance has a goal – to perform and dance in zero gravity.
Stimulate Dance Blog 