Ballet Promotional Ideas

[ronny]

I wanted put this post up so that everyone could contribute their ideas on ballet promotion.

I'll start with this.... The next time you order a ballet video, order an extra one for your local library. For about 20 dollars you can give your city the joy of seeing the REAL sleeping beauty. I also have a hunch that many people have heard of Swan Lake but have never seen it!! Many small libraries don't even have these basic treasures.

So this is just a thought on promotion... do you have any ideas on ballet promotion?

[Veronica]

Great idea, Ronny! I would never have thought of that. I'm going to bring it up with the co. board here. Although we do enough ticket sales to survive in the black, we get so little funding from the public and businesses, this just might make a big difference. The more viewers of the videos, the more interest in the live performances.

[ronny]

OK, great. If you are considering donating tapes to your library, I would suggest that you secure a note to the tape jacket giving some explanation of the story line and also mention that this tape was donated by "such and such" and put your number on it if they want to inquire on live performances. I'm sure your library would allow that kind of a cultural plug.

Great, I'm happy that you found the idea useful. I hope it helps your company.

[Morris Neighbor]

Donating dance videos to your local library is an absolutely wonderful idea. My local branch library has benefited enourmously fromn community fund-raising and support groups, and video loans are unquestionably its most popular service.

At the same time, though, donors might discuss their gifts with the local librarian before proceeding. While a "Nutcracker" or a "Sleeping Beauty" would surely be welcome anywhere, "Summerspace" is a much harder sell in most neighborhood branches. Library professionals should be able to help prospective donors direct their videos to an archive where the largest number of users are waiting.

Also, since it's tax time, donors might consider various alternative ways to give support to archives. The tax laws do permit you to give up your tapes (and your cash) and enjoy them, too.

[ronny]

Here is something I know will work because I tried it a few years ago. I was teaching meditation back then and so I went to the local TV station (they had daily talk show) and I told them... "if you ever have a guest that doesn't show up, give me a call and I can be here in about 1/2 hour. " Sure enough, about a week later they called and I got 30 minutes free air time and not only that, they thanked me for getting them out of a jam!!

I think this kind of thing would be even easier to do for a ballet company or a dancer or a teacher of ballet. Just go on and they will ask the questions that will get you rolling. Its a lot of fun and who knows, you may become a local TV star! Show them some simple training exercizes or demonstrate some ballet steps or just talk... use you imagination. They are looking for cultural things and usually want to promote these things, and of couse they have time to fill week after week.

[glebb]

Give all the cab drivers and restaurant owners of your town, free tix to a perf.

Maybe after seeing the company, these people will tell their patrons and clients to see the ballet.

[ronny]

Great idea! Those cab drivers are not only drivers, but guides to what is happening in the city. That's really an interesting idea.

[Guest sarah_ballerina]

Thats a great Idea because I know from experience when you get in a cab they tell you everything they've see in the city in the past week that's away to pass it around thus the saying, "knowlege is contagious"