Operating Support
ACHF Arts Access
Continue to be a leader within the art form of dance, specifically the presentation of contemporary ballet works for audiences in the Twin Cities and throughout the state of Minnesota. James Sewell Ballet measures programs with use of the following tools: 1) audience attendance; 2) the number of students and community members who participate in lecture-demonstrations and/or community outreach workshops; 3) surveys tracking audience demographics and responses; and 4) audience feedback during James Sewell's audience address. Audience demographics are tracked for both our benefit and presenting partners, so we can each evaluate our success in how we are reaching audiences. When our partner presenters identify a school engagement, we work with the teachers to distribute surveys that seek both their feedback and that of their students. This feedback is shared with the teaching artists of James Sewell Ballet to help improve future student programming. In the past we have found this survey data to be very useful when updating our student programming. Though it can be challenging to objectively measure the artistic quality and public perception of choreographic work, James Sewell and the James Sewell Ballet dancers routinely evaluate their work in relation to the company's high artistic standards. 2: Enhance our impact through collaborations with key artistic partners. Our partners will continue to be from a variety of artistic disciplines (music and theater, for example), and we will support other choreographers and performers through commissioning and performance. Perhaps the most visible evaluation of a collaborative work like Lover were the critical reviews published during our performances; and the most meaningful were responses from within the concert experience itself such as the laughter, applause, and gasps of approval when audiences appreciated the unique ability of artists to convey a story through music and dance. In more clinical fashion, James Sewell Ballet also solicits responses about the experience and quality of our work from audiences through post-performance discussions, surveyed responses, and by the numbers of audience members in the theater. Internally, there is always artistic self-evaluation on the product we have presented (from start to finish) and the merit of the artistic partners we have chosen in our collaborations.
As the lead practitioner in the Twin Cities and state of Minnesota for contemporary ballet, James Sewell Ballet reached out to prospective audiences and invited them into our home venues within The Cowles Center; and James Sewell Ballet supported and created opportunities for other Minnesota artists, engaging with their audiences too. We also did work in the community and throughout the state, via public performances and a variety of educational programs that informed, mentored, and encouraged participation from children, teenagers, student dancers, adults, seniors, and even those living in facilities, from detention centers to assisted living facilities. In all cases, people gained an insight into dance beyond the presentation and beauty of the art form itself. 2: In 2013, James Sewell Ballet re-launched a piece, Lover, originally choreographed in 2002. In its debut year, all of the vignettes were performed to recorded music. For 2012-13, James Sewell Ballet continued its practice of working with a variety of incredible collaborative partners to elevate the concert experience. Lover was brought to Twin Cities audiences on the Goodale stage at the Cowles Center, featuring some of the finest vocal-theater-musician talent in our state for the entire run. The cast included actor/singer Bradley Greenwald, soprano Maria Jette, and accordionist/pianist Dan Chouinard.
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