Affording dance and dance camps

[rainbowdash]

Hello everyone,
I really love Bharatanatyam and it's something that I know I want to spend a large amount of the rest of my life doing. Unfortunately Bharatanatyam is expensive and I couldn't afford all the education and supplies without fund raising. Are there any fund raising ideas that would capture your idea? Fund raising leads me to my next topic is dance intensives and summer camps. Are there any respected and good dance camps and or dance intensives in India or anywhere else that you would suggest? Thank you for your time

[mohan]

Senior dancers Shanta and VP Dhananjayan run a dance camp in Virginia every summer. See http://www.bharatakalaanjali.org/yogavilc.html

[rasika5552]

Bharatanatyam is expensive

Except for jewellery, usually the more expensive it is the worse it is.

Are there any fund raising ideas that would capture your idea?

Why don't you find something you can afford?

Are there any respected and good dance camps and or dance intensives in India or anywhere else that you would suggest?

Respect comes with money only. I think the summer Gurukulam camps at the Satchidananda Ashram ($3000 for 10 days?) is not the most costly. You should try those camps who charge at least $20000 for 10 days. The Gurukulam camps are usually 80% extra.
The gold-plated attendance certificates cost more.

[ShrutiLaya]

Hello everyone,
I really love Bharatanatyam and it's something that I know I want to spend a large amount of the rest of my life doing. Unfortunately Bharatanatyam is expensive and I couldn't afford all the education and supplies without fund raising. Are there any fund raising ideas that would capture your idea?

Hi,

It is great that you're excited about Bharatanatyam and want to pursue it over the long term!

Now, I'm an "amateur" at this, having no children who "went through the system" and learned dance in the US. But it struck me that you're looking at only one side of the equation: Bharatanatyam is expensive, how do I raise funds for it. What about making Bharatanatyam less expensive instead?

Just so I understand you, are you saying classes are expensive, or costumes/jewellery, or organizing performances?

I'm thinking that there is a role here for the music/dance sabhas in the US. They could take over the organizational details for performances (arangetrams). Recently, Shruti Laya helped a local dance teacher organize two arangetrams. By using our non-profit status to rent school auditoriums, and providing our sound equipment, we brought the cost down for the dancers by a factor of five or six.

If costumes/jewellery is the issue, one can think of "jewellery exchanges". These can be physical - an organization stocks the jewellery and performers can check them out for a day or a week - or they can be virtual, in the sense that the organization keeps lists of who owns what, and matches up supply and demand.

If the net result of all this is to make dance more affordable and bring it to a greater number of eager youngsters, that is something well worth doing!

- Sreenadh

[rainbowdash]

Hi,

It is great that you're excited about Bharatanatyam and want to pursue it over the long term!

Now, I'm an "amateur" at this, having no children who "went through the system" and learned dance in the US. But it struck me that you're looking at only one side of the equation: Bharatanatyam is expensive, how do I raise funds for it. What about making Bharatanatyam less expensive instead?

Just so I understand you, are you saying classes are expensive, or costumes/jewellery, or organizing performances?

I'm thinking that there is a role here for the music/dance sabhas in the US. They could take over the organizational details for performances (arangetrams). Recently, Shruti Laya helped a local dance teacher organize two arangetrams. By using our non-profit status to rent school auditoriums, and providing our sound equipment, we brought the cost down for the dancers by a factor of five or six.

If costumes/jewellery is the issue, one can think of "jewellery exchanges". These can be physical - an organization stocks the jewellery and performers can check them out for a day or a week - or they can be virtual, in the sense that the organization keeps lists of who owns what, and matches up supply and demand.

If the net result of all this is to make dance more affordable and bring it to a greater number of eager youngsters, that is something well worth doing!

- Sreenadh[/quote]

Mainly the costumes/jewellery and organizing performances. I love dance and don't mind dancing with out the costumes but peer pressure sucks. I've always been interested in spreading the arts (specifically dance) with others! Thanks for your help

[rasika5552]

Mainly the costumes/jewellery and organizing performances.

Don't order the $100 silk costumes from the online tailors' shops. Fly to India and only order the costumes that cost at least $30000.
Buy only pure gold and gemstone designer jewellery that costs at least $100000. Don't buy the $100 gold-plated sets with fake stones.
I recommend that you rent only the $10000/day auditoriums. Don't dance in temples because you may not have an opportunity to spend your money there.

[laya2]

Hi,

I understand from what some have written that the summer camps cost $3000 for 10days. Is it the same for workshops also. If it is really so much, are there students who can afford and attend these programs? I think it's a lot.

Do workshops also cost so much in the US. I haven't got an opportunity to attend any workshop. Can somebody tell me what really do they conduct in workshops. I know they do a lot of practical stuff. They teach new items. But can somebody tell me what is it they do in theory.

I think people who have attended such workshops can write to others in this forum about what is done in theory in the workshop. It could be useful to quite a lot of people.

thanks.

[laya2]

Hi

Can somebody answer this pls.

thanks.