United States

About Battery Dance

For nearly three decades, New York based Battery Dance Company has represented the U.S. overseas and has developed multi-layered and often bilateral international cultural engagement programs in the realm of dance and the performing arts.

We recommend listening to Jonathan Hollander's oral history of Battery Dance company from a radio interview he gave at a recent trip to Malaysia here.

Battery Dance Company introduced a creative workshop process for youth in Germany in 2006 that has since been named Dancing to Connect. DtC programs have since spread nationally across Germany, Asia, Africa and at home in the U.S.

In 70 countries throughout the world, Battery Dance Company has built partnerships with dance artists, musicians, arts managers, arts institutions, government agencies, universities, conservatories, schools and other dance companies to foster cultural outreach and mutual understanding. 

Battery Dance Company’s international mission is fueled by the belief that dancers can span geographic, linguistic and cultural borders through bilateral exchange. They share inspiration and advance mutual understanding among their communities while aspiring to transcend political and social ills. 

The exchange process enriches the artists who gain new sources for creative exploration and dynamic interchange with their colleagues abroad. The public shares in the fruits of these collaborations through access to performances, television broadcasts and outreach activities such as workshops, master classes and seminars.

View the Tour Timeline

Listening Well is the Best Advice

Your time line will depend upon that of your primary international partner.  The tricky part is that most substantial international programs have several partners -- for example, a local host institution that invites you to perform or teach, the local U.S. Embassy or Post that agrees to help you with funding and facilitative support, a corporation that is willing to provide cash or in-kind sponsorship, and/or a foundation that is interested in your mission and offers a grant.  

It is quite likely that each of these entities has its own timeline and that adhering to one may bar you from meeting the deadline of the other(s).

When dealing with the State Department, there is a basic conundrum. Good projects have a year or two of planning behind them; but rarely can DOS officers concentrate on a project more than a few months beforehand, being completely consumed with day-to-day tasks and projects.   

It has often been my experience that a cultural or public affairs officer will start up a conversation about a program a year or so in advance; but when I try to push the envelope forward, to get to the budget, program planning and grant execution stage, I cannot regain the person’s attention.  

My advice is to listen carefully and get a sense of the operating style of the key person and/or department or Embassy and try to glean how much you need to conform to their way of working and/or how much you can exert your own sense of timely practice into the collaboration.

It is critically important that there be one person on your tour who is responsible for planning and executing all of the technical elements of the show. Perhaps this is one of your company's designers who is willing to do lots more than normally expected of a designer because of the perks of international travel. Perhaps it is a freelancer who is chosen because s/he knows the part of the world where you're touring, or because s/he speaks the language.

Ideally you will have two people covering this area – a production designer and a stage manager -- but with budgets as tight as they are, you may have to count on one person to handle the gamut of responsibilities.

This person must have the requisite skill set to match the considerable challenges that go beyond his/her brilliance as a designer: Patience, powers of persuasion, ability to repair broken equipment, improvisational talents, calm under pressure, optimism, charisma, willingness to take on any task and leadership.

In addition, when a tour calls for performances in large theaters where high production values are critical, it may be necessary to factor in extra local technical support in the way of rental equipment and contracted professional crew.

Tech Rider

Each touring company should create a tech rider describing as much as possible about the technical needs of your production(s) (ie. lighting, sound, scenery, floor, props, crew.) However, it is not sufficient to send out the tech rider and expect that everything will be in place when you hit the ground. There is no such thing as too much advance preparation.

Here is a check list that will give you the feeling that you’ve done everything possible to prepare yourself and the venue for your arrival:

Sending Initial Production Information (several months ahead of the project)

A Technical Rider specific to the tour or projects should be sent to the tour host, producer or Embassy, before the venue is selected so production needs and schedules can be accommodated

Gathering Information (one month ahead of the project)

• After venue selection, obtain the following from the theater as far in advance as possible
• Coordinates for main technical Point of Contact person (could be venue Technical Director, Production Manager, or Producer)
• Ground plan of the theater
• Sectional drawing
• Inventory of technical equipment including lighting, sound, projection and soft goods
• Line set list (including any that may have permanent or immovable objects or usages)
• Repertory Light plot (if there is one)
• Sample plot for dance (if there is one)
• 360◦ photos and videos of the stage (including a close-up of the floor), backstage, dressing rooms, overhead lighting positions, lighting board, auditorium, etc.
• Auditorium seating plan
• Job descriptions of the crew that will be supporting your performance and rehearsals

Advancing the Show (two weeks ahead of the project)

• Designer/ Technical director customizes light plot and schedule based on information received. Plot is e-mailed to theater tech director with copy to local host institution or Embassy. Budgets may be impacted if the theater cannot answer your needs and additional outside equipment and crew must be engaged to supplement what the theater can provide. (It is not unheard of for the entire lighting and sound equipment and crew to be contracted if that solution is cheaper and more efficient than trying to interface with the theater’s in-house system.)
• Additional information about scenery, flooring, and special sound requirements should also be sent
• A production schedule detailing work hours, crew totals, tasks to be accomplished, and rehearsals should be sent to clarify all production expectations and provide a basis for understanding of the ways and means of assembling the production

Follow Up (throughout the planning process)

Follow up questions should be sent to the theater tech director, with a copy to your local host institution or Embassy, especially if no response to schedules and plans has been received. The purpose is to determine if there are communication issues, assess the comprehension and capability of the local management, and collaborate on solutions to any difficulties uncovered from the previous communication.

Translation

In the situation where the Production Designer/ Technical Director doesn't speak the local language (and the locals don't speak the touring company's) a translator should be in place for any working time in the theater. This need is vital and not to be underestimated. If the translator is not experienced in the vocabulary and work style of theater technology, s/he should familiarize him/herself in advance.

"Do I bring it or do I get it locally?"

Some things are almost always the theater's responsibility (dance floor, soft goods) and some things are almost always brought by the company (costumes, intricate props). But so much lands in the middle. We recommend bringing a stock of color (gel), spike tape in a variety of colors, glow tape and black gaffers tape. These things are expensive and can add poundage to the company’s baggage; however, it is often impossible to obtain these items locally and if they are not needed for some reason, donating some of it to a local theater or arts organization can earn a lot of gratitude.

If you have a show that requires certain equipment that is unavailable in various venues (within one country) on a tour, it might be worthwhile to investigate renting it once and then traveling with it in-country. This is often a great solution for items like light boards and projectors, which are heavy and expensive to transport from home, but which are critical to the show. Why configure and program this stuff anew at each theater if there's a way to carry it along?

Thanks to Barry Steele and Mike Riggs, both of whom contributed to this document with knowledge derived from Battery Dance Company tours..

Each international cultural engagement project or tour has its own funding model. U.S. and foreign government agencies may be involved in a primary role or as a supplement to other forms of sponsorship. Likewise, local host institutions, corporate sponsors, foundations and individual donors may be drawn to support a particular initiative. Browsing through this toolkit, one can find projects with every possible configuration of support (sometimes insufficient…).

In the 1990’s – early 2000’s, the Company was unable to attract significant U.S. Government participation; however, this trend has been reversed in recent years with Embassies and Bureaus of the U.S. Department of State engaging more frequently. Many of the lessons learned along the way are universal and cross-referential. Though it may seem self-evident, it is important to understand the strategies, needs and expectations of each host or sponsor, and to endeavor to fulfill whatever requirements and expectations that come with each gift. Sometimes this may be difficult (ie. corporate sponsors in India often expect to put their advertising banner across the backdrop of the stage – something that is completely normal in the local scene and completely antithetical to Western dance.)

Finesse and politesse and the ability to put yourself in the other’s shoes are indispensable attributes in the negotiations that will inevitably take place, either well in advance, or on the spot.

When booking tickets for air travel often times the cheapest fares are purchased. Usually this comes with hefty change fees not only from the airline but also from the travel booking company. Sometimes those fees end up greater than the actual price of a new ticket, especially if flying between two cities in a foreign country. But if you end up buying a new ticket without cancelling or changing the original ticket you will be registered as a no-show for the original ticket, and this could risk the rest of your itinerary if you originally booked one comprehensive itinerary involving different legs.

For example, on a recent trip to South Africa booked through Vayama one comprehensive ticket was booked that included round-trip flights from NYC to Johannesburg and Johannesburg to Cape Town, all on South African Airways. After a new meeting with a potential corporate sponsor was arranged we needed to change the timing of Jonathan’s return trip to Johannesburg from Cape Town. Changing the ticket through Vayama before the itinerary began would have cost over $250 per ticket, when the cost of a new one way ticket was only $126. But just buying the new ticket and being a no-show for the original ticket would have cancelled the rest of Jonathan’s itinerary and thus his return flight to New York City.

The solution: Once Jonathan started his itinerary he would be able to change that specific leg at a South African airlines office in South Africa with only a fee of $17. Once an itinerary with an airline begins, the ownership is transferred from the booking company to the airlines, and change fees can be greatly reduced by talking directly to the airline.