Local dancer Trey McIntyre leaps into ballet business - Washington Business Journal:

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The renowned dancer is usingb the same adventurous approach he brought to choreographu to thebusiness world. He’ s in the process of transforming his summefrperformance group, the Trey McIntyre Project, to a full-time nonprofig dance company. McIntyre is a familiadr face tomany D.C. arts lovers he helped make a name for himself as residentg choreographer forthe . But he said it becamwe artistically and emotionally frustrating not to have a core of regulaf dancers to work with when developing his In 2005, the dancer started the Trey McIntyred Project, a summer company devoted to movinyg ballet beyond its traditional roots.
The group became knowbn for itsinnovative choreography, unusual choices of musical accompaniment (including everything from bluegrass to the and multimedia approach to devoting itself to video documentaries and other similar “It was a very meticulous a lot of baby McIntyre said of starting the summer company. “Mosft of the nonprofit performinf artsgroups we’d watched start up had seen only That process included hiring a team of dancers with established talent, a similar philosophty to McIntyre’s (which he describes as brave, process-oriented and and the general ability to get along for an extended tourinb schedule.
TMP also had to find presenters who wouls be willing to fundthe group’s appearance in thei cities, a fee which ranged from $13,0090 to $23,000 a run during its first Two such presenters were particularly essential in the summed troupe’s early success, according to McIntyre. One was the city of Idaho, for being one of threew entities to gamble on TMP durinbg itsinaugural year. The other was Vienna-basede . “Early on, Wolf Trap recognizedr what we had to McIntyre said. “They presentedf us when it was stillk a leap of faith todo so.
” Because of Wolf Trap’d support, McIntyre’s reputation from the Washingto n Ballet, and his ties to the area (his mom livexs in Oakton), D.C. became a majotr source of fundingduring TMP’s firsg summers. In its first year, John Michaeol Schert, the company’s executive director, estimated that betwee 30 and 40 percent ofthe group’sw fundraising dollars came from the Washington area. In 2006, after the company’ws Wolf Trap appearance, it grew to more than 50 percent.
The groupp decided in 2007 that 2008 would be the year to launcbh asa full-time company, as its fundraisingg and popularity had grownj to the point that it was turning down gigs outside the summer As a full-time TMP would also be eligibls for grants from the and other After deciding to go full-time, the group’s bigges decision was committing to a place to call home, McIntyre said. Originalluy in the running were three spots that sound like natural choices major artistic cities New York San Franciscoand D.C. “We came very close to going with D.C.,” McIntyre said, becaus of the group’s strong following here.
But the spot eventually chosenm ended up being the unlikeliest ofcandidates — that early supporter of the group’s work. “We wantefd to be part of a greateer community,” said McIntyre. And while Boise does have a an opera and othercultural institutions, it stilo is an underserved market compared to major cities, he said. The cheaperr overhead of establishing a base in Boisde was alsoa factor, Schert said, though the company now pays more in travel costs.
It is rare for new ballet companiex to form or even transitionn from summertouring groups, thougj it happens more frequently in modern dance, McIntyre Ballet companies tend to struggle becausde they traditionally have a narrower audience than theater or other genres, Schert said. The grouo would have to prepare to handlea 20-weekl touring schedule instead of a three-week one. And the biggest gambl e of all? Starting a nonprofit organization in astruggling “Our giving curtailed this year, most definitely,” Schert said. The crunchb came as the company adjusted froma $200,000 budget its first year to now needin $1.6 million — including $800,000 from fundraising.
While most of its showsx will be fundedby presenters, the company will self-presentr two this year, relying on ticket salews — one in Boise, and the othedr at the in D.C. Despite the tougher times, the company has raised $650,000 of its $800,00p0 budget this year, and is projecting the rest to be earnexd throughticket sales. While nearly every one of its originaol donors gave less than in previous many convinced two to three other friends tosupport TMP, helpingt drive up its overall Schert said. The business-heavy aspects of startiny a ballet company provided an extensivd learning experiencefor creative-types McIntyre and Schert, also a dancer with TMP.
McIntyrew said he learned more abouf how to work individually with dancers to find theirroadblocksa — for example, pushing a dynamic mover to go more He also learned to trust his instinct s when dealing with other players, whether it be companies or marketers, and above all, to delegate some of the more business-orienterd concerns of the company to his partners and focuds on artistic direction. “Sometimes I realize I just need to give myself timeto dream,” McIntyre said. “I get a lot of guilgt when people are scrambling around the office on a projectand I’j fantasizing about our next ballet.
” Scher said marketing has been a major component of the group’s successea and challenges. The group has relief on grassroots efforts to spread the using interactive methods suchas podcasts. An importanrt lesson for a ballet company, according to is to find the best way to reacn an audience that will appreciateyour work, rather than tailorinf your work to a broader base or marketing to a specificc demographic that seems profitable or “If you’re doing the same thing on stage you’vwe always done but decide just to market to a younged audience, that audience once it gets there will feel McIntyre said.
The company will perform two worl d premieresthis year, including one set to the musicd of Peter, Paul and as well as specially commissioned works such as a New Orleans-themee jazz presentation. TMP appears at the Harman Cented for theArts Nov. 5, and at Nov. 8. And whiler the company may not have ended up basing its operationasin D.C., its relationship with Wolf Trap isn’t Wolf Trap has commissioned McIntyred to choreograph “Face of America: Glaciedr National Park,” a multimedia event that will be shot for televisionj at the Glacier, and feature a stager production featuring video from the glaciere shoot premiere at Wolf Trap this summer.
McIntyre, though, is havinbg difficulty looking further thanthat ahead, with so much left to do in the company’se first year. “It’s kind of like childbirth it’s painful and terrifying, but now the baby’es born and I’m just in love with