We have for a long time discussed the big elephant in the room called elitism. The other day I saw another commercial for a pharmaceautical for COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Here is an example of these commercials:
I put two and two together. The elephant in the room, elitism, is choking the living breath out of the arts. Here is an example.
Yes, I’m a dance critic. And, no, I don’t really like So You Think You Can Dance
This critic has a point that SYTYCD has turned dance into a reality show. The commentary and shortened dance segments are not conducive to what really happens in the dance world. I agree with this critic to a point. The big reason I do not agree, the review drips with elitism, and it is attempting to choke the breath out of a vehicle that is making dance more popular again.
I happen to enjoy watching SYTYCD, and I know other true dance fans do as well. The quality is enjoyable, and it is a weekly celebration of dance in all forms.
Maybe instead of attempting to stomp out and trumpet against this reality show, the dance world could embrace it to connect the dots to gain new audiences.
I have mentioned this idea before, and after emailing the idea of using Twitter to connect to SYTYCD audiences, to several dance companies, I was turned down due to this elite perspective.
No, SYTYCD is not representing full dance performances, but it is has been getting people excited about dance again for many seasons. Imagine communicating with these audience members that are in your area to let them know that you exist! Think about connecting and inviting them to your upcoming performances, and you could create a brand new audience for your dance companies.
And, the COPD equivalent for the arts, elitism, is not only affecting the dance world. We all know that classical music, theatre, and all the other benchmark arts need to connect back to relevant “dots” in their communities as well.
Our language, our choice of venue, our outreach efforts, everything that we use to communicate to people what we are about needs to rise above elitism. Otherwise, the regular folks that might enjoy our arts offerings will simply turn a blind eye and deaf ear and state that we are not for them.
Let’s get real! Can we really afford to be snobby?
Take a look at all that you are doing to get the word out, to connect with new audiences, and use the elitism microscope to discover any elephants in the room. It is time to magnify this problem and change our focus so we can reach the people outside of our tiny boxes.
I will end this post by saying that I do love elephants. They are in reality, sweet, family loving animals. Elitism, and the awareness of this arts COPD issue, could be sweet as well, as long as we don’t ignore the issue, and instead, sincerely address change in how we communicate, outreach, and connect the dots to the world around us.
Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,
Shoshana
Shoshana Fanizza
Chief Audience Builder, ADS
