Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dawn Fay. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dawn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
I started dancing at the age of three and went on to dance professionally starting at age 16. My dance career spanned 22 years, and I am incredibly fortunate to continue my journey in dance as the President of Wonderbound, a nonprofit contemporary ballet company based in Denver. Wonderbound is my life, and the risk taken is directly related. During COVID-19, we at Wonderbound made the decision to keep our dancers and staff employed. We did not conduct layoffs, furloughs or salary cuts, and Wonderbound was one of only five dance companies in the country to have done so.
We created 167 new dance tutorials and dance films to keep our constituencies engaged, and over the past two seasons, Wonderbound provided 162 performances for reduced-capacity audiences. Though immensely challenging, caring for our people and community was our top priority, and it was a large risk that was well worth taking.
Dawn, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am the President of Wonderbound, a nonprofit contemporary ballet company, and my role within the organization consists of a broad swath of responsibilities. On the artistic side, I teach company class, coach our dancers, provide creative feedback to the Artistic Director, and design costumes for our productions. On the business side, I am responsible for all fundraising including grant writing and securing individual, foundation, and corporate support. I work with Wonderbound’s CFO to generate an annual budget and closely monitor cash flow. In addition, I manage Wonderbound’s Board of Trustees.
We are unique in the performing arts sector, as all the work we produce is original and can solely be seen at Wonderbound. We are first and foremost storytellers, and every production consists of a new narrative that has never been seen. Pre-COVID 19, Wonderbound also featured live music for all our our shows. This was not possible during the pandemic, but we are working our way back to it. In May, we will have our first production, “The Sandman: A Newfangled Western” featuring the Gasoline Lollipops live.
Wonderbound is dance like you have never seen it.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Remaining operational during the pandemic necessitated agility and resilience like never before. The rigor our dancers and staff maintained enabled us to create a “bubble” and keep dancing.
The challenges to continue functioning were too numerous too list, but a few are:
We had to secure funding from any and all available sources.
We had to create all new productions, as we could not have intermissions.
Our audiences were limited to 25 people per show, socially distanced at six feet apart.
We moved all of our performances to our studio to omit theater rental costs.
Additionally, in November 2020, we were victims of vandalization that forced us to secure a new building to conduct our rehearsals and performances.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wonderbound.com
Image Credits
Amanda Tipton Mark Sink