This interview offers an inside look at the vision, challenges, and evolution of Sybarite’s iconic showcase, LOVEisLOVE. With its 20-year history and commitment to celebrating the joy of dance, Sybarite has served over 20,000 dancers and continues to provide a platform for emerging and seasoned artists alike. Prepare to be inspired as you learn how Sybarite honors dance traditions while pushing creative boundaries, culminating in an unforgettable experience for performers and audiences alike. Don’t miss the surprises this year’s finale has in store!
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Dance Mogul: What was the primary vision or theme you aimed to bring to this year’s showcase?
Dinna: This year’s, and all showcases, we hope to stay in alignment with our mission….which is to bring people closer to their joy through the expression of the arts. What that means to us is that people are experiencing excitement and inspiration while watching the performances as well as performing themselves, and leave inspired and full of love and joy, for days, weeks, even months, following the showcase….eagerly awaiting the next one.
Dance Mogul: How has Sybarite’s showcase evolved over the years, and what makes this year’s event unique?
Dinna: Sybarite will be having its 20 year anniversary in August. Understanding that the showcase occurs every four months or so….that is a lot of showcases, a lot of artists being served, and a lot of space for growth – I would hope. We are proud to say that we have served over 20,000 dancers to date. Sybarite’s showcase was at first a presentation of 16 dance company members. We later opened up the showcase to other dancers to submit and it evolved to what we now know as LOVEisLOVE. We as well used to include musical performances and artists painting live in front of the stage. However, as the showcase grew, and the clear need for specifically dancers to have a space to express their art, we chose to focus on just the genre of dance. This year’s event is only unique in its change of location. We are excited to try out working with Crown Hill Theatre, specifically because their infrastructure aligns with our mission – that being that they have a training program with young students learning the ins and outs of production. We are excited to have this particular production led and run by young artists and producers in training.
Dance Mogul: What are some of the biggest challenges in organizing a showcase of this scale?
Dinna: I would say the biggest challenge is trying to coordinate and keep a very tight production schedule with over 400 dancers. There’s a lot of moving parts in a production like this, including collecting music, names of each dancer, proper marketing citing, marketing in general, etc. We put the choreographer’s in charge of their dancers, and if those choreographers are not on time with turning everything in, we are faced with a lot of obstacles to ensure that the show runs smoothly. One lapse can have multiple consequences – as one can imagine.
In addition, I would be remiss to not mention the large struggle we have in affording NYC venue rental costs, which run in the 10s of thousands of dollars. Sponsorship is an ongoing need just to break even.
Dance Mogul: How do you select the artists and choreographers who participate in the showcase?
Dinna: We announce a submission time and deadline via social media. Choreographers submit through a form on our website with basic information and a video example of their work. We then contact everyone about a week after the deadline and let them know if they were chosen for this showcase.
Dance Mogul: How do you ensure diversity in dance styles and themes represented in the performances?
Dinna: There are 3 of us that vote for who gets into each particular showcase. We try to make sure that there are an equal amount of different styles of dance represented so that the showcase has diversity in style and representation.
Dance Mogul: What qualities do you look for in a performance piece that makes it showcase-worthy?
Dinna: We get 100s of submissions each showcase and the majority are very good. It’s difficult to choose, but we essentially grade on these qualities:
1) is it really good, simply good choreography and dancing. Presentation therefore can be key here. Meaning the video should be good quality and represent what we might expect day of show as much as possible.
2) is it unique or does the style look cookie cutter to many other pieces we’ve viewed
3) is it a unique genre or an underrepresented genre
4) after all of the above, it’s a plus if you’ve never performed with us
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Dance Mogul: Can you tell us about any special collaborations or performances we can expect this year?
Dinna: On the administrative side, we are excited for the collaboration and partnership we are beginning with Crown Hill Theatre and their students. In terms of performances, we like to keep those things a bit of a surprise, but we have something very special as the finale that I’m confident is going to blow everyone away!
Dance Mogul: How do you create an experience that both honors tradition and pushes creative boundaries?
Dinna: This is a great question, especially because we have to work with whoever and whatever is submitted. It’s always a pleasure when our stage is graced with the presence of grandparents from any genre. Second to that would be welcoming students that actively learned under those masters. The ultimate goal is to have a show where some performances clearly honor the foundations of the different genres, while showcasing some expansions and creative ways of adding to the traditions. For example,
a dancehall piece in point shoes, or traditional representation of a genre while having interesting costumes and a clear story line expanding the presented creativity.
Dance Mogul: What do you hope the audience takes away from this year’s showcase?
Dinna: Our hope is always that the audience leaves feeling a sense of community, love and joy, and inspired to create.
Dance Mogul: How does Sybarite’s mission impact the dance community, and how does this year’s showcase align with that mission?
Dinna: Our mission is to bring people closer to their joy through the expression of the arts. That applies to the performer and the audience. In addition, our mission is to serve the dance community through providing them with a place to showcase their art to the right people, hopefully resulting in employment, and hone and improve their skills.
We strive for this to occur at every showcase AND we are aware that we are providing something even more important. Something that is sustainable and grounding and is essential to a joyful life – and that is love and community.
Sybarite’s LOVEisLOVE strives to be an atmosphere where we are all in this together, where there is a sense of family and community. “Artists Supporting Artists” Voodoo Ray
Dance Mogul: What kind of feedback from past showcases has influenced how you planned this year’s event?
Dinna: We are open to, and receive a lot of feedback. Some positive, some constructive, and some negative. There are so many moving parts to the show that it’s hard for everybody to understand how changing one thing will impact another, or is sometimes just absolutely not possible. One major thing that is different in this event is that I am utilizing Instagram as a way to communicate with all of the dancers that are performing, with the hopes that they will feel more of a sense of community and promote on social media amongst each other. Crossing fingers!
Dance Mogul: Can you share any stories or moments from the preparation process that stand out to you?
Dinna: We pretty much have a system that at this point flows pretty well. I would say the most difficult part is trying to help people understand why they may have not gotten into this particular show. We simply can’t accept everybody and we have to try to have the best performances with the most diversity. For instance, sometimes somebody is really good, but their style is too similar to that of numerous other pieces that were chosen, sometimes we have to accept individuals who are masters/grandparents, and that means we can’t accept someone else.
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Dance Mogul: How do you engage with and support the artists beyond the showcase?
Dinna: The artists have access to the nonprofit for discounts on rehearsal space. We speak to the performers daily via Instagram chat. Sybarite has sponsored over 20 artists over the years for their visas to remain in the country. We also offer therapy, as the Executive Director, myself, is a licensed psychotherapist. We are actively working on trying to gain sponsorship for chosen individuals to be able to receive ongoing therapy and/or attend intensive psycho-spiritual retreats organized by me via a scholarship.
Dance Mogul: What role does Sybarite’s showcase play in the careers of emerging dancers and choreographers?
Dinna: Our audience is about 50% friends and family and 50% strategically invited industry individuals. We call these people “buyers” and hope that they will provide future employment for chosen dancers. These are, for instance, dance agencies and choreographers for prominent touring artists.
Dance Mogul: How do you envision the future of Sybarite’s showcase, and what are your goals for the years ahead?
Dinna: Our goals are to continue to have LOVEisLOVE occur three times a year, ideally making Crown Hill Theatre our home and utilizing their students actively during production. We would like to be able to build up the space at Crown Hill Theatre to have a dance rehearsal space that the dancers could use at a discounted price. We are always looking for sponsorship to be able to support the event, help it grow further into larger spaces, and to provide scholarships for dancers to be able to attend the subsequent retreats and receive mental health support.