Originally posted on November 15, 2017 on Dance Magazine by Jennifer Stahl
Dancers love Kickstarter. Over the past eight years, more than 2,300 dance projects have brought in more than $12 million through campaigns on the site. Even traditional companies like Martha Graham Dance Company and MacArthur “genius” award-winning choreographers like Michelle Dorrance have gotten in on the action.
But starting today, the site is announcing a new platform called Drip that aims to be even more useful for artists. Rather than having to set up a new campaign for each project, artists can build a community of support for their ongoing creative practice. Supporters pay a monthly “subscription” fee for perks like exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, ticket discounts, in-person meet-and-greets with the artists—whatever artists want to offer. And that means the artists can count on a regular pool of funds from fans paying as little as $2 a month.
Drip has technically been around since 2011, but it was created solely for musicians. The platform joined Kickstarter about two years ago, and today’s relaunch opens it up to artists across all of the disciplines that Kickstarter serves—including dance.
Right now, choreographer Stephen Petronio is representing our field as one of the first 26 artists on the new site.