How It Works
We believe art is a necessary part of everyday life. We believe dance is a universal language that everyone can understand. We believe that the dance world needs to innovate, adapt and have a real relationship with its audience.
Dances Made to Order is an online dance film series. Every month, we invite three talented artists who rise to the challenge of creating five-minute dance films in just two weeks inspired by the themes chosen by our audience!
Subscribe to an entire season for only $50, and get 33 short films—plus bonus content throughout the year. Or, buy a single-edition ticket for only $6.75 which includes three films. 65% of our ticket revenue goes back to our participating artists to support their work. It’s a great way to show your appreciation.
Here’s how it works:
1. Inspire our artists!
We hand-pick the curators and artists, but you choose what will inspire their work. We’ll present you with a fresh menu of exciting and poetic themes every month. Select two themes that most intrigue you.
2. Don’t slack!
You only have three days to select the inspiration. To be a part of the creative process, simply log in, and you’ll be automatically directed to the voting form. After voting you’ll be sent to the order form to choose either a season pass or single-month ticket, so you can view the full-length dance films when they premiere.
3. Sit back and enjoy!
After voting closes, artists have just three weeks to create their dance films inspired by the two most popular themes. They will premiere exclusively on our website for your online viewing pleasure. Once you have purchased a set of films, you can watch them as many times as you like at your convenience. Have a movie night at home with your honey or sneak a peek at work. We won’t tell. (Lots of people do it).
While you are waiting for the films to premiere, catch up on the past editions you have missed.
Like Dances Made to Order on Facebook We are giving away fun prizes every month. Chat with us and a community of passionate arts lovers.
Dances Made to Order is NOT a competition between the artists. Our forum investigates how three artists with very different aesthetics respond to the same ideas. We want to inspire and stimulate conversation. The dance world has lost touch with it’s audience. We want to know what our audience is interested in and what they would like to see dances about.
How are the artists selected for the series?
Artists are selected by our curators/curatorial partners or must come highly recommended by an artist who has already participated in the series. We no do not have an open submission policy and do not accept unsolicited work.
Dances Made to Order also produces the En Route Film Festival once a year in December to celebrate the work of other films and artists not included in our series. We happily accept submissions for the festival. It’s the best way to introduce your work to us. Submissions have closed, but check back with us in the summer of 2013.
Dances Made to Order was created by Kingsley Irons and Bryan Koch in April 2011.
Kingsley Irons is a choreographer, filmmaker and co-founder of Dances Made to Order. She is Filipina-American and grew up in Queens, New York. This explains her eternal love for hip-hop, bling, manicures and coronas. In an ideal world she would wear a party dress and go out to a different restaurant every night.
Co-founder of Dances Made, Bryan Koch is a web developer, designer and filmmaker. He grew up near Philadelphia in a house with a few too many cats. Currently, he lives in Los Angeles where he enjoys drinking Old Fashioneds, eating BBQ of all kinds, and putting his favorite songs on repeat. Bryan performs nightly in his living room. Upcoming acts include random man dances and juggling of up to three pieces of fruit.
Read some important articles that speak directly to why we do what we do:
Why Cultural Entrepreneurship is a Win-Win by Peter Tullin
Dance and Money: A Response to Lightsy Darst by Jennifer Edwards