Falling For The Fall for Dance Festival

The Fall for Dance audience is young -- 31.1 percent were under 30 in 2009, not as good as the 37 percent of last year and of 2006, but still impressive.

And asked if attendance at a Fall for Dance performance influenced them to see more dance performances, 47.5 percent of respondents said yes this year -- up from 44 percent for the last two years and about 40% in the years before.

Why are they coming? The low price is a key motivator -- 52.7 percent said it was the strongest factor. But that is down from previous years: it reached a peak of 70 percent in 2006. Nearly 50 percent said they came to see a particular company this year, with Alvin AIley American Dance Theatre (right) being the most popular company, followed by Paul Taylor Dance Company.

Here's another interesting tidbit: when asked how they heard about Fall for Dance -- they could choose more than one answer -- respondents said "word of mouth" most often, 33.2 percent. The second highest total was a print ad, at 14.7 percent, followed closely by subway ads and the Fall for Dance brochure.

Are there lessons here beyond City Center, especially for other arts disciplines? What are they? 

My favorite is the last -- that print isn't dead.

But back to your concerns: Fall for Dance is about variety, about providing a tempting taste of a discipline as an initiation, about creating a festive "buzzy" occasion people want to be part of, and about delivering a creative experience. It shows that arts groups don't have to change their nature, or provide shock and awe, or dumb down, to win over new audiences.

Photos: Courtesy of New York City Center (top) and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre (bottom).

*A consulting client of mine provides support to NYCC.