DIGITAL: Professional Development: A Guide to the Dance Agent Business with Barbara Frum & Ilter Ibrahimof

An insider’s look on how the dance agent business works. In this workshop, we will cover an overview of the ins and outs of the Performing Arts Center touring industry focusing on dance. We will be looking from an agent’s point of view on the steps involved in the job including signing a company, building touring budgets, marketing materials, pitching to presenters, conferences, routing, and servicing engagements. We will also cover some basics on how presenters conceive of their seasons, and how an agent can best build relationships with their buyers. The goal of the session is to provide a taste of the agent side of our ecosystem to anyone who is interested in learning more.

About Barbara Frum

Hailing from Toronto, Canada, Barbara Frum is a Creative Producer and Agent.

In 2013 Barbara founded Sharing Spaces LTD. Sharing Spaces currently partners with producing & presenting organizations to develop new dance and music shows for worldwide touring. Sharing Spaces also tours existing works.

Credits include: Daniil Simkin’s INTENSIO (in partnership with The Joyce Theater), Wendy Whelan and Brian Brooks “Some of a Thousand Words” (In partnership with The Joyce Theater), Benjamin Millepied’s LA Dance Project, Malpaso Dance Company (Havana, Cuba), Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, “One of Sixty Five Thousand Gestures” by Jodi Melnick (In partnership with Works & Process at the Guggenheim), “Unveiling” by Moses Sumney and Sonya Tayeh (In partnership with New York City Center), “The Tenant” by Arthur Pita and James Whiteside (In partnership with The Joyce Theater).

About Ilter Ibrahimof

Ilter Ibrahimof is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Fall for Dance North, Toronto’s Premier International Dance Festival. Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, Ilter moved to North America in 1998, first to attend Emerson College in Boston and then living and working in New York City and Montréal before settling in Toronto. Ilter’s own dance touring agency Sunny Artist Management was active from 2004-2020, representing dance companies & artists of the highest caliber from around the world. As a creative mind in the dance field, Ilter is regularly invited to participate in various festivals and conferences in Canada and around the globe as a curator and speaker. In 2020, Dance Collection Danse Hall of Fame awarded Ilter the Sandra Faire Next Generation Award. He lives with his partner Lucas and their two puppies Ginny and Myku.

About Gibney Training

Gibney’s Training Department, led by Senior Director of Training, Alexandra Wells, serves the current and holistic needs of adult dance artists, with consideration for the multiplicity of career expressions and entry points. Through the cultivation of an inclusive and positive space, our offerings make space for exploration, risk-taking, personal and artistic growth, connection, and fun. It is our priority to listen to and support our community and to empower the future leaders of the field. Learn more.

Gibney Professional Development supports dance professionals of all backgrounds building (and re-building) a unique and sustainable career through accessible learning, expanding skills, and fostering a diverse and inclusive community.

Registration

Classes will be streamed live via Zoom. You need a device connected to the internet, you don’t need camera capabilities. Students must pre-register for class and download the Zoom app to join.

Registration will close 20 minutes before the class time. 15 minutes before class, you will receive an email with the Zoom link. Please make sure your Zoom name matches the name you signed up for class with. The class will close 10 minutes after its scheduled start time so please join the class on time.

Please be advised that if there is more than one class taker on your zoom, all must be registered for the class before starting. If a class taker is not registered, Gibney staff will remove you from the class immediately. You will be allowed to re-enter the class once all participants have registered.

Gibney will provide Live Transcription via Otter Live Notes for this class. To access the live transcript in the Zoom meeting, click the red LIVE indicator and then select “View Stream on Otter.ai Live Notes” in the dropdown. The live transcript will open in a separate browser window.

All classes are in Eastern Standard Time.