Verb Ballets

VERB IGNITES AUDIENCE PASSION AND PARTICIPATION IN CONTEMPORARY DANCE THROUGH PERFORMANCE, OUTREACH PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

VERB BALLETS IMPLEMENTED PROGRAMMING FOR THE COMMUNITY WHILE ADAPTING TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES THE PANDEMIC HAS CREATED. ARTISTICALLY, THE SEASON CONSISTED OF 3 FULL EVENING LENGTH WORKS. CHOREOGRAPHER TOMMIE-WAHEED EVANS CREATED HIS FIRST EVENING LONG WORK, BASED ON THE GREEK TRAGEDY, ANTIGONE, AND JOSHUA PEUGH CREATED A NEW WORK BASED UPON A SHAKESPEARE'S ROMEO & JULIET. BOTH ARE NON-TRADITIONAL IN THEIR APPROACH. VERB PROVIDED ARTISTIC DIRECTION TO PRODUCE A COMMUNITY CENTRIC NUTCRACKER FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON. WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW WORKS FUND FOR ARTISTS OF COLOR,?WE ENGAGED CHOREOGRAPHERS OF DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE ARTIST PROGRAM, WE BROUGHT INTERNATIONAL DANCERS TO EXCHANGE DANCE TRADITIONS AND TRAINING. CONTINUED TO ENSURE ACCESS BY PROVIDING FREE AND LOW-COST PERFORMANCES IN PUBLIC SPACES AND COMMUNITY EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. CONTINUED TO GROW VERB'S LOCATIONAL PRESENCE THROUGH DANCE FOR EVERYONE(DFE) AND DANCE FOR YOUTH (DFY),FOR PEOPLE OF ANY AGE. FOR CHILDREN, YOUNG ADULTS AND SENIORS LOCATED OUTSIDE OF OUR STUDIO'S REACH, WE OFFERED OUR OUTREACH PROGRAMS TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS, UNIVERSITIES, SENIOR CITIZENS LOCATIONS AND COMMUNITY CENTERS. COVER TOPICS SUCH AS STEM, LITERACY, AND CULTURAL APPRECIATION.

ACCORDING TO GOOGLE ANALYTICS, WEBSITE TRAFFIC DECREASED BY 7%, BUT 65% OF VISITORS WERE NEW. THE SLIGHT DECREASE REFLECTS MOVING AWAY FROM ONLINE STREAMING. VERB'S HOMEPAGE HAD A 16% INCREASE OVER THE LAST YEAR, AND THE SCHOOL PAGE SAW AN 11% INCREASE. THERE WAS A DECREASE OF 10% IN WEBSITE SESSIONS MOST LIKELY DUE TO THE RETURN OF IN PERSON PERFORMANCES. THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN YOUNGER AUDIENCES (18-44) ENGAGING WITH THE WEBSITE. PEOPLE FOUND VERB THROUGH ORGANIC SEARCHES 20% OF THE TIME, AND DIRECT SEARCHES 37%. GOOGLE ANNOUNCED THAT UNIVERSAL ANALYTICS WILL STOP PROCESSING NEW HITS IN JULY 2023. GOOGLE ANALYTICS WILL BE REPLACED BY GOOGLE ANALYTICS 4 TO PROTECT CUSTOMER PRIVACY AND ENSURE TRANSPARENCY. THE CHALLENGE WILL BE HOW TO CONTINUE TARGETING AND BUILDING AUDIENCES ONLINE WITHOUT THEM

1.DURING THE 2021-22 SEASON, VERB MOUNTED 15 WORKS REPRESENTING 10 CHOREOGRAPHERS INCLUDING THREE NEW FULL-LENGTH BALLETS. 2.THE COMPANY PRESENTED A TOTAL OF 19 PERFORMANCES TO A TOTAL AUDIENCE OF 11,294 VIEWERS. OF THAT 16 WERE PRESENTED AND SIX WERE SELF-PRESENTED. 3.WE CONTINUED OUR COLLEGIATE PARTNERSHIPS PROVIDING INSTRUCTION AND CURRICULUM FOR THE DANCE COURSES AT HIRAM COLLEGE AND JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY. 4.WE CONTINUED TO BUILD NEW OUTREACH PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS WITH THE CENTER FOR ARTS-INSPIRED LEARNING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL'S WOMEN AND CHILDREN CENTER, INTERNATIONAL MURAL FESTIVAL, AKRON CHILDREN'S CONCERT SOCIETY, AKRON CIVIC THEATRE'S BOOM THEATER, CLEVELAND DANCE MOVEMENT AND LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 5.THE COMPANY REACHED 2,568 YOUNG PEOPLE AND OVER 967 COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND ADULTS IN 15 DIFFERENT SITES IN CUYAHOGA, SUMMIT AND PORTAGE COUNTIES. VERB BALLETS PRESENTED 142 OUTREACH ACTIVITIES TO THE PUBLIC. 6.IN TOTAL THE COMPANY RECEIVED 71,780 IN INCOME FOR BOTH PRESENTED AND SELF-PRODUCED SHOWS FOR THE SEASON. 7.TOTAL CASH INCOME INCREASED FROM 593,526 TO 641,599 AN 8% INCREASE. 8.RETURN ON GRANTS WAS 55% OF THE AMOUNT ASKED AND 80% AWARDED. THE AMOUNT AWARDED DROPPED FROM 352,483 IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR TO 261,053. 9.THE AVERAGE CONTRIBUTION PER BOARD MEMBER INCREASED FROM 1,910 TO 2,757. THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN NUMBER OF BOARD MEMBERS FROM 18 TO 19. 10.COST OF PERSONNEL MAKES UP 66% OF THE BUDGET. 11.EARNED INCOME MAKES UP 25% (158,181) OF OUR TOTAL INCOME. 12.CORPORATE SUPPORT RETURNED FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC WITH THE SPRING GALA SPONSORSHIPS FOR A TOTAL OF 53,500. 13.TO KEEP UP WITH RISING STUDIO RENTAL COSTS, WE IMPLEMENTED A PRICE INCREASE FOR OUR DFE CLASSES IN JANUARY OF 2022. THIS PRICE INCREASE HAD NO TANGIBLE EFFECTS ON ENROLLMENT AND HELPED US TO KEEP PACE WITH SCHOOL COSTS. 14.OUR SCHOOL ATTENDANCE OVER THE PAST YEAR HAS BEEN CONSISTENT AND ON TREND WITH THE PRE-COVID ATTENDANCE WITH 4,436 STUDENTS FOR THE SEASON. 15.SCHOOL INCOME DID INCREASE TO 60,658 WHICH WAS A 10% INCREASE (54,613 LAST SEASON) FROM LAST SEASON. WHILE NOT FULLY BACK TO PRE-PANDEMIC ATTENDANCE LEVELS, OUR ATTENDANCE NUMBERS HAVE BEEN STEADILY INCREASING. 16.IN SURVEYING THOSE AUDIENCE MEMBERS IN JUNE OF 2021; 88% WERE COMFORTABLE TO RETURN TO LIVE THEATRE BECAUSE THEY HAD RECEIVED THEIR VACCINE 17.BRYAN ANDRES SALINAS OF COLOMBIA JOINED THE COMPANY IN JANUARY AS INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE ARTIST.

FOR MANY YEARS, VERB HAS MADE CONSCIOUS EFFORTS TO CHOOSE DANCERS, STAFF AND REPERTORY THAT REPRESENT THE CULTURAL, RACIAL, AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION THAT COMPRISE OUR NATION. UNTIL 20-21 WE DID NOT HAVE WRITTEN STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT OR POLICIES STATING THESE PREFERENCES. THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT TAUGHT US THE IMPORTANCE OF GIVING CREDENCE TO CHOOSE AS-STATED POLICIES.