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Dancer Development Program

Career Navigation for Dancers and Multidisciplinary Artists

Built to disrupt the narrative of the starving artist.

The company sitting and standing together on a stone wall at dusk, laughing and interacting, with trees, a stone building, and an overcast sky in the background.

Dancer Development Program x Get Shamele$s: Paperwork Party & Happy Hour

Tuesday, November 10th

  • PAPERWORK PARTY: Tuesday, Nov 10 | 3pm - 5:30pm | 651 ARTS Theater (10 Lafayette Ave, 4th Fl, Brooklyn)
  • HAPPY HOUR: Tuesday, Nov 10 | 5:30pm - 6:30pm | RSVP for location

We’re giving artists the tools for stability and career longevity we wish we had, starting with the financial admin they’ve been dreading.

On Tuesday, November 10, Kyle Abraham Day, our Dancer Development Program is hosting a Paperwork Party in partnership with Get Shamele$s, led by financial planner Pam Capalad and Dyalekt.

And you’re invited. Together, we’ll tackle everything from paying taxes as an artist and creating a grant application budget to saving for a rainy day on inconsistent income.

Afterwards, unwind with a happy hour and bites to connect with the broader artist community.

The full event is free, but space is limited. RSVP early.

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Passion alone is not enough to get by.

We Wish.

The realities of professional dance include career brevity, income volatility, and limited pathways to financial freedom. This is a field that asks dancers to do more with less, to do so alone, and to call that resilience.

Giving artists the power to own their careers with greater clarity and stability.

DDP offers the financial confidence and professional guidance needed to build sustainable creative lives — everything they don’t teach in conservatory or art school.

Clarify your financial and professional pathways

Artist-led workshops in budgeting, cash flow, retirement planning, tax management, debt, and business structures, so dancers understand how income moves through a creative career.

Get personalized guidance from field experts

Small group sessions with financial, legal, and arts-sector professionals tailored to the realities of being a multidisciplinary creative with evolving needs.

Build community around sustainable practice

Facilitated gatherings that normalize conversations about money and longevity in the arts, rooted in shared experience, peer support, and non-judgmental education.

We’re building the program and community we wish we had.

The organizations supporting this work are committed to building a healthier arts ecosystem. With shared knowledge and relationships, artists can finally move beyond individual survival and build collective power. 

Partners

The Artist Sustainability Project, founded by interdisciplinary artists David Thomson and Kate Watson-Wallace, advances research and education around financial and personal sustainability for artists. Through workshops and mentorship, they bring a framework for building long-term stability that is grounded in care, resource access, and collective accountability.

Get Shamele$s, led by financial planner Pam Capalad and artist Dyalekt, reimagines financial education as a pathway to liberation for artists and creators. Their work brings trauma-informed, culturally responsive tools and mentorship that support artists in building financial stability aligned with their values and lived experience.

Minerva Financial Arts, founded by financial educator Dr. Elaine Grogan Luttrull, delivers financial education and coaching designed for the realities of a creative life. Their approach centers compassion and empowerment, equipping artists with clear, actionable tools to build financial stability as a foundation for creative freedom.

Partner with us

A sustainable creative career shouldn’t depend on access to insider knowledge.

Sign up now for updates on upcoming DDP workshops, conversations, and artist resources.

Artists often navigate financial instability and career sustainability alone.

Help us expand DDP through partnerships, workshops, and shared resources that strengthen the entire arts ecosystem.

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