Dancefunder, a crowdfunding platform to raise money for raising money for dancers worldwide, has been launched by dance entrepreneur Kymberlee Jay.
Dancefunder uses the popular platform of crowdfunding to raise money for people looking to complete projects with the help of others online in return for perks and benefits for investing.
The website allows dancers to set up fundraising campaigns and request money in lieu of donations, or for visitors to browse the website and fund and invest in projects they would like to be involved with.
“Every day it becomes increasingly difficult to obtain funding through traditional methods – with funding cuts ending arts projects everywhere. We need to seek other ways to support the dance projects throughout the world and crowd funding is a natural progression,” said Kymberlee Jay. “Crowdfunding is a strong alternative to typical arts funding, sponsorship or investment methods where often the criteria for funding is extensive and the decision on whether the application will be approved is made by a small group of people who might not see the vision.”
Since its launch the website has attracted several independent dance projects seeking funding including battle events, production costs for upcoming dance shows and rehearsal space for video productions. It is hoped the website will become a hub for independent dance projects across the world.
Like other crowdfunding platforms Dancefunder allows anyone in the world to set up a campaign or contribute to one of their choice.
“Dancefunder is a niche crowdfunding site, it only supports dance-based projects. This means that projects don’t get lost in a sea of unrelated technology or film campaigns which they often do on larger, more general crowdfunding platforms. It also makes it easier for supporters of dance to find the type of companies, people or ideas they want to invest in,” Kymberlee explains. “For dance project creators and entrepreneurs it helps increase their odds of having their ventures fully funded.”
Kymberlee Jay is an established choreographer, dance teacher, performance coach and Nike Athlete based in London, United Kingdom.
In April 2012 Kymberlee also launched the agency Superbad Talent under the umbrella company Superbad Events, responsible for producing regional street dance battles, workshops, showcases and tours.
Further to the crowdfunding basics Dancefunder also includes online resources and direct support from an project manager experienced in dance marketing and communications to bring the project to completion.
“I created the Dancefunder platform to support dance projects of all sizes, as well as encourage artistic and economic growth in the dance industry,” said Kymberlee. “I want Dancefunder to empower dance entrepreneurs to take matters into their own hands and gain control of securing the funding that they need to create the projects that they believe in, whilst knowing that they have verified support network.”
