Nurturing strong foundations and professional community in the contemporary dance world.

Help Desk

supports the professional infrastructure of contemporary dance companies and independent choreographers; and works with participating artists to develop a strong sense of community and empowerment.  At the heart of Help Desk are two equally important relationships: the one between artist and mentor and the one between artist and the Help Desk community.  The mentor/artist relationship provides participating artists and companies with personalized strategic planning, guidance and infrastructure support over a sustained period of time.  Artists and non-performing partners attend regular meetings sharing challenges and solutions and in the process, build a more supportive arts community.

Through Help Desk, Pentacle plans to create a national network of dance companies, independent choreographers, and their non-performing champions committed to creating sustainable, innovative administrative systems. Help Desk provides an on-going forum for the exploration of ways to address infrastructure needs so that dance-makers can spend more time on the creative process and the presentation and performance of their work.

Pentacle administered Help Desk in New York from 1997 to 2006 and currently administers Help Desk in Los Angeles.  Pentacle plans to pilot Help Desk in Chicago in 2012-2013.  Discussions are underway with local partners to bring Help Desk to San Francisco, Miami and Houston.

Help Desk/L.A.

pairs a limited number of artists/companies with highly experienced arts administrators in a personalized mentorship that focuses on strategic planning, guidance and infrastructure support. The Program challenges participants to measure whether text-book solutions really work, or whether they serve as inspiration to create a system designed for their particular needs. Participants also attend interactive meetings that address the specific needs and challenges facing them.

Goals of Help Desk/L.A:

• To provide stable organizational underpinnings for its artists/companies
• To create a community of professional peers who command mutual admiration, share resources; and who champion each other and the greater Los Angeles dance community

Help Desk/L.A. is open to Los Angeles area dance companies, independent choreographers and performance artists. For a full list of Help Desk/L.A. artists and mentors, please visit the Pentacle website:  www.pentacle.org/helpdeskla

For more information, contact Felicia Rosenfeld, Program Director, Help Desk at
feliciar@pentacle.org