In December 2020, I was successful in securing ACE funding for Fiya House to undergo a period of Strategic Planning & Thinking Time. In lieu of hosting one of our infamous Popcity battle events in January, the first quarter of 2021 seemed the perfect opportunity to take some (paid) time for the team to up-skill and make plans for the future.
As part of the ACE bid, we were able to:
- meet with industry specialists covering topics such as sponsorship, international collaboration, partnership working and artistic planning.
- deliver a paid, online training intensive for nine Fiya House members – where we were able to pay our dancers a weekly rate to train for the very first time.
- facilitate bespoke sessions on Tax for Freelancers and ACE Fundraising for Fiya House members
- host three exclusive, online workshops and Q&As with international dance artists Nala (FR), Future (USA) & Jr Boogaloo (USA).
Artist Feedback from the Fiya House Training Intensive 2021
What was my role?
As Producer, I was responsible for things like:
- Writing an Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant application to secure funding
- Devising the programme outline
- Negotiating support in-kind
- Communicating with artists and drafting contracts
- Sourcing and developing relationships with key consultants and delivery partners
- Booking and coordinating logistics for international artists
- Signing off promo materials and comms campaigns
- Leading the Intro to ACE Fundraising session
- Managing the project budget, monitoring cash-flow, ticket sales and signing off all expenditure
- Plus about 1,000 other things!
Exclusive international workshops with Nala, Future & Jr Boogaloo – Fiya House 2021
This was a project of many firsts! Despite the disappointment of not being able to deliver our huge live events as normal, this was a brilliant opportunity for the team to have dedicated time to plan, meet with specialists and devise new programmes for the future. It was an important milestone to offer paid training for nine company dancers for the first time, particularly after such a long hiatus due to the pandemic, and we were still able to offer an exclusive international element to the wider Popping community through our online workshops with top international artists. Stay tuned for more Fiya House events coming up in 2021!
This programme of activity was funded by Arts Council England and supported by Team London Bridge and Shoreditch Town Hall.