Executive Summary

Make it happen is a step by step instructional video series that will teach you how to write, produce and shoot your own films through exploring the documentation of various types of performance. The make it happens series is an inexpensive alternative to seminars or classes and can be done in your own time at your own pace.

Volume 1: Creative Approaches to Dance Film Production will teach you how to make your own professional grade dance films.

Dance artists will take you through the processes of creating choreography and performing specifically for the camera. Cinematographers will introduce creative methods to light, shoot, and record audio specifically for dance. Post production elements such as film editing and audio mixing will bring these elements together into a polished work. Later series will introduce other types of performance, such as music videos, theatre, stand up comedy, improv, as well as many other genres of dance.

Lesley Werle will be the dancer and choreographer of the first video series. She has been a dancer for 10 years and will graduate with a BFA in Dance this spring at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is well versed in styles of Modern, Ballet, Salsa, and many others.

Stephen May will focus on the choreography and editing. He has been working in film and editing of dance performance for several years. He has choreographed and perfomed in works in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Raleigh-Durham.

Ross Floyd will focus on the technical aspects of shooting and lighting each video. He will be graduating from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana with a BFA in Photography. Ross has been the director of photography for several independent short films and has been photographing for six years.

Make it happen Series will be sold and distributed in dance studios, bookstores, as well as art galleries and performance venues.

Proposal

As an aspiring performance artist I want to create a place where fellow performers can shine and those who enjoy watching can do just that. My vision is to create a restaurant/club that would recruit talented performance artists to put on their act, while customers can enjoy food and drink while being entertained. Potential recruits would include those who excel in all types of performance arts, including acting, comedy, dance, singing, poetry reading, contortionism, etc. Name your talent and it will be put on stage. Being in my fourth year at the University of Illinois, pursuing a BFA degree in dance, I have developed contacts and potential recruits with numerous artists of all different disciplines. The reason why this improvisation-style club would appeal to such a wide range of people is because it’s not just your average comedy club. Those who appreciate any discipline in the arts, entertainment in general, or just a place to eat good food and drink with a relaxing atmosphere would gravitate to this place.
I do realize that support for the arts is hard to come by unless you chose a location that is populated by art enthusiasts, however, I firmly believe that this improvisation club will appeal to the culture of fine arts as well as mainstream society. The performance aspect sets aside this club from the rest of the bar scene. It’s that same old drinking and schmoozing that gets old, but mingling and meeting knew people while experiencing diverse, up and coming talent creates an enjoyable evening for everyone. Profits would come in from food and drink sales as well as a suggested donation cover charge at the door. This way the mandatory entrance fee won’t scare off those who cannot afford it.
I appreciate you taking time to read over my proposed idea, and hope you seriously consider investing in the improvisation club. I would be more than willing to meet with you to further discuss my plans and answer any questions. You can contact me by email at lwerle2@uiuc.edu. Thank you very much for your time.

Lesley Werle

Long-term/short-term goals

I would like to pursue a performance career out in California. In order to progress towards this goal I intend to get a job waitressing or bartending to make fast money. This way I can save up money to move and survive a higher cost of living on the west coast. In the meantime I would be doing a lot of online research to see what opportunity is out there and where I can find upcoming auditions.

Another goal that seems pretty surreal at this point in time would be to dance in hip-hop music videos. I would need to train more in the hip-hop technique and perhaps audition for local dances troupes that practice this style.

My last long-term goal would be to possibly tour the world in a dance company. Once again this would require online researching and making connections with people outside the U.S. Saving money from my day job would also provide means to travel.

This month I will be researching dance opportunity in California and book a plane ticket to fly out to either San Diego or San Francisco this January. I'm currently planning a trip with a good friend of mine, and I intend to take advantage of audition opportunities during my stay.