Kickstarter

About RASCALS CAVORTING: 

RASCALS CAVORTING is the third evening-length, and seventh total, production created by General Mischief Dance Theatre. The cast features twelve mischievous dancers, many of whom are seen in the video above. It also includes two wonderful musicians - Ely Spivack, and John Kruth of Tribecestan. Our hope, should this campaign be successful, is to include a live band as well, so that audience members can dance themselves as soon as the show is over. How many nights we are able to have a band will depend on the success of this campaign. 

Featuring with General Mischief's high-flying and joyful movement, this 90-minute dance theatre adventure presents two one-act stories. The first act centers on the company's head Rascal at 83 years young, internationally renowned dancer and musician Dawn Hampton (recently featured in a PBS documentary). Ms. Hampton instigates all manner of games and mischief, bringing dancers together in a changing spatial universe where they interact side by side both on the ground and in the air. The second act is a modern love story, where trust is put to the test as dancers hurl themselves off ledges and into open space, depending on one another for safe landings. Three pairs demonstrate this trust, or lack thereof, in different ways: the optimism of new love, the mistrust in a broken relationship, and the devotion and ongoing negotiation between a parent and young child. 

The cast features an incredible collection of dancers who have performed around the globe, some of whom have their own dance companies as well. They are: Troy Barnes, Curtis Howard, Gia Lisa Krahne, Lisa Natoli, Andrea Skurr, Andrea Steiner, Carlos Taylor Jr., Emily Smyth Vartanian, and of course, featured guest Dawn Hampton. 

About General Mischief Dance Theatre: 

General Mischief is dedicated to reinforcing the power that joy and laughter have in communicating ideas, as well as to encourage the natural desire to express oneself through movement. We combine aerial dance with contemporary movement, Body Music, and Lindy Hop, making the choreography accessible to audiences of all ages and all levels of dance knowledge. What we do includes both narrative stories and interactive dances. Our work often incorporates ideas from the dancers themselves, for example: “What if they threw balls at us?” (Thanks Andrea.) 

Founded informally in 2004 as an informal artistic collaboration, General Mischief incorporated in 2008 in the interest of producing our high-flying dance adventures year-round. The company has previously presented work in New York City at The Connelly Theater, Theater for the New City, Manhattan Movement and Arts Center, the JCC, Medicine Show Theater, and Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts, as well as the Freud Playhouse and Morgan-Wixon Theater in Los Angeles. This and much more is on our website, www.GeneralMischief.com. 

 When is RASCALS CAVORTING? 

We are already in rehearsals for the production, and having a blast! Performances begin on September 7 and continue through September 16, 2012 at the Connelly Theater on East 4th Street in New York City. 

Where does my money go? 

General Mischief is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation! Donations are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law. Your money goes directly to paying our incredible musicians. If we make our goal, Ely Spivack and John Kruth will play for every show, and we will also feature local swing bands to play after as many performances as possible. Help us ensure that these musical artists get paid for their amazing work, and audiences get the experience of dance the way it was always meant to be – a LIVE conversation between musicians and dancers, that reminds everyone of their own natural inclination to move. We have amazing rewards in store for every level of support! Choose the one that excites you the most, and help us make Mischief! 

How Kickstarter Works: 

You can pledge any amount and choose a reward. At the end of this campaign, if the combined total of all pledges for the project meets our $1,200 goal, then your credit card is charged and we will receive the funds to pay these wonderful musicians. If we don't meet our goal, then the money is not withdrawn from your account and no rewards are provided. If we exceed our goal the extra funds will be used to bring in a band for more nights, then distributed to all of the artists in the production - dancers and musicians alike. Aside from a 5% Kickstarter fee and a 3-5% Amazon credit card processing fee, every dollar will go directly to the artists in RASCALS CAVORTING. 

Can I increase my pledge once it’s been made? 

ABSOLUTELY! After you make your initial donation, you may want to change your reward to a different one, or increase your pledge amount. To do that, sign in to Kickstarter, go to our campaign page, and see that the green “Back This Project” button has been replaced with a blue “Manage Your Donation” button. Click it, and you can enter a new amount or choose a new reward. What happens if the goal isn’t reached in time? Unfortunately, nothing at all. If our entire $1,200 goal isn’t met before the deadline, no money changes hands, we will not have the funds to pay the musicians, and our project will be in big trouble. We know you won't let this happen! BUT if we exceed this amount, Kickstarter will give us all the money donated before the deadline. $1,200 is a tiny amount given what it could make possible, and exceeding our goal would mean we could actually pay all the artists more, as well as less begging, borrowing, and pulled hair for the production team. 

How do you contact us? 

So glad you asked! You can contact us directly at Trouble@GeneralMischief.com. We check it all the time, and will get back to you. On our mischievous honor! 

Other ways you can help: 

Spread the word! Tell your friends about RASCALS CAVORTING. Like our page on Facebook, Tweet like crazy #GENERAL MISCHIEF #RASCALS CAVORTING, post a blog about it, or promote the show in any way you can think of. Everything helps! Thank you in advance to all of our wonderful supporters!