Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter

Building a show is a huge group effort. As a backer, you are making the work of costuming, designing, and presenting the show the artists are steadily building possible.

We are a team collaborating around this exciting theme, each doing our part to bring this concert to life. Dancers, singers, musicians, actors, directors, lighting and costume designers - all coming together to produce F A S H I O N V I C T I M. As issues arise (as they inevitably do) we are in a strong position to make the necessary adjustments and "get this show on the road".

F A S H I O N V I C T I M is the 11th concert Artistic Director Kelly King has set on Contradiction Dance since founding the company in 2006. Each show presents a unique set of challenges; the experience of managing each of the prior productions creates an expectation and several pathways for success now.

Seeking new collaboration with old friends, we reached out to former company member Veronica Marche Miller for her design expertise. Veronica is currently a graduate student of Fashion Design at Drexel University. Pairing her dual passions for fashion design and illustration, Veronica is providing costume designs for the production as well as the image for F A S H I O N V I C T I M.

Another former company member with a penchant for fashion and design, Anneliese Parisi, will be assisting with costume construction and management. Anneliese, being extraordinarily fabulous in her daily style lends her awesomeness to the production through proximity alone. The cast feels “sexy-fierce” whenever she is near.

Marcus Kyd, Artistic Director of Taffety Punk Theatre Company, also joins our band of merry dance-makers. Marcus is co-directing F A S H I O N V I C T I M, lending his expertise, style, and groove to the company. He is a dancer masquerading around Washington as an actor; he is a director who’d rather be in a band. His collaboration with Contradiction Dance simply brings him one step closer to his ultimate dream: dance theatre with fashion sense live at the 9:30 club.

Director of Theatre, Melissa-Leigh Bustamante, is continuing her writing success from last spring’s "The Gift" to create the dialogue for F A S H I O N V I C T I M. Her saucy wit and gift for tone have the performers working hard to bring her words to life.

Company member Eleni Grove is stepping into the role of rehearsal director, assisting Kelly and the rest of the company with movement retention and polish in extra rehearsals.

This season's cast of performers is a wonderful blend of seasoned veterans and new talent - fresh and full of ideas. The creative process utilizes each of the performers’ individual gifts to create the best overall production. Whether it be learning how to do new crazy lifts or speaking and dancing for the first time – there is a wealth of experience in the rehearsal room for each performer to draw upon for inspiration, support, and… perspiration!

Those are just some of the highlights of our magnificent, magical team. You, dear backer, are just as spellbinding. You are making it all possible – without your support, we couldn’t give these artists the rehearsal and performance stipends they so richly deserve.

As we prepare for the stage, we will face many obstacles and challenges.

We have an amazing team, but we are only as strong as our weakest link, and we are all dependent on each other's efforts. What happens if the costume design team can't find/make the original vision for the designs? Will we be able to find or make replacements in time? Will we manage our limited resources to costume a 10 member cast within our means? How will we adjust?

It's possible that the production will face injured performers. In that case, we will have to shuffle our casting, re-choreograph and replace dancers. This is the great fear every dancer faces; "What if I get sick or injured?" It happens. Often we have to manage last-minute changes - that is what rehearsal is for - to rehearse the ideal scenario, so that in the event of a last-minute complication, we are prepared to improvize around our needs. No one likes to make an emergency change, but if we must - we will.

Another challenge we face is tech rehearsal itself; we have one full day in the theatre prior to dress rehearsal to get the lighting, sound, and staging ready for an audience. If anything goes wrong on the technical end, we lose valuable time to prepare. In the past we've faced speakers blowing out, microphones that won't work and lights that just don't turn on, no matter how many bulbs we replace and cables we test.

And then there's the ineveitable, impossible variable of what happens in front of an audience. That's the thrill and risk of live dance theatre: we just don't know what will or won't happen when the lights go up in front of a crowd.

Choosing our battles wisely prior to opening and trusting our time in rehearsal to provide the inspiration - when needed - to improvize a solution on stage will determine our success in front of an audience.

Knowing that we have a group of dedicated supporters willing to help us brainstorm and solve problems as they arise is invaluable. Will you lend a hand when we need it?

Thank you for your generosity! We can't wait to see you on the runway…