On 14 Feb 2016 I attended the Junior Company's performance of Ballet Bubbles at the Meervaart Theatre in Amsterdam (see Ballet Bubbles 16 Feb 2916). One of the artists who particularly impressed me was the young American dancer Melissa Chapski. She appeared in La Vivandiere (see Photos of La Vivandière – Pas de six 19 Feb 2016) and Trois Gnossiennes (see Trois Gnossiennes 9 March 2916).
Chapski and the Italian dancer, Giovanni Princic, were the beneficiaries of a crowdfunding campaign in May (see Crowdfunding for the Ballet 25 May 2016). In that article I wrote:
"I argued in Ballet as a Brand? How to bring More Money into Dance for Companies and Dancers 13 March 2014 that more money could be raised for the arts by licensing, merchandising and sponsorship. The Dutch National Ballet have been particularly innovative in that regard. One of its most imaginative initiatives has been its collaboration in the design and marketing of Bounden, an award winning dancing game for two players (see Bounden - Something that appeals to my Interests in Technology and Dance 17 Dec 2013, Bounden Part II - How it works 1 Feb 2014 and Bounden Launched 28 May 2014). The company's latest fund raising method has been crowd funding."That is exactly the sort of initiative that I should like companies in this country imitate. I concluded the article with the observation that "the rewards of giving will be not only the dancers' gratitude but also 'great personal rewards' which I surmise to be great performances some of which could be in London."
Chapski has recently appeared in the above video advertising the Dutch radio station NPO's Christmas programme. The caption "Geniet van kerst op NPO Radio 4" means "Enjoy Christmas on NPO Radio 4." She dances beautifully and this is one of the early rewards of the crowdfunding campaign.
