Money & Ethics

[Melinda]

Talk proposal from CI36. Please reply below!

Erica Kaufman, Nancy Stark Smith, Mark Moti Zemelman
Discussing the culture of money within CI; ethics in the “business of CI” and in teaching and jamming; the economics of CI—making a living as a CI performer or teacher.

[Sjahari]

CI has tremendous potential to impact on a wide variety of people who are at need in society. Those with poor fitness and MSK conditions for instance. It is within this population that the teachers and performers might have an opportunity to make a living. But it is also the population where the teaching would be most difficult.

Teaching and performing for young and healthy dancers provides more artistic rewards, and more potential for developing the form but less opportunity for making a living. There has to be some kind of balance.

In a way right now there is a certain elitist (physical/artistic) characteristic to CI which is what makes it a difficult arena in which to make a living because noone in this elitist population has any money to spare. Currently the practitioners are attempting to make a living essentially by giving lessons to each other.

The vista needs to be opened up wider. This will make the practice more accessible to the wider society and will also provide needed financial support for those dedicated to teaching and practicing CI.

Sjahari