Excellence In Performing Arts
Welcome To Dance Platform
Hello There! We’re delighted to meet you. So you’re probably on this page because you own, or work for, a dance & performing arts school. We hope you’re interested to learn more about how our events work and if it is something that your school might want to get involved with.
Dance Platform is an exciting, non-competitive dance and performing arts event which takes place in Dublin’s Helix theatre every summer and winter. Our events have been running since 2012 and in that time we have professionally produced over twenty performances, with nearly 9,000 performers and around 15,000 audience members.
The vision behind Dance Platform is simple. To produce fun, exciting, non-competitive events that allow children and young adults, from all over Ireland, to perform in one of Dublin’s premier theatres. To provide a free event that many dance schools could not finance independently. To help students feel the thrill of performing to a live theatre audience. And above all, to make it easy for dance schools to get involved, removing all the normal stresses of producing large-scale theatre performances.
Our events are always expertly organised, cooperative and supportive. Every performer, school and teacher feels a part of our family.
You can learn more about Dance Platform events on this page or just get in touch. You can email us on danceplatformevents@gmail.com or call 083 020 7962.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS FOR YOUR SCHOOL?
Like all of the dance and performing arts schools who regularly take part in our events, we think Dance Platform is pretty awesome. But if you have never been involved in one of our events you might be wondering what are the benefits of getting involved. Here are a few that spring to mind.
School Showcases
This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your school, your students and your choreography in a professional production. In front of the performers’ families and friends they get to shine on the stage as they perform in one Ireland’s most prestigious theatres.
We’ve all put out those rows of chairs in the studio, school hall or parish building. Why not ditch those ‘in-studio’ shows and join one of our Dance Platform events. Your school will be a part of a performance that everyone will remember.
Marketing & P.R.
Being involved in Dance Platform provides a great opportunity to promote your school. Shout about your inclusion on social media, add it to your website or promote it at camps and events… go on share the good news.
Every school also gets a dedicated advert in the event program professionally designed free of chargr. Every performer’s names are listed in the running order and you’ll even receive free event and school group photographs from the day.
Reward Students & Their Families
Our events are a great way to reward, encourage and focus your students. It also provides you with a fantastic way to thank their families for their continued support by inviting them to watch their children and young adults perform in the Helix. You never know, it might be one of your student’s parents that wins one of the special spot prizes on the day.
Financially Risk Free
For many schools putting on a production in the Helix represents a significant financial risk. For some they simply could not afford it. Your school, no matter how large or small it is, can be a part of one of our events for free.
Stress-free Events
Large scale productions are notoriously complex and stressful. From venues to suppliers, costumes to staff, running orders to tech rehearsals… the list goes on. Our events take away all of this stress. We provide you with everything you need, even down to parents’ information letters. You just need to choreograph your dances, get your students involved and collect ticket money. Easy right!
Event Overview & Financials
HOW DO DANCE PLATFORM EVENTS WORK?
At each Dance Platform event there is a matinée and evening performance, both comprising of approximately 20 to 24 different dances. Your school is welcome to book as many, or as few, different dance slots as you think appropriate. We will of course help recommend an amount that fits your school best based on the number of students you are planning to bring.
Your school simply needs to commit to selling an agreed minimum number of tickets, typically 15 to 20 tickets per dance slot. Therefore, if you school wanted to perform three dance pieces in a performance, you school would need to sell a minimum of around 50 tickets.
When booking each school into a Dance Platform event, we’ll arrange a call to talk through the key numbers, such as the number of performers, the number of dances and agree together a suitable minimum ticket sales number. Once booked in, we guide you through everything you need to enjoy being a part of one of our events.
UNDERSTANDING THE FINANCIALS
As you might expect there are significant costs in creating an event like this, but Mill Productions’ aim is that each event is cost neutral (free) for dance & performing arts school owners. This means no direct cost for each school partaking.
Every school is required to pay a €200 deposit when booking into an event, but this deposit is refunded, in full, as soon as you have sold your agreed minimum number of tickets.
The only other situation where schools will need to make a payment to Dance Platform is if they request specific lighting or microphones that are not a part of our standard tech list. If we need to hire specific equipment either from the Helix, or other providers, this cost is passed directly onto the school looking for the equipment.
HOW TO BOOK INTO AN EVENT
Booking into an event is simple. All you need to do is get in touch. We’ll then arrange a time to call you back. We’ll chat through the event. Understand what you would like to do. Discuss the number of performers and dances and answer any questions you have. We’ll then send you an email summarising this information and set out the agreed minimum ticket sales required. Once agreed any your booking deposit paid your all booked in. We’ll then send you instructions on what to do next. It’s that easy.
You can email us on danceplatformevents@gmail.com or call 083 020 7962
Frequently Asked Questions
We hope that the below list of FAQ’s covers everything that you might need to know, but if you need more information, or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
I only have a small school, can we still take part?
Absolutely! Even if you only have a handful of students you can still get involved. The best place to start is to read the section above called ‘Event Overview & Financial’. If you think you even enough to do one dance then get in touch. We also love support new and smaller dance schools. So give us a call and let’s have a chat.
When are your next events?
In 2023 then our events are Sunday 4th of July, Sunday 11th of July and Sunday 12th of November.
Is Dance Platform a competitive event?
Absolutely not. Dance Platform was specifically designed not to be a competitive event. Our events are about celebrating a shared love of dancing. We want to encourage every student to take part. To perform in a professional production, in a leading theatre, without worrying if they will win or not. We don’t a single performer to walk away from an events feeling sad or low because they did not win something. That they weren’t judged as the best. Our events celebrate dance, inclusion and support.
What genres of dance can we perform?
All forms of dance and performing arts are welcome, from hip-hop to tap, ballroom to ballet, musical theatre to contemporary and everything in between.
How do I select my music?
To create a diverse and varied performance one of our rules is that any given track can only be used once in a performance. Music select is always done on a first come, first served basis. As soon as your school is booked in you can nominate your music. Once you lock this down, then it cannot be used by any other school in the same performance.
Please note: As our events are fun and family focused, we do not accept any music that includes swearing or that is overly provocative.
What are the costs of taking part in Dance Platform?
Dance Platform events are to designed specifically to be cost neutral (free) for each dance school owner. Every school is required to pay a €200 deposit when booking into an event, but this deposit is refunded, in full, as soon as you have sold your agreed minimum number of tickets.
The only other situation where schools will need to make a payment to Dance Platform is if they request specific lighting or microphones that are not part of our standard tech list. If we need to hire equipment either from the Helix, or another provider, this cost is passed directly onto the school looking for the equipment.
I run a large school can I have an entire event to myself?
No problem! Mill Productions, the company that sits behind Dance Platform, manages performances every year for individual schools. We can organise everything from the venues, manage the performance, promote the show, design & print programs, provide professional videographers and much, much more….
Just drop us a call and we can tailor a package that suits your exact needs. Even better, if your school can sell enough tickets all of this management is done for FREE.
Ok I'm interested, what do I do next?
Just get in touch… We’ll talk you through how it works and how many dance slots are suitable for your school. Once you’re booked in and have paid your booking deposit we’ll send you a detailed document giving you all the information you, your students and their families need. Simply call 083 020 7962 and let’s talk.