Mr. Nicholas Dragga

Collaborations with Local Businesses, or Doing Business with…?

Posted by Mr. Nicholas Dragga, Oct 16, 2013 0 comments


Mr. Nicholas Dragga

Nicholas Dragga Nicholas Dragga

I have a love/hate relationship with collaborations. On the one hand, I think they are the greatest thing- the key to our future. They offer opportunities to further Ballet Lubbock’s mission through unique and hopefully unexpected projects to diverse audiences, act as a gateway to more arts participation on all levels, and ideally, bring in some much needed cash. When everything aligns properly, we can create something that truly is greater than the sum of our parts- something that neither we nor our collaborator could ever do alone.

On the other hand, I often wonder, “is this worth it?” This “collaboration” is a LOT of time and energy. I have to jump through so many hoops for this corporate “partner,” compromise my product, and take the time of my dancers, artists, and staff to ultimately help this business sell their products…and all for $500...or maybe even $5,000.  Ugh.

If money is what I’m after, then spending time with individual donors would be more fruitful. If engagement is what I’m after, than bringing OUR uncompromised product to the community would be easier, and often times, more meaningful. Sometimes I think these “new faces” brought in by our business collaborator see us as the hired entertainment - which may possibly do more harm than good in building our brand.

But, the flaw in my logic seems obvious. There is a distinct disconnect between my objectives and my strategies and outcomes. I was not collaborating; I was doing business with people. Of course doing business with people is a great and wonderful thing, but different than collaborating.

Collaboration is not just a “Ballet Lubbock label wine” logo placement, or a string quartet playing in a bank lobby – that’s selling a product. Collaboration is a chance to show, not just tell, the value of the arts in business and life by engaging your equal partner in the conversation of what do we want, why do we want it, why is it that we want it, and how best to accomplish it.

Collaboration should bring a new result or program, not just a new performance venue.

Figuring out how to engage the business community in an interesting collaboration requires figuring out how to engage “our” community, or even ourselves, since often it’s the same people. It is certainly difficult, but that’s why we have arts in the first place – to help us figure out difficult situations.

Let’s not tell, let’s show – no, let’s prove - the value of the arts through real collaborations. At the very least, it’s a more interesting way to hold the conversation.

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