End of Year Giving to Support Professional Dance

The verdict is in!  Audiences LOVED Once Upon A Holiday.

“It’s such a tremendous thing that you bring families together year after year to share something special.  You make memories that they will share forever.”

“I was absolutely speechless when my daughter watched the show and said “Wonderful” at the end of Act 1.  She doesn’t talk much so every word is precious.”

“This is our holiday tradition.  We’ll keep coming back every year, even when she’s not in the show.”

We are thrilled that we can make such an impact in our community and bring such joy to so many people in our community.

As we reflect on 2023, allow me to bring you behind stage. Here you will find an intricate tapestry of dedication, talent and resources that brings the production to life.  We literally could not do the show without each unique person on our team!

While we are immensely fortunate to have a strong team of volunteers who are the lifeblood of our organization, you may be surprised to learn that ticket sales and volunteer contributions alone do not fully cover the cost of our productions.                                                        

We are thrilled to announce that we met our ticket sales goal of $24,000 by selling out all four shows.  However, the total cost of this production is approximately $51,000. You may be wondering: Why the gap?                                                        

Here’s a breakdown of our major expenses:

Theatre Rental ($12,000): Securing a venue that brings you the best possible experience is a substantial but essential investment

Staging, Light and Sound Rental ($22,000): Delivering a high-quality show demands cutting-edge technology and specialized union labor

Professional Artists ($6,000): We believe in compensating our talented dancers and directors fairly for their exceptional work

Set and Prop Storage ($4,000): Properly storing the sets and props year-round preserves our creative resources

Costumes and Cleaning, New Set and Props ($4,000): Bringing the characters to life requires attention to detail

To bring this funding gap, we rely heavily on the generous support provided by grants, donations, and patrons like you.  Please consider making a Tax Deductible gift to SIDEWAYS this year. 

No donation is too small!  Every dollar counts!

Other Ways to Help:

Gift Matching:  If you donate, check to see if your corporation has a Gift Matching Program.  Many times, businesses will match their employees' contributions to non-profit organizations.

Corporate Sponsor:  Speak with your corporation about sponsoring Once Upon A Holiday 2024 directly.  We have materials that we can send to you to share.

More about Us:

SIDEWAYS is committed to creating more dance lovers by pairing dance with authentic storytelling.  As contemporary dance theater, SIDEWAYS dancers transform into storytellers to motivate, inspire, and create conversation.  By performing with authentic emotion & using relatable music, we create connections between audience members of various backgrounds.  Whether it’s our festive holiday show or our performance of the season, SIDEWAYS takes you on a journey that will be hard to forget.  

Founded in 2006 by Charlotte Foster Williamson, SIDEWAYS is a 501c(3) Public Charity and is funded solely by private donors, corporate donations, and grants.  We have performed over 100 dances for the Metro-Atlanta Area.   Each year, we produce 2 main stage performances for our local community:  our festive holiday show, Once Upon A Holiday, & our performance of the season that inspires audiences to action.  In addition, we partner with the Foster-Schmidt Dance Company for Down Syndrome (FSDC) to provide exposure for dancers of all abilities.  SIDEWAYS & FSDC have performed together in NYC & at Disney, in addition to local stages.

More About Our Partnership with FSDC:

The Foster-Schmidt Dance Company for Down syndrome was founded in 2013 & grew out of the Physio Jazz Program at Atlanta Dance Central. SIDEWAYS performs annually with FSDC at their performances & provides continuing education trips. We performed together in Walt Disney World Resort in 2015 & New York City in 2019 and enjoy developing personal relationships with each other.

This partnership allows our dancers to learn about working with students with Down syndrome & the unique strengths that they bring to the community. It allows FSDC dancers the abilities to dance with professional dancers at multiple events & develop social connections. The FSDC dancers also have the opportunity to attend continuing education classes & trips in order to develop their independence, stretch their limits, & build more resilience.

Our community (and the broader community on trips) are able to see the abilities of the FSDC dancers, which normalizes their place within it.