One of the highlights of our recent work has been our involvement with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company's Legacy Plan, which was unveiled in June of 2009 after a lengthy behind-the-scenes planning process. DB&A's involvement began when we were contracted as planning consultants in June 2007. After two years of evolving work it was a high point to see the plan completed and a profound experience, with Merce's passing, to see it move into action.
The Merce Cunningham Dance Company (MCDC) planning process epitomized and confirmed so much of what we believe about good development, and was one of our more interesting case studies to date. Here's what we think makes it special from a development perspective:
Planning is a Creative Act
While planning is an administrative activity, we believe that good planning is not really so different from the art that it supports and preserves. Sensitive planning is characterized by responsiveness and improvisation, and the process is what determines the endpoint. While we had a road map for the MCDC planning process, the landscape shifted continually in response to funding opportunities, economic conditions, new ideas, and input from those involved.
A good planning process helps to reveal the best options and to determine how to move ahead on each. In this case, there was a tremendous openness on the part of MCDC leadership as to where the process would lead. At the beginning of the process, few could have envisioned its eventual outcomes.
People Are Key
Good planning is never theoretical. We believe that people—community and stakeholders—should be at the core of a planning process and are an invaluable resource in guiding decision-making. A cornerstone of the MCDC planning process was a series of 24 interviews with stakeholders in the cultural community at large. These included choreographers, dancers, critics, funders, educators, curators, and administrators, who were interviewed about their views on Merce’s role in the history of dance, the importance of preserving his legacy, and what it means to preserve it. Their input informed the board and staff’s thinking about the eventual shape of the Legacy Plan.
Good Planning Always Involves Development
We see planning as a prime opportunity to practice good development—to involve the people who will be able to help implement the plan with the process of planning itself. In this case, MCDC Board members, funders, and stakeholders were engaged heavily in shaping the Legacy Plan. Intensive discussion persuaded them of the importance of legacy, helped them define its meaning, and led to their personal commitment to the plan early in the process.
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