State of the movement - November 2024
A huge thank you to everyone who came in-person to our First Annual State of the Movement and anyone who took the time to watch us on the livestream (either live or in the recording after the fact)! It means a lot to all of us that we have so many dedicated participants, who want to know more about how Fluid Movement operates and what our plans are for next year and the future at large.
If you were not able to make it, here are our Key Takeaways from the State of the Movement:
Goals
Increase transparency within the organization.
Recap successes and struggles from 2024.
Introduce the board’s initiatives for 2025, including the focus on Fluid Movement’s program and organizational goals.
Highlights of 2024 Recap
Organizational Structure:
Need for dedicated administrative and logistical leadership.
ExplCurrent structure as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, operated entirely by volunteers with stipends for key roles.
Growing pains include lack of historical best practices and challenges scaling with limited capacity.
Key Board Work from 2024 - not just "More Paperwork!"
Codified Volunteer Roles: Clear job descriptions and expectations provided upfront.
Code of Conduct: Transparent process for resolving conflicts and naming expectations.
Improved Stipends: Allocated more funds to support leadership roles.
Moves and Grooves: Increased promotion and opportunities.
Feedback Mechanisms: More opportunities to gather and implement feedback year-round.
Revised Mission and Bylaws
2024 Programming Highlights
Celebrated a vibrant slate of events with joy-filled performances and community engagement.
Received valuable feedback, particularly on the Water Ballet, from cast, crew, and audience.
2025 Hot Topics and Goals
Sustainable Organizational Structure
Need for dedicated administrative and logistical leadership.
Exploring pathways to professionalize staff and fund positions sustainably.
Addressing leadership burnout with better support systems.
Naming and institutionalizing board work in the org's day to day versus overarching management.
Leadership Pipeline
Establishing a clear process for recruiting and empowering program leaders.
Publicizing leadership opportunities of all sizes.
Creating a formal board recruitment and application process.
Diversity and Outreach
Engaging a broader demographic to better reflect Baltimore’s diversity.
Intentional outreach efforts through partnerships, community engagement, and recruitment initiatives.
Vision for 2025 Water Ballet Production
Revamped production roles to distribute workload more effectively:
Producers oversee business management and production and are no longer expected to do everything.
Added roles like Show Director, Production Manager, Marketing Lead, and Tech Director.
Scene Directors focus on vision and choreography without managing physical production of scene elements.
Introduced a more traditional stage management structure with Assistant Stage Managers for rehearsal support.
Holistic production approach, integrating teams for costumes, props, and sound that work with ALL scenes, kept in conversation with regular production meetings.
Production positions must be filled for the show to proceed. Current open roles and job descriptions are available at fluidmovement.org/open-roles. (More on this below)
Community Engagement
Glitter Hours are launching in early 2025 for casual, interactive discussions with board members. Anyone who wants to come together for a rotating fun activity and discussion around organizational goals and challenges is welcome. Monthly Glitter Hours will be held the second Saturday of each month, January- May, 2025.
Closing Notes
Our 2024 Ratified Statement:
Fluid Movement is a Baltimore-based organization that utilizes public spaces to create joy and community through performance art. Our art is a love letter to the city of Baltimore and its residents. We focus on inclusivity and the empowerment that comes from movement. Joy is transformative, and we welcome anyone to be an artist, performer, and art appreciator.The organization is committed to growth and sustainability, fueled by the transformative joy that defines Fluid Movement.
For the full meeting summary, Click Here.
Next Steps
If you are interested in pitching a water ballet, getting more involved in helping next year’s water ballet, or just learning more about our organization, we’re excited to get to know you!
Pitch A Show Idea
All great shows start with great ideas! If you have a great idea that you want to share with us, you can do so using the form below.
Join the Production Team
We’re looking for enthusiastic and reliable people to join our production team to help make the 2025 water ballet happen. We are currently trying to fill the following positions:
Producer/Business Manager
Production Manager
Technical Director
Stage Manager
Marketing Lead
Job descriptions, estimated hours, and who to contact to apply are included in the link below. Stipends are still being set, and we will update that information as soon as we have finalized next year’s budgets. We apologize for the opaqueness around stipends at the moment, but we are doing our best to get this information finalized as promptly and thoughtfully as we can.
We will be posting additional roles as soon as we are able. But spread the word far and wide and help us make another fabulous show!
Save the Dates for Glitter Hours!
All of the Hot Topics discussed above will continue to be discussed into 2025 as we continue to identify sustainable ways of furthering the goals of FM together. Board members will each host a Glitter Hours event from January to May 2025 to gather in community for conversation around hot topics over a fun activity.
Glitter Hours are currently planned to take place on the second Monday of each month from 6-8pm beginning in January and lasting through May.
These Glitter Hours are meant to be casual gatherings to increase leadership interaction with participants, as well as give opportunities for conversation around the ways Fluid Movement plans to move forward to all those involved.