Press Pitches (spec)

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Press Pitches

The three pitches that follow are about the dance company Complexions Contemporary Ballet. More specifically, they are about their new dance film entitled “Black is Beautiful”, released during the 2021 season. Dance companies —along with all performing arts— have had to find ways to stay financially viable in the wake of canceled performances due to Covid-19. In the dance world, this has led to new creative collaborations, and gave birth to the 'dance film,' a hybrid of two art forms: dance and film.

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Pitch #1: Dance Magazine (print and online)

To: Madeline Schrock (Senior Managing Editor and Videographer)

Dear Madeline,

I hope you are well despite these unprecedented times. I enjoyed seeing your videography work for the Bates Dance Festival and think you might be interested in Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s new dance film “Black is Beautiful”. It seems a good fit for a feature in the February issue of Dance Magazine, as it would coincide with Black History Month. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this film epitomizes Complexions’ commitment to social justice, innovation and diversity.

Now available on Complexions’ Youtube channel, “Black is Beautiful”, choreographed and directed by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, is a hybrid of dance and spoken word set against a black and white backdrop of urban landscapes.

In the wake of discouraging times for the dance community, an article about this film would inspire and uplift your reader with this example of the dance community’s diversity, power of advocacy and extraordinary resourcefulness in the face of adversity.

I hope you’ll find this project interesting and relevant to your publication. I plan to keep you updated about future dance films by Complexions, but in the meantime, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Isabelle Coitoux | Title

ph: (555) 456-4321

Company Name PR | companynamepr.com

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Pitch #2: Ebony Magazine (print and online)

To: Shayla Harris (Writer)

Dear Shayla,

I hope you are well despite these unprecedented times. I enjoyed your piece entitled “Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, Maya Angelou and the Black Oral Tradition” and think you might be interested in Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s new dance film “Black is Beautiful”. It seems a good fit for a feature in Ebony Magazine about the current evolution of Black voices; particularly about the power or their presence in unexpected arenas, such as a dance film.

Rather than use music as the score for “Black is Beautiful”, choreographers Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson chose the poetry of four prolific spoken word artists from the U.K.: Terrell Lewis, Aicha Therese, Mr. Reed, and Poetess Jess.

Now available on Complexions’ Youtube channel, “Black is Beautiful” is the first of four films to be released during the company’s 2021season. This film epitomizes Complexions’ commitment to innovation through the creation of a hybrid of dance and spoken word, set against a black and white backdrop of urban landscapes.

I hope you’ll find this project interesting and relevant to your publication. I plan to keep you updated about the release of future dance films by Complexions, but in the meantime, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like additional resources.

Thank you,

Isabelle Coitoux | Title

ph: (555) 456-4321

Company Name PR | companynamepr.com

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Pitch #3: PBS Newshour Canvas series (television and online)

To: Jeffrey Brown (Writer, Television reporter)

Dear Jeffrey,

I do hope you are well despite these unprecedented times. I enjoyed your piece entitled “Connecting through art when a pandemic keeps us apart”. I think you might be interested in interviewing Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s co-artistic directors Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson about their new dance film “Black is Beautiful” (available here), as a follow-up to your piece on the PBS Newshour arts series, Canvas.

Created in the wake of the pandemic, this film epitomizes the dance community’s extraordinary resourcefulness in the face of adversity. Forced to postpone all live performances until July 2021, Rhoden and Richardson chose to explore the medium of film and enter the digital world. I think your viewers would be interested in hearing about how the dance film became an artistic outlet for many choreographers and a means of self-promotion for dance companies during the pandemic.

“Black is Beautiful” reflects Complexions’ continued commitment to innovation and features spoken word by four prolific poets from the U.K.: Terrell Lewis, Aicha Therese, Mr. Reed, and Poetess Jess. The result is a hybrid of dance and spoken word, set against a black and white backdrop of deserted urban landscapes.

I plan to keep you updated about future dance films by Complexions, but in the meantime, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Isabelle Coitoux | Title

ph: (555) 456-4321

Company Name PR | companynamepr.com