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A Strong Pulse

Berkshire Pulse dance program gets business-minded

By Elllen G. Lahr, Berkshire Eagle Staff

Article Last Updated: 02/28/2008 09:54:06 AM EST

Thursday, February 28

GREAT BARRINGTON — Since relocating to an airy, light-filled Housatonic mill building in 2005, Berkshire Pulse has been a village hub for classes in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern dance and tango. Community dance parties happen there, as do private parties.

Enrollment in the dance studio's program has peaked this year, with 150 adults and children attending classes, and founder Bettina Montano is seeing her artistic dream come to full life. Berkshire Pulse teachers are regulars in local public schools, leading grant-funded dance and movement workshops, most recently in connection with Black History Month curriculums.

"The vision of Berkshire Pulse has been around for 13 years, and it makes perfect sense that this vision should stay alive, even under the most challenging circumstances."

And challenging times they are.

The small nonprofit operates on a modest budget of about $200,000, and last year's annual appeal fell short of expectations. The organization must raise about $80,000 a year to supplement other revenue streams.

The dance studio has so far spent $5,000 this season for heat and was paying about $5,000 monthly for a lease that has since been renegotiated. But that deal came with a give-back of some essential studio space to the landlord.

Relocating the business from Lenox several years ago cost about $100,000 — renovating the old Barbieri mill space was far more costly than anticipated — and staffing has been kept thin.

Montano has been program coordinator, dance teacher, administrator, fundraiser, troubleshooter, manager and supervisor of a half-dozen paid dance teachers, who, for the first time this winter, found their classes too popular for the space: Some had to be turned away.

Surprisingly, however, Berkshire Pulse is mostly breaking even, said Montano, largely because of the generosity of some "angels" who have tended to help out at critical moments.

"Someone has always managed to step up because this appeals to people who don't want to see it go," Montano said.

Now, in an effort to turn a corner and join the mainstream of nonprofits, Berkshire Pulse has hired Sandy Cleary-Wade as managing director to streamline business functions for the community center for the arts.

She will coordinate the marketing, fundraising and development tasks of running a small nonprofit.

Also, Louann Harvey, past president of the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce and a well-known name in business networking circles, has joined the board of directors.

A Berkshire native from a theater-oriented family, Cleary-Wade has worked in theaters in New York and Los Angeles and has toured the world with theater productions. She has an arts education background as well.

She has worked at Bard College at Simon's Rock doing stage management work, has coached actors and public speakers in preparing their materials, and has been on the advisory board for Berkshire Pulse for two years.

She is optimistic about the business prospects for the dance school and is inspired by its programs.

"We have an amazing male hip-hop dance teacher, Jonathan Pinero, coming to do a workshop for boys only," Cleary-Wade said. "He started dancing on empty basketball courts in the South Bronx at night to blow off steam as a young teen with responsibilities way beyond his maturity level."

Now Cleary-Wade is beginning to define her job.

Grant-funded programs are a big piece of the business, she said, and should continue to grow.

"But if they don't have someone out front here in a managerial way, it's a sink-or-swim moment," she said. "The numbers reflect that we are solvent, we've renegotiated the lease, and we're really strong in terms of programming."

For years, Montano and a former business partner operated their dance and movement programs at the former Eden Hill Recreation Center in Stockbridge, which has since closed. The organization moved temporarily to quarters in Lenox, but then the Barbieri mill building opened up as a studio space.

"No major fundraising has been done, not to the level of other nonprofits in the area," Cleary-Wade said.

She intends to change that, she said.

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Archived News:

Arts Center Facilitates In-School Dance Residencies

Advancing its mission to reach into schools to offer greater access to dance, Berkshire Pulse Center for Creative Arts, has developed three in-school dance residencies.

In collaboration with the Southern Berkshire Regional School District, Berkshire Pulse has developed an Introduction to Dance Program for high school students, which offers classes during the school day in traditional and contemporary dance disciplines. The program runs through June and the students receive physical education or art credit for their work.

The Creative Dance program offers pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students at Undermountain Elementary an opportunity to explore musical rhythms through dance games and improvisational exercises. Classes meet twice a week for 5 weeks.

The Cultural Traditions Music and Movement Arts Program is a week-long residency which focuses on traditional African drumming and dance, as well as jazz and hip hop. This program will be offered to Monument Valley fifth grade students during the week of Feb. 12.

The programs are being supported by grants from the Berkshire Eagle and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation’s Janet’s Fund, the Berkshire Hills Fund for Excellence, and the general education fund of SBRSD.

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07/24/2006: DVD of Annual Performance ready

The DVD of Berkshire Pulse's Annual Performance which took place at the Simons Rock Theater is now available. If you would like a copy of the DVD please call us at 413-274-6624 or email us at
The cost is $20. All proceeds benefit the Berkshire Pulse tuition assistance fund.

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06/10/2006: Annual Performance was a great success

This year's annual performance was an amazing success. The theater was sold out. Quotes from the audience: "Best performance ever...", "Very professional pieces" "Some pieces could have been performed at Jacobs Pillow"....

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06/30/2006: Berkshire Pulse opens season at the Mahaiwe Theater

15 Berkshire Pulse dancers performed at the Mahaiwe Theater to open the season.
Fran Steinert-Scharfenorth choreographed two pieces that were performed after the original black and white movie of "42nd Street".

For a review of the show visit the >> Rogovoy Blog <<