Hot Crowd recognizes that dancers are among the most underfunded and underpaid artists in the field of art. Like many other dance organizations, Hot Crowd operates with a very limited budget. We hope that those funding the arts can begin to recognize the value of dance and concerted efforts to improve financial support and opportunities for dancers within the arts community of Chicago. 
 
That being said, we do our absolute best to pay our dancers the most we can within our current budget to ensure they are compensated for their contributions. In 2023 alone, 70% of our total income went exclusively to dancer pay. The rest went to the cost of performance production for our dancers and audience to enjoy (venue, costumes, lighting, etc.). Hot Crowd became a non-profit in 2018, which means we have been actively making art for only six years, one of which had paused due to the pandemic. Since our inception, we have made major strides in our programming, diversifying our income, and our ability to not only pay dancers, but increase dancer pay and provide raises to veteran members.  
Below you’ll find a basic outline of our compensation structure for dancers across various aspects of our operations, including performances, tours, teaching, and rehearsals.


PERFORMANCE PAY:  Festivals or Non Hot Crowd Produced Performances: Starting at $30-60* // Hot Crowd Produced Shows: Based on ticket sales*
 
Dancers will be compensated for their participation in performances based on factors such as the nature of the performance, duration and venue. Performance pay rates will be communicated to dancers once ticket sales or hiring party pay has been finalized. 
 
TOUR PAY: Starting at $100/day* 
 
Dancers participating in tours organized by Hot Crowd will receive compensation that accounts for factors such as travel expenses, time commitment, and performance schedule. Tour pay rates will be communicated to dancers prior to the commencement of the tour based on the amount of income provided by the hiring party.

TEACHING PAY: $50/hour*
 
​Dancers engaged in teaching, workshops, or educational programming will be compensated for their efforts. Teaching pay is $50/hour.
 
REHEARSAL PAY: $50-$200/month*

Dancers involved in rehearsals for performances or other projects will receive compensation for their time and effort. Rehearsal pay rates will be determined based on factors such as guest artist or company artist, the time and effort allotted in the studio, and veteran roles. 

IN CONCLUSION:
 
Any updates to compensation rates will be communicated to our dancers in a timely and transparent manner. Hot Crowd is committed to creating as much of a supportive and equitable financial environment as we can within our current budget. Our dancers are our NUMBER ONE priority always and we fully recognize their talent, dedication, and contributions. For questions, feedback, or concerns regarding dancer compensation, please contact our operations manager, Devon Lloyd at hotcrowddance@gmail.com 
 

With Love,
Brittany Latta McMahon & Devon Lloyd

*Rates are listed as of S.7 2024