Kari Hovde on Offering Opportunities Through The Backstage Foundation

By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor

From her numerous years of experience in the industry, Kari Hovde knows that finding and securing opportunities for talented young dancers can be challenging. Due to numerous circumstances, opportunities for personal and professional development in the industry can be out of reach for even the most technically proficient young dancers. That’s why Kari founded The Backstage Foundation, a non-profit organization that funds opportunities for young dancers to build their talent and character via scholarships. Read on to learn more about Kari’s background, the story behind The Backstage Foundation, and the upcoming "In the Spotlight” benefit show on May 20, 2022, at 7:00 PM at the Kirkland Performance Center.

Kari has been a part of the dance world her whole life and what she’s loved most about it is the community. “Dance is family,” Kari says, sharing that the bond people make with those at their studio is incredibly valuable. The positive energy, excitement, encouragement, and support that comes from dancing is irreplaceable, and for many dancers, their dance family may be their only support system.

Over the course of her journey, Kari has witnessed the high expenses of dance and the inequitable opportunities available to children from families of different socioeconomic statuses. “I have always wanted to be able to provide talented young dancers with [opportunities],” she says, sharing that she brainstormed ideas about how to make experiences like traveling to intensives and conventions more accessible. Kari ultimately landed on a needs-based scholarship, consisting of a written application, a talent video, and a story video, in which applicants explain their background, their desire for the scholarship, and their passion for dance.

“Dance brings so much more to their lives than just the talent and the technique,” Kari explains the value of dance in a young person’s life. “It brings values that [dancers can] carry with them through the rest of life to apply towards all the things that they do, from career to relationships.” Kari and the rest of the team at The Backstage Foundation believe that dance brings forth community, dedication, great work ethic, problem-solving, and numerous other skills that are instrumental for personal and professional development.

The core values of The Backstage Foundation are experience, community, and opportunity, and that certainly comes through in what the organization offers to dancers. Kari says she drew inspiration for the project after coaching a talented high school hip hop team and realizing the dancers in the group had few opportunities outside of school to showcase their skills. She wanted the team to be able to take professional-level classes, travel to showcase their skills and have the opportunities dancers in studios often have.

In general, Kari would love to see more opportunities for dancers on a local level, including access to spaces like dance conventions, which can help facilitate transitions from small dance studios to more professional work. She would love community members to start thinking about ways to bridge the gap between that safe studio space to the new, adventurous, professional terrain, in a way that keeps dancers secure and successful. Kari thinks mentorship programs and workshops could assist dancers with that transition and allow them to see if the professional world is for them.

On a more global level, Kari hopes to see a bit more safety and security in the dance industry. She believes it’s important that young dancers have people in their lives that they can trust, including agents and talent managers, that can guide them with the professional decisions they choose to make. The last thing Kari wants is for young dancers to be taken advantage of in any capacity. Professionals in the dance industry have the power to gather the right kind of leadership and guidance for young people, and Kari is looking forward to seeing what that can look like.

The Backstage Foundation is thrilled to be having its annual benefit show “In the Spotlight” on May 20, 2022, at 7:00 PM at the Kirkland Performance Center. Attendees can expect to watch 75 performers dance in over 35 routines, featuring Amity Addrisi from King 5’s New Day Northwest as the emcee and choreographer Tina Landon as the guest speaker of the event. “We’re quite excited for that event!” Kari shares. “It’s going to be very fun with lots of inspiration, entertainment, and heartfelt stories.” Tickets are selling quickly, so be sure to get yours as soon as possible! You can secure your ticket here.
The Backstage Foundation’s first round of scholarship opportunities will open in June, so dancers are encouraged to keep an eye out for that on the organization’s website. “The selection committee will be very excited to see everyone’s submissions!” Kari shares.

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