MEMBERSHIP
The Dance Complex has decided to implement a required patron Membership program.
Memberships will be required for all patrons who wish to take classes, workshops, or rent space from The Dance Complex. A Day Pass option is also available. Enroll in the Membership program beginning today, or before July 1, 2026, to continue using our spaces.
A Membership program will help sustain an affordable, accessible, clean and functioning 7-studio facility, with operational costs equitably distributed among all users of the building. With this program, The Dance Complex will be able to improve and grow our programming, the quality of the studios and equipment, and consider new improvements to our events and building. We rely on our community to help sustain The Dance Complex.
There are three tiers of membership: Basic Membership, Sustaining Supporter, and Community Champion. At higher tiered membership, patrons receive Guest Passes, and have the option to contribute at a greater annual amount to further support The Dance Complex and it’s growth.
Membership Levels
Basic Membership
— $25 / year (This is about $2 a month)
Includes:
- Everyday access to the building
- Ability to take classes & rent rehearsal space
Sustaining Supporter
— $50 / year (This is about $4 a month)
Suggested for frequent studio users
Includes:
- Everyday access to the building
- Ability to take classes & rent rehearsal space
- Up to 10 guest visits for rehearsal space collaborators
Community Champion
— $75 / year (This is about $6.25 a month)
For those with more capacity to support The Dance Complex
Includes:
- Everyday access to the building
- Ability to take classes & rent rehearsal space
- Early rehearsal booking access (up to 45 days)
- Up to 25 guest visits for rehearsal space collaborators
*To express financial hardship, or if you would like to apply an EBT/DTA/WIC discount, please email membership@dancecomplex.org with your name, phone number, and email for consideration.
*membership is not inclusive of class, workshop, and rehearsal/studio rental fees.
Started As The Building Sustainability Fee (BSF)
The Dance Complex, as an organization, and a community, has specific needs to sustain itself and thrive: maintaining dance floors and sound equipment, retaining staff and volunteers, keeping rehearsal and studio rental rates accessible, in addition to numerous daily operational costs, such as cleaning, utilities, and continuous upgrades beyond maintenance for our historic building.
As we evolve well into our third decade, we continue to rely on community support in the sustaining of our organization. Last year The Dance Complex initiated a Building Sustainability Fee (BSF) of $24 annually for repeat users of the building. Based on community feedback, we have decided to change our method. Affirmation of patrons’ support showed us that we are a large circle of movers who value dance as a daily expression of life, and also value the improved operation of our space.
Evidence of our community’s support also garners potential organizational and governmental donors, who can then understand how many people truly care about the programs and upkeep in and of our space. That is why we have to evolve from our current Building Sustainability Fee; The Dance Complex has decided to implement a required patron Membership Program.
How Will This Be Processed?
All visitors will be required to pay for/have a Membership, a Day Pass, or use a Guest Pass (see details below) when accessing the building. You are able to purchase a Membership through your Mindbody account, follow the button at the top of this page to do so, or follow the instructions below:
Sign into your Mindbody account and go to the MEMBERSHIP tab, select a membership tier to view the contract and benefits. Once you have selected your desired tier, proceed to checkout.
Once you are enrolled in Membership a new Mindbody card will be available for you at The Front Desk. Public communication on when specifically we are requesting you to come pick up your card will follow shortly, as we try to streamline the rollout process.
Online payment is preferred. Credit card payment is only accepted through Mindbody.
If you wish to pay in-person, there will be an option to pay via cash or check.
Day Passes:
For First Time/One-Time Visitors you may choose to pay for a Day Pass instead of a Membership.
A $5, one-day access pass to the building will be required if a visitor does not have a Membership. This can be bought online through the Mindbody app, or in person via cash, or check.
All visitors, including drop-in/first time class takers, must pay for a Day Pass (or a membership) on or before arrival.
Guest Passes:
Guest Passes come with Sustaining Supporter and Community Champion level Memberships. These are one-time passes for the guests of a Member, so that their guest may visit our spaces temporarily.
Example: the visiting choreographer for a company could use a Guest Pass of a company member for one day.
A day pass can go towards the price of a membership within a month of its use, email membership@dancecomplex.org.
Email membership@dancecomplex.org if you would like to upgrade your current membership.
FAQs
Who does this affect?
- All users of The Dance Complex for classes, workshops, rehearsals, etc.
- Except for Guest Passes, all users must have a Mindbody account through which they can purchase a Membership or a Day Pass.
- More information will follow shortly about children’s class participants and family households – if you qualify, please refrain from purchasing a Membership for now, as a discounted rate may apply.
What other options have you considered?
The team at The Dance Complex has explored multiple options to raise additional money for operational expenses and feel that this is the most equitable in spreading the support across thousands of users. For the last 10 years, teaching artists have paid Sustainability Fees within their rental contracts. To equate estimated income gained from membership, we would have to charge teaching artists 4x as much for space rental.
What if I no longer want to be a member?
When you sign up for a membership, you agree to auto-pay for three years. If you no longer wish to be a member, you can cancel the Membership at any time, follow the steps at the bottom of this page to do so. This does not include a reimbursement for the year you have already paid for.
Why Are We Implementing a Membership Program?
The Odd Fellows Hall, our home, was built in 1884. This 142 year old historic structure has continual and ever-increasing needs for maintenance and repair. Last year (2025), we held several forums within our community to consider alternatives to a Membership.
Currently, The Dance Complex depends on a mix of earned and contributed income for revenue; as a non-profit, any revenue must be used to further The Dance Complex’s mission and operation. All of our rental and rehearsal rates are currently 30-50% below market value – translating to affordable classes – and with around 7500 visitors yearly, a Membership program would sustain this affordability for everybody.
For the last 10 years, teaching artists have paid Sustainability Fees with their rental contracts; in our new Membership Program system we hope to equitably distribute this cost of usage to all patrons of the building.
The Membership Program simplifies the previous BSF by creating a structured system for payment and space usage, including automatic renewal, integrated into your Mindbody account, and clearly demonstrates the investment of all those who consider The Dance Complex their home.
History of The Dance Complex & the Building Sustainability Fee
In 1991, The Dance Complex came into being through the grit, hard work, and passion of its founding members – who saved the foreclosed building from being sold to other entities, with the help of a down payment from The City of Cambridge. This kept the use of the building in the hands of the Cambridge/Boston dance community.
The mortgage was initially held by another non-profit, Cambridge Multicultural Art Center. This allowed The DC to set up operations and ensure financial solvency, and an effective administration. In the mid 2000s, the mortgage was turned over to The Dance Complex.
The context of the times allowed a very young organization to thrive. Some renovations were made through the years, but upkeep of an older building, constructed in 1884, has increasingly become more expensive. Three boilers supply radiator heat. With the advancing years and a maturing of city government meaning more restrictions, licenses and fees, ADA requirements, the resources needed – both human and monetary – have increased.
A strategic framework commissioned by The Dance Complex in 2014/15 identified several points unique to The DC and made recommendations in light of them.
These included an assessment of our finances, our donor base, and our community. Among these points included our lower (at times up to 50% lower) rental rates to teachers, which resulted in lower class costs to students. Another point noted a lack of connection from the users of the studios – then 5,000 students – to The DC, citing that the model of teachers being paid directly by students created a primary relationship with teacher/student. The suggestion of a user card that could encourage a financial connection to those who used the building with the sustaining of the building was brought to discussion, and viewed favorably by the board and teaching artists.
The current card system came to be in mid 2020 with no financial cost, primarily as an assurance of due diligence in healthy use of the building for all who entered during the first years of COVID.
Lessons learned and dialogues with our community during the pandemic years resulted in:
- more energy toward free/low-cost mental and physical health programs (Reflection, Healing and Movement);
- opportunities to produce dance performance more economically with both the artist and The DC investing resources and sharing risk;
- and investment in artists through residencies and genre-specific exchanges – namely African Dance, African Diasporic, Street Dance and Disabilities Dance – that have resulted in our Friday Night Lights learn/party formats, awards of space, and continued dialogue and action.
In 2024, as operational costs continued to rise, we held several community forums, and had many conversations on introducing a type of sustainability fee, or possible alternatives. The Building Sustainability Fee was introduced in 2025 of $24 annually for repeat users of the building. This was a fee to cover utilities, cleaning, and studio upkeep. Community feedback was tremendous, however the issue of who was being charged for the fee and who was not – such as irregular visitors – became complicated, and only a small percentage of our regular visitors were charged.
And as we turn the corner into 2027:
Along with Membership income, we are working toward more income from party and event rentals, especially early morning body/mindfulness classes for pre-work day and the rental of offices and meeting spaces. Our lead foundation donors have encouraged us to increase the engagement of our community users to support the organization. All of these efforts will build toward the goal of being more self-sufficient for day-to-day operations, and allow us to grow in our programming and offerings.
An example of Building Expenses in 2024*
Utilities: $32,692.14
Studio Improvements: $21,755
Cleaning: $20,738.64
Supplies: $6,221.28
Plumbing & Maintenance: $19,869
*This does not include all building expenses.
Individual donors to the The DC from July to December 2024:
Total individual donors: 148
# of those who are current users: 78, representing 2% of active building users.
How To Cancel Your Membership
1. Sign into your Mindbody account
2. Go to ‘My Info’
3. Click on ‘Accounts’ in the top right corner
4. Select ‘Manage or cancel contracts’
5. Open ‘Active Contracts’ drop down
6. Select ‘TERMINATE’
*if you select ‘cancel auto-renewal’ this does NOT cancel upcoming auto-payments. There is no auto-renewal of the 3 year contract. Only by selcting Terminate do you cancel auto-pay. Terminating your Membership is canceling your contract benefits effective immeditatly.