Stage Write: April 2008 Archives

When I was interrupted, a couple of weeks ago, by the news of Deborah Jowitt's dramatic change in status at The Village Voice, I was about to comment on the burgeoning of "historic preservation" in the dance and theater community.

In addition to the Jerome Robbins show at the Performing Arts Library, one week this spring yielded the kickoff of the 50th anniversary celebrations at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, another session in the "History Matters" series at the Merce Cunningham Studio, and a panel discussion and performance event staged by members of Dancers Over 40, Inc., at the St. Luke's Theater.

All these events celebrated the past. Back in the mid-'80s, the National Endowment for the Arts' dance program, under the direction of Nigel Redden, was funding a lot of experimental work, and some of the artists involved raised the ire of Congress. Since that time funding has become conservative, with more attention paid to preserving the "treasures" of the dance culture so far, and less to the needs of emerging and mid-career artists.

That said, these events were also valuable, and sometimes delightful. The Dancers Over 40 Event on March 31 celebrated Gower Champion, a California native and Broadway gypsy dancer who directed and choreographed many hit musicals from the '50s through the '70s, succumbing to a heart attack the day his 42nd Street opened on Broadway in 1980. His former wife Marge was part of the festivities (she's in her late eighties, and looks fabulous), as were more than a dozen former "gypsies" from a range of Champion's hit shows. They reminisced, they danced...and we in the audience treasured every moment, knowing how essential it is to tease out and preserve this unique history.

Tapes of the evening were donated to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center, and DO40 plans more such sessions. They've established a new category, FODO 40 (that's "friends of Dancers Over 40"), for the  people who love and want to support them. Check out the programs and personnel of this vital group at www.dancersover40.org.