ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

DANCE

In San Diego, Dance Companies Scramble To Replace Abruptly Canceled Federal Grants

San Diego Ballet executive director Matt Carney: “We've been really tasked right now to solve problems we weren't anticipating. So the cut with the NEA: we had seven days to make an appeal; they sent that email out on Friday; you get it on Monday, and now we have four days.” - KPBS (San Diego)

How The Rebuilt Doris Duke Theater At Jacob’s Pillow Differs From The Original

Says executive director Pamela Tatge of the original: “It didn’t have a lot of modern amenities. It was not handicapped accessible, and it did not have a lobby or an exhibition space. It didn’t have adequate dressing rooms for artists to work, or even storage.” All that has now been addressed. - The Berkshire Eagle

Documenting And Archiving: How Should Choreographers Preserve Their Work?

“Even if you don’t think of yourself as a prominent entity, you never know what’s going to happen,” points out Hallie Chametzky, director of archiving and preservation at Dance/USA. “What if, one day, someone wants to write a book about you?”  - Dance Magazine

Ma Cong Brings Jolts Of New Energy To Richmond Ballet

In his first season as successor to founding artistic director Stoner Winslett, Cong has revitalized the company’s offerings with contemporary pieces by the likes of Christopher Wheeldon, Ben Stevenson, and Yuri Yanowsky as well as Cong’s own work — repertoire rarely if ever seen in Virginia’s capital before. - Virginia Living

New York City Ballet’s Andrew Veyette And His Difficult Journey

The NYCB stalwart is about to give his farewell performance after 25 years with the company. Yet he almost didn’t make it to this point, and he now acknowledges that his involvement with alcohol, drugs, and two female colleagues nearly derailed his career and his life. - The New York Times

Data: Where The Resident Choreographers Are

Among the 165 global companies analyzed, only 10 contemporary and modern companies employed resident choreographers, compared to 38 ballet companies. Within the global contemporary and modern sector, women now outnumber men in resident roles, holding 57.1% of these positions. - Dance Data Project

Australian Ballet Reports Deficit Of $5.84 Million (US)

“The Australian Ballet’s box office fell 18% in 2024 on its way to a loss of $9.1 million, which it blamed on being forced to move from its home theatre while it is refurbished.” - Australian Financial Review

Crystal Pite Says She Does Not Enjoy Choreographing

“No! I definitely struggle. Every time I make something, I think: I can’t do this anymore. It’s too hard. It costs me too much. And then I have these beautiful, transformative, nourishing experiences of working with other artists – and then I feel it’s all worth it, and forget.” - The Standard (London)

How “Etoile” Integrates Real Dancers Into Its Fictional World

“We didn’t want it to be so fictionalized that you didn’t recognize it,” Palladino told IndieWire. “We really want people who know New York to really get the sense this is kind of the New York City Ballet, but not quite. - IndieWire

This Ballet Company Was Founded By An Ex-Marine To Help Others Let The Wars Go

“If you’re holding a war in, it takes a lot of energy. … And if you want to loosen that up, it also takes a lot of energy.” - The New York Times

Dance World Surveys Damage Already Done By Withdrawal Of NEA Grants

“It was 5:45 pm on Friday, May 2, when Megan Kiskaddon, executive director of Seattle’s On the Boards, learned that the grant for that night’s performance had been rescinded. … The National Endowment for the Arts was now taking back the $20,000 they’d pledged for the co-commission.” - Dance Magazine

Crisis At Hamburg Ballet As Dancers Publicly Criticize New Artistic Director

Demis Volpi succeeded longtime director John Neumeier only last summer. Now almost half the company’s principal dancers have resigned, and more than half signed a letter to the city’s chief culture official complaining of bad management and a toxic working atmosphere. - Tageblatt (Stade/Hamburg) (via Google Translate)

Dancers Sue Shen Yun Over Working Conditions

The complaint itself alleges that children as young as 13 years old worked grueling 15-hour training schedules at least six days a week, in exchange for little pay and inadequate education. - NPR

A Brief History of The Can-Can

“The identikit all-female spectacle we know so well is the opposite of how the cancan first began in the working-class dancehalls of Paris, where it was a social dance full of spontaneous improvisation – and performed primarily by men. It was much later that it became a theatrical spectacle for the well-to-do.“ - The Guardian

Ireland’s New National Dance Company Makes Its Debut

“Liz Roche, Artistic Director of Luail, Ireland's all-island dance company, (writes) about the beginnings of the company, as it prepares to make its highly anticipated debut this May with Chora, a triple bill of new dance works.” - RTÉ (Ireland)

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');