Rosalynde LeBlanc’s Dance Magazine article is now online for those of you haven’t read it yet. See my previous posts and comments here and here. I might direct John Rockwell towards it to better understand that the “supposed” dance crisis he keeps referring to goes beyond a question of space. He wrote yesterday:
In the supposedly impoverished world of New York dance, where honorable artists are driven out of town or to the outermost outer boroughs or into the arms of academia, where choreographers can’t pay the rent and creative energies have reportedly shifted to Europe, we find ourselves in the midst of an almost pharaonic building boom.
Then suggested:
Even with poverty-level wages and no job security, what’s wrong with having a nice place to work in?
And concluded:
their buildings remain a welcome addition to the supposedly struggling New York scene, and a welcome corrective to our sometimes despairing image of it.
I’m not one to dismiss all these great new buildings but the crisis on the ground is that dancers at the top of their training, at the peak of their professional life, are poor and without health insurance and leaving the arts world in droves to finally make some money on Broadway or with Celine Dion in Vegas. The crisis is that when you accidentally slip and fall in one of these nice, new buildings, you have no insurance with which to see a doctor nor any money to pay for the cast on your wrist. The crisis is that you have to retire at age 35, not because you can’t dance anymore, but because you can’t afford to dance anymore. Its wonderful to have new buildings. Just don’t dismiss the dancers.
January 13th, 2006 at 4:38 am
Thanks for linking to Rosalynde LeBlanc’s article. Everybody should read it. It’s moving, insightful and sad.
I like your perspective on NY Times article about new dance venues in NY:
“The crisis is that when you accidentally slip and fall in one of these nice, new buildings, you have no insurance with which to see a doctor nor any money to pay for the cast on your wrist.”
I’ll write more about your post in my blog in next day or so.
January 13th, 2006 at 8:03 am
Thanks Doug. That Findarticles.com site is very worthwhile. Can’t wait to see your take on it.
January 15th, 2006 at 10:03 am
It IS nice to work in nice places. I wouldn’t knock this. It’s also nice and arguably nicer to live in a decent place that does not require a minimum of an hour one-way commute on public transportation and foot, which I am sure is the case for most dancers who get to work in these nice buildings.
January 15th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
Diane-
I’m not knocking nice spaces as I said “I’m not one to dismiss all these great new buildings….” I’m knocking John Rockwell’s use of the word “supposedly”, not once but twice, to cast doubt on the sense of crisis dance artists feel. Compare the tone of his article to today’s article in the NY Times on stage actors: Stage Acting: It’s Nice Work if You Can Afford It.
Charles Isherwood writes:
And:
And how about this direct comparison:
Build the buildings. Increase the audiences. Just don’t forget to pay and appreciate the dancers.
January 15th, 2006 at 4:42 pm
Yes, Rachel, totally agreed. My fiery tone was aimed at the NY Times article not at your commentary. That “supposedly” made me, too, go “huh?” It came across as belittling to me, as though the economic hardship of the dance world is questionable or suspect (maybe all those dancers are just complaining about a big heap o nothin so bad, which you and I know is BS). I suppose to be fair to the writer, he does question whether these outer signs of economic health (i.e. the new buildings) are superficial, if the bulk of the problems are still not being effectively resolved. I would really, though, be delighted if a writer in New York’s main paper (or LA’s) that has the biggest international visibility would give a more whole-hearted sounding, unequivocally compassionate voice to the plight of dancers, as did Rosalynde LeBlanc in her personal way, if when pointing out the bits of potentially positive development for the dance scene, he or she would more strongly underscore the day-to-day plight of the dance artists.