now for good dance writing

Two good articles for your reading pleasure:

-Jowitt on Yasuko Yokoshi's work in the Village Voice (she was at the same performance I reviewed here). She's brilliant with description...I felt like I was entirely reliving the piece as I read her writing.

-Times on lighting dance, which often goes overlooked especially in classical dance

"...'the current international trend of lighting dancers from angles that will make them partly or largely shadowed to the audience.' If it is a trend, it suggests a move away from an emphasis on the dancer as individual toward the dancer as an element in a visual composition...have a particular resonance in a contemporary world filled with visual and aural fragmentation. (The individual dancer is also more likely to be de-emphasized when the full-length story ballet is no longer the paradigm for new work, even if it is still tenaciously loved by audiences and those who balance ballet company budgets.)" -Sulcas

Very interesting.

let's be critical

From a dancer's stand point, I can't believe today's review of NYCB from Macaulay!

Read it here.

He bashes all of the wonderful dancers but pretends to sugar coat it by giving a half compliment first, before tearing them apart. Is that necessary?

"Wendy Whelan’s upper body was a nightmare of inelegance..."
"Daniel Ulbricht, whose amazing elevation and spruce timing often excite, just as his unrefined line often dismays..."
"Tiler Peck...is so bold and strong that I wish she didn’t also seem hard-boiled..."

He goes on with naming and criticizing like 5 other dancers in the space of one review.

I feel like this kind of critical response should be reserved for the artistic director and ballet masters, not for the general public's reading. It's getting personal and it's fine if he feels that way and even if some of his arguments are valid, detailing such things in print is just like a child running off a list of annoyances about his friends. You know he'll keep going back with a smiling face and pretend nothing happened, so why bother hurting them publicly like that? If it's to "help the art form improve by criticizing it" that's all well and good, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty like that, just tell them in person in a rehearsal rather than subjecting the few of us left who read dance criticism to a petty bashing.

Rant over :)

are there any left?

Danciti just posted that longtime NY Times dance critic Jennifer Dunning is leaving as of April 30. I heard rumors of this in my writing class - that she's retiring. Another dance critic gone.

Any bets on if they'll take on another stringer to join Claudia, Gia, and Roslyn? And Macaulay? Or will we just slowly kill off all dance criticism in print as we know it?

dance irrelevant?

Check out this interesting (and greatly amusing) conversation going on at Dance Theater Workshop's blog about the Gawker comment arguing that dance is increasingly irrelevant (posted after Deborah Jowitt's firing from the Voice).

I certainly hope dance is not becoming irrelevant...

Times at midnight

Lately in my late night ways, particularly since I started the Writing on Dance course at DTW with a New York Times critic, I've taken to refreshing the NY Times' Dance page repeatedly until tomorrow's reviews are put online. I'm rarely in bed before at least 1am nowadays, so as I'm doing my work I keep checking to see what new 300 word critiques I can read and critique myself.

I go through time spurts where I never make it to a theater to see dance and don't really mind because I'm distracted by so many other things. And then I go through periods, like now, where I can't get my hands on enough tickets (press, comps, or paid) to performances because there's so much I want to see that I HAVE to make time for it. I've been very fortunate to get into some great shows the last few weeks, and this week I spent literally every night from Wednesday to Sunday in some theater or another - not dancing, but watching and writing.

It's made me more inspired to write quickly, too. I used to see something, wait a day or two until I had a free moment, and then writing a blurb about what I saw. Lately I've been dashing to my laptop as soon as I get home from the performance...or sometimes even on the way home if Starbucks is still open, haha.

Anyway. This Writing course has also gotten me more into reading criticism. Before I would skim the Times dance page to see who had been reviewed and what the pictures looked like, only reading in detail if it was something I had seen or was going to see (but not review). Now I'm obsessed with reading everything that comes off the Gray Lady's dance page (or...its internet page, admittedly), and as soon as it comes out. No time in the morning, I need me news at midnight, haha.


I was rooting for Rebecca Kelly to get a review over the weekend but if it wasn't published by now it probably won't be. Too bad...they deserve the publicity, good or bad! That's one of the issues I find really interesting in dance criticism: who is worthy enough to be reviewed at all. With so much dancing happening in New York City it seems like there should be some way to document it all...I suppose the internet is helping with that, but not entirely...

Times on Kirov/Balanchine

And so Macaulay's final foray from the Kirov's season comes...

I'm a little confused by it, though...he argues both that the Kirov's style and Balanchine's style are exceedingly similar and that there also is a huge gap between the two:

First, "When you watch the Kirov dancing any Balanchine ballet, you see how strong a stylistic connection still runs between the two."

Later, "But it’s also true that the Kirov dancing almost any Balanchine ballet will show how deep the chasm is between these two ballet cultures."

Okay...

He didn't like "Rubies," which was my favorite of the program...However I do agree with his opinion of Lopatkina.
Just finding it interesting with these performances to see all the different critical perspectives. There is so much history and such a complex context with which to place this season and judge it, particularly the Balanchine program. Very interesting.

critical course

I was a good little sick child today and stayed home to rest my cold, skipping both rehearsal AND the New Yorker today. I was not thrilled about that, especially because if I'm going to take a day off on a nice sunny day I'd rather be out in the park or something rather than being sick with no voice. Anyway.

I DID get out to go to the first session of a course I'm taking at DTW called Writing on Dance with one of the critics from the Times. Trying to introduce myself as you do on the first day of these kinds of things without a voice was perhaps more of a challenge than trying to teach yesterday sans voice. Haha. It was great though...it's nice to have a forum to discuss dance criticism on that level, especially in these times of cutbacks (Jowitt, Segal...) and conversation. I'm excited about taking the course over the next few weeks and getting feedback on my writing. More on my ever-growing to-do list, but it's good...

Speaking of dance critics, anyone planning on attending the Dance Critics Association conference in June? Even if you're not a critic it sounds like it's going to be a fascinating weekend...I'm trying to plan on attending :)

more on dance critic Jowitt

Thanks to danciti I came across two Gawker blurbs about Village Voice Dance Critic (or formerly so) Deborah Jowitt being laid off last week. See here and here.

That first one has some interesting comments...apparently the general public agrees that dance is unimportant...though one commenter mentions, "I think it would be more accurate to say that the kind of dance most dance critics write about is "increasingly irrelevant, culturally". Dancing is a very popular activity among humans and I don't think that's going to change any time soon."

MAYBE I could get on board with that thought...I don't know though...

It's clear that the Voice is having issues in itself regarding budget problems and such (like many other newspaper-type publications) but it's still a big deal...

ANOTHER one?! critics going, going, gone!

From NAJP's ARTicles:

"Critic Elizabeth Zimmer has just posted the news on artsjournal.com that critic Deborah Jowitt, who for four decades covered dance at the Village Voice, was fired from her staff position..." Full post here.

Elizabeth Zimmer's post here.

Zimmer's response to my thesis proposal last semester mentioning her own sad experience being laid off from the Voice here.

Comment from her on my post on The Winger: The shifting of dance writing to the web has been a boon for a lot of people, but those of us who’ve attempted to make a career of it notice that there’s almost no paid opportunity for young writers to enter the field. Without the prospect of earning a living, or part of one, as a dance journalist, many talented people will leave the field. I’ve spent 35 years being paid–sometimes adequately, often pitifully—for my writing and editing by newspapers, magazines, and radio stations, which has enabled me to spend dozens of hours a week paying close attention to the work of dancers and choreographers, and still cover the rent, health insurance, and eating. Last year I was laid off from the best job I ever had, as the dance editor at the Village Voice. Now I’m scrambling to pay my bills, and going to half as many performances since I’m now working part-time as a theater critic and part time as an English teacher....
--

Also her comment on former LA Times chief dance critic Lewis Segal's lay off mentions cut backs even in freelance opportunities:

Comment: This breaks my heart. Lewis is a Los Angeles institution.
In the same batch of e-mail that brought his news came word that my rates as an arts freelancer at New York's METRO are being cut 25 percent, and that the frequency of my reviews is being reduced.
---

NOT GOOD! Is the Times the only paper left with a full-time dance critic?

why be mean?

Hey, I'm all for telling the truth in journalism and writing, but in terms of dance criticism, why must we point out silly flaws in particular people and announce it to the world in the very limited word space we have, in print OR even online?

This is twice now for Macaulay, just in the past few weeks:

"Neither in the arch of her feet nor in the line of her shoulders does she yet seem a prima ballerina..." What on EARTH is wrong with Sara Mearns' feet?!

"And her sleeveless attire...ungallantly draws attention to the muscular looseness under the upper arm that often becomes apparent after the age of 40 in even the most otherwise youthful female dancers..." Of all the things to say about Bolshoi ballerina Nina Ananiashvili, was that necessary?

I've had a few conversations lately about dance criticism, and I have to wonder if these kinds of personal attacks (for lack of a better word) serve a purpose? There are other ways to give a negative review besides making a dancer more uncomfortable than they already are forced to be about their body...

one more NAJP quote

Reading on after the blog entry I just linked to on NAJP's blog, regarding dance critic Segal's layoff, I came across an interesting quote posted by former Times chief dance critic John Rockwell:

"In this age of the Internet, for a newspaper to sit on its hands while the blogs are alive with facts and rumors is suicidal...What worries me, especially under the threat of Internet competition, is how sober newspapers like the Times, still clinging to their sweet dreams of fairness and objectivity, may be easing up on their former scruples about checking and double-checking not only the facts but the tone in which they are presented."

Very very interesting. I like this blog I just found...check it out.

removing the dance critics?

Just heard that LA Times dance critic Lewis Segal was laid of from his staff position. Though it's not surprising after all my research on dance journalism/criticism last semester showing the fall of the field, it IS quite disheartening to someone who hopes (or hoped) to turn dance writing into a career...

"Writes Segal, who has been in the post since 1996 and written about dance for the LAT for 12 years before that: '...my position is being eliminated in the latest round of of staff layoffs and cutbacks...I have followed my supervisors' advice and applied for the Times buyout, which means I'll be off the staff as of the end of this month. However, there is some talk about my freelancing for the paper in the future.'"

Read more on the National Arts Journalism Program blog.

Why does this keep happning? Zimmer, Tobias, now Segal...

Senior Thesis Topic: Dance Journalism in New Media

So this week I'm submitting my "prospectus" for my senior thesis due later this semester. Basically I just had to outline what I'll be writing about and list some questions to be explored in my research.

I thought I'd share it here to see if anyone has some other ideas to add or comments about what I'm thinking about. See what you think and TELL ME.
----

Dance Journalism and Criticism in New Media

For my paper I would like to explore the changes that the internet and new media are bringing to arts journalism, specifically dance criticism. With the invention of online communities, blogs, and social networks, the journalism and publishing industries have seen significant changes in recent years. I want to investigate these changes and see how they are leading us to the future of arts journalism.

Being passionate about both dance and writing, this topic has intrigued me for some time now. The culture of the dance world is extremely unique and they way this community fits in and interacts with the larger world has proven to be a special relationship. Concert dance is far removed from mainstream culture and the art form has always struggled to find a place in popular media. I personally want to find a way to integrate this sector of society and raise awareness of what’s going on in the dance world by communicating with the mainstream. In a culture that thrives on celebrity pitfalls like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton it seems as though true art is far underappreciated.

With that being said, the most powerful method of communication about dance, besides movement, has been in print media. Newspapers traditionally provide entertainment listings where dance performances are given brief blurbs of details and ticket information. Only the country’s largest papers allot space to dance criticism, and as a result only few dance companies are represented in the press.

The more important issue is that in recent years there has been a severe cutback in print space given to dance coverage. Magazines, such as New York Magazine, have completely eliminated the position of Chief Dance Critic and run stories on dance very rarely. Newspapers have also seen a shortage of staff on this beat due to funding. The New York Times, which is the largest print outlet serving the dance community, has drastically cut space for dance in the popular Arts section over the past 20 years.

Another major issue with dance journalism is the shift in dance magazines. In the past, the major monthly publication for the art form was Dance Magazine, owned by Macfadden Performing Arts Media. The other regular magazines dedicated to dance include Pointe Magazine (specifically for ballet), Dance Teacher (for educators), and Dance Spirit (for a younger, competition based sector). All of these were owned by Lifestyle Media, Inc, which ran a slew of other smaller magazines. In August of 2006, Dance Magazine bought out this company, thus merging all of the dance titles under Macfadden’s reign.

The issue that I see with this is that of media convergence. The larger society of American, and the world for that matter, has seen a surge in the power of the media giants. Ownership has become a great issue, with 5 or 6 major companies running the majority of society’s media outlets. Time Warner, News Corporation, Viacom, and others have been the key players in acquisitions and mergers across all types of media, from television to print.

If this is problem enough for the “real world” it is even more of an issue in the “dance world” because the community alone is so small. With all of the dance news coming from essentially a single source now, Macfadden Performing Arts media seems to have a monopoly of power. Only certain voices are being heard and few opinions are being expressed in print. The situation is a mirror image of what’s going on in the larger scheme of media.

What seems to have risen as a solution to these two major issues of coverage cutbacks and media convergence is dance criticism online. A number of message boards have been in existence for years, allowing dance enthusiasts and balletomanes to express their opinions on the goings-on of the performing world. But only recently have blogs begun to pop up which provide more in depth coverage of performances, news, and general issues relating to dance. These sites allow a bigger variety of perspectives to be exposed and are not limited to the restrictions of time and space as print outlets are.

The internet has allowed for a beneficial increase in dance writing and has allowed for a close connection to be developed among the community. There is now an outlet for public discourse around the art form that would be nearly impossible to have without new media. Especially with the New York Times rumors of eventually going out of print and being solely online, this could be the future of arts journalism and potentially publishing as a whole.

Questions to Explore:
-What other internet conventions could be used in the context of dance journalism? For example, would the Wiki platform be used to document records of past performances or choreographic notations?

-How have the websites of the various dance magazines taken advantage of new media, and how do they compare to independent websites?

-What sparked the decline of dance journalism in print, and how can that be prevented in the online context?

-What conventions of the “dance world” impact how the topic is covered in media? For example, funding is an extremely big problem and dance companies perhaps need to be represented in the best possible light to stay alive. Is this preventing some of the more controversial issues facing the dance world from being publicly exposed?

-How can the dance world gain exposure in other mediums besides the internet and print?

-In what ways is the industry of publishing changing which may affect the future of arts journalism?

(c) 2007 Taylor Gordon