Author: Douglas McLennan

For mid-level ballet companies, the choice of what to do about music is never an easy one. Everyone agrees that live music is preferable to recorded, but the cost can be prohibitive, and once a regular ensemble is engaged, union rules can make it very difficult to disengage them. Still, is the ballet really the ballet when the sound comes from a speaker rather than an orchestra? San Francisco Chronicle 01/20/02

The remarkable Dance Collection at Lincoln Center’s Library of the Performing Arts has finally reopened after the library finished a three-year renovation. “It is the largest dance archive in the world, with holdings that date back to 1460.” The New York Times 01/18/02

Yuri Grigorovich, for 30 years the master of the Bolshoi Ballet, wielded absolute power during his reign. In post-Soviet Russia he was ousted from his perch. “Clearly he saw the writing on the wall in terms of his future with the Bolshoi; as a principal cultural powerbroker in the old Soviet regime, he was a natural target for housecleaning.” But he quickly put together a new company, made up of young dancers from the leading schools. The company is now in America for an impressive tour. Chicago Sun-Times 01/16/02

The company’s 90 dancers are impressive, but performances in Detroit are uneven – the company is “in the midst of a 27-city, 100-performance tour that has them spending an astounding amount of their waking time on buses.” Detroit Free Press 01/16/02

“Those of us who love dance are sometimes haunted by the memory of a particular face on stage. What force is it that, without close-ups to simulate intimacy or words to aid communication, imprints the dancers’ personalities into our consciousness? Do the thousands of hours of sweat and self-criticism that mold the dancer’s body also mold the face? Or is there an essential presence that is inborn? One thing sure is that the charismatic dance face is not achieved through a deliberate effort but mysteriously springs from some deep connection between mind and body.” The New York Times 01/13/02

TURNING POINTE: “The Association of Blacks in Dance meets later this month in Brooklyn. The association is a service organization that has helped bring dance by black choreographers and performers to new public prominence in the 15 years since its formation. Founded by three savvy matriarchs of black American modern dance, the association faces a turning point typical in the histories of successful grass-roots organizations.” The New York Times 01/13/02

Dance Theatre of Harlem has a new name: “Arthut Mitchell’s Dance Theatre of Harlem.” “And no one was more surprised by the announcement than Mitchell, artistic director and founder of the company.” Los Angeles Times 01/13/02

“With more than two dozen dance companies, Philadelphia has become a dance magnet, drawing performers from other states and building a reputation as one of the top five dance cities in the country. Yet many people in the area are not aware of this.” Philadelphia Inquirer 01/11/02

A little more than two years ago, at the height of the Dotcom real estate craze in the Bay Area, The San Francisco Dance Center found out it had to find a new home. The Center is “a major artery if not the pulsing heart of the Bay Area dance scene, offering more than 400 classes to 8,000 adult students a month. Much like the larger-scale Steps on Broadway in Manhattan, SFDC brings together aspiring young choreographers, established dance figures and weekend amateurs in drop-in sessions on everything from jazz to flamenco.” Now the Center has a brand new home and some big challenges in trying to support itself in a new space. San Francisco Examiner 01/07/02