Tag: 01.28.03

Art Or Money – Can’t We All Just Get Along?

The struggle between the vision of art and the business of art is neverending. But in tighter economic times, the battles seem more dramatic, more public. “What conclusion can be drawn from this eternal square dance between the powers of money and the powers of art? Artistic directors can’t be slaves to money, but they can’t be defiantly unrealistic, either.”

Is Ballet Child Abuse?

“The ballet world in France – and beyond – is still quivering with indignation about a report leaked last month on the ill-treatment of children at the dance school of the Opéra National de Paris. The report said that the boarding school, one of the oldest classical dance schools in the world, operated a regime of ‘psychological terror’. Injuries were ignored; anorexia was common and even, implicitly, encouraged. The pupils, aged from eight to 18, known affectionately as ‘little rats’, lived under a permanent threat of expulsion to goad them beyond their mental and physical limits. The report has provoked an interesting and passionate debate in France. Is the Paris Opéra school cruel to children? Or is it classical dance itself that is cruel?”

The World’s Largest Contemporary Dance Center

“The Laban Centre for Movement and Dance – is the sort of building that forces a smile. It comes from the wonderful optimism of an organisation that, in the unprepossessing surroundings of New Cross, has grown to become the largest school for contemporary dance in the world, has found £22 million to create a new building, chosen to stay in Lewisham and had the nerve to commission one of the world’s most interesting architectural practices to design something that will be a beacon for south-east London.”

Scotland’s Arts Crisis

Scotland was supposed to be in the middle of a “Golden Age” for the arts now. And yes, theatres and concert halls are full. But underneath there’s a crisis. “Devolution was supposed to herald a golden age for the arts in Scotland, but there has been no cultural renaissance. Plans for a Scottish national theatre have stalled, numerous arts organisations are being forced to cut their creative output to make ends meet, and there are fears of a talent drain to England, where regional theatre is benefiting from £25m worth of government funding.”

The Boat Has Sailed On Scottish Arts

“Scotland’s new government missed its historic chance to boost the arts; and now its error has been compounded by spectacular increases in arts spending in England – an 81 per cent cash increase since 1997, compared with 32 per cent in Scotland, further enhanced by the spending associated with the major push by Newcastle, Liverpool and other northern cities to be named European City of Culture 2008 – which in turn has led to fears of a new cultural exodus from Scotland to the south.”

American History In Sound

The first 50 recordings to be named to a new American National Registry of Sound have been chosen. “The registry, which began life yesterday with 50 inaugural inductions, is meant to call attention to the problems of preserving this country’s recorded legacy. The recordings chosen include significant troves of folk music, famous speeches, ethnographic recordings and a few representative classical, jazz and pop selections that are already widely familiar to audiences. The recordings were required to be more than 10 years old and be culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

America’s Hurting Libraries

American public libraries are in a funding crisis. “We can no longer afford to be silent about the drastic cuts forcing libraries to close early, lay off experienced staff, eliminate periodical and book budgets and reduce programs and services. Library services have gone up dramatically as the economic downturn has kicked in. That is creating a funding nightmare.”

Disney Hall Will Seduce

The LA Philharmonic’s new Frank Gehry-designed concert hall is beginning to take final form. “Curvaceous and shiny as a Hollywood starlet, Disney Hall will have little trouble seducing the Philharmonic from the gloomy luxury of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion across the street. Despite its cheerful predictions, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, like other American orchestras, struggles for listeners and money. Its endowment of $57 million is precariously low for an institution of this size. Forty million dollars of a ‘quiet’ $100 million drive is said to be promised. Skeptics note the Disney’s near-death struggle for funds and believe the well may have run dry.”