Taking Charge To Seize A Stage For Tap

“Tradition is a thorny word in the tiny, fractious world of tap; unlike in modern dance, with its quest for the new, tap elders cast a grand shadow, and respect for the past is a powerful force…. While younger dancers hasten to stress this respect, some acknowledge impatience with the status quo, from lineup-style shows to a dependency on the festival circuit, which has played a crucial role in revitalizing tap.” And tappers in their 20s and 30s are moving from impatience to action.

Good Time To Be A Museum In The UK

A new study claims that the UK’s museums contribute £1.5 billion a year to the national economy. The report, by researchers at the London School of Economics, also finds that the arts are one on Britain’s most valuable exports. “Seven of the top 10 visitor attractions in the UK are museums, and 43% of the British population visited a museum in the past year.”

Influential Record Exec Dies

Ahmet Ertegun, the legendary founder of Atlantic Records, has died following a head injury he sustained at a Rolling Stones concert earlier in the fall. “Ertegun, a jazz fanatic who came to the United States at the age of 11 when his father was named Turkish ambassador… helped make Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin stars and signed the Rolling Stones in the early 70s.”

Bank Of America Pulls Major Boston Arts Support

One of Boston’s leading arts presenters loses a major sponsor as Bank of America withdraws its support. “The move means the Celebrity Series, which puts on roughly 50 classical music and dance performances a year in Symphony Hall, Jordan Hall, and a host of other sites, will lose about $600,000 of its $7 million annual operating budget. The bank’s name will be dropped from the title of the series.”

Dance For Life

Tech workers in India have discovered dance as a way to stay healthy. “Within a short span, there has been a steady rise in the number of dance studios and professionals who frequent them, says Lokesh Naik, a senior technical writer with an IT firm and a regular visitor to the Bangalore arm of dance studio network ‘Swingers’.”