21st century women as dancemaker/leaders

[bart]

(Should we instead create a space for Greek National Ballet in "European Ballet Companies, and put these posts in it?)

Or possibly in "Other European Companies," at least.

Seymour seems to have run afoul of a system that doesn't seem very compatible with high quality dance, especially classical ballet. Whatever aspirations the bureaucrats have for this company, the bar would seem to be rather low if they think it can be accomplished with only 20 hours of work a week. Depending on what develops, the topic might also be a candidate for the "Issues" forum.

[carbro]

While the problems encountered by Ms. Seymour are in no way related to her sex, they sound very much like those encountered by Violette Verdy when she was briefly AD of POB.

How strangely ironic, since both companies are in countries celebrated for great artistic legacies.

[bart]

In Europe, an AD has to deal with bureaucrats. Until fairly recently, these bureaucracies were overwhelmingly male dominated.

In the U.S., an AD has to deal with a board representing the financial elite of the community. Frequently, corporate wives and wealthy widows play big roles on the boards I am aware of.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that male AD's have an advantage in both situations. They can play both cards equally well, and no one seems to fault them for doing so: "one of the boys" and "courtly charmer."

[innopac]

Article: "Jessica Lang on the Woman Choreographer Shortage".

[missvjc420]

I would like to add Sarah Slipper to the list of women directors of companies. Her NWPDP (North West Pacific Dance Project), located here in Portland, started out as a summer project for young dancers just beginning their careers and has, with community support, become a more permanent presence in our city.