Dancers Promoting Ballet

[Petra]

Over the last few years, mainly but not solely due to the internet, ballet dancers have become more and more visible and become more and more active in promoting themselves and their companies. A significant example is thewinger.com, which hosts a multitude of participants, writing on a very irregular basis about their activities, primarily professional activities. I know that a number of company websites like PNB have sections with dancer contributions. Other prominent extracurricular initiatives that I can think of are Kurt Froman's beautiful photo-book In The Wings and I know that a couple of NYCB dancers are filming a Jerome Robbins ballet, but I can't remember the details off the top of my head.

I admit to having mixed feelings about some of these endeavors. On the one hand, I feel these extra-curriculars are an incredible opportunity for the audience to gain exposure to the dancers, especially the corps de ballet dancers. It is pretty amazing to read The Winger and to be able to gain some insight into a company like ABT from both a principal’s perspective and a corp dancer. It is also very generous for a company to support its dancers in this way, especially as there can’t be any immediate financial gain for the company.

On the other hand, there is a distinct feeling that there is an invisible hand behind these independent projects. It is quite remarkable to compare Toni Bentley’s Winter Season to Froman’s book. Froman is a much happier person than Bentley was when she danced for NYCB, but interestingly her version preserves and even glorifies the romantic view of ballet. In Peter Martins’ preface to In The Wings (I can’t imagine Balanchine writing a preface to Winter Season), Martins writes that Froman has a unique perspective as he was “embedded†in the company. And for me, that’s how a lot of the web-sites and postings read: they give the official position, almost the party line.

I don’t mean this as a personal attack on any one. This critique is also a critique of the zeitgeist and of the role of the internet. Today we are all individuals and we are all unique, but just as bellcurving academic grades shows us that in a world where everyone is an A student, there are no truly A students, so in a world where everyone is unique, no-one is truly unique.

This post is kind of a continuation to the discussion to the audience-building thread, but as I had so much to say and it is off topic, I decided to open a new thread.

[carbro]

On the other hand, there is a distinct feeling that there is an invisible hand behind these independent projects. It is quite remarkable to compare Toni Bentley's Winter Season to Froman's book. Froman is a much happier person than Bentley was when she danced for NYCB, but interestingly her version preserves and even glorifies the romantic view of ballet. In Peter Martins' preface to In The Wings (I can't imagine Balanchine writing a preface to Winter Season), Martins writes that Froman has a unique perspective as he was "embedded" in the company. And for me, that's how a lot of the web-sites and postings read: they give the official position, almost the party line.

Perhaps quite an invisible hand, but there's something. A few years ago, some of our members cited The Winger as a source of news that NYCB was about to announce a slew of promotions. After our members started speculating on who, someone noticed that Sloan's post had been edited. Obviously, someone at NYCB had requested discretion. But yes, there's the feeling of "I work for the company I'm writing about and I mustn't offend my bosses in any way."

[Leigh Witchel]

It also seems ridiculous for me to say this given my position, but my problem is that most dancers aren't very good writers, because they don't have serious training in it. At this point, dance is so competitive and overbred that most dancers can't afford to have well-trained minds. And though it's far better than nothing, going to a local university once weekly isn't going to produce a first-class intellect. We're breeding dancers only, and breeding out the coaches, teachers, directors, choreographers, writers . . .

[Alexandra]

I'm interested in seeing how this develops. I think it must be excruciating for young dancers not to "answer back" on the internet, not to mention brag about their successes, or impending successes. There's no way for them to respond to reviews they think are unfair. No way to say, "Look. I was dancing with a sprained ankle, I just got evicted, we had NO rehearsal and my partner kept kicking me. Can't I cut a break?" Or simply, "I am positively NOT mediocre." But they can't. And the problem is that anything they write MUST be discrete. They can't complain about the terrible choreographer/partner/director. They can't share the exciting news (that we'd all love to read) about what went on in rehearsal today. But will this change? It will be interesting to see.

On dancers are writers, I have to say that one of the biggest surprises I've had teaching young dancers is how many good writers there are. And they're usually the best dancers. I've had students who wrote poetry, privately, for fun; students who kept artistic (writing and drawings) journals; and at least three students every year who've written papers better than juniors and seniors I've taught at area universities. I'm sure there are students at other schools just as talented. Not everybody, by any means, but definitely more than a few.

Another problem is lack of time. There have been some interesting dancer and musician blogs on line over the past few years, but most don't last more than a few posts.

[Helene]

I don't think we can expect dancers to write things that would sabotage their careers. However, there's a lot they can share that might make us think about cutting them a break, or perhaps being less sharp. I don't know any world-class athletes, but I do know I've taken special interest and have rooted for athletes based on newspaper articles and "up-close-and-personal" features on ABC Wide World of Sports or by reading about them in SAS magazine.

A dancer who writes a blog or has a website may not be promoted because s/he's attracted a fan base, but I think it would be gratifying to know that the audience is seeking out the writer on stage and appreciating his/her gifts, especially corps members or dancers who join a company and are new for the audience.

[aurora]

It also seems ridiculous for me to say this given my position, but my problem is that most dancers aren't very good writers, because they don't have serious training in it. At this point, dance is so competitive and overbred that most dancers can't afford to have well-trained minds. And though it's far better than nothing, going to a local university once weekly isn't going to produce a first-class intellect. We're breeding dancers only, and breeding out the coaches, teachers, directors, choreographers, writers . . .

In theory I agree with you, dancers are not trained as writers, and generally have gotten pretty rudimentary academic schooling. So I can't argue with the statement that MOST dancers aren't very good writers.

But one of the things I find so nice about the winger and other dance blogs (most notably Matt Murphy's) is that you have a group of dancers who are trying to explore themselves and their profession in writing. True not all of them are terribly good at it (and let's face it, blogs are generally not the most well-written of things, dance blogs or no), but some of these blogs are surprisingly well-written and introspective.

I've been especially impressed with Matt's writing--both for the Winger (of late) and for his own blog Ranting Details, which I've been reading just about since it started I think (since MET season 2006). He is clearly someone who has outside interests (art, music, photography, reading, movies, and of course musicals) and is interested in broadening his horizons and expanding his talents in various media. He's recently been writing magazine articles as well.

I'm a graduate student, a TA, and sometime professor, and have been grading undergraduate work since 2002. I'm a very harsh critic and often bemoan the quality of writing I get from my students--undergraduates at both public and private colleges. While the subject matter is quite different, the quality of Matt's writing is considerably higher than almost anything I receive. Moreover, he really cares about how he writes, and constantly strives to improve his wording and say more accurately and precisely what he means.

I suppose I should disclose that I'm friends with Matt, but I wouldn't say this if it wasn't true. There have been plenty of kids in my classes that I've liked very much, but who are terrible writers, and their grades and comments from me reflect that.

I don't disagree that classes once a week aren't going to produce first rate intellects, but judging from the students I deal with--full time isn't doing it for the majority of students either.

A first rate writer requires natural intelligence, a striving to improve oneself, and training, though I'm not sure that this training needs to come from school, being an avid reader may work just as well.

[Leigh Witchel]

I think Murphy has a good mind, but I found I wanted to read him about five years from now. When I read him more frequently about a year ago I felt he was at such a formative stage that I found it almost uncomfortable to read. It was the kind of lessons and passages I'm kind of glad that I didn't keep a blog or journal about so that they could disappear into the past.

I wonder how people will feel about their blogs a decade from now, when they've become different people through time and experience, but the blog not only remains, but is public.

[mmurphy20]

This is a very interesting, and pressing, topic that I've dealt with a lot in the past few years.

When I made the decision to begin my blog, "Ranting Details," in April of 2006, it was very much on a whim. It began as a way for me to document my travels with ABT for friends of mine who I didn't keep in touch with, etc. Looking back on my older entries, I too become a bit uncomfortable with my writing style, the way I say things (or what I talk about), and the overall unfinished quality of my posts. Instead of looking at them with dismay as to why I initially posted them, I see them as reminders of how far I've come. I've used the blog as a way to challenge the way I write, and to keep myself feeling artistically engaged with something away from my primary outlet of dance.

So often dancers of the corps blend into the background, and their growth through the company goes undocumented. I'm proud to have my journey (so far) out there for the world to see. I'm sorry if some people see it as uncomfortable, as one of the things I've tried (and quite frankly had) to be most conscious of is the content which I choose to post. While I realize many people want to know every detail of the inner workings of a company, there is a line that cannot be crossed with putting information into the public domain. This has been the key reason why I choose to mainly focus on other theater, dance, books, etc. that stimulate me. I hope that when people read my "adventures" they see that not all ballet dancers are cookie cutter stereotypes. That's not to say I'm some hyper intellectual by any means :-) I just try not to be complacent, which can become the downfall of so many dancers (especially in the corps) after joining companies young and having a career fairly established.

When I became sick some months ago, I initially hesitated about whether or not to discuss my health for the world to see. Ultimately, I made the decision to be as forward with it as possible in the hopes that if someone, somewhere, is/was dealing with the same thing, I could be a voice of compassion that I so desperately searched for towards the beginning.

There are occasional posts that verge on the line of too much information. The most personal I tend to get are the entires that are more poetry related, and sometimes slightly cryptic recounting of events in my life. On a whole, I tend to shy away from posting any relationship information, etc, that really isn't anyone's business but my own. Having recently gone back through many of my older posts, I can honestly say there is nothing on the blog that I wouldn't tell anyone.

Of course there's no telling what I will feel like ten years from now when I look back at the beginning of my blog journey. I might think of the whole thing as being utterly ridiculous. At the moment though, I'm happy to share my writing, photography, successes and failures as a young dancer growing up in New York City with people that are interested. To be honest, I can't imagine what my health would be like if I hadn't had the blog as an outlet over the past year.

Throughout the different stages there have been people there supporting me, people who I've never met, which is a strange but ultimately comforting fact. I even remember over a year ago when Leigh was so kind and supportive during my first forays into choreography. Even though we've never met, you were able to provide the type of guidance that I wasn't getting from anyone else and I'm thankful for that.

Going back to the idea that began this thread, no matter how much information someone is posting on any given website, if they are associated with a company or a community at large, there are always going to be ways in which they have to censor themselves. It's sort of the "don't bite the hand that feeds you" mentality. As much backstage information and tidbits as I like to share, I always have to be conscious of how the company is portrayed and understand that there are some people who don't wish to be involved in the blog universe.

[Leigh Witchel]

It is an interesting question. I was starting my blog just around the time that Jessica Cutler ("Washingtonienne") was getting rewarded with a $325,000 book advance for blogging about who she was sleeping with - which disgusted me, though the disgust was less directed at her than at realizing that was where the money was, and what people wanted to read. I tried to keep my blog impersonal, and more directed at issues or art, but the entries that were most rewarding for readers judging by the responses I got were the ones that were most confessional in tone. These are the times, and the artistic voice of this era is confessional.

Perhaps some of it is in temperamental makeup - I don't want people to see process; I want them to see product. It reminds me of when Eliot Feld decided to leave the curtain open before performances. Most of the audience was thrilled; I was horrified. As another friend recounted, there was a couple practicing a complicated lift; they had to do it in full view and screwed it up every time. And sure enough, they came to it in actual performance, and screwed it up there too.

The proto-blog I did for Alexandra ("A Choreographer's Diary") involved many of the issues we're talking about, but wasn't interactive. I spent a lot of time weighing what should and should not go in - I wanted an accurate diary and didn't want to give an illusion that Everything was Beautiful at the Ballet - I also didn't want to violate my dancers' privacy or expose them to ridicule. Plus I was an employer, and looking back on it eight years later, though no one has complained, I probably should have gotten everyone's permission beforehand - I was hiring them to dance, not to be the subjects of a documentary.

[perky]

It is an interesting question. I was starting my blog just around the time that Jessica Cutler ("Washingtonienne") was getting rewarded with a $325,000 book advance for blogging about who she was sleeping with - which disgusted me, though the disgust was less directed at her than at realizing that was where the money was, and what people wanted to read. I tried to keep my blog impersonal, and more directed at issues or art, but the entries that were most rewarding for readers judging by the responses I got were the ones that were most confessional in tone. These are the times, and the artistic voice of this era is confessional.

Perhaps some of it is in temperamental makeup - I don't want people to see process; I want them to see product. It reminds me of when Eliot Feld decided to leave the curtain open before performances. Most of the audience was thrilled; I was horrified. As another friend recounted, there was a couple practicing a complicated lift; they had to do it in full view and screwed it up every time. And sure enough, they came to it in actual performance, and screwed it up there too.

Maybe I'm a nutter, but the posts I've always enjoyed the most on your blog are about your travel experiences and She Who Must Be Petted!

Speaking for all the non-dancers out there, I want to see and read about the process as well as the product. The chance to share in the blood, sweat, tears and hopefully joy that goes into making a dancer or a dance is truely a gift for us outsiders.

[Leigh Witchel]

Maybe I'm a nutter, but the posts I've always enjoyed the most on your blog are about your travel experiences and She Who Must Be Petted!

W.C. Fields was right. Never share the stage (or your blog) with children or animals - they steal it!

[dirac]

In all honesty I’ve never thought that ballet dancers of the past were such great pen pushers, either. Yes, there were exceptions and I salute them, but I’ve often found writings by ballet dancers to be wanting in one respect or another (in comparison to, say, modern dancers). And there training enters into it – modern dancers often start later and have access to higher education that ballet dancers don’t have. But I don’t think that’s necessarily all that new and I suspect today's dancers have educational advantages not available in the past (and vice versa, too, of course). As writers I think dancers stack up quite well next to other breeds of performer, actors for example. The ballet world is indeed more competitive now, true, but I don’t see that great a break with the past as far as dancer/writers are concerned.

I enjoy reading working dancers' blogs even if they are not as candid as they might be. Insider gossip isn't everything.

And thank you, GWTW, for getting this highly relevant topic started.

[Ray]

This is indeed a rich topic--thanks GWTW! One aspect of the poor quality of ballet dancers' writing could be attributed to age (this dovetails with Aurora's comments, actually). I say this because I recently attended a memorial service for my mother, given by medical students of the hospital to which she donated her body. It all sounded very promising, and every detail was attended to, and the production values were better than some dance performances I've been to. Yet once the very young med students came onto the stage, one after the other, to deliver their testimonials they were, in a word, awful: their clearly carefully prepared speeches were filled with cliches and commonplace expressions (don't get me started on the music choices--if my mother only knew that someone was singing Pink Floyd at her service!). I never doubted their sincerity for a moment, but they simply didn't have the experiential toolbox to produce diverse or deep responses.

I think as I move further away from performing I feel an acute sense of disappointment that more dancers, especially those I admire greatly, haven't developed their ability to articulate their experiences. I felt this most keenly recently listening to Suzanne Farrell on a GBF DVD where she's coaching dancers in Monumentum/Movements: she could barely craft thoughtful responses to Joan Acocella's softball questions. SO to end on a sunny note, perhaps it is good that younger dancers are starting to write now so that they will be able to reflect, describe, and analyze more clearly and distinctly when they can't do entrechats any more.

BUT getting back to GWTW's worry, I'm also concerned that young blogging dancers' critical thinking could be shaped by the very interested and (mostly) invisible hands of the dance "marketplace," leading them to express themselves in evaluative, PR-style writing. I fear that most in the performing arts have a very black-and-white sense of "promotion"--that is, there are only bad or good reviews, the criteria of which are if they pan or praise--so any writing that's in the least bit critical will be censored.

[sz]

I think it's a matter of content versus quality.

I can't tell you how many times dancers have said to each other that most "critics" know little about what they're reviewing..... adding... but most do "write" excellently.

So, naturally, I also expect that trained writers/experienced reviewers would be critical of dancers' writing. Some professional dancers do study and move on to writing careers (eg, Pointe and Dance Mags, etc.).... but I've never seen any professional writers leave those careers and become some of the best dancers in the best ballet companies.

I think it's difficult and terrific that dancers are opening up more and more verbally, and writing on blogs, Winger, etc., casually. I'd like to see more insider opinions and reviews on the Internet... Tricky, of course, if you are currently employed by the dance company you are writing about... but it's possible to do, time permitting.

And when I want to read the opinions and reviews of professionally trained, excellent writers -- I'll look for them in places where professional writers are publicized.

[Ray]

And when I want to read the opinions and reviews of professionally trained, excellent writers -- I'll look for them in places where professional writers are publicized.

I hear what you're saying, sz, but I have a real need to hear meaningful/thoughtful/significant/reflective words come out of dance artists' mouths, articulately and clearly. I like to think that even non-professionals can express themselves clearly (but hey, I have to think that, b/c, like Aurora, I teach undergrads!).

[dirac]

I think it's difficult and terrific that dancers are opening up more and more verbally, and writing on blogs, Winger, etc., casually.

I agree. One of the good things about the blogging is that you aren’t tied to those standards. I’m not knocking the standards – they’re good and necessary. But I also like reading bloggers who express themselves more freely and casually (or more forcefully) than they might when writing for a print publication. Spontaneity is part of the web, too.

I never doubted their sincerity for a moment, but they simply didn't have the experiential toolbox to produce diverse or deep responses.

I’m sure you’re right – but maybe cut them a little slack? Many young people, even med students, don’t have the experience of coping with the loss of a parent. Some things do take time.

(I’m sorry to hear about your mother. I think she did a fine and generous thing in donating her body to a hospital.)

[kfw]

One aspect of the poor quality of ballet dancers' writing could be attributed to age (this dovetails with Aurora's comments, actually). I say this because I recently attended a memorial service for my mother, given by medical students of the hospital to which she donated her body. It all sounded very promising, and every detail was attended to, and the production values were better than some dance performances I've been to. Yet once the very young med students came onto the stage, one after the other, to deliver their testimonials they were, in a word, awful: their clearly carefully prepared speeches were filled with cliches and commonplace expressions (don't get me started on the music choices--if my mother only knew that someone was singing Pink Floyd at her service!). I never doubted their sincerity for a moment, but they simply didn't have the experiential toolbox to produce diverse or deep responses.

I think as I move further away from performing I feel an acute sense of disappointment that more dancers, especially those I admire greatly, haven't developed their ability to articulate their experiences. I felt this most keenly recently listening to Suzanne Farrell on a GBF DVD where she's coaching dancers in Monumentum/Movements: she could barely craft thoughtful responses to Joan Acocella's softball questions. SO to end on a sunny note, perhaps it is good that younger dancers are starting to write now so that they will be able to reflect, describe, and analyze more clearly and distinctly when they can't do entrechats any more.

Thanks for the very interesting thoughts, Ray. I admire dancers enormously for their dedication, but while they're great and disciplined athletes, we don't look to athletes for articulate and contextualized reflection. And dancers work so long and hard in the studio that they often don't have time or energy, or so we hear, for much besides dancing. What I've often wondered is how many have the time and opportunity, and how many have the aptitude -- which is another sort of gift from what they display onstage -- to develop and pursue the cultural and intellectual interests that could give their writing depth.

[SanderO]

Blogs are not meant as well crafted critique of ballet. They are simply a personal place to

"sound off" on whatever floats your boat. Dancers might range around dancer themes, but why should they be writing high brow critique? And why must critics be dancers to write about it? Of course to be a good critic you need to know the subject, the history of the genre, the current environment and then be a wordsmith who can convey something about the work that others may not see, or perhaps convery it more clearly.

I attended a Ferri presentation and she is not a native English speaker, but she was very powerful in conveying herself. Who cares? She's not asking to be graded in public speaking or English locution. She cam through loud and clear with her spoken English as she does on her toes.

[Ray]

Thanks for the very interesting thoughts, Ray. I admire dancers enormously for their dedication, but while they're great and disciplined athletes, we don't look to athletes for articulate and contextualized reflection. And dancers work so long and hard in the studio that they often don't have time or energy, or so we hear, for much besides dancing. What I've often wondered is how many have the time and opportunity, and how many have the aptitude -- which is another sort of gift from what they display onstage -- to develop and pursue the cultural and intellectual interests that could give their writing depth.

Thanks for helping me to clarify what I think I mean. While I think it's hard to expect any practicing performer to be able to reflect as thoughtfully as we might like, I do think dancers could learn from musicians and actors (ever listen to the young performers on that NPR show From the Top? Some of them reveal amazing and brilliant thinking about their craft, even as they prove themselves to be dynamic performers). Still, I think what I still want to push on is my desire to hear older performers articulate better. Back to Farrell again--and I know many will disagree with me--when Acocella asked her why she thought that Balanchine paired Mounmentum and Movements, I just expected her to be able to say more than "because Mr. B. liked them together." You don't need 40+ years of experience with the man to say that. So--back to the topic--I hope that Internet outlets will offer young dancers a place to begin a process of reflection that may not ripen until later.

[SanderO]

There are many forms of intelligence, verbal, mathematical, musical, movement, artistic and so forth. Some are gifted in one, some in several. While it's nice to think that people who have movement (dance) intelligence (skill) can be articulate and reflexive about what they do, don't expect it.

The creative process does require a certain level of thinking, analysis, knowledge and so forth, but I would think that many dancers are not the least bit creative. What they are is a "vessel" which dance can be created "on". I would expect a fair number of movement geniuses, including atheletes to be as inarticulate as the village idiot or as articulate as Shakespeare. The ones who can, do, the others who can't, shouldn't (probably).

But everyone is entitled to express themselves as they see fit.

[mom2]

I am joining this conversation a bit late I'm afraid.

I want to say that I enjoy Matt Murphy's work on the Winger and Ranting Details a great deal. I find him to be a wonderfully articulate young man. I'm not sure that we could or should compare his or other bloggers' work to scholarly writing - in my mind these are distinct entities, with quite different goals.

In addition, I will say something which may be considered controversial. It has nothing to do with dance, but is my opinion about writing in general. I find that elementary and secondary schools these days are not doing quite as much to prepare students in the area of written expression. This is my opinion as a mother and school psychologist. Therefore, I would suggest that if one is noticing a less than stellar quality of writing in dancers, it is probably more generalized across the entire population: it is not an issue particular to dancers or others who do not seek full-time post secondary education. In fact, by the time young people reach the post-secondary level there is very little done to develop written expression. One is expected to come to University with these skills intact, and mechanics of writing are not addressed in evaluations of essay assignments. In high school we are told that there isn't the "time" to address these things, and the emphasis in elementary schools seems to be elsewhere these days.......

In closing, I would suggest that many of the blogs I see out these days are more a vehicle for personal expression and exploration than production of a final "good" copy. We are fortunate that the young people who post on the Winger and other sites allow us these windows into their experiences.

m2

[Leigh Witchel]

Addressing a few points - I don't think that the difference between writing talent and intelligence was ever in question. The problem only arises when someone writes to be read by others.

The blog itself is a hybrid creation that in many ways I don't like - a private journal opened to the public. I may be in the minority, but I don't want to read about someone's private life unfiltered (an example of filtering - Matt said he thought long and hard about how to discuss his health issues on the blog because he realized that the readership was unrestricted. I agree with that process; everyone will come to a different level of decision about where they end up.)

There's no correlation, alas, between scholarly writing and good writing; and blogs certainly don't need to be the former. Blogs are quickly written and don't have an editor; there are also several levels of blogging. At the top, with blogs in wide circulation, they're public writing. If you ask me to read something, and I'm not your friend or acquaintance, I expect it to be decently written and thought out. If you choose to express yourself publicly in that medium and you can't write well, I'm not going to waste my time reading you. Here's a non-blog example of my objection - a talented dancer I knew decided to do more experimental work that mixed media - some dance and some spoken dialogue. The choreography was rather good; the dialogue rather weak. What I told him afterwards: "You're a trained dancer. You're not a trained writer. If you are going to include writing in your work, you have to work on it until it is as good as your choreography, or get someone else to do the writing. You've chosen to include it; you can't ask us to forgive that weakness because the choreography is strong."

[sz]

And here's a fine example of what many insiders know and understand about Suzanne that most others do not...

>Back to Farrell again--and I know many will disagree with

>me--when Acocella asked her why she thought that Balanchine

>paired Mounmentum and Movements, I just

>expected her to be able to say more than "because

>Mr. B. liked them together." You don't need 40+

>years of experience with the man to say that.

It was very much Mr. B's way of responding to questions.... to find something quick, slightly funny and/or ironic, if not hilarious, to say... that would quickly bring the ballet world down to earth. Eg, go, see the ballet, love it or not, don't think about it too deeply, and then go home and do something else....

Many people who worked with Mr. B spent years being amused and appreciative of his style of verbal communication. Sometimes there were wonderful stories, but most often Mr. B showed us that he was most proud of his quick quips.

So, it comes as no surprise that Suzanne (and others) would try to imitate what she learned from Mr. B. And quite possibly, that is exactly what Mr. B said about putting M & M together.

Quoting someone else on this topic, I too think that Internet outlets will offer dancers new places to begin a process of reflection and communication. And bravo for that!

[kfw]

There are many forms of intelligence, verbal, mathematical, musical, movement, artistic and so forth. Some are gifted in one, some in several. While it's nice to think that people who have movement (dance) intelligence (skill) can be articulate and reflexive about what they do, don't expect it.

Yes, that was part of what I was trying to say, and why I wondered about the number of dancers who have the sort of intelligence (and education) required for good writing.

The creative process does require a certain level of thinking, analysis, knowledge and so forth, but I would think that many dancers are not the least bit creative. What they are is a "vessel" which dance can be created "on". I would expect a fair number of movement geniuses, including atheletes to be as inarticulate as the village idiot or as articulate as Shakespeare. The ones who can, do, the others who can't, shouldn't (probably).

That may be true of some corps dancers, but when dancers speak of having roles created on them they often sound like junior partners in the creative process. And when they talk about dancing this or that role, they often show imagination and, for example in the case of Paris Opera Ballet dancers talking about Jewels, analytical skill. Recently I quoted Laura Jacobs in The New Criterion attributing a particularly imaginative dance image to her favorite, Veronika Part: "Part's arch sinks back into dream, revisiting the spell and giving us a glimpse of the curve, stress, and bevel that held her in that hundred-year sleep. This is Part's power: radiant, radical imagining." I responded that it was probably Jacobs and not Part who came up with that image, but carbro questioned my presumption, and she was probably right.

[Helene]

Therefore, I would suggest that if one is noticing a less than stellar quality of writing in dancers, it is probably more generalized across the entire population: it is not an issue particular to dancers or others who do not seek full-time post secondary education.

I agree with this, mom2. I think there are a number of factors, but mostly that the literate world in general is going back to an emphasis on visual and oral skills, and much less so on written skills, as cheaper and cheaper technology overcomes time and distance. Writing is for those who provide information.

When the only way to communicate across long distances was through letters, or the only way to communicate officially with the govenment or business was through written correspondence, there was an emphasis on writing. Letters to the editor were vetted and edited. Letters take writing skill and organization, and the were precious: they took days or weeks to deliver.

Who needs to write letters any more? Almost every government or business has an online form to fill out: check here, check there, click on a picture to select, fill in these fields, you're done. Have an opinion? Go onto the newspaper or magazine's online site and type away, without editing and with little censorship. Ad hominem attack all the way! All comers are equal. Email, in which brief sentences can be passed back and forth at little cost and no latency, is coming down a notch, as people can teleconference through Skype and a camera. Why even both to write an email, when you can talk to the person, with full visuals? Or capture a little film and forward it to everyone as a holiday greeting; no need even for the family holiday newsletter or a holiday message written on the family MySpace.

I don't think younger dancers write worse than their peers. Sometimes they write more awkwardly, perhaps because they are experts in expressing themselves through movement. Many experts feel self-conscious in expressing themselves in other ways, like non-native English speakers who apologize for their incredibly wonderful English because they are worried that it is not as fluent as their native language (and who put many of us native English speakers to shame.) Not to mention how many times they are told how dumb and/or uneducated they are, how passive they are to put up with all of those corrections, being pushed around by choreographers, having their careers at the mercy of artistic directors and politics, and being referred to as "boys" and "girls," and how the intelligent and articulate ones are the exceptions that prove the rule. I think it takes a lot of guts for dancers to write for the public.

Even translating good verbals skills to paper can be intimidating. My dad was a blue-color worker whose biggest written demand was to fill out forms at work. His spoken English was great -- his elementary and junior high and high school teachers in the 30's and 40's whipped it into him relentlessly -- but if he had to write a letter, he looked at me helplessly. He couldn't write what he could so clearly articulate in speech. Many students today don't have what is now the luxury of his public school education, nor Mrs. Skewes, who taught my 8th grade English class, from which I still have the lash marks.

We may be the final frontier: the only way we can communicate with each other is through writing, and with built-in latency (as well as "preview" and the "edit" button )