Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

stuben

Senior Member
  • Posts

    327
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Registration Profile Information

  • Connection to/interest in ballet** (Please describe. Examples: fan, teacher, dancer, writer, avid balletgoer)
    long time ballet fan
  • City**
    NYC
  • State (US only)**, Country (Outside US only)**
    US

Recent Profile Visitors

2,626 profile views
  1. Isn't her mother Yan Chen, who was with the company and now teaching at JKO? So I am it helps to have her mother there and most likely we can be sure she will be watched closely unlike most of the other dancers with similar unfortunate luck as mentioned during their potential strike.
  2. Indeed disturbing and I would think this should be an embarrassment to the upper management and even the board! I also just saw this on Dance Edit (not sure if anyone subscribes to this) and in the same breath Dance Edit announced the $60M that SFB just received! Now why can't ABT have a generous board like the West Coast?! And if they do get significant funding then they should realize without dancers or stage managers there would be nobody on stage!
  3. I wonder what is going to happen to the DC shows since it seems a strike is imminent based on these articles that AGMA has been posting, looks like word is spreading. I wish the dancers and stage managers good luck and management understands without them the stage will be empty! I did what the dancers have asked audiences to do, I called and told them I would not purchase any tickets to their shows until their management agreed to put the money where it is most needed - dancers and stage managers! I hope more of us here will do likewise - to support this effort. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/american-ballet-theatre-dancers-and-stage-managers-voted-to-strike https://dailyfreepress.com/2024/02/14/let-us-not-forget-what-we-live-for/
  4. Thank you for this link, based on what this shows I do wonder if they now save some money by not having an executive director or if that now goes to Jaffe, since she is stepping in to be both. Also, has anyone looked at the website lately? It seems there is no CFO either, so does that mean it is a savings and where is that going? And, I do agree with some comments about the six figures (I would consider them to be high six) for upper management while dancers are trying to make ends meet. Plus, I think this sounds like something that has been building up since McKenzie's days, and I do wonder if he saw this coming and ran!? It is easier to let someone else take the heat. And, does the Expenses include the production of new work? It must be extremely costly to put up elaborate ballets like that of Ratmansky's Sleeping Beauty, Whipped Cream, and even the recent Like Water for Chocolate with all the costumes and sets. I am just wondering if this was an ongoing financial issue, then someone should have looked into paying these artists and stage managers first before they spend more money on new work. I would not mind simpler sets or bringing back the works from the Golden Years of ABT, so they can use funding for salaries first. Just IMHO.
  5. Well, I hope this will help resolve their contract issues (based on other thread discussions) for these dancers and musicians.
  6. I apologize if you misunderstood my point, I support SAG and all unions and I am sure members in SAG were scrambling, as I too know a few members, actors, and writer friends, who did have that issue. We are all glad it ended with a positive agreement. I am not sure what the ballet dancers make and cannot assume they are all well off, except for perhaps a selected few. Plus a company like ABT doesn't seem to be working all 12 months, so I do wonder how this affects their lives with the cost of living being so high in NYC. Anyway, I am hoping the union can get what they need to live on. Pro-Union here 🙂
  7. It is indeed different unlike SAG where they had the support from all actors nationwide, and it is unfortunate I think for dancers and musicians. It is unfortunate for the dancers who most likely don't have wages to meet the living standards, especially in a place like NYC. Per your funding support thought, perhaps they will come up with a "GoFundMe" for audiences & fans to chip in or something. I guess I just feel bad for performers (actors, dancers) who give us so much on stage yet they have to struggle to make a decent living wage, unlike other athletes like football, etc.
  8. Since many are still questioning and there is no word so far, I decided to do a bit of social media sleuthing, I decided to be bold and just ask the question on the AGMA Instagram account and learned that .... interestingly enough .... they are "still in negotiations". Whatever this means and assuming no contracts yet. I do wonder then if the dancers have all been working without a contract since last year, and does this include the orchestra and stagehands? How does this work and is this legal? If so, this is unfortunate and I feel for those who need the financial help with living in NYC and surrounding areas, it can't be cheap!
  9. Thank you for this video Drew and totally agree with On Pointe!! Guess ABT doesn’t care about best foot forward these days. This video of Marcelo made me miss those golden years even more 😔 when dancers can actually act vs just being acrobats. Good technique is great but I’ve always loved a dancer who can draw me into the performance with good theatrical ability, and why I miss Gomes, Part, Kent, Reyes, and never forget Hallberg! Something that’s lacking these days.
  10. By no means I was trying to insult anyone. That’s putting words in my mouth and I’m sorry you’re misunderstanding my thoughts. It would be nice that these dancers would get enough weeks so they don’t need to go and find other means to live on and that’s all. I’m a supporter of these dancers and that’s all.
  11. And is that their fault when many companies work more days? Someone up thread mentioned many have to do gigs etc to make ends meet.
  12. Sorry I meant ready in terms of getting their own traveling things. I know I’d have to pack and knowing how China might be these days, there must be regulations etc to be ready?
  13. Seems the company didn’t give much time for the dancers to get ready for this tour!? So last show was Sunday and they’re already onto China? And from social media posts it looks like their contract situation hasn’t been resolved! That’s just seems ridiculous and much like what the writers and actors were and still are dealing with. We, the audience can compliment or criticize but in the end we have to realize these artists are all working for less than living wage just to entertain us, I wish the powers that be do the right thing and take care of their dancers!
  14. With so many agreeing on the sound issues, I wonder if this accentuated the squeaky wheels from those black dresses in Petite Mort, I just can't get that noise out of my head, they were so distracting. That was my issue in regard to her expression (or lack thereof) when I saw Like Water For Chocolate, I thought that was expected for the particular role. Her technique is there but totally agree these are distractions. As for standing out, it is easy to stand out when a dancer is doing a solo on stage, however, I saw Études and didn't realize she was dancing a corps role, and thought several others were standouts.
  15. My question about the grants - why are they not reflected towards the dancers’ benefits and income? With all this money flowing in with these celebs I would think they’re thinking of the dancers! IMHO, It’s unconscionable how this “National” company that’s supposed to represent this country act like this towards their dancers, as if they’re slaves to the very rich!
×
×
  • Create New...