Alexandra

You didn't do anything wrong, piccolo -- I don't know what it is. I just found one of those threads manually (in the Aesthetic Issues forum, in Subtexts and Contexts), copied the thread -- it displays the url exactly as on the other forum, and when I clicked it in preview mode, it took me there. Try this one http://www.balletalert.com/forum/showthrea...=&threadid=2791

I think the producers are still there -- Judy Kinsberg (sp?) at least, who's working on a project for this season.

Thanks, Estelle. I posted something that had been sent to me without checking it, and have changed the posts a bit now. I like your suggestions for further responses! If dance were anything else, another magazine *would* have hired Tobias instantly. But it's not, and it's not because the people who run publishing do not have dance on their radar screens. It's not important to them, and they assume it's not important to anyone else.

Thanks, Estelle. I posted something that had been sent to me without checking it, and have changed the posts a bit now. I like your suggestions for further responses! If dance were anything else, another magazine *would* have hired Tobias instantly. But it's not, and it's not because the people who run publishing do not have dance on their radar screens. It's not important to them, and they assume it's not important to anyone else.

A very interesting question, Stuttgart. There are certainly bits of paintings in famous ballets (Apollo and Terpsichore touching fingers in Balanchine's "Apollo" is one example.) I read an article by Frederick Ashton on choreography once where he said in certain early works he had tried to imitate groupings he found in paintings (I think to teach himself composition) but later "rather despised that method of working" (no further explanation, and I wish he'd given one!) Diaghilev and his friends -- and Lincoln Kirstein and his, later on, in America -- were very much influenced by art. I'd be interested in reading posts from viewers (as well as choreographers and dancers, of course) to see if anyone thinks of paintings when watching ballets, or if painting and sculpture have a relationship to dance in your life. I'll offer one example. The Bolshoi's most recent production of Don Quixote has a tavern scenethat looks very much like John Singer Sargent's Spanish paintings. The colors, the composition, the way the dancers sat on chairs against the wall, arranged just so. I couldn't help but wonder if the designer had been influenced by the paintings, or if both designer and Sargent had seen the same thing (and the design was inspired by an early production)

I agree, dirac. I'd vote for the indefinite search for a new voice -- surely they'll all forget about this by spring, won't they? I did speak with Tobi Tobias when this started and the first thing I asked her was, do you think they're replacing you. She had asked the same thing and was told no. Replacing Tobias at this stage would make Miller seem either unbelievably petty -- bad bad writer for daring to go public with being fired! -- or fuel the rumors (which I personally do not believe, but which keep surfacing) that certain organizations put pressure on the magazine to get rid of Tobias because of her negative reviews. Either way, everyone loses in this.

I agree, dirac. I'd vote for the indefinite search for a new voice -- surely they'll all forget about this by spring, won't they? I did speak with Tobi Tobias when this started and the first thing I asked her was, do you think they're replacing you. She had asked the same thing and was told no. Replacing Tobias at this stage would make Miller seem either unbelievably petty -- bad bad writer for daring to go public with being fired! -- or fuel the rumors (which I personally do not believe, but which keep surfacing) that certain organizations put pressure on the magazine to get rid of Tobias because of her negative reviews. Either way, everyone loses in this.

New York Magazine isn't the only thing that's evolving. Here's the form responses I know of, in order. Changes in bold. Form Response #1: Thanks for your letter about our dance coverage. It's true that I decided not to renew Tobi's contract. In these difficult times, every publication in America has had to make painful choices, focusing limited resources on work that best serves its readers. While I have valued Tobi's contribution to the magazine, I believe that, for the time being, the best way we can provide ongoing coverage of dance is in other parts of the magazine. This doesn't mean we don't consider dance worthy of coverage, or that we are going to abandon the dance community. We will continue to cover dance in previews, listings, and features by other staff members. Dance will be included in the upcoming Fall Preview issue, as usual, and we have a feature on Mark Morris coming up later in the fall. Form Response #2: Thanks for your letter. It's true that we're not going to continue running Tobi's reviews, but, believe me, we are not abandoning dance coverage. We'll continue to run previews, listings and features, and are committed to making sure dance gets the attention it deserves, in every way we can. I know you're aware that every publication in America, like all arts organizations, has had to make painful descisions on how to deploy limited resources to give readers what they value most. This is something we feel we have to do at this point; nonetheless, as we go forward we'll continue to look for ways to support the dance community in the city. Form Response #3: It's true that we're not going to continue running Tobi's reviews, but, believe me, we are not abandoning dance coverage. We'll continue to run previews, listings and features, and are committed to making sure dance gets the attention it deserves, in every way we can. As you have observed, every publication in America, like every arts organization, has had to make painful decisions on how to deploy limited resources to give readers what they value most. This is something we feel we have to do at this point; it doesn't mean that we're not serious about dance and other arts in the city. Like all organisms, magazines need to keep evolving, developing new voices and new approaches. A response received over the past weekend #4: Despite what seems to be going around the dance world, we are not discontinuing dance coverage in New York magazine. It's true that we decided not to renew Tobi Tobias's contract. We felt we needed a change, a new voice or critical approach that would broaden the audience for our dance coverage, which is at this point a tiny percentage of our readers. (If you want to attract new audiences to dance, rather than just talk to veterans and insiders, you have to innovate.) In the short term, until we find the right voice, we'll continue to run previews, listings and features by other writers. Response #5: Despite what you have heard going around the dance world, we are not discontinuing our dance coverage. It's true that we did decide not to renew Tobi Tobias's contract. We felt it was time for a change. But we will be looking for a new voice, and in the meantime will make sure the bases are covered in previews, listings and features by other writers. Like all magazines-and all arts organizations-we're facing a tighter budget, and must husband our resources carefully. But we are not abandoning the dance community or any other of the arts communities in New York

New York Magazine isn't the only thing that's evolving. Here's the form responses I know of, in order. Changes in bold. Form Response #1: Thanks for your letter about our dance coverage. It's true that I decided not to renew Tobi's contract. In these difficult times, every publication in America has had to make painful choices, focusing limited resources on work that best serves its readers. While I have valued Tobi's contribution to the magazine, I believe that, for the time being, the best way we can provide ongoing coverage of dance is in other parts of the magazine. This doesn't mean we don't consider dance worthy of coverage, or that we are going to abandon the dance community. We will continue to cover dance in previews, listings, and features by other staff members. Dance will be included in the upcoming Fall Preview issue, as usual, and we have a feature on Mark Morris coming up later in the fall. Form Response #2: Thanks for your letter. It's true that we're not going to continue running Tobi's reviews, but, believe me, we are not abandoning dance coverage. We'll continue to run previews, listings and features, and are committed to making sure dance gets the attention it deserves, in every way we can. I know you're aware that every publication in America, like all arts organizations, has had to make painful descisions on how to deploy limited resources to give readers what they value most. This is something we feel we have to do at this point; nonetheless, as we go forward we'll continue to look for ways to support the dance community in the city. Form Response #3: It's true that we're not going to continue running Tobi's reviews, but, believe me, we are not abandoning dance coverage. We'll continue to run previews, listings and features, and are committed to making sure dance gets the attention it deserves, in every way we can. As you have observed, every publication in America, like every arts organization, has had to make painful decisions on how to deploy limited resources to give readers what they value most. This is something we feel we have to do at this point; it doesn't mean that we're not serious about dance and other arts in the city. Like all organisms, magazines need to keep evolving, developing new voices and new approaches. A response received over the past weekend #4: Despite what seems to be going around the dance world, we are not discontinuing dance coverage in New York magazine. It's true that we decided not to renew Tobi Tobias's contract. We felt we needed a change, a new voice or critical approach that would broaden the audience for our dance coverage, which is at this point a tiny percentage of our readers. (If you want to attract new audiences to dance, rather than just talk to veterans and insiders, you have to innovate.) In the short term, until we find the right voice, we'll continue to run previews, listings and features by other writers. Response #5: Despite what you have heard going around the dance world, we are not discontinuing our dance coverage. It's true that we did decide not to renew Tobi Tobias's contract. We felt it was time for a change. But we will be looking for a new voice, and in the meantime will make sure the bases are covered in previews, listings and features by other writers. Like all magazines-and all arts organizations-we're facing a tighter budget, and must husband our resources carefully. But we are not abandoning the dance community or any other of the arts communities in New York

Welcome, Stuttgart, and thank you for posting that! GWTW, I haven't heard of that company, and apparently no one else has either, since there have been no posts. It may be a group put together for summer tours -- but it does sound interesting, and I hope you'll report on it for us.

Thanks for finding that for us, Lolly! atm, I think you're onto something. The early history of Serenade is fascinating (the little I know of it). It was a very different ballet then, not only because of the costumes, and the fact that the chunkier, more athletic bodies we see in photos MUST have looked different dancing those steps, but because most (each?) dancer had a tiny solo. But it didn't have that pretty, pretty "jeune fille" look, I think. I used to love Dance Theatre of Harlem's version because they danced it with such power.

Piccolo, this has been one of our favorite topics. You might be interested in reading these threads: http://www.balletalert.com/forum/sh...=&threadid=2824 http://www.balletalert.com/forum/sh...=&threadid=2836 http://www.balletalert.com/forum/sh...=&threadid=2866 http://www.balletalert.com/forum/sh...=&threadid=2791 If you have comments, don't be shy about making them! No thread is dead.

Yes, it is depressing, and I think this is why the New York mag case has caused such an uproar. Always before, dance was cut back. But not cut out. I don't think it's a lack of space. It's that They don't think dance matters. And that's why all the dance organizations have jumped on this one. Repeating part of a prior post, since it's now on page 3 of this thread, and those clicking on now may not go back and see it, according to Dance/USA, the following have joined in an email/letter writing campaign to New York Magazine re the cutting of dance reviews: "The Field; Dance Theater Workshop; Alliance of Resident Theaters/NY (theater); Theater Communications Group (theater-national); The Arts & Business Council; the New York Coalition for the Arts; New York Foundation for the Arts; New England Foundation for the Arts; Career Transitions for Dancers; IATSE (stagehands); AGMA; and SSDC (Directors & Choreographers), among others."

Yes, it is depressing, and I think this is why the New York mag case has caused such an uproar. Always before, dance was cut back. But not cut out. I don't think it's a lack of space. It's that They don't think dance matters. And that's why all the dance organizations have jumped on this one. Repeating part of a prior post, since it's now on page 3 of this thread, and those clicking on now may not go back and see it, according to Dance/USA, the following have joined in an email/letter writing campaign to New York Magazine re the cutting of dance reviews: "The Field; Dance Theater Workshop; Alliance of Resident Theaters/NY (theater); Theater Communications Group (theater-national); The Arts & Business Council; the New York Coalition for the Arts; New York Foundation for the Arts; New England Foundation for the Arts; Career Transitions for Dancers; IATSE (stagehands); AGMA; and SSDC (Directors & Choreographers), among others."

I just received an email forwarded to me from someone who's on the Dance/USA mailing list, that included the following paragraphs: So if you hear that this is an issue of interest to only a handful of people, that's a good list to cite

I just received an email forwarded to me from someone who's on the Dance/USA mailing list, that included the following paragraphs: So if you hear that this is an issue of interest to only a handful of people, that's a good list to cite

Thanks for that tidbit, Patricia. I'm sure many more people ARE interested in Heather McC than Mark Morris or the Diamond Project, just as there are more people who buy McCartney's CD's than Beethoven's. But music is still covered!

Thanks for that tidbit, Patricia. I'm sure many more people ARE interested in Heather McC than Mark Morris or the Diamond Project, just as there are more people who buy McCartney's CD's than Beethoven's. But music is still covered!

I thought there was one as well, atm. Have you tried alibris? (www.alibris.com) I'm sorry, I don't know a title or a year. I just have a vague recollection of reading about its existence. Whether it was a memoir by one of them or not, I can't say -- sorry! Maybe someone else will know, though. Thanks for raising the question. There SHOULD be a book.

Thanks, Renee. No bronze -- that's an interesting concept!

I've moved this over from Links for discussion. A key paragraph from The Independent -- and thanks for the clarification, Brendan: There must be something else going on here that the dancers don't yet want made public. Casting complaints are serious, but not enough for a vote of no confidence. It will be interesting to learn what the "number of serious matters" are.

I'd love one for Christmas! ;) (And I love your comment, Lolly.)

Others will be able to give much more specific advice, I'm sure, but I think most competitions have guidelines for permissible variations -- choose one from column A, one from column B (classical/contemporary). I'd also trust the child's teacher on this. He/she knows how to best present the child -- or should!

Thank you very much for that interesting and measured assessment, Watermill. I can't comment substantively since I haven't seen a work of Canfields in years -- he was a member of the Washington Ballet and choreographed for it -- but he certainly has been America's Bad Boy for at least the last decade. Maybe he's tired of that, too.

I'd love to hear from readers what they EXPECT from a newspaper piece and a magazine piece. Calliope, I think most critics write where they're given the opportunity to write. It's a buyer's market, as they say. Although some people might find that they're temperamentally, or otherwise, unsuited to daily reviewing, generally, you'll write where someone lets you. My very first published piece of anything was a 250 word review in the Washington Post (which I later learned they didn't like because I was wishy-washy. I thought the piece was awful, but I was afraid to say it, so I fudged.) There are sub-worlds in daily reviewing, too. The opening night review in a major paper, even today, is quite long -- 20 inches (about 800 words, or a bit over three pages of double space typing) while subsequent performance reviews (when there are any) can be as short as 250 or 300 words. It is impossible to say anything substantive in such a space. Just naming the company, the director, the works, and a few dancers will take up half your space. My heart sinks when something is presented by the Washington Performing Arts Society -- that's a line and a half right there. Newspaper writing has to be more black and white, more general, which is why it often reads like a compendium of cliches. "She was charming, he gave her deluxe support." With 300 words, one tries desperately to write in a shorthand that the audience may understand. Writing for a magazine can have restrictions, too, though. Some have no restrictions. I wrote a piece for Ballet Review once that had 30,000 words. They laughed, but they ran it. I reviewed the Bournonville Celebration -- a week's worth of performances -- in 2000 words for Dance Magazine two years ago. I had to describe/evaluate the 6 productions PLUS explain who Bournonville was and why anyone should care PLUS give a capsule view of what had happened to the company in the preceding decade PLUS explain the plots of a half-dozen ballets many readers would never have heard of PLUS describe/identify more than two dozen dancers of whom readers had never heard. I think that was the hardest piece I ever wrote. A final word, related to tone. I think everyone evolves his or her own ethic. Mine is that when writing in the Post, which is read by hundreds of thousands of people, I tend to be more lenient than when writing in a specialty publication. I don't think an audience cares about picky little details. They want the big picture. For about ten years, when the Post still did cast change reviews, I had the weekend wrap up beat, which meant writing about four or five performances in a very small amount of space. Since I couldn't cover everything, I wrote about the leads, and for supporting dancers, I just wrote about the dancers I thought had done well. (Another bifurcation in daily reviewing: the opening night review covers production, state of the company, dancers, sets, costumes, conductor. Subsquent reviews have to make sense to someone who only saw that performance, but there's no room to write about anything but the dancers. Part of my ethic also is not to contradict the opening night reviewer. I think The Post should speak about dance with one voice.) Generally speaking, writing for a daily is 500 times harder than writing for a magazine (despite my one example to the contrary above). On new choreography, you feel like you're taking a pop quiz. How can you possibly take the measure of a new work, especially an experimental one, after one viewing? In the 1980s, I generally was given 12-15 inches (about 500 to 650 words then) and I wrote those reviews in 45 minutes -- I had no choice. The subway stops at midnight. I smoked then, and I'd smoke an entire pack of cigarettes in that 45 minutes. Which is to say it's a bit stressful. You also get instant feedback the next time you go to the theater; people come up to you and tell you whether they agreed or disagreed. In the community dance world, you have to face the people you just panned. I was surprised at how personally people took reviews -- personally in the sense that the assumption is that what is written reflects what the reviewer thinks about the choreographer/performer as a PERSON not as an artist. "She hates me" if you write a negative review. Worse, if you write a positive one, the person may follow you around for life, assuming you will write features about them and adore everything they do because you are now "a friend."