dancemed

If memory serves me right, a contract does not require a reason not to be renewed. The only difference is that the fifth-year-corps has negotiated through AGMA that they must be given a years notice. Anyone under that can be terminated after Saratoga when their contract expires.

Perhaps you could contact past president Rachel Rist of the International Association of Dance Medicine & Science (www.iadms.org). She might be able to point you in the right direction. I hope you find your answer!

I will miss him. Clive & I became friends as colleagues who wrote about dance. He was attentive, thoughtful and always responsive whenever I called or bumped into him during a performance. Given his stature as a dance critic, I should have felt intimidated. I never did. I found him to be a man who loved dance, enjoyed pretty women, and was always open to discussing anything---even in the last few years when he was in obvious pain from his hip surgrery. Perhaps most importantly, I will miss his writing. Yet his legacy lives on in his pithy, concise, beautiful prose.

Thank you for the additional information. I hope they surived.

I heard that the last night of NYCB's season in Saratoga had one of the worst lightning storms in history. Two people were struck my lightning on the lawn during their performance & no one knows if they survived. Does anyone have more information on this highly unusual tragedy?

There was no published obituary for Georgina Bates. She took her own life earlier this year. Due to the circumstances of her death no public services were held. She was cremated and her ashes scattered with those of her mother, Diana Adams and father Ronald Bates per her wishes in her will. She had married and divorced - I'm not sure the dates. She never had any children of her own. She was an animal lover and left several dogs, cats and fish as her only survivors. She was living in Savannah, Georgia at the time of her death. I'm very sorry to hear of the nature of her passing.

I wasn't aware that Diana's daughter had died. Is there a link to her obituary? I would have liked to know more about her, since Diana gave up her dance career to have a child.

So what's the answer? To make dancers part of the rest of the world, with physical concerns like everone else. We've seen a number of young dancers die of problems like melanoma (e.g., Fernando & Ross). Do we have to be performers till the end? Never admitting defeat (or the simplae passage of time & circumstance). I hope not.

Last time I checked the US has not yet lifted the ban (there is a waiver for those entering the US on a short-term visa or for special events, e.g. the olympics... but then your HIV status can be recorded on your passport, making it more difficult to enter the country in the future) but there is a lot of pressure for that to change. Canada lifted the ban a few years ago, I believe (good thing that happened before Toronto hosted the AIDS conference in 2006!). Of course, some people choose to hide their HIV status at the border. I have heard of people sending their medications to the US by mail so that officials at the border won't find their pills in their luggage and prevent them from entering. Re: progression of HIV to AIDS, as carbro mentioned it has often been defined by certain diseases that are associated with AIDS such as Kaposi's Sarcoma or lymphadenopathy. The newer definition of AIDS refers to CD4 (T helper cell) counts (less than 200/uL) or percentage of lymphocytes that are CD4 cells (less than 14%) in an HIV positive person. This is the definition used by the Centre for Disease Control. My understanding is that even if the CD4 level rises or if the associated disease is cured, the patient is still referred to as having AIDS. You are indeed correct in terms of how AIDS is diagnosed. However, my long-standing concern is how little time we give to the impact of AIDS in the dance community. Many dancers have seen their friends and loved ones die. The current cocktail of medicines has saved lives, but it often comes with a debilitating number of side effects, such as painful neuropathy. My impression is that AIDS is still in the closet & the people who need our support are not getting it.

Not to disagree but many dancers at both ABT & NYCB are getting college & graduate degrees. Damian skipped college because of his connections. His natural intelligence obviously helped him manage the Master's degree, but if any of you saw the article in The New York Times several months ago on the topic, none of his professors seemed particularly impressed with his work.

I appreciate all the comments on how ABT's Sleeping Beauty has changed since last year. What surprises me is that no one has commented on how unusual it is for a choreographer(s) to make changes after bad reviews. Kevin McvKenzie is one of the few who seems to listen to feedback and try to rectify problems in a ballet. I wish more choreographers would do the same.

The website:wwwdebtconsolidationpodcast.com lists "Brave new world for nonprofit bankruptcy." When you click on that, an article about Kaatzbaan is posted in the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Does anyone know if Kaatsbaan is in financial trouble? I've read that it has narrowly averted several foreclosures over the last few years, but declaring bankruptcy is serious stuff. It would be sad to lose another arts institution to lack of funds.

It is always particularly difficult to transition from dance when you are "pushed" out of the profession due to age or injuries. The best scenario is when dancers discover something they love, take the time to train for it, and choose when to shift careers. They are "pulled" toward something new. It's similar to leaving a love relationship of your own accord versus being dumped.

I think the only way to ensure a decent salary is to train for a job in areas like physical therapy, law, business, medicine, etc. and then specialize in dance. This approach also keeps you connected to the dance community, albeit in a different role.