dancemed

However, I note that miliosr's post contains an important and responsible conditional: IF. We don't know who got the ax, but it could just as easily could be corps dancers who have not advanced as the directorate might wish as it could be those most lately hired, or a mix of the two categories. Seniority counts for relatively little in a ballet company, and sometimes can work against a dancer.

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.

I need your help. back in May 1938 a baby girl was born to a ballerina, she had established she wanted a career in the Ballet. Time has passed and now there are many new generations wishing to put the pieces of jigsaw together. Please if you can help, I would love to hear from you. There could be connections with the Ballet Rambert in Chiswick. Thank you for your help

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?

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.

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.

I seem to recall from the Otis Stuart book that Nureyev did have that concern, and he wasn’t the only one – anyone whose work involved international travel had that worry. Again, my information may be incomplete, but beginning circa 1987 the US, along with other countries, banned any non-citizen with AIDs from entering the country. Many countries have since lifted the ban, although I don’t think the US is one of them.

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.

I've had the opportunity to interact professionally w/ Damian Woetzel (albeit indirectly) and he is just SUCH an intelligent, hardworking, considerate individual.

I wonder if there's ever been a dancer who's been this educated! Not to say that dancers are not intelligent, it's just he's quite special in every way.

I am looking forward to how he will shape the future of American ballet with his directorship positions. I will miss him as a dancer!

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.

Can you provide any citation or links to materials published elsewhere that testify to the foreclosures and most particularly to the bankruptcy filing? If not, then we have to consider the matter a rumor.

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.

A friend of mine dealt with transition by going into flying, a field related in its physicality, but divorced from the ballet world he'd lived for so many years. I dealt with transition by falling back on my secondary career and becoming a web and print designer as well as a board assistant. My transition has been a bit painful because I am still around the studio and have to keep fighting my desire to line up at the barre or stretch out for grand allegro. I know I can't do it physically, but the need is still there. Leaving with a career-ending injury is leaving without closure.

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.

Frankly, I think the answer to a smoother transition from dance is to introduce the idea of multiple talents, etc. to dance students---given that few make it to the professional ranks---and then encourage those who become pros to use their breaks, injuries, & rehearsal periods to explore other interests. Yes, it is difficult to have one foot in dance & the other training for the second half of your life. However, I think it is even more difficult to have nothing after retirement & then try to find a new direction. The operative word is "transition." Dancers need time to find a new direction, and it is easier to do this when you're not in crisis. But that's just my personal opinion.

I agree that it is probably difficult for many young college students to choose a major. The difference with dancers is that most are pursuing further schooling in their late 20's or older. This group (at least outside of dance) is known for its ability to identify an area of study sooner than a student fresh out of high school. The handicap for dancers is that they don't want to settle for a job without passion. It's like settling for a loveless marriage.

Has anyone seen today's article in The Arts & Leisure section in The New York Times called "Tentative Steps Into a Life After Dance?" I know that retirement is challenging for dancers. However, the study by Dr. Linda Hamilton that showed 79% of dancers enrolled in college found it difficult to declare a major, even though they had top grades, really surprised me. I had thought dancers were more prepared emotionally to start over, with organizations like Career Transition for Dancers helping them out. I guess dancing is still their favorite form of self-expression. Too bad for the one's who're struggling to make a successful switch to something new.

Is there no one in the dance community who knows if Erika had an obituary or what became of her cat after she passed? It's been several weeks and I keep hoping that someone could provide more information. I admired her courage for speaking out about the dangers of eating disorders, and I would hope that her contribution to dance, as a performer and a mentor to weight-conscious dancers, would be acknowledged somewhere.

I don't see any reason that this link shouldn't be here.  It shows Erika at her most noble, speaking out in order to help the eating-disordered.  Thanks for the link.

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I couldn't agree more. Erica wanted to help other dancers avoid the lifelong struggle she endured. The documentary offers a candid view of this problem, & Erica's presence is invaluable. I can't tell you how many young dancers I know who have sought help for eating problems after hearing her speak. Erica Goodman's participation in the documentary was indeed a noble cause.

This is from Marcia Siegel's review of Tharp's Deuce Coupe, which Goodman was in the first cast of...

"To establish her dance idea, Tharp puts a serene Erika Goodman among the swirls of the other dancers, methodically performing the steps in the ballet dictionary, in alphabetical order.  Every once in a while you notice her get caught up in the gushing energy of the mobs.  She wavers, hops inelegantly and rhythmically on pointe, or her shoulders start to wiggle.  But she sticks to her principals, and you don't resent her for it."

She looked to me like the center of a storm, or a true believer following her faith.

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In responding to Mel's astonishent that Erica woul reveal such a "dark" part of her life," I can only say that she was desperate to communicate her life story in the hope of helping other dancers avoid serious eating disorders. I know this from many personal conversations, where she requested my help in seeking out various avenues to discuss disordered eating in dancers. Stil, I have no idea why there was no obituary, given her talent.

Last week I was heartbroken to hear that Erica Goodman, a former dancer with Joffrey, had apparently died of a heart attack. She was still in her 50's, I think, and I was wondering if anyone had seen an obituary or knew anything more about the circumstances of her untimely death.