New York Times names new chief dance critic

[art076]

I'm sure this will appear in Friday's links section but:

Times Names New Chief Dance Critic

John Rockwell, a critic, editor and cultural correspondent of The New York Times since 1972, has been appointed The Times's chief dance critic. The announcement was made yesterday by Jonathan Landman, the culture editor.

Anyone know more about John Rockwell, e.g. his writing, his tastes, etc.?

[Amy Reusch]

Or why none of the other dance writers were promoted to chief?

[Dale]

I guess we're back to the era at the Times when music critics covered dance, which I've read didn't go so well for ballet. I have a bad feeling about this. In addition, he has a background in modern dance. I guess it's good he has some connection to dance but, again if history serves, it is not good for the ballet coverage.

[Alexandra]

Rockwell spoke at the Dance Critics Association -- was it last June, or the one before? I didn't go, but friends' accounts were positive. He's not primarily focused on the danse d'ecole, shall we say, but I think he respects serious art. There have been rumors that Anna Kisselgoff would be retiring for several years now -- it's an incredibly tough job. I can't imagine having to grind out overnight reviews three, four, five times a week for nearly 30 years.

[Farrell Fan]

When John Rockwell was the rock music critic of the Times (in the early 70s), I used to read him even though I couldn't stand rock music. It seemed strange to me that the Times was reviewing this kind of pop stuff, when they'd never paid attention to the pop music of my day -- Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra, the Dorseys -- except as social phenomena. (They did have a jazz critic, the pioneering John S. Wilson, but that was not the same thing.) Anyhow, I read Rockwell in hopes of learning about the strange cacophony of rock'n'roll, and indeed, reading him, it started to make more sense. But I still couldn't listen to it. I guess what I'm trying to say is I enjoyed his writing, and did so even more when he began reviewing classical music. He was eminently successful in getting the Lincoln Center Festival off to a good start, and I started regarding him as some kind of cultural guru. I can't imagine what he'll be like as a dance critic, except that he'll probably devote a great deal of attention to non-traditional forms. I hope it works out.

[sandik]

Rockwell spoke at the Dance Critics Association -- was it last June, or the one before?  I didn't go, but friends' accounts were positive.  He's not primarily focused on the danse d'ecole, shall we say, but I think he respects serious art.

Rockwell has actually spoken more than once for the DCA and I've been impressed each time. While his expertise leans more toward contemporary and avant garde work, he seems to have great respect for traditional and classical art forms and is willing to go out on a limb for difficult projects (he was one of the powers behind the appearance of the Chinese "Peoney Pavillion" at the Lincoln Center fest a few years ago). Since it appears that current thinking at the Times considers dance to be a niche art form, Rockwell's background as a general culture writer might help change that, illustrating the centrality of dance to human experience.

[dirac]

Rockwell used to be the editor of the NYT Sunday Arts and Leisure section (I don’t know if the Times piece mentions that, I haven’t been able to access the site, for some reason.) He disagreed with the direction Howell Raines was taking with the cultural pages and wound up departing that post. As mentioned, he used to be the Times’ rock critic, and I must say I didn’t mind when he moved from rock to Higher Things, because I thought anyone who regarded Linda Ronstadt’s “Living in the USA” as a desert island recording had to be on medication of some kind. I mean, I like Linda too, but. Also, he introduced Ronstadt to Joseph Papp, leading to her appearance in Gilbert & Sullivan.

He seems like a well rounded guy, and although I would have wished for someone with a more specialized dance background, especially ballet, the Times could do considerably worse (and has).

It really wasn’t until the seventies or thereabouts that the Times and other papers began looking at rock music, and a group of serious minded rock critics, which included Rockwell and others like Jonathan Cott (whose interview with Balanchine accompanies a collection of photographs, Portrait of Mr. B, if I’m recalling the title correctly) were available to be hired. The Times and other papers also began expanding cultural features and other kinds of “soft” coverage around that time, also

[kfw]

From The New Criterion's weblog --

(N.b. the Times will be returning to daily reviewing in November--filing at 11:30pm. It is remarkable that something done regularly fifty years ago should be so rare today, but that's progress).

Armavirumque:

[Dale]

Better clean out those old press rooms at City Center and dust off the desks!

[sandik]

I checked the link -- I wonder if this extends to dance, or just to music.