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

Rules, Rules and Our Mission


Recommended Posts

If you haven't yet registered, this is the link to the Registration FAQ:

 

Somehow in moving things around, I lost the post with the mission of this site. So here it is.

Ballet Alert! Mission:

"To be a place for civilized discussion about classical ballet"

We are not the lobby.

The key words are "civilized,""discussion," and "classical;" what happens in classical ballet/classical ballet companies is not always civilized, but that doesn't mean the discussion of even the ugliest ballet topics cannot be. Our rules are in place to support this mission (and to comply with copyright law) and further the discussion. Aside from specific rules, there is one critical policy that takes context and posting history into consideration: No agendas. We don't have a problem with criticism or strong voices, nor do we have control over whether people back off from either; however,

If you want to be:

  • The final word on a dancer, company, academy, or the overall subject of ballet,
  • A way to drum up internet traffic for a dancer
  • The voice that must make negative comparisons repeatedly to bolster a dancer or theory and/or become the living incarnation of deja-vu-all-over-again, and/or
  • A claque leader or member,

get a blog or post to your own social media. We'll probably read you. Just not here.

Here are the basic site rules:

  • Follow the Golden Rule.
  • Write what you think of the subject, not other posters, i.e., no ad hominem attacks, characterizations, or psychoanalysis.
  • OFFICIAL NEWS ONLY with sources/citations, defined below, unless the "Group" in your profile reads Editorial Advisor. Everything else will be removed. Details are below.
  • To keep us in copyright compliance, limit quotes from articles/reviews/books to a maximum of 250 words or, for short articles, a small snippet.
  • We are not a fan site or booster club, and criticism is encouraged and welcome, but, please, try not to screech, and if you don't write under your full name, post only what you would if you were. If you post an identified agenda through the patterns of your posts, for good or bad, you will not last here for long.
  • Don't re-post/cross-post links to articles/videos anywhere on the site except in the Obituaries and Videos forums, unless you have a specific discussion point to make about the content in a relevant thread. We'll remove links for articles that belong in the "Links" forum (and probably have been/will be posted in the daily threads).
  • Discuss critics' opinions in the "Writings on Ballet" forum, your own in the Company forum review threads.
  • Don't discuss the discussion.  Do not discuss each other.
    • If you have a problem with a post, click the "Report" button at the bottom of the post, and the Moderators will review it. If you commit board suicide, assume your suicide note will be removed.
  • Off limits is discussion of other discussions unless they are by ballet professionals/companies on mainstream media, official social media, and video by ballet companies or professionals.  Discuss/critique those discussions at their original site or to the site's contact info.  (Added 19 June 17.)
  • Identify your interest -- parent, dancer, AD, employee, volunteer, board member, rival -- if writing about an interested party or topic.
  • Post it once; we'll remove duplicates and most cross-posts.
  • Politics and religion are off-limits unless they are part of a ballet issue, like NEA funding for the arts or religious symbolism in a work.
  • Do not use PM to harass another member, or your PM privileges will be revoked. If someone asks you to never PM them again, never PM them again.
  • If you have an issue with the contents of a PM you received or you've been contacted after requesting no PM contact, contact an Admin or Moderator. For all but Admins and Moderators, the word "Block" in bold red type should appear under their name to the left of the PM message, and clicking that should block all PM's going forward, but there's a bug that doesn't enable this for all non-Moderators/Admins. (Clarified 28 May 13)

 

English-language news, including interviews, and anything that can be translated through free, accessible online translators, that can be posted:

Yes: Official sources, which are determined by:

1. Who wrote them/gestured them/posted them, ie, whether a ballet professional says something in public under their own name and puts their professional reputation on the line

2. Whether they can be found in a public-facing, ballet context

Official sources are not determined by content.

Examples:

  • Official company/organization/ballet professional websites
  • Mainstream media: newspapers, magazines, journals, TV
  • Books, blogs, tweets, podcasts, interviews by ballet professionals, including professional critics, and companies
  • Public ("Like") social media pages of ballet professionals and companies
  • Public-facing social media content -- ie, you can see them if you're not a "Friend" or need special permissions, aside from signing in -- on Facebook, Twitter, instagram, snapchat, and other social media du jour published by dancers and other dance professionals
  • Announcements by ballet spokespeople
  • Company Q&A's and pre- and post-performance presentations.
  • Programs, including substitution slips, and cast lists and other info posted in the lobby.
  • Non-verbal behavior on stage that signifies a retirement or marriage proposal.
  • Company YouTube or other videos -- but not the comments, unless posted by the original uploader if s/he's the publisher, company, or ballet professional.
  • Any news posted by Editorial Advisors and non-English press news posted by Foreign Correspondents
  • The former ballet.co.uk Magazine (only) is the only discussion-board-related official source; it's been archived through Dance Tabs.

 

Non-English-language news from the same official sources can be posted, if there are photos/video that need no translation, a translated summary of the points/link to the translated article (including by an online translator), or, if the language is supported by Google translate or another online translator.

No: Unofficial news -- not stated outright or posited in the form of a question

  • Anything that starts with "I heard", "Dancer X/her mother/Peter Martins, etc. told me'" "It's common knowledge/Everyone knows" or "Is it true that [unofficial news]?
  • Private conversations.
  • Insider info.  "My magic eight-ball told me," doesn't cut it.
  • Information and opinions from other discussion boards. This includes written or spoken editorials by videomakers in their videos. (Clarified 28 May 13)
    • If someone on a discussion board outside the US or Canada posts a link to official news that has not been posted in Links, you're welcome to acknowledge that you found it because it was posted by Poster X on Board Y.
  • News from non-official blogs and websites, including fan sites
  • Comments on social media, video sites, mainstream media, blogs made by non ballet professionals.
  • Anything backstage or in public that is not part of a performance or official event.
  • Info from company volunteers unless part of official talks (ex: NYCB Fourth Ring talks), presentations, and tours not limited to major donors. (Added 5 Jun 12)
  • Social media where you have to be given permission to see posted material

 

What can be reviewed in the ballet forums:

  • Professional ballet companies
  • Performances by non-professional ballet companies, if a professional dancer performs with the company. Do not review the non-professionals in these productions as if they were professional dancers.
  • Workshop/graduation performances by schools affiliated with professional companies or the following elite schools: Harid, CPYB, and Kirov Academy.
  • Open rehearsals
  • Rehearsals and classes open to low-level donors ($150 or less).
    • For classes, no critiques of specific dancers. General comments by the instructor or rehearsal director are fine.
  • Seminars, lectures, exhibits by companies and museums or curated by institutions like the Guggenheim (Works in Process)

 

If it's by a non ballet company -- "ballet" in the name does not guarantee that it is a ballet company -- review it in the Modern and Other Dance forum.

Why did your post/part of your post disappear? It contained:

  • Unofficial news, including unofficial news posed as a question or prediction
  • News links without comment
  • Links to professional reviews and discussions about them and/or critics on the company forums
  • Duplicates
  • Ad hominem attacks on other posters, characterizations and psychoanalysis of other posters
  • Racist, sexist, and disparaging remarks about sexual orientation
  • Discussions of the discussion
  • Gratuitous attacks on performers' appearance
  • Political and religious references that aren't part of the performance, arts policy, or the subject
  • Off-topic posts
  • Self-interested posts that don't disclose the interest
  • Posts on subjects that belong on Ballet Talk for Dancers (ex: ballet classes, summer intensives, auditions, tutus, toe shoes)
  • A plug for your product and service, unless you are a long-time member
  • Agendas, obvious or part of a pattern
  • Housekeeping: all-quote posts, extensive quotes not directly addressed by the answer, entire quotes where the answer appears directly under the quoted post.  We're trying to remove excess scrolling on mobile devices.
  • Quotes longer than 250 words or for short articles, all or most of the article

 

Moderation:

If we have to repeatedly remove/edit a member's posts, we'll put the member on "Moderated" status, which means any future posts will not appear on the board unless we approve them manually, which we do as our schedules allow. Personal Messenger, if applicable, will be suspended at the same time.

Link to comment
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...