Tuesday, April 14

[dirac]

Susan Jaffe is appointed to succeed Terry Orr at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.

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Jaffee will succeed Terrence S. Orr who plans to retire in June of this year after leading the organization for more than 23 years.

Related.

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In January, the top eight candidates each completed a 90-minute video interview. Three of the finalists were people of color, and half of the candidates were women, Ms. Fleischner said. The final four applicants spent two days in Pittsburgh. The last in-person interview took place in March, just as COVID-19 closures and restrictions began.

 

[dirac]

Smuin Contemporary Ballet offers virtual classes.

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......Smuin’s Virtual Classes will provide dancers of all levels—beginner, intermediate, and advanced—the opportunity to participate in Zoom-based drop-in lessons covering styles from ballet, to contemporary, to hip-hop. All classes are “pay what you can.”

 

[dirac]

The Australian Ballet prepares for the possibility of extended lockdown.

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Without the opportunity to move as a group, lift their partners, or fly across a stage with turns and leaps, can these athletes maintain their artistry and performance level if theatres are closed for an extended period?

It is possible theatres will remain dark until a coronavirus vaccine becomes widely available. That could be a year. Or even longer. Either way, it would be a disaster for ballet.

 

[dirac]

Louisville Ballet cuts staff and salaries.

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Curran said they were able to fulfill the dancers’ 2019-2020 season contracts, paying them through April 4. The dancers are now off the ballet’s payroll until the new season begins, a standard protocol for American ballet companies. Curran estimates that roughly half of the ballet’s 30-member administrative staff has been furloughed or laid off and the remaining half took pay cuts.