sandik Posted May 3, 2021 Share Posted May 3, 2021 Those of you who have been here on Ballet Alert since the very early days likely remember Jeff Salzberg -- like many of us who first met on rec.arts.dance and alt.arts.ballet, he migrated here after the web took some of the wind out of the sails of Usenet. He kept migrating, and served for quite awhile as a mod at Critical Dance, but his funny and pointy commentary was part of the community here at the beginning. He was one of a crazy group of enthusiasts from all kinds of places, with expertise and opinions that were shared with enthusiasm and a little hubris sometimes. As a lighting designer for dance and theater he certainly had the expertise, and his opinions were as firmly held as his aesthetics. Back in the Usenet days, a commenter who felt under-appreciated complained that a group of us seemed to offer our opinions as facts, under the guise of truth. Only his spelling was awry, and so we became the Guys of Truth. We came from all kinds of places, geographically and intellectually, but we were happy to find our tribe online -- the Guys of Truth is still a subdirectory in my address book, but more importantly, it was a major part of my dance life for several years. Most of us here now don't know each other in the "real" world, but this community is a kind of home where we share our excitement about dance. Individuals will come and go, some to other enthusiasms, and some to the end of their lives -- I just wanted to mark the exit of one of my earliest virtual friends. Sending love from me to everyone who loved him, and thanks to the dance world that introduced us all. Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted May 3, 2021 Share Posted May 3, 2021 May he rest in peace. My condolences to his family, friends and fellow Guys of Truth. Link to comment
mom2 Posted May 3, 2021 Share Posted May 3, 2021 Thank you for posting this sandik. I "met" Jeff back in the days of danceart I think the website was? There was a chat function way back in the day, and we often ended up moderating discussions at the same time. He never tired of correcting spelling and grammar! I did meet him in person one summer when we both happened to be in the NYC area at the same time. It was very kind of him to come meet me - I think he was working a bit outside the city, so it was a bit of a hike for him. A very special person who gave more of himself than his sometimes crusty presentation would let you know. mom2 Link to comment
dirac Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 Very sorry to hear this. My condolences to his friends and family. Lovely post, sandik. Link to comment
Recommended Posts