"The idea is for the show to be a relaxed, shush-free, shame-free environment. ... House lights will be kept on (and) guests will also be free to move, talk, or dance as they please throughout the show. ... Potentially startling moments during the full-length show will be removed or modified." - CBS San Francisco
Unless, that is, you're already famous; Lizzo's dance videos easily draw a million viewers. Earlier in TikTok's history, before there were mountains of content, it was easier for an unknown to catch users' attention; now, the pandemic days when folks were cooped up at home watching videos are gone. - Yahoo! (Bloomberg)
"Exorbitant venue rental costs, cultural ignorance, a dismissive response to concerns of racial inequalities and funding models that make artistic careers a bleak option for survival have become a common occurrence in America's finest city." Just ask Jeremy McQueen, founder of the Black Iris Project. - The San Diego Union-Tribune
Considered by many the greatest living ballet choreographer, Ratmansky will have been artist-in-residence at American Ballet Theater for more than 13 years when he steps down upon expiration of his contract next June. - AP
Said one of many Instagram commenters, "This AI art looks like CRAP, I can't believe you did this instead of hiring real artists." Another: "A despicable decision, especially for an arts org." Says a company spokesperson, "In the spirit of Bay Area ingenuity, we tried something new." - The San Francisco Standard
"Going forward, entry-level dancers who pass the main company audition will start as full company members, earning entry-level pay based on a collective-bargaining-agreement scale. ... Last season's roster of 39 company members, six of whom were apprentices, now comprises 40 company dancers and no apprentices." - Pointe Magazine
"Now expenses are high, earned income from ticket sales is limited, touring remains complicated and budget deficits loom large. Against these odds, a few organizations are doing better than ever, thanks to innovative partnerships, new business models, increased commitments by funders ..., or some combination thereof." - Dance Magazine
He was, of course, flexible and precise and disciplined, but in addition, "his dancing was animated and enhanced by an all-too elusive quality: a generous spirit." - The New York Times
Jennifer Homans: "He was absorbing modernism from Europe and interest in the motorcar, the airplane, the train, the speed, ... the idea that there (would) be a transformation of society. He took everything from the Russian Revolution to Bauhaus to Diaghilev to Weimar culture. Then in America, he absorbed popular culture." - The Nation
Built on a foundation of sports medicine and run in partnership with a research university, the company's program is countered on daily conditioning exercises, before morning class, done with staff physiotherapists whom the dancers can alert to any small problems before they become big ones. - The Age (Melbourne)
“When came in and showed us how they were going to love the space, to use it for art and dance, it was everything that Bill, in a perfect world, wanted." - Crosscut
Difficult conversations about intention, taste, and editing are vital for the sake of developing successful new work. With focused training, and subsequent appropriate delivery happening on both sides of the studio, these imperative, complex exchanges seem all the more feasible. - Gramilano
