Archives for 2007

I just want to back you up re Bourne's corps. He took the deep material of "Swan Lake's" adolescent hysteria -- the insecurities that frequent hormonal surges and sudden growths made erupt in all of us at that stage when our bodies were changing so fast -- and put them into his corps of swans. The "traditional" "Swan Lake" makes poetic fiction, displaced into a picturesque mode, out of fears … [Read more...]

Apollinaire writes: The English choreographer Matthew Bourne is in town through the end of the month with his latest production, "Edward Scissorhands." Writing a profile on him, I remembered how terrifying the corps in his "Swan Lake" was. The corps in the 19th century "Swan Lake" is part swan, part woman: a metaphor being made before our eyes. Bourne's corps is a mob. He returns us to what a … [Read more...]

[When Foot contributors see something that excites us so much, we can't stand the possibility that you might miss it, we'll post a short plug. Apollinaire has done only a few so far. This one is from Eva Yaa Asantewaa and continues on her Web site. DO click!] You have to see Tamango. You simply have to. The way you have to see Paris. Or Stonehenge. Or the Niagara Falls. And if you hurry, you can … [Read more...]

In case you were wondering whether there is any rhyme or reason to when things get posted--the answer is, Not really. In my case, the rhythm depends on my other, paying work--both for Newsday and elsewhere. When I'm up to my eyeballs elsewhere, there's less of me here. That said, I can tell you this (what a paragraph of thises and thats and heres and theres!--those wonderful pointing words that … [Read more...]

This email just in: Whether sexism is a more pervasive presence in the New York dance community than in other places, I don't have experience to say. But I can say New Yorkers experience it -- to greater or lesser degrees, depending on our age, gender, color, size, creative inclinations, positionings -- and it affects our input and output. So then we must decide what to do about it, if anything, … [Read more...]

.... Unfortunately. So now an arts blogger on the other side of the pond, Judith Flanders, has jumped into the fray. I haven't said much about the latest blog additions to the "conversation" about the hire of Alastair Macaulay to the head dance post at the New York Times--SF Chronicle dance critic Rachel Howard on her blog and now this--because I mainly don't think they warrant response: It's not … [Read more...]

Tonya: Well, I think it's very cordial of John Rockwell to respond. It's nice to know that claims of sexism are taken seriously by the powers that be! That's what struck me most about your post -- the overall sentiment that there are few women in positions of power in the dance world. Recently, a NYCB patron asked during a First Position discussion why the company had produced little to no … [Read more...]

Here's an exchange with recently retired Times head dance critic, John Rockwell, in response to the following two posts about the hire of Alastair Macaulay and not a woman or a New Yorker (Here's post #1 and here's post #2, where I've summarized recent comments that I can't get access to. I also made a few revisions to my own post in light of more developments and thinking.) I know John from when … [Read more...]

Hi Apollinaire: Thanks for your comments about Alastair Macaulay being chief dance critic at the NYT. I share your respect for his gifts as a critic and writer, but disappointment that the paper did not hire a woman. A friend forwarded to me a story that had this comment in it from editor Oestreich, and I think this goes to the heart of it all: Times Classical Music and Dance Editor James R. … [Read more...]

So the New York Times has hired its next chief dance critic, to replace John Rockwell: the fine Alastair Macaulay, of London. Some day, I will write a long post about the short Rockwell reign and the endless Anna Kisselgoff era: all the things they did wrong, and the few, right. But today--with deadlines coming out of my ears--I just want to say: I can't think of a more serious and worthy critic … [Read more...]