Displaced (A Dancer Portrait Series)
September 23, 2011
David Hallberg, photo © Matthew Murphy
Dance photography frequently shows athleticism, virtuosity, and technical prowess, but rarely do we see images that capture more intimate, emotional moments of dancers in stillness. That’s what my friend and NYC-based photographer Matthew Murphy strives to achieve in “Displaced”, a dancer portrait series featuring both emerging and established dancers.
The project’s Kickstarter campaign, which needs to raise $2,000 by October 17th, includes a video in which Matthew shares more about his inspiration for “Displaced”. Supporting the project will help bring the photo series to a November gallery show at Dance New Amsterdam in downtown Manhattan.
Matthew has already made a significant contribution to dance and theater in NYC — his photos have appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Village Voice, and many other publications, and he is a former member of American Ballet Theatre. But “Displaced” shows a more introspective side of the dancer, which is why I’m drawn to it. Featuring Wendy Whelan, David Hallberg, Risa Steinberg, Laura Halzack, and Ashley Bouder, among many others, “Displaced” reveals dancers as individuals rather than as performers. Take a moment to visit the project’s Kickstarter page and consider making a contribution.
Wendy Whelan, photo © Matthew Murphy
Architecture of Ballet: Men on Top. Women on Stage.
April 26, 2010
Tiler Peck working with choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti, photo by Paul Kolnik
New York City Ballet’s spring season, a festival entitled Architecture of Dance, includes an astounding seven new ballets. In fact, the company’s recent print brochures, website, and festival mini-site boasts: “7 new ballets. 4 commissioned scores. 1 renowned architect.” That’s a total of twelve creative voices throughout the eight-week season, not to mention repertory favorites by Balanchine and Robbins. After a winter season of mostly story-length ballets, it’s exciting just thinking about all of the new works that audiences will get to see. But of those twelve creative voices, guess how many are women? Just one. Melissa Barak, a former NYCB dancer, will be choreographing her second work for the company.
Balanchine said “ballet is woman”, and while there are plenty of women on stage at NYCB (they make up 53% of the dancers), the gender imbalance among choreographers, composers, set designers, and artistic directors needs some serious even-ing out. Perhaps the company needs to be more proactive in its search for female artists, but the lack of women is not entirely NYCB’s fault. In fact, it seems to be a widespread problem, with more young women focusing on their careers as ballet dancers rather than anything else.
Christopher Wheeldon rehearsing NYCB dancers, photo by Paul Kolnik
About two years ago I wrote about this issue after learning of a choreography initiative for women at American Ballet Theatre – an admirable effort. In my post I referred to a New York Times article by Claudia La Rocco, “Often on Point but Rarely in Charge”, which investigated the lack of women not only choreographing ballets but also directing ballet companies. While the article factors in the scarcity of men in ballet (making it easier for them to rise through the ranks and explore other interests, such as choreographing), male-female inequalities in executive positions across other industries, and different standards that a board tends to have when judging men and women for artistic leadership positions, it was dismaying to read that even some women prefer to have men do the directing. Barak, however, pointed out, “A lot of girls, especially in ballet, are very shy, very sheltered in a way. I think it has to do with that personality type.”
If choreography were a mandatory class – along with ballet, pointe, partnering, character, etc. – at the School of American Ballet and other schools affiliated with large ballet companies, perhaps it would send a message to young dancers that in addition to being future performers, they can also express themselves and have a voice by creating dance. So many young ballet dancers – and young women, in particular – seem to think that if they can’t make it as a professional dancer, they have no future in the ballet world. Not true. There are other options, like choreographing and directing, that need to be presented as valid careers for both women and men.
Melissa Barak rehearsing NYCB dancers in 2009, photo by Paul Kolnik
Several years ago Dance Magazine started compiling a list of active women choreographers, which continues to grow. While it doesn’t indicate the numbers by genre, I’d guess that the total number working in modern outweighs the number of women who identify as ballet choreographers. Likewise, this graphic shows that in 2002, there were more women than men in artistic or executive director positions at major modern and contemporary dance companies.
No matter how many incredible female dancers are at the top of New York City Ballet and other major ballet companies, it’s still frustrating to see the fields of choreography, composing, and artistic leadership so lacking in women. This is not to say that men in these positions should be criticized, and hopefully this post doesn’t come across as an attack on male choreographers or directors. Rather, my hope is to raise awareness of the gender imbalance. More than fifty years ago, “ballet is woman” probably referred to women performing on stage. In 2010, women’s roles in ballet should be spread evenly across the field, and not be limited to what audiences see on stage.
Michael Arthur’s Dancer Drawings
July 14, 2009
Michele Wiles and David Hallberg rehearsing Swan Lake, drawing by Michael Arthur
Happy Days, a New York Times blog about finding satisfaction during the economic downturn, recently featured a post by a professor-turned-freelance artist who spent last month drawing the dancers and staff of American Ballet Theatre (ABT) while they rehearsed for their spring season at the Met. Michael Arthur’s touching piece describes how he initially focused on his interest in drawing while coping with the loss of several loved ones. He wrote, “As the losses accumulated, I found that the very act of drawing raised my spirits. I decided that if drawing made me happy when there was no reason in the universe for me to be happy, I had better pay attention to that impulse.” After moving to New York to pursue his interest in art – and often being in the right place at the right time – he landed at ABT where he admittedly knew nothing about ballet, but recognized the sense of satisfaction and personal fulfillment that drawing brought him.
Arthur’s courageous, inspiring story is a powerful reminder to take risks, follow one’s passion, and be open to new possibilities. This should particularly resonate with aspiring artists, dancers, musicians, filmmakers, and actors who might be struggling during these troubling times. Check out Arthur’s piece and some of his drawings at Happy Days. You can also follow Arthur at his blog, Just Drawn That Way.
Herman Cornejo in rehearsal, drawing by Michael Arthur
NYCB’s MOVES and ABT’s 18/29 Club
April 27, 2009
New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre have both established special membership programs specifically for people in their 20s: MOVES and the 18/29 Club. It’s wonderful that the city’s major ballet companies recognize the need to cultivate younger audiences, but these memberships are far from perfect. In fact, they might be more off-putting than they are attractive.
ABT’s 18/29 Club requires that you purchase $30 orchestra seats to at least three performances. That’s already $90 plus a $15 handling fee. It’s understandable that ballet newcomers would be more than reluctant to drop $105 on ballet tickets, even with a “free” subscription to ABT’s news magazine. In fact, that’s more expensive than purchasing a single orchestra ticket, which can usually be bought last-minute since the Met rarely sells out, whereas the 18/29 Club requires you to place an order for all three performances in advance.
NYCB’s MOVES offers $32 tickets for seats in the third ring, with performance recommendations emailed to members based on a questionnaire filled out upon sign-up. However, the company also offers fifty $25 orchestra seats to every performance beginning on the Monday prior to each week’s performances. This is a cheaper and more impromptu option. Additionally, MOVES requires that you purchase two tickets for the spring season and two for the coming winter season in order “to remain a part of the MOVES network”. I doubt anybody in their 20s is thinking ahead to performances in winter 2010.
The only way to purchase tickets as a member of the 18/29 Club is by snail mail, fax, or in person. Why ABT hasn’t set up online ordering for this is more than a little perplexing, nor do I understand their reluctance to more fully utilize social media. To let others know about the club, the only option is to click the “tell a friend” feature on the website. At least MOVES already has a Facebook page to spread the word, and plans for MOVES meet-ups over drinks.
Both companies should be commended for targeting younger (and newer) audiences, but these initiatives are flawed. Nobody wants to commit to more than one performance, especially if they’re new to ballet and testing the waters. Plus, a membership should include more benefits besides newsletters and e-mail recommendations. Pre- or post-performance events and other community-building ideas should be considered (MOVES is on the right track with mingling over drinks). Otherwise, it’s just cheaper and easier to buy a single ticket at the regular price.
The Art of the Turnaround
November 24, 2008
I’m currently enrolled in an arts management certificate program at NYU and just finished my first course, Managing the Arts (the prerequisite for everything else). One of the required readings was Michael Kaiser’s The Art of the Turnaround, which reveals the author’s ten guidelines for creating and maintaining healthy arts organizations. Kaiser, who is known as “the turnaround king” because he has successfully managed and saved so many organizations, presents five case studies to show how he applied his own guidelines to his experiences managing Kansas City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, the Royal Opera House, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The book is an easy, straightforward read that I recommend to anyone interested in arts management or curious about the ups and downs of these five organizations.
Kaiser’s thesis can be summed up in four words: “good art, well marketed”. Establishing a financially stable organization is more complex than that (think fundraising, leadership, press coverage, and board structure), but this phrase suggests that at the heart of every stable arts organization is high-quality programming, effective marketing, and visibility to the public. In the introduction, Kaiser states, “When one cuts artistic initiative and marketing, one cuts the very reason people supply revenue to the arts organization” (Kaiser xi). Without art – whether it’s dance, theater, visual art, film, etc. – the organization does not exist, and without effective marketing, the organization’s art has no audience.
