Bravo! Dance/NYC & JComm Initiatives Spotlighted in Press This Week

The State of NYC Dance report was released today by Dance/NYC! Check out the two articles by the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal that coincide with the announcement of this major study on the field. Be sure to download the full report or highlights (expertly designed by our very own Lori Byargeon) available for free.

This research is concurrent and directly related to the Dance/NYC Junior Committee’s Dance Workforce Census: Earnings Among Individuals, Ages 21-35. Initial findings were presented today by key members of the Committee; be on the look out for an official report coming to a conference or symposium near you.

This week also included coverage by Dance Media of Dancing Through College and Beyond, a sold-out annual conference that took place on Oct 30, 2011. Check out video highlights at Dance Media’s college dance hub, DanceU101.com, including a performance by Parsons Dance and Dance Magazine’s Editor-In-Chief Wendy Perron’s account of her personal journey to college.

Both of these initiatives included the efforts of many members of the Junior Committee, which plays an intrinsic role in supporting the mission of Dance/NYC.

Congratulations and thank you to all who helped to make both a success!

[MEMBER BLOG] Irfana: Watching TBDC up close

Photo by Lois Greenfield

Tonight, I joined a number of my co-workers to see the Trisha Brown Dance Company at Dance Theater Workshop. The company performed Foray Forêt (1990), Watermotor (1978) and For M.G.: The Movie (1991). This performance was the DEBUT of the company at DTW…yes, I too was surprised to learn that they had never performed there previous to this run. What I enjoyed most about this performance was being able to watch the company in such an intimate space…and really up close.

A highlight: the revival of  the solo work Watermotor which was performed by Neal Beasley. This is the first time that this solo has been danced by anyone other than Brown. Watermotor is a wonderfully exciting and quick solo that travelled through the space like a spinning top. The solo captured a nonchalant execution of highly particular and detailed movement. During intermission I watched a video of Trisha performing this solo in 1978…I think her hair added a whole new body of movement to the piece.

You can see this video (and more!) for yourself by heading to DTW’s lobby over the next few days…they have archival TBDC videos that are playing most of the day. DTW is also live streaming the performance and post-show talk on Friday March 25th starting at 7:30: http://www.dancetheaterworkshop.org/blog/2011/03/23/live-streaming-trisha-brown-dance-company-performance-post-show-talk/

[MEMBER BLOG] Eveline: Support NYSCA and YOUR dance community!

Dance/NYC just returned from Albany with other advocacy organizations to ask the state government to restore funding to the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). New York is amongst other states around the country facing either severe budget cuts or agency elimination all together. Whether you have directly received grants or simply attended a single dance performance, we have all benefited from NYSCA’s support. Please bring awareness to both your peers and your civic leaders that NYSCA is critical to the sustainability of the field you love! If you need more context, check out Julia Kelly’s great post here.

Please see Dance/NYC Director Lane Harwell’s recent message to the New York dance community –

[MEMBER BLOG] Julia: NYSCA needs our support. Today.

“…and a Happy New Year?” We all know New York State is broke and we’ve been hearing about the mangled budget since it passed, 125 days late, in August.  Cuts to the budget of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) have been difficult to weather since the recession but recent restructuring, including a 30% reduction in staff, and further cuts, are now really changing the agency as we know it.

[NEWS] Is the grass really greener for artists overseas?

From Huffington Post:

Maybe it’s just a grass-is-always-greener thing, but I plead guilty to complaining that Europeans have it better when it comes to public funding of the arts.  Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, suggests there’s enough we’re doing right here in the States to make foreign governments and business leaders curious… Read his recent article in the Huffington Post.