Category: dance

The board of the beleaguered Martha Graham company wonders if Graham’s work is really protected by copyright. They may go to court to find out. “The implications of such a ruling would be huge. Choreography was not explicitly protected by copyright law until 1978, so most works created before then would be affected. A ruling that there is no copyright protection would mean that anyone could perform such early Graham works as her 1944 masterpiece, ‘Appalachian Spring.’ ” – Washington Post

Increasing sophistication about preserving the legacy of dance is creating a welter of problems for dance companies wishing to revive older choreography. “There was a time when the chief impediment to reviving dances was that the work was out of fashion. Now, death and the notion of ownership have seemingly created even more insurmountable problems.” – New York Times

Some 700 people from 20 dance organizations around America gathered in Washington DC last week to talk about their art. “As it happened, marginalization and globalization arguably formed the twin themes of the conference – especially the virtual invisibility of dance in American culture, but also the limited voice within dance of various constituencies such as African Americans, gay people and world dance advocates.” – Los Angeles Times

The National Ballet of Canada’s settlement with fired dancer Kimberly Glasco was a face-saving measure all around. Glasco could have danced again, but chose not to. And the National Ballet, “clinging to the red herring with which it had sought to deflect public opinion from the main issue in Glasco’s unlawful dismissal suit, claims the settlement ‘upholds the principle of artistic freedom and authority.’ Freedom to do what? Treat dancers any way it likes in total disregard of labour law? – National Post (Canada)

“There are plenty of cognoscenti in the US who believe that Peter Martins is making a bad job of honouring the god [Balanchine], and they regularly say so in print, describing him as a man of little taste and much ambition. There are others who argue that he has, in fact, done well, his energy shown by the 100 ballets performed in the 50th anniversary season last year, and his refusal to allow NYCB to become a museum company, which would have been anathema to Balanchine himself.” – The Telegraph (London)

Artists have been grappling with issues of beauty since there were first artists. “Who defines the body beautiful, and how has this definition been affected by feminism, multiculturalism, mass media and new technologies? If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what kinds of images still have the power to produce such sensory experience?” – New York Times

The National Ballet of Canada’s settlement of the suit with dancer Kimberly Glasco for $1 million was a good result. The situation had been at an impasse. “Ms. Glasco thought she was the next Karen Kain, an opinion not shared by others. And the ballet forgot that, in Canada, you can’t just fire people at will. You need experts. You need procedures. You need outplacement counsellors.” – Toronto Globe and Mail

• GLASCO SPEAKS: Why I had to fight this. – Toronto Globe and Mail 07/21/00

The Bolshoi’s performance of  Balanchine’s “Symphony in C,” Wednesday night at Lincoln Center began a day earlier with a backstage drama. The first movement of the classic was led on Wednesday night by Anastasia Goriacheva, who was celebrating her 19th birthday. Yet until Tuesday, she had never even rehearsed the role; when another of the company’s rising young stars, injured herself, Ms. Goriacheva was plucked out of the corps to replace her and put into nonstop rehearsal mode.” – New York Times

The National Ballet of Canada and dancer Kimberly Glasco have reached a settlement on her charges of wrongful dismissal. Glasco gets money and won’t return to the company as a judge had ordered. Glasco sued for unlawful dismissal when the National Ballet decided not to renew her contract after it expired in June last year. Glasco claimed she’d been fired illegally for speaking out as a dancer representative on the board of directors against artistic director James Kudelka’s new Swan Lake.” – CBC

– in New York after a 10-year absence. “By any cultural standard the return is a major event. The engagement is sold out: the company’s mystique remains intact. It is no secret, however, that the Bolshoi has had its ups and downs. Not only do aesthetics change, but reality intrudes as well. More than 20 years of turmoil within the company, a turnover in directors and an adjustment to a society itself in turmoil will take its toll. – New York Times