November 26, 2006

Pilobolus Embraces Social Media Sites

In a Thanksgiving post on the Bank of America Celebrity Series Blog, I came across some video clips and pictures of dance company Pilobolus on popular social media sites.

It's nice to see that Pilobolus is using MySpace and YouTube to provide fans with additional information about themselves, but, in the case of the video clips, I think it would be helpful if they would provide some more context and background about who the dancers are and what Pilobolus is all about.

For example, Pilobolus has posted three video podcasts on YouTube - they're all informal and light-hearted, which is enjoyable, but it would also be nice to hear the dancers talk about dancing and show some movement as well - but maybe they are prohibited from videotaping each other dancing?? For viewers who don't know anything about Pilobolus, these videos really won't serve much of a purpose. (video one, video two, video three).

In their MySpace blog, they just posted some fun pictures from their Thanksgiving celebration in Belo Horizonte, Brazil where they are performing tomorrow:

Finally, you can watch a TV commercial that Pilobolus did for Hyundai Santa Fe. Whether it's in a commercial or on stage, it's always fun to watch them dance:

Posted by Doug Fox at 4:00 PM - Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

June 2, 2006

An Online Blueprint for Making Dance More Relevant

As a follow-up to my post yesterday, "Reclaiming the Relevancy of Dance," I'd like to offer my initial ideas on how we might move forward with such a project.

First, I'd post a message to my blog saying that I'm creating a collection of links to dancers and dance companies that are in the process of creating dance works or have already created dance works that address a specific topic.

As dancers add content (descriptions, pictures, audio interviews and videos) to their websites, blogs and multimedia sites (YouTube, Flickr, etc.), they can then send me the links to these resources.

For example, I could post a message such as the following:

I'm creating a resource guide with links to dance performances (individual or group performances) that deal with the topic of global warming. If you have created such a performance, please send me links to the relevant websites. Clearly, the best type of resource is a video clip so that people can watch your performance. But pictures, text descriptions and audio guides are also worthwhile.

Your dance work does not have to be finished in order to participate in this project. If you've created diagrams or illustrations of costumes, for example, and posted these images to your website or blog, these would be of interest as well.

So overall the goal is to aggregate dances that deal with a specific topic as a way to reach a larger Internet audience. Environmental topics are especially worthwhile because once we put together a list of, say, ten existing dance works (either completed or in progress), I think this would be an excellent resource for the thousands upon thousands of websites and blogs that address environmental issues.

In the end, I think this project would help all participating dancers and dance companies get considerable exposure for their work and upcoming performances.

Once this project is up and running, it can go in a number of different directions. For example, once there are a handful of dance videos dealing with global warming, then we could launch a mashup competition and encourage people to create their own global warming dance mixes that can be uploaded to a public video gallery. It would be nice, of course, if we could find a sponsor for such a competition that would offer cash and other prizes for both the best dance videos and dance mashups -- this actually might be possible if there is enough interest in this project.

That's my idea. What do you think? Also, global warming is just one of many possible topics to focus on. What are some of the main themes and ideas you address in your dance pieces?

Posted by Doug Fox at 8:56 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 25, 2006

Dancing to Combat Global Warming

With the upcoming US debut of Al Gore's movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," that highlights the catastrophic effects of global warming, I thought I'd revisit the topic of dance performances that address environmental issues.

You can visit the official website for this film:

You can also watch the trailer on Google:

In April I wrote about and did an audio interview with Emily Johnson of Catalyst Dance about her "Heat and Life" production that addresses global warming through movement, video and sound:

And this morning I came across an excellent interview (Part I and Part II) with Brenda Way the artistic and executive director of ODC/Dance. Last year, Way choreographed "On a Train Heading South," a work that "focuses on social denial and complacency in the face of environmental degradation." In this interview in Grist Magazine, Way talks about this dance work, the role of artists and the challenges that dancers face.

When describing the role of artists she says:

A key part of our purpose is to promote perception and awareness, to incite reflection and reactions. I see us as strong allies with environmental groups in the struggle for enlightened social consciousness in our shared desire for a greater humanity.

I'd like to know if other dance companies have created works that have addressed environmental issues or plan to do so in the future? I'd also like to know if any of these environmentally-focused dance pieces will be ported to the web so that Internet users can watch video of these performances online.

Posted by Doug Fox at 10:40 AM - Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

April 28, 2006

Dance to the News

I was browsing the posts on the Springwise blog, a global network of "spotters" who identify the latest entrepreneurial trends, and came across a story about T-post, a Swedish company that offers a t-shirt subscription service.

Here's how it works: You subscribe to this t-shirt service and every 6-weeks you receive a new t-shirt with a news-specific theme. You can access the archive to review all of the news-themed t-shirts and on the bottom left of each page you can read about the news story that inspired the design.

I was thinking that this news-driven t-shirt concept would be great for a dance company. Why not create a new two-minute long dance work every couple of weeks or so that is based upon a current news event? Then videotape the performance and distribute it on the Internet. I think this type of video would generate a lot of traffic because many news websites and blogs would feature your video. Plus, there are probably ways to sell sponsorship and generate a new source of revenue.

The challenge, I think, would be to figure out what news stories to cover and how to stage your dance pieces in an optimal manner for video reproduction.

Technorati Tags: dance, marketing, news, video

Posted by Doug Fox at 10:00 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

April 11, 2006

Union Contracts Limit Online Revenue for Dancers

During The Washington Ballet labor dispute, which has since been resolved, I read some of the contracts between dance companies and the unions that represent the dancers.

What struck me about these contacts is that there are so many prohibitions against shooting video of performances and rehearsals that unless changes are made to these agreements, some of the most established dance companies will never be able to generate revenue from online video sales and promotions.

If I were an executive director of a dance company or a union representative, the first thing I would do is renegotiate the contract sections that relate to digital reproductions of performances, rehearsals and other dance formats. The online world, as I've written about extensively, represents a huge opportunity for dance companies to reach larger audiences, generate more revenue and ensure the financial health of dance. But the online world cannot be exploited without first addressing these contractual issues.

Here is a list of union contacts on the website for the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), which represents a number of US-based dance companies including The Washington Ballet.

Here is a portion of the Atlanta Ballet contract, section 41, that relates to "Filming, Broadcasting, Television, Etc.:"

Except as provided herein THE ATLANTA BALLET shall not videotape, film, broadcast, record or televise, including marketing of video cassettes and/or in-theater closed circuit television, any performances, rehearsals, concerts or engagements in which the ARTIST appears by wire, wireless, radio, telephone wireless process or any motion picture, recording, mechanical, electrical or telephone device now in use or hereafter developed or any combination of such devices...

The rest of this section goes along in the same vein. I can't begin to say how detrimental this contract language is for all involved in a dance company. Essentially dance companies and dancers are prohibiting themselves from exploring ways to make money through online sales and promotion.

This prohibition is ironic given the many financial challenges faced by dance companies in cities throughout the US. Here are two stories from last week that illustrate these challenges:

- "Hard Truths about Ballet in Southland," by Lewis Segal of the Los Angeles Times, covers the cancellation of Ballet Pacifica's first season.

- "Strapped Ohio Ballet Cancels Spring Series," by Wilma Salisbury of The Plain Dealer, covers the cancellation of the reminder of the Ohio Ballet's season.

Technorati Tags: ballet, dance, internet, marketing, union, video

Posted by Doug Fox at 11:00 AM - Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

January 15, 2006

Washington Ballet and Dancers Still at Impasse

The disagreements between The Washington Ballet and its dancers have still not been resolved and no progress has been made on this front. (I created a resource guide to articles and blog entries about this on-going saga in a recent post).

You can read an article in last week's Washington Post, "Ballet Rejects Offer By Michael Kaiser To Mediate, Returns To Bargaining Table".

And Dance Insider has published an article, which includes a letter from Alan Gordon, executive director, American Guild of Musical Artists (the union representing The Washington Ballet dancers) to Frank Loy, the treasurer of the board of directors of The Washington Ballet.

Posted by Doug Fox at 7:35 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

January 14, 2006

Dancers Share Their Challenges

Here are two stories, directly from dancers themselves, that offer painfull insight into the precarious nature of pursuing a dance career:

- In the December 2005 edition of Dance Magazine, Rosalynde LeBlanc, a freelance performer and teacher in New York City, writes "Turning point: inside the mind of a 30-something female modern dancer". Rosalynde LeBlanc tells a compelling story about the financial challenges faced by modern dancers who want to make enough money to support a family. She eventually gets an Equity card to audition for Broadway shows, but her heart isn't in it. She writes:

... what does ignite my spirit is the impoverished world of modern dance. Since childhood, when I took the Ballet/Modern/Jazz class, (in which all three disciplines were offered in one swoop like a cross section of Neapolitan ice cream) my affinity for modern was obvious. I was a shy, day-dreaming tomboy. The sophistication of jazz and the proprieties of ballet were ill-fitting on me. Modern dance--with its celebration of the individual, its emphasis on expression, its patient successes, and its androgyny--captured my heart. Now, after 20 years the rhythms and principles of modern dance are infused in my being. And some of their strongest indications are in my criteria for seeking work. "Who's choreographing?" is habitually my first question. I have to force myself to ask, "How much?" I am well trained to have the lowest monetary expectations and have learned how to make do in the direst circumstances.

Thanks to Rachel Feinerman of Downtown Dancer for linking to Rosalynde LeBlanc's story. In Rachel's post, "Taking Up Space," she contrasts the constant financial struggles faced by dancers with an upbeat story in the New York Times about the recent growth in new dance venues in Manhattan. She writes:

I’m not one to dismiss all these great new buildings but the crisis on the ground is that dancers at the top of their training, at the peak of their professional life, are poor and without health insurance and leaving the arts world in droves to finally make some money on Broadway or with Celine Dion in Vegas. The crisis is that when you accidentally slip and fall in one of these nice, new buildings, you have no insurance with which to see a doctor nor any money to pay for the cast on your wrist. The crisis is that you have to retire at age 35, not because you can’t dance anymore, but because you can’t afford to dance anymore. Its wonderful to have new buildings. Just don’t dismiss the dancers.

- The second article, published by The Dance Insider, is from an unnamed dancer with the Indianapolis, Indiana-based Ballet Internationale, which shut its doors on November 9, 2005. The dancers, without any warning, were told that their ballet company was being shut down and they were out of work. No Nutcracker. No performances. They had one and a half hours to collect their things and get out of the building. The anonymous dancer continues:

You can imagine everyone's shock to be left jobless with no future prospects of the company getting back together. It is not easy, even mostly impossible, for a dancer to find a job mid-season. Most of the company is foreign, which means some face the risk of being deported, and some may even have to go into the army if sent back to their home countries.

Posted by Doug Fox at 7:30 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

January 6, 2006

Washington Ballet Labor Dispute - Comprehensive Internet Resource Guide

Last month The Washington Ballet canceled performances of the Nutcracker due to a serious labor dispute between the dance company and its dancers, who are represented by their union, American Guild of Musical Artists.

In this post, I include a large number of links to news stories, blog postings and community board discussions about this unfortunate, on-going dispute which poses serious challenges to the short and long-term prospects for both The Washington Ballet and its dancers.

Statements from Washington Ballet and American Guild of Musical Artists

In a December 12, 2005 statement on its website, the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) describes what it calls a lock-out by The Washington Ballet of its dancers and the cancellation of the Nutcracker.

In a December 14, 2005 statement (PDF file) on its website, The Washington Ballet announces the cancellation of its December 15th performance of the Nutcracker due to what it calls a strike by its dancers.

While you will not find the specific agreement that Washington Ballet and its dancers sign, you can find on the AGMA site many of the complete agreements that are signed by dancers represented by this union and dance companies throughout the US.

Articles in News Publications

I added some additional articles about The Washington Ballet that are not about the Nutcracker feud but provide additional background information.

-- May 3, 2005 - Washington Post - "Washington Ballet's Italian Faux Pas De Deux" (Free registration required for all Washington Post stories)

-- August 31, 2005 - Washington Post - "Going Toe-to-Toe: A Ballerina Charges the Washington Ballet Fired Her for Union Activism"

-- September 16, 2005 - Washington Post - "Washington Ballet Settles With Union Over Firings"

-- December 15 - Washington Post - "Tonight's 'Nutcracker' Canceled In Dispute"

-- December 16, 2005 - Washington Post - "All Toes Point to the Picket Line"

-- December 17, 2005 - The American Observer - "Creating a Legacy, One Step at a Time"

-- December 17, 2005 - Washington Post - "Washington Ballet Cancels 'Nutcracker' Run"

-- December 17, 2005 - The Washington Times - "Labor Battle Ends 'Nutcracker' Run"

-- December 22, 2005 - Washington Post - "Dancers, Ballet Out of Step in Pas de Deux"

-- December 22, 2005 - Washington Post - Letter to the Editor - "Ballet's Battle, Children's Loss"

-- December 24, 2005 - AP - "Washington Ballet to Cancel 2006 Shows"

-- December 24, 2005 - UPI - "Washington Ballet Dispute Escalates"

-- December 24, 2005 - Washington Post - "Ballet Announces '06 Cancellations: Dancers, Who Say They Would Lose About 3 Months' Pay, Seek Injunction"

Dance and Theater Publications

-- December 12, 2005 - Dance Insider - "'Nutcracker' Held Hostage in Washington"

--December 14, 2005 - PlaybillArts - "Labor Dispute Threatens Washington Ballet Nutcracker"

-- December 19, 2005 - PlaybillArts - "Washington Ballet Cancels Entire Nutcracker Run"

-- December 20, 2005 - The Dance Insider - "Yes, Virginia, Dancers too have Rights"

Blogs

-- December 15, 2005 - DCist - "Washington Ballet Cancels Tonight's Nutcracker"

-- December 15, 2005 - Metroblogging DC - "Striking Dancers"

-- December 15, 2005 - The View from 16th Street - "No Cherry Blossom Fairy?"

-- December 16, 2005 - DC Baby - "Bah Humbug! & Weekend Watch"

-- December 16, 2005 - Onward and Upward - "Washington Ballet Cancels Nutcracker"

-- December 17, 2005 - DC Arts Jobs - "Washington Ballet Cancels Entire Nutcracker Run"

-- December 17, 2005 - NET workers - "Washington Ballet Dancers Locked Out!"

-- December 17, 2005 - Newsrack blog -"'Nutcracker' on ice: dancers locked out"

-- December 19, 2005 - The Princess and the Pen - "Nuts to the Nutcracker"

-- December 21, 2005 - Drunken Reveries of a Cynical Mind - "Strikes Everywhere"

-- December 22, 2005 - DC Arts Jobs - "Ballet Remains Dark"

-- December 27, 2005 - Onward and Upward - "Struggles at Washington Ballet Continue"

-- January 2, 2005 - Angel's and Kris' Place - "Holiday Season"

Dance Community Boards - Discussion Threads

-- December 14, 2005 (first post) - Ballet Talk for Dancers - "Labor Pains at The Washington Ballet"

-- December 15, 2005 (first post) - Critical Dance - "Strike/Lock-Out"

Labor Advocacy

-- American Rights at Work - "Take Action - Washington Ballet Dancers Need Your Help"

Posted by Doug Fox at 8:30 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 21, 2005

Review Bebe Miller's Landing/Place

Tom Pearson reviews Bebe Miller's "Landing/Place" in his new NYC Dance Journal (Performance earlier this month at Dance Theater Workshop in NY):

Bebe Miller is known for her humanist works, but recently she has been seduced into the world of technology. In her newest, "Landing/Place," seen at Dance Theater Workshop on Wednesday night, she mixed her polished movement with equally adept motion capture, video, live sound and animation. The theme of the work emerged in the form of a pre-recorded monologue midway through. As Miller's voice asked, "is it important to know where you are going when you set out for a place," we began to understand that this work was not going to give answers but ask questions. Read entire review

Posted by Doug Fox at 8:55 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 17, 2005

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Capacitor, an interdisciplinary dance company, premieres its latest performance piece, "Digging in the Dark" (PDF file), in San Francisco from October 20-30, 2005:

Synthesizing dance with new circus, innovative props and interactive media--Capacitor sends you on a journey through the layers of the Earth into the core. Featuring the key talents of Jodi Lomask (artistic director/choreographer); Noah Thorp of Listen Labs (composer); Dan Zox (filmmakers); Monique Kapp (costume design); Glenn Meader (interaction designer)

Watch video preview and view picture gallery for this upcoming performance.

Posted by Doug Fox at 8:03 AM - Permalink | Comments (0)

October 13, 2005

Brain Wave Projections of Dance Performers

At the September Ingenuity Festival or Art and Technology in Cleveland, Ohio, MorrisonDance performed a work, "Inside," that integrated projections of real-time EEG (electroencephalograph) brainwave readings of the dancers and a pre-recorded video of Sarah Morrison's arthroscopic elbow surgery.

For the brain reading component of the performance, Morrison wore a brainwave-reading FlexCap developed by BrainMaster Technologies.

Images of brainwave scans of dancer projected onto screens in real-time during performance.

Dancer wearing FlexCap.

Detail view of FlexCap.

Posted by Doug Fox at 8:31 AM - Permalink | Comments (0)