Klarinet Archive - Posting 000205.txt from 2005/12

From: "Forest Aten" <forestaten@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Nutcracker
Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2005 11:25:25 -0500


> The union at the Washington Ballet is determined not to back down this
> time, even if management keeps the dancers locked out and cancels the
> entire season, as may happen: management already cancelled "The
> Bach/Beatles Project" and "The 7x7 Woman" and is threatening to cancel
> "Othello" next. (Neely Tucker, "Ballet Announces '06 Cancellations," The
> Washington Post, Saturday, December 24, 2005, p. C1.) Other ballet
> companies had better pay attention. I think the dance community has
> reached critical mass: This type of union action may become much more
> common in the near future.
>
> Lelia Loban
>
>
>

Lelia,

Well said.

The Dallas Ballet failed in the '80s, due to very poor direction, management
and horrible neglect by a hopelessly ignorant board. The Ballet in Dallas,
Texas hired only directors of note, from beginning to end. The final
director, Flemming Flindt
http://www.kqed.org/spark/artists-orgs/balletsanj.jsp and
http://www.voiceofdance.org/Insights/insights.trans.col.cfm?LinkID=330000000
00000220 and his famous prima ballerina wife (Royal Danish Ballet), Vivi did
the company 'in' while the board sat back and watched.
http://www.mercyhurst.edu/ne/college_news_detail.php?id=702&m=04&y=2005 The
company closed the doors with 1.8 million dollars of debt. This debt was
directly attributed to the excesses of the Flindts. I'll never forget the
final public media broadcast with board members making the announcement with
the dancers sitting in the back of the room. One of the dancers, with an
MBA, (let's face it...most dancers have to make a living somehow, outside of
the poor salaries offered up my most dance companies) stood up and yelled,
"you should have let us manage the company, it would be a huge success".

It was wonderful to play ballet music....but Lelia is so very right about
what the real "cost" is in terms of what the artist gives back to their
company. Things are about to change even further and I see many more
companies failing in the country.

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