QUOTE (dirac @ Nov 7 2005, 05:49 PM)
The Dance Notation Bureau lays off five of six staffers, citing money troubles. Report by Erica Kinetz for The New York Times.
In addition to Western theatrical dance, the collection includes scores for social, historical and folk dances from around the world. It is thus an important resource for companies recreating works and for scholars of dance history.
For now, the library remains active and accessible. (Mei-Chen Lu, who oversees it, was the only employee to survive the cuts.) But the institution is on the ropes.
Grant money it had been expecting failed to materialize. The fall membership drive met with lackluster results. And individual donations, which constitute about half of the $300,000 annual operating budget, are also down.
In addition to Western theatrical dance, the collection includes scores for social, historical and folk dances from around the world. It is thus an important resource for companies recreating works and for scholars of dance history.
For now, the library remains active and accessible. (Mei-Chen Lu, who oversees it, was the only employee to survive the cuts.) But the institution is on the ropes.
Grant money it had been expecting failed to materialize. The fall membership drive met with lackluster results. And individual donations, which constitute about half of the $300,000 annual operating budget, are also down.
I was wondering whether anyone has a response to this. Although I hate to see a drop of ANY kind in financial support for ballet, I found myself wondering: In this age of video techniques that are easy and cheap to produce, copy and distribute, what are the arguments for continuing to fund traditional dance notation systems? Any thoughts?