
<P>Toronto producer applies to CRTC for 24-hour dance channel.<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Well, hey, there's a television channel devoted to gardening, and another to golf. So why not dance? - - -<P>If your initial reaction to the idea of a dance channel is skepticism, you're in good company. That was how Celia Franca, legendary founder of the National Ballet of Canada and Ottawa's School of Dance, reacted when Fusca be an advisor. <P>Fusca concedes dance TV would have some particular problems. As Franca points out, producing dance for television is notoriously expensive, which is why TV stations rarely air new productions by big companies. <P>But Fusca adds that dance has international appeal and no language barriers. She plans to keep costs down by airing existing dance videos from around the world, along with the many dance-on-film offerings that have limited release through festivals. <P>"We have about five-to-seven years worth of programming even if we never do anything new," Fusca says. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <A HREF="http://www.ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/001007/4648516.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/001007/4648516.html</A> <p>[This message has been edited by grace (edited October 07, 2000).]