CriticalDance Forum

<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).]

Wouldn't that be wonderful, even if there were lots of repeats etc. I guess that with the advent of 100s of digital channels it will come eventually, even if not now.

i find it quite phenomenally amazing that they have 5 to 7 years worth of dance programming available, even without making anything new.... (open-mouthed amazed-looking smiley)<P>hey, stuart, do you think if i start putting in descriptions of all the smileys i want, you might let me have them?....

Dream on!

My first thought reading about the dance channel was great delight...followed by the knowledge that it probably would have limited availability...around the world but not here, dammit. (little snarling face from Grace's little face inventory)

LOL! <P>same for australia, i'm sure, maggie!<P>(rolleyes smiley - that one IS available...)

in australia, dirk...not much more than what you have described. we have 2 channels which show 'intelligent' programming - the Australian Broadcasting Commision (ABC) and SBS (don't know what that stands for, but its multi-cultural, multi-lingual programming). <P>There is one period in the year when all the dance seems to occur in the programming - i imagine that's the off-season for ratings. It is almost always on Sunday afternoons.<P>In a year we would ptrobably see maybe 4 full-length ballets (of which, 2 probably at Christmas!), and maybe ten 1-hour documentaries (usually american or english TV programmes), and a smattering of shorter works and interviews, news items, etc.<P>btw, when ross stretton got the directorship of the RB - completely without historical precedent, and when gailene stock got the directorship of RBS (likewise) - neither of these events rated any mention on the TV news here.<P>i have amassed a good video library from these screenings over the years, but many programs screened are repeats.

I would guess that the UK terrestial channels have a similar number of hours pa as grace indicated for Australia - possibly less.<P>There is a specialist arts channel 'Performance', but it is only available in a handful of areas that have particular cable suppliers. But they will be well-placed when expansion of the digital channels takes place.<P>Most times when I go to Germany I see some sort of dance on one of the TV stations. I assume that this means that there is more available there. This includes the wonderful Franco/German 'Arte', which many believe is the best arts/high quality programming TV channel in the world. <p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited October 12, 2000).]

Sir Jeremy Isaacs who used to run the ROH launches Artsworld, a new arts TV channel. <P><A HREF="Http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4077907,00.html" TARGET=_blank><B>Here is the article.</B></A><BR>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Sir Jeremy, who is chairman of the new channel, said" "There are less arts programmes on British television than there were 20 years ago, yet the huge hunger for the arts grows apace." <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>surprising statistic...

I guess that the reason for the statistic you raise, grace, is that ratings for TV stations are much more important than they use to be.<P>And Game Shows are much cheaper to stage and attract bigger audiences.

Well...I can see that I will just have to move. The arts programming here is truly pathetic.

By the way, I did that exact pose at the top of this thread for an album cover some years back. It was Baden Powell's "Solitude on Guitar" (Powell is a Brazilian jazz guitarist)<P>We couldn't get the shot in the studio, so we drove out to a gravel quarry, where I climbed up on a 10 foot hill of gravel. I was swathed in 10 yards of champagne colored chiffon, and little else. There, I jumped up into cabriole countless times until the photographer felt he got what he wanted. On the way home, the photographer mentioned that a movie star was at a car dealership promoting his new movie, and would I mind if he stopped to take a few pictures for People magazine. (He was a Time/Life photographer) I wish I had said no. People came over to the car with the star while he was getting his picture taken. I was crouching down in the seat of the car in my ten yards of chiffon trying to make myself invisible. The album cover came out really nice, though. <p>[This message has been edited by Maggie (edited October 26, 2000).]

Artsworld, the new UK arts TV channel, launches today and there is much coverage in the UK press. There's a lot of repitition, so here are two of the faster loading articles:<P>'Something elitist for everyone. Jeremy Isaacs wants his new satellite TV channel, Artsworld, which goes on air for the first time today, to be an oasis of high art in a desert of popular culture. But, he tells Susannah Herbert, it won't be worthy and it won't be dull': <P><BR><A HREF="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000148269364269&rtmo=kCbLCoep&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/00/12/2/bmisac02.html" TARGET=_blank><B>The Telegraph preview</B></A><P><BR>It's not over till the fat lady zaps If you like high culture, you ought to love the new TV channel Artsworld. But Stuart Jeffries has his doubts <P> <A HREF="http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4098658,00.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4098658,00.html</A> <P><BR>Artsworld has an interim web site, which gives brief information. The main problem is that it is only available through Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB and some in the UK, including me, are very reluctant to support Mr Murdoch's Empire. <P> <A HREF="http://www.artsworld.com/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.artsworld.com/</A> <P><p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited December 02, 2000).]

Oh, Maggie, I missed your chiffon story earlier. Thanks for sharing it with us. The perils of modeling...