After the stability of the past two years, post the Protas court cases, I'm reminded of the catch-line for "Jaws 2": "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water."

Without knowing more about the situation, comment is difficult and one suspects that the situation is not as clear-cut as the conflict with Protas. However, it is tragic that Dakin and Capucilli have left their joint AD role in such peremptory fashion after they:

- have devoted their lives to the Graham heritage and through their dancing and coaching made a huge contribution to the preservation of the rep

- bit their tongues in the Protas years for the sake of the dancers and the rep

- formed a focus for the dancers and the campaign to save the Graham Centre and the Company in the court cases

- nursed the revived company back to health

In the past, Marvin Preston has alway impressed me, but he is quoted as saying:

"They were not fired," Marvin Preston, the executive director, stressed. "Now they are artistic directors laureate of the company."

Excuse me, but if you are no longer making artistic and other decisions for any concern, it doesn't matter what title you are given, you've been fired, in my book.

My morning has not got off to a good start.

Well, there's a shocker. Just when you thought you'd "heard it all". As everyone attests, Ms. Dakin and Ms. Capucilli have devoted their entire professional careers to the Graham legacy. Although Ms. Eilber is certainly qualified as well, the whole thing seems odd, to say the least. Hopefully, we'll learn more.

My take on this also was that there must be something else going on here. Eilber seems like a perfect choice for the position (based only on having seen her dance), but so were Dakin and Capucilli, and they don't seem to have deserved the abrupt, reasonless dismissal. I have friends who may still have connections with the school/company. They're out of town now, but when they return I'll see if I can get any additional information.

Is this announcement, which came as a real shock to me, the subject of much discussion/publicity in the US dance community/press?

Haven't seen much on it yet. Publications like Dance Magazine usually take awhile, as they are only published monthly. I am still in shock. I can't imagine under what circumstances/scenarios this firing could have been justified. Wow, the Graham legacy does seem to have a bit of a curse on it, of some kind.

I believe Salzberg heard about this a while back but we didn't pursue it until there was some confirmation. The lack of news is disturbing but not odd I have to say.

From an article by Daniel Wakin in the NY Times:

"...and the center recently announced a restructuring that it said would streamline operations."

IMHO, these are weasel words that deserve contempt as they refer to the ejection of two major artists who have devoted their lives to the Graham canon.