Dance Theater Workshop was stunned to learn of The Village Voice‘s recent decision to cut back its dance reviews to one half page. On behalf of the artists that Dance Theater Workshop presents, the members that we serve and the loyal audiences for dance that we grow, the following letter below was hand delivered today to The Village Voice.



Doug Simmons
Managing Editor
The Village Voice
36 Cooper Square
New York, NY 10003

Dear Mr. Simmons,

On behalf of Dance Theater Workshop, I am writing to express our deep concern in The Village Voice’s reduction by fifty percent of coverage of dance, dance companies and choreography.

Since its founding in 1955, The Village Voice has set the standard for high-spirited and passionate reporting and criticism. Our dance community –dancers, choreographers and audiences – embrace the Voice as the premier expert on New York’s cultural scene. Its astute and savvy reviews of our performing art have helped to make dance an increasingly integral part of New York City.

We ask that you consider reinstating the full page of reviews and advance notices to ensure that The Village Voice continues to be the authoritative source and “voice” for dance in New York – the dance capital of the world.

Sincerely,

Marion Dienstag
Executive Director
Dance Theater Workshop

This is becoming a worrying trend. In the UK, I heard this week that the new midi-sized "Guardian" newspaper has less space for the arts and that this has already had an impact on the number of dance reviews.

I'm afraid that the mass media web has little to be proud of. I once spent some time searching for possible partners with the main e-zines. Foe instance, at one time, Tiscali had serious arts coverage. But I found that there was none - only specialist sites like CD.

Any other examples of reduced coverage?

I admire the measured tones of the DTW letter, especially the way it emphasises the excellent coverage provided by VV to date.

If you share the DTW views, why not drop an e-mail to VV:

http://villagevoice.com/aboutus/index.php?page=contact

Here's my letter to the V.V. editor

As a teen growing up in the Bronx in the early sixties, studying Ballet at Joffrey and Ballet Russe, and Modern Dance with Gertrude Shur and at New Dance Group, while a Drama major at the High School of Performing Arts, I treasured the coverage your newspaper gave to Dance. It was the integument connecting studio and stage. I picked up my copy at the West Fourth Street IND station kiosk after ballet class and read it, starting with the dance reviews, all the way to Bedford Park Boulevard. How can the very newspaper editors who decry cutbacks in spending on arts programs in the schools, themselves "scale back" on dance reviews, previews and feature articles? Dance writers like myself can now be found on the Net, and that's fine, but there is nothing as satisfying as riding the Subway (as opposed to the Information Highway) holding a review of a new piece, that is compared with an existing body of work, between hands that are clammy or hot with anticipation, and then reading all the related articles surounding it, and the UNrelated ones as that you find on the jump pages. It's precisely such coverage that attracts young readers and helps develop their intellects and curate their tastes.

Please reconsider, and continue to fully offer new generations of dance students (and their audiences) the coverage that their full-out creativity, artistry and hard work merit.

Toba Singer
criticaldance.com

Great letter, Toba.

I sent one, but clever me didn't copy it before pressing the send button!!

Anyone else?