CriticalDance Forum

Please enter any comments or discussion about the NYCB deficit and dancer layoffs in this thread in the Managing Dance Forum:

NYCB Deficits and Downsizing

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/arts/ ... 1maca.html

For all my quibbles with Macaulay, he does give a nice summary of the season here. And, frankly, I'm pleased that someone has the guts to point out publicly the apparent inequity of laying off corps members and keeping Kistler & Nilas Martins (though it is quite possible that the cost of their retirement packages would negate any immediate savings in terminating their contracts).

I do wish however, that he would have spent at least a few sentences talking about the great men instead of harping on about the deficits in the ballerina (or lack there of) ranks. Reviews of Robbie Fairchild in Slaughter and apprentice Chase Finlay in the Romeo & Juliet PDD were glowing, but neither were covered in the Times. Male apprentices rarely get big breaks like their female counterparts, so this is quite unusual. I think the last male apprentices to get such opportunities were Daniel Ulbricht and perhaps Tyler Angle.

Kate

Another brief point - besides the now 90 something dancers, the company can take on up to 10 apprentices at any one time. These apprentices can remain up to one year, longer if the time is interrupted by injury or illness. However, once they have danced in more than a specified number of different ballets (7?) they - by contract - automatically get a corps contract. Alternatively, once a year is up, they must be hired or have their contract terminated.

Which begs the question... is Martins partially laying off to open up spots for some promising apprentices. Will they change the apprentice contract? Or will they have to really curtail the use of apprentices if they can't afford to hire them? Do they risk losing big new talent if there isn't money for another contract?

Kate

Robert Gottlieb reviews the season in The New York Observer:

NY Observer

William Littler reviews a Winter Season program ("La Valse," "Violin Concerto," and "West Side Story Suite") in the Toronto Star:

Toronto Star