In the "Ballet" forum, Azlan's posted some links to newspaper reviews of Ballet San Jose's successful debut. At least one light cue was striking enough to catch the SF Chronicle critic's eye, but the review doesn't give the designer's name.<P>This always annoys me; if a design element is good enough (or, for that matter, bad enough) to mention in a review, then the name of the person who designed it should be mentioned, too.<P>(Could someone give me a hand down from this soapbox, please?)<P>------------------<BR>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<BR>Jeffrey E. Salzberg, Lighting Designer<BR>Online portfolio, now including "This Day in Arts History":<BR><A HREF="http://www.suncoast.quik.com/salzberg" TARGET=_blank>http://www.suncoast.quik.com/salzberg</A> <P><BR>

If all you knew about the genres was what was written in reviews, you could read every dance and theatre review in some papers (the Houston Chronicle comes to mind) and never know there was such a thing as lighting design.<P>Set design fares somewhhat better, as does costuming. Sound design always gets the shortest end of the stick.<P>I'm not saying that every design element should be mentioned in every review (that would be "high school"), but it's not believable that no designer's work is <I>ever</I> so good or so bad as to be not worth a mention.<BR>

I think you are absolutely right Saltzberg - it is a team effort to put something on stage and have either a success or a failure. <P>Coincidentally I feel the same way when a dancer is used as part of an advertizement for a product - he/she should be given a name credit.

Salzberg, all the lighting for Ballet San Jose was done by Kenneth Keith. Frankly, I think his lighting did a lot to offset the minimalist (read non-existent) sets.

Got to agree with you about Houston's tech scene Salzburg. Molly Glentzner (who writes just about all of the dance reviews for the Houston Chronicle) doesn't seem to know that elements such as lighting and other tech categories are what MAKE the show work. Quite annoying at times.<P>-Marc

'Of course, we deserved it every time.'<P>We hold these truths to be self evident....<P>Lighting is a key part of a stage production. As I have written here before, Deborah MacMillan has said that she believes that it is the second most important part of a dance production after the choreography. That is, even more important than the music. One may or may nor agree with her, but it puts the critical nature of this design element in context.

Hmmmph. Ms. MacMillan has an inflated view of the importance of choreography in the scheme of things....

Well, as least Ms. MacMillan doesn't have an inflated view of the importance of the dancers in a dance production.