CriticalDance Forum

If it was an old copy of the music you would be more likely to hear a (you try typing a sound, lol) crsssshhhhh noise, or a hiss rather than just a low volume...<P>My guess is some kind of equipment failure although in my experience the house usually asks that the sound not be too loud for dance performances. Or at least quieter than I generally like it, and I'm not deaf...yet.<P>

Other people complained too. I guess we're all going deaf in California.

What?! Speak up! I can't hear you!

Azlan, was the sound <I>bad</I> or was it just not loud enough?<P>If it was just an issue with the volume level, it might be that the show didn't have time (or didn't bother) to set a level before the performance, guessed at what might be an appropriate level, and guessed wrong.

Salzberg, the sound was both bad and not loud enough. It sounded like it came from small, squeaky speakers. As I recall, this was the company's second week in that theater.

Another thing that upsets me is that venues who cater to multiple art and entertainment forms almost always, in spite of their original mandate or intentions, give preferential treatment to pop music, theater, symphonic music, opera, films, and basically everything else before dance.<P>What is sad also is that dance companies, desperate to get a venue to perform in, will compete with each for the same undesirable arrangements and dates. So, most dance companies just have to put up with the few unscrupulous venue promoters who know how to play the game: "Well, if you don't like the deal, then I'm sure we'll find another dance company who wants to perform here."<P>For lots of different reasons, the dance community is so helpless and fragmented as a voice.

In an earlier post Azlan said:<P><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Another thing that upsets me is that venues who cater to multiple art and entertainment forms almost always, in spite of their original mandate or intentions, give preferential treatment to pop music, theater, symphonic music, opera, films, and basically everything else before dance.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><BR>I can relate to this. Years ago (early 70's) when San Diego built it's main theater downtown The Civic Center Theater - every art form was consulted. Except dance. The result was a stage floor that was totally unacceptable for dance - hard as a rock. <P>For many years the local groups, having a choice of killing their legs or not dancing on that stage - danced any way. There were also some major companies that came this way through the Sol Hurok organization. However, once they saw the floor, they didn't come back. Eventually, the Civic Center was blackballed by the union dancers.<P>As I understand it the floor was eventually redone - but after many years of being boycotted. The major companies still don't come, but now for other reasons.

It sounds like Marie also had the problem of a unemployed actor being the tech contact instead of a professional tech contact doing the job. This seems like a common problem in many areas. And a preventable one.

LMC, yep, I agree, though I must admit, that folks can get themselves into those kind of crew situations pretty easily. Shame on the theater for not asking more questions about what staff they were bringing.

The worst sound I have heard was the recording of 'Appalachian Spring' that the MarthaGraham Dance Comapny used in their London performances. It was an old tinny recording and detracted from the experience for many people.<P>At the time I thought that it might be money, but of course it might have been Ron Protas being reluctant to deviate from the music that MG had used. If the latter it was certainly a mistake.

So I'm at a tech/dress rehearsal last night. The performance is in a church reception hall so all the lights are on trees off to the side. At the end of a group piece one of the dancers rolled over and smacked her forehead into the gel frame on one of the shins. Big gash, swelled up like a golfball. She was light about the situation saying that these things are expected when we are dancing in spaces not originally intended for dance concerts. The lighting designer felt awful.<P>Another causualty in the dance wars.

Ow, that hurt just reading about it...

Ouch!<P>And I feel badly for the lighting guy, too...that's an awful situation to be in...you need to have your stuff there, but you certainly don't want folks to get hurt.<P>I am reminded of an electrician that I work with that was firing off a flash pot for Sleeping Beauty. Carbosse's dress started to have a small fire. It was quickly extingished, no harm done, and the audience never knew what happened. But he feels badly a year later, because he was the one responsible for preparing the pot and setting it off. Everything was done as it should have been, except, turns out the costume wasn't fire proofed properly. Not his fault at all...but he still feels terrible about it.<BR>

Pyrotechnics should <I>never</I> be set off anywhere <B>near</B> close enough to humans that they might set a costume alight -- whether or not a costume is fireproofed (and there's really no such thing as "fireproofing"; under the right conditions, anything will burn, except for water and oxygen).<P>------------------<BR>Jeffrey E. Salzberg, Lighting Designer<BR>"Shang-a-lang, feel the <I>sturm und drang</I> in the air!"<BR>Online portfolio: <A HREF="http://www.suncoast.quik.com/salzberg" TARGET=_blank>http://www.suncoast.quik.com/salzberg</A> <P><BR>

It's an example that the impossible can happen....it was in a different wing.